Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission

CITY OF OAK HARBOR PARK BOARD MEETING MINUTES February 13,2023 This hybrid meeting was hosted from the Mayor’s Conference Room in City Hall and recorded through RingCentral. 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Warner called the meeting to order at 11:30 am Position and Board Member Attendance Position 1 – Carrie Stucky, Vice Chair Present Position 2 – Jana Warner, Chair Excused Position 3 – Ronnie Wright Excused Position 4 – Eric Dipzinski Present Position 5 – Rosemary Morrison Excused Alternate – Tom Jones Present Ex Officio Councilmember Jim Woessner Present CITY STAFF PRESENT: City Administrator Blaine Oborn, Executive Assistant Macalle Finkle, Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith, Park Lead Tally Hucke OTHERS PRESENT: Monica Hayes, Barbara Arms 2. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIR Ms. Finkle advised that Jana Warner had been elected Chair two meetings prior and the selection of Vice Chair was needed. Board Member Stucky expressed an interest in serving as Vice Chair. Board Member Dipzinski MOVED to elect Carrie Stucky as Vice Chair, SECONDED by Councilmember Woessner. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA There were no changes to the agenda. 4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Board Member Dipzinski MOVED to approve the meeting minutes of December 12, 2022, SECONDED by Vice Chair Stucky. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 5. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD None. 6. PARKS BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS Councilmember Woessner noted there was an effort being made by other advisory boards to increase public involvement; stating that the new focus on parks and recreation was another opportunity for engagement. 7. REPORTS AND DISCUSSION ITEMS a. Garden Club Presentation (this item was heard after 7.c) Monica Hayes, Chair of Civic Improvement Committee, provided a brief overview of the Garden Club noting that the Club provided 352 volunteer hours and approximately $1,500 in funding to the City in 2022. She noted that as part of the Club’s centennial celebration, members planted 6,850 daffodil bulbs at over 20 business locations, all Oak Harbor schools, various city parks and greenspaces. She stated the goal is to expand the number and size of community projects and continue the cooperative relationship with the City for landscape beautification. b. Arbor Day Planning Director Smith announced that Arbor Day is Friday, April 28 and that staff was seeking input on planning this year’s event. Discussion ensued regarding past events and the Board’s consensus was to continue to partner with the school district as well as local organizations and agencies to host the event with a variety of activities and tree distribution. Director Smith advised a detailed plan would be provided to the Board at its next meeting and the event would be advertised to the community. c. Accessible Playground Presentation Director Smith presented an overview of universal design playgrounds and the City’s desire to provide a well-rounded selection of recreational activities that provide satisfying experiences for residents of all ages and abilities. He commented on the state of existing park areas, the potential to develop an inclusive playground, and potential funding opportunities. He advised that a Parks and Recreation Master Plan was going to be developed and same would help guide the timing of projects. Discussion ensued about garnering community support, ways to make existing spaces safer, developing a vision for a regional park initiative, and potential funding sources. d. Windjammer Park Future Improvements Status Update Director Smith reported on the shoreline erosion damage caused from recent King tides. He further advised that the results of the April 2022 survey would be brought to the committee for review during a special work session to be scheduled in the next couple months. Councilmember Woessner opined that the presentation should include a history of how the park was redeveloped in order to move forward with a plan for future improvements. Board Member Dipzinski commented that a Parks and Recreation master plan would help determine the essential needs in Windjammer Park and what services can be support in other area parks. City Administrator Oborn mentioned that the City has begun discussions with the Oak Harbor School District about long-term planning which included sports fields. e. Memorial Policy Draft Director Smith stated the current policy needs to be updated and requested two Board Members to assist in redrafting the policy and developing an application process. Board Member Jones volunteered. f. Parks and Recreation Director Updates Director Smith inquired as to whether the Board would be interested in expanding its focus to also include recreational programming, which will be needed as the Parks and Recreation Department continues to develop. Discussion ensued. Board Member Dipzinski MOVED to recommend to City Council a change in the Park Board powers and duties to encompass recreation, SECONDED by Vice Chair Stucky. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Director Smith advised that automatic locks and motion sensor lighting were being installed at the Ft. Nugent Park restroom to address vandalism. He further noted clean up would be taking place at Hal Ramaley Memorial Park and staff was working with Navy to address maintenance of Gateway Park. 2  g. Agenda Items for Next Meeting/Future Meetings Upcoming items recommended by staff include orientation/training for new board members, Memorial Policy draft, park identifier signs, pickleball courts, public restrooms including Portland Loos, and an update on Arbor Day event. Councilmember Woessner requested a discussion on community engagement opportunities. Board member Jones requested an update on all Parks’ projects. Discussion ensued as to the date and time of future meetings; consensus of members was to change the meeting time from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on the second Monday of each month. 8. ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 1:14 pm. 3