Parks Commission

Parks Commission Meeting January 16, 2014 7:30 – 9:00 Commissioners Present: Lyn Munno, Emily Boedecker, Kip Roberts, Aaron Brondyke, Cara Robecheck Staff Present: Geoff Beyer, Alec Ellsworth Public Present: Marilyn Mode November Minutes – Aaron made a motion to pass the November minutes. Emily seconded. All were in favor. Parks Commission Meeting Schedule – Thursdays will not work for Cara anymore. We decided for next month to meet on Wednesday night and then to set a regular meeting time at that point. Next meeting – Wednesday, February 19th. Dog Policy and Communication: Incident Reporting Form - Geoff has not had a chance to check into the confidentiality issue with the City. Aaron offered to check this month with the City Manager regarding the issues of both confidentiality and anonymity. He will find out if we need to take the form to the attorney. Will discuss further next month. Code of Conduct: We finalized the list of where to display the Code of Conduct signs in the parks. The Parks Commission asked Geoff to put the signs up as soon as possible. Geoff will make framed signs with Plexiglas. The code of conduct will be placed at all dog waste stations (which includes all park entrances), at the state house path , at both kiosks, at Cummings Street and at the entrance to the park from the North Branch Nature Center. Dog Policy and Communication: The commission discussed the remaining recommendations from both the Dog Policy and Communication Working Group and from the Friends of the Dogs of Hubbard Park. The Dog Policy and Communication group had recommended a next step of altering the dog control ordinance to eliminate the word chain. The Parks Commission discussed that the Commission was not going to get involved with this, but if citizens wanted to work on this change, they could. The Dog Policy and Communication group recommended that the Parks Commission explore areas of designated uses, creating some areas that may allow dogs off leash and some that may not. The Commission discussed that it would make sense to think about this in the context of a larger planning process on park usage in the upcoming year. The Dog Policy and Communication group recommended creating a fenced in dog park somewhere in Montpelier. Cara expressed that many in the working group with very different opinions supported this option. It would benefit some dog owners and would also take some pressure off the park if there was an alternative place for dogs to run free. The Commission all agreed that it is a great idea but that it needs a group to champion the idea. Geoff will talk with the Recreation Department. It would be great if a citizen group organized to make this happen. Aaron gave an example that in Manchester, NH citizens championed the creation of a dog park. Recommendation from the Friends of the Dogs of Hubbard Park. The group had recommended having a brochure with suggestions for both dog owners and non-dog owners around behavior and communication in regards to dogs. Lyn stated that she really likes the conversational aspect of the language and feels like it could be useful as a compliment to the Code of Conduct. Others agreed. We all agreed that we would not want to give out brochures in the park but would rather see it posted at the kiosks and on the webpage. Lyn agreed to read it over in more detail to make sure that it is not in conflict with the current Code of Conduct. Lyn will then send changes on to Geoff and Alec. Any changes will be given to the Friends of the Dogs of Hubbard Park for review. Mountain Bikes: Kip said that Dan Vosion, the co-chairs of MAMBA (Montpelier Area Mountain Bike Association) met with Tom Jackman, Town Planner in Stowe. Kip acknowledged that Stowe is a completely different town in terms of land but that it is helpful to hear about the process they went through. MAMBA may have more information to give to the Parks Commission next month. Emily let the commission know she is taking a job as the Executive Director of Local Motion Bike Race – Kip and Geoff reported that the Onion River Bike Race worked out nicely. It was well signed. It was safe and folks had a fun experience. Park Planning process: Cara discussed that she would rather see us be proactive rather than reactive. The Commission would like to see a parks planning process where we can receive input from citizens on their vision for Montpelier parks. We need to explore further whether it makes sense to work with a consultant. Lyn mentioned that the City Council may be doing a survey this spring or fall. Aaron said the last survey was very general and won’t accomplish the detailed input we are looking for. Geoff said he would talk to the planning department about the possibility of a municipal planning grant. We should also explore what other communities have done. Carr Lot – Geoff reported that planning on the Carr Lot is moving quite quickly, and that the Parks Commission and Parks Department have not been asked to weigh in on plans. Geoff said that in the original plans 50% of the land was designated for green space. Now the proposal includes a very small area of park. Geoff said it would be a big loss, since it may be a very long time before another riverside park becomes possible. Montpelier is a city of rivers and there is not good access to rivers in the downtown. To give up river space for parking spaces is a huge loss. He envisions a park that has an inset area right adjacent to the river, with an amphitheater type slope that would get visitors at the river level. Geoff is going to find and circulate the original plans that showed a higher percentage of park space. We discussed that we should get involved in the process. Lyn, Kip and Geoff agreed that they could try to go to the next meetings. We should also coordinate with the Conservation Commission. Geoff also brought up the larger question of why the Parks Commission and Parks Department are not being involved in the process for parks development and planning. Dog Waste: Lyn announced that the new dog waste ordinance was passed unanimously by City Council requiring people to pick up after their dogs regardless of location. Some logistics are still being worked out with the waste stations but things are generally going very well. Caretaker House – The City Council approved $12,000 from the Park Impact Fee to cover the repairs on the house. Geoff and Cara were putting finishing touches on the lease and sublease. Alec brought up again that it would be appreciated if something could be done for Simon, Linden and Shannon given the amount of work that they put into the house. He mentioned doing some kind of rent deduction. Aaron asked again for a report on how much time was spent on the house. Given the City Budget, it would be hard to reduce the rent. We talked about at least giving a thank you and also about the possibility of not raising the rent next year. Lyn also mentioned that we could look into the Onion River Exchange to see if they could receive volunteer credit for the work they put in. Lyn said she would follow up on this. Meeting Adjourned