Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission

PARK BOARD MINUTES Public Works Facility Conference Room 1400 NE 16th Avenue - Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Monday, April 12, 2021 11:30 AM  Tom Tveit, Chair  K.C. Pohtilla  Judy Wagner  Daisy Sapida, Vice Chair  Rosemary Morrison  Vacant  Joel Servatius, City Council Ex-Officio Member (Alternate Member) 1. Call to Order Tom Tveit called the meeting to order. Members in attendance were Tom Tveit, Daisy Sapida, Judy Wagner and Rosemary Morrison. KC Pohtilla was excused. Joel Servatius, City Council Ex-Officio Member, was also in attendance. City staff members in attendance were Talmon Hucke, Lisa Felix, Alex Warner, Cac Kamak and Gideon Cauffman. Hal Hovey, Laura Renniger, Therese Kingsbury and Emily Gilbert were also in attendance. 2. Approval of Minutes MOTION: Moved by Daisy Sapida, seconded by Judy Wagner the Park Board unanimously approved the minutes from the March 8, 2021 meeting. MOTION: Moved by Daisy Sapida, seconded by Rosemary Morrison the Park Board approved the minutes from the March 17, 2021 meeting. Judy Wagner abstained. 3. Public Comments Hal Hovey asked if City Council has committed to developing Harbor Heights rather than Windjammer Park Phase II, while Phase I does not seem to be completed. He noted areas of concern. Tom asked staff to address Hal’s concerns. Tally explained that the road is not up to standards and needs to be improved before it is opened up, and believes that will be a project in Phase II. Tom would like an update in the future. Laura Renninger commented that with the assistance of Tally Hucke and with prior approval of Jesse Ott, the Garry Oaks Society removed several dead trees from Windjammer Park and replaced them with Garry oak trees. She also wanted to ensure the Park Board receives their ‘Year of the Oak’ pins. Tom commended the parks staff on the maintenance of the various parks throughout the city and for quickly addressing the issues of the additional garbage cans and the increase of pet disposal bags in the parks. He also commended the Garry Oak Society for their quick and diligent work on planting the oak trees. Tom requested the fence around the Japanese garden be examined, as it appears to be slightly in disrepair. He would also like to make sure the lagoon will be cleaned out and ready for swimmers. PARK BOARD MINUTES Monday, April 12, 2021 Page 2 4. New Business a. Garry Oaks and the History of Oak Harbor Presentation Laura Renniger, of the Garry Oaks Society, gave a brief presentation of the history of Oak Harbor. She explained how the oak trees in our community represent our city’s heritage. She continued by presenting a timeline of Oak Harbor and its correlation with the historic oaks that populate the city. She spoke of the importance of families growing up in Oak Harbor and how many generations of families continue to live here. She further explained the ‘Save the Oaks’ initiative and the community’s instrumental involvement with the Garry oak tree protection code. She spoke of the Oak Harbor Post Office oak tree, and the upcoming art that will be placed in its former location. She also touched on the formation of Centennial Grove and the incorporation of ‘Avenue of the Oaks’. Daisy asked how many Garry oaks are located in the city. Laura stated that an informal inventory was conducted and they estimate around 700 trees. Daisy asked Laura if the alternate mowing schedule for Smith Park was still in place. Laura responded that the deferred mowing schedule was approved in 2019 and will continue at least through 2021. b. Windjammer Park Rotary Bridge Update Alex Warner explained the City is currently in the process of repairing the bridge. Alex presented slides focusing on the details of the ongoing project, including the railing, decking, brackets and lighting installation. Tally included that the planks will be removed and refurbished to be reinstalled. Tom raised concerns that walking poles get stuck in the gaps between the planks. Tally explained that water sits on the planks and the plans call for the planks to be placed further apart. Tom asked the duration of the project. Alex stated that staff expects the bridge to be closed for six to eight weeks. Tom asked if it would be possible to get the walkways swept frequently and perhaps a temporary railing for the citizens who walk there often. Alex will consider these concerns while developing the detour route. 5. Unfinished Business a. Naming Resolution Update Cac explained that the resolution was left unfinished by the resignation of the prior Parks Operations Manager. He suggested to table this item until the May Park Board meeting. b. Harbor Heights Update Cac stated that City Council had reviewed the two proposed options at their April 6 meeting, and chose to pursue option number two. Access points were discussed in depth. Decisions will need to be made depending on further challenges, however the priority is to pursue the Gun Club Road access point. He also explained that the rezoning process will be brought to City Council on the April 20th agenda. At that time, City Council will be asked to also designate the site as a park. Daisy reiterated the need for portable bathrooms and ample parking. PARK BOARD MINUTES Monday, April 12, 2021 Page 3 6. Announcements a. Gideon Cauffman presented the Park Board with a new plan to place the Prowler Memorial. Tom asked if the artist would approve the change in site location. Therese Kingsbury commented that the newly proposed location is considerably better than the previous site, and asked for it to be a priority. Tom wanted confirmation that the new proposed site would be able to handle the weight load. MOTION: Moved by Rosemary Morrison, seconded by Tom Tveit, the Park Board unanimously approved to place this item on the May agenda. 7. Adjournment MOTION: Moved by Daisy Sapida, seconded by Judy Wagner, the Park Board unanimously approved adjournment of the meeting.