Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

The Olympia Center City of Olympia 222 Columbia St. NW Olympia, WA 98501 Contact: Jonathon Turlove Meeting Minutes 360.753.8068 Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Monday, December 17, 2012 6:00 PM The Olympia Center, Multipurpose Room A/B Special Meeting 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. 1.A ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Chair Robert L (Rob) Ahlschwede, Vice Chair Jim Nieland, Committee Member Robert Dengel, Committee Member Joel Hansen, Committee Member Gerry Hodge, Committee Member Lynn Scroggins, and Committee Member Brian Tomlinson Absent: 4 - Committee Member Barbara Benson, Committee Member Jesse Dwyer, Committee Member Dave Hughes, and Committee Member James Reddick OTHERS PRESENT Citizen Task Force members in attendance were Rachel Burke, Jim Neiland, Lynn Scroggins, Ruben Bernal, Suan Burgoon, Jeannie Jung, Bob Leverich and Clark Gilman. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved. 3. BUSINESS ITEMS 3.A 12-0856 Purpose of Meeting and Introduction of Citizen Task Force Parks Associate Director David Hanna said the purpose of this special meeting is for PRAC to gather input from the public, review the Task Force recommendation and formulate a recommendation to send to City Council. The information was provided. 3.B 12-0852 ORAL REPORT - Proposal for Moving Forward on Off-Leash Dog City of Olympia Page 1 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes December 17, 2012 Committee Area in Olympia Questions and Answers for PRAC Members: How was funding decided? $100,000 was set aside in the 2013-2018 Capital Facilities Plan to develop a new dog park. Can Sunrise be kept open until new dog park is developed? Staff is uncertain when new site will officially open and cannot guarantee it will be open by May 31. The rolling closing of Sunrise is a middle ground for neighbors as the City moves toward a new site. The new dog park will need to be bigger than Sunrise due to the high useage. Ms. Burke, Citizen Task Force, said four task force members were opposed to the closure of Sunrise Park before a new dog park was opened. The rolling closure is problematic and confusing for dog park users and the City indicated several months ago that it would only close Sunrise after a new dog park was open. Public Comment: Name not stated - Suggested that the City minimize the impact at Sunrise Park and put up a buffer and fencing or make smaller. Keep Sunrise open. Name not stated - Likes Sunrise because it's small. Users don't need facilities. Likes OLDAs at existing parks. Valerie Mayo - The City Council fast-tracked Sunrise Park OLDA and it needs to close. The constant barking has effected her quality of life. Jeannie Jung - Wants park on westside first. She was told Sunrise would close when new one is opened. Susan Burgoon - There is a dog park available at the Thurston County landfill. Rachel Burke - She surveyed 28 people and on weekdays 75% were westside residents. Bob Leverich - There is less usage than used to be, but Sunrise doesn't meet the standards. There is not a 100 foot buffer from residents. He wants the City to follow through with the closing date and get 1 or 2 others OLDAs open. Karen Amos - Prefers block of days open instead of the rolling closure. She is concerned that during the nicer months she won't have a place to go. Ruben Bernal - There is a significant echo effect, especially when foliage is gone. The OLDA has significantly impacted his family's well-being and has limited his use of City of Olympia Page 2 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes December 17, 2012 Committee his backyard. Name not stated - Supports the closure, but would prefer Sunrise to close after the new OLDA is open. Highest priority should be those sites that can be opened quickly. The Sunrise OLDA was not just used by the community but had a regional draw. Though in the last several months, he has noticed a dramatic reduction in use. The report was received. 3.C 12-0853 PRAC Formulates Recommendation to City Council The Committee reviewed the recommendation submitted by the Citizen Task Force and discussed various options for closure of Sunrise and other potential OLDA site. Motion: Approve the Citizen Task Force recommendations with the following edits: Recommendation #1 - Amend sentence to read: PRAC recommends that OLDAs be provided in the central, northeast, southeast and west areas of town, but not limited to the following locations. Recommendation #2 - Strike sentence relating to funding. Recommendation #3 - Amend sentence to read: Direct staff to pursue establishment of small OLDAs at Priest Point, Kettle View and Stephens Field parks as resources allow. Recommendation #4 - PRAC recommends that the Sunrise Dog Park be closed Sunday through Wednesday, and open Thursday through Saturday. The park will permanently close May 31, 2013, unless a new dog park opens sooner. Motion approved with a vote of 6-1. Committee Member Scroggins voted nay and will provide a minority report. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m. City of Olympia Page 3