Parks Commission

Montpelier Parks Commission Meeting - October 20, 2015 Commissioners: Emily, Carolyn, Bryan, Bill, Kip Visitors: Marilyn Mode, Danis Regal Vote on minutes for Sept. — The September minutes were approved as amended. Bryan clarifies one of the amendments in these minutes. Enchanted Forest — Saturday, October 24, 4:30-8:30PM. Ticket sales are off a bit. Geoff urges folks to promote it. Tickets in advance are cheaper. Not a huge revenue source for Parks, but it’s a popular and welcome event for the City. Update on Action Items from September Meeting — ✦ The Commission plans to include a park incident reporting form on the new web site. Our intent is to make reporting easier. ✦ Bill condensed into a near-wallet size card the canine code of conduct. The Commission will review these and offer Bill comments by October 28. Bill’s draft will be included in the final minutes from this meeting. We’ll also seek informal public comment on the language. Carolyn will also consult with Green Mountain Club for suggestions on dog etiquette on trails. ✦ Bryan on Dog Signs — Bryan presented a variety of sign sizes and designs. Although Commissioners and agreed that language on the signs is vital, the placement and size and eye-catching value of the sign is also important. One reason for the signs, besides outlining the code, is to remind dog companions and visitors that we’ve got “rules” in the park for dog behavior. ✦ Kip raised the question of directional signs on Hubbard Park signs. The Commission recognized this needs to be addressed. Kip said this discussion also raises the question of extraneous trails, and broader trail planning. Kip will consult about options with folks in East Montpelier, where town trails are more clearly marked. Parks Budget — Bill will continue his work on new ways for looking at the Parks budget as a percentage of overall city revenues. The Commission is looking for longer-term trend data on this, perhaps back 10 years. ✦ Capital and Equipment — The snowmobile for trail grooming is still running, but could be replaced in 2017. This is the biggest item in the 2017 capital budget: $10,000. If Parks runs its snowmobile “into the ground” then we wouldn’t get anything for it. If we buy a new snow machine we might get $2000 to $3000 for the old one. In other items, Geoff will check in with the city on computer support and hardware. The electric car, which is of tremendous value to the staff, needs a new battery and maintenance to make sure we get value from the battery. That’s budgeted at $3000. Park Reservation Fees — Geoff reports on big push in City to look at increasing revenues. One option is park reservation fees. Geoff’s sense is that the current fees are okay for about half of park users; the other half don’t feel they’re fair. But compared to state, Hubbard Park rental is a bargain.: $25 up to 50 people, $50 for 50-100 people; $100 for more than 100 people We now don’t charge for major events, such as bike races in the park. Geoff will return next month with a proposed fee schedule. Geoff relayed an idea, not proposed by him or the city, to charge a fee for using trails in winter, to help compensate for winter grooming. Bryan expressed opposition to this. Web Site — The Commission wrestled with the reality of a new City Parks web presence on the City’s new web site. But we lack the staff to supervise such a transition. Bryan suggested a very simple presence, with only the most relevant information: Commission agendas and minutes, commissioners and contact information, news in parks, a list of parks, PDF maps. Zoning Update — Geoff reports that the Planning Commission met with the Conservation Commission and Parks Commission representatives. They presented two maps: a Natural Resources Inventory and the Conservation Lands Map, which incorporated many of the ideas from the “Parks Greenprint” so that priority conservation areas are identified. Geoff hopes this document isn’t only a zoning matter, but will guide broader land protection for parks into the future, by many methods, along with zoning. Amendment to August 2015 Draft Meeting Minutes — A portion of minutes for the August 2015 Parks Commission meeting minutes were amended before the Commission approved them at its meeting September 8. The final language is: North Branch River Trails — During repair work there, Parks staff did see a number of dogs off leash, despite this area be an on-lease zone. North Branch River Park was established in part because of the growing public use of Hubbard Park and to protect the wildlife-rich zone along the North Branch of the Winooski River. Because we require dogs to be on leash in this area, North Branch is an option for people concerned about off-leash dogs. Geoff reports that about half of the dog- walkers he sees at North Branch bring a leash but don’t use it. Geoff reports that about three-quarters of time people respond by attaching a leash when asked. The draft language had been: North Branch River Trails — During repair work there, Parks staff did see a number of dogs off leash, despite this area be an on-lease zone. We have two reasons for requiring leashes in North Branch River Park: 1) the area was established as a zone where people concerned about dogs can go knowing that dogs will be on leash and 2) the area’s richer wildlife diversity warrants dogs on leash. Geoff reports that about half of the dog-walkers in there bring a leash but don’t use it. Geoff reports that about ¾ of time people respond by attaching a leash when asked. Next Meeting will be a day later than our regularly scheduled meeting: November 18 at 7PM in the Montpelier Policy Department meeting room. Bryan will handle the warning and run the meeting. Parks Staffing —On a unanimous vote, the Commission went into executive session to discuss parks staffing. The Commission ended the executive session without taking a vote or any formal action. Ajournement at 9:15PM Tentative November Agenda Items — NEXT MEETING November 18 at 7PM: - web content and structure - approve dog card language - parks signs - proposed new fee schedule - Charging the City for services performed by Parks staff - commission vacancies and candidates