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 Thursday, May 1, 2014 6:00 PM The Olympia Center, Room 200 1. CALL TO ORDER Present: 7 - Chair Jim Nieland, Committee Member Barbara Benson, Committee Member Robert Dengel, Committee Member Joel Hansen, Committee Member Darrell Hoppe, Committee Member Alicia Seegers Martinelli, and Committee Member Brian Tomlinson Excused: 4 - Vice Chair Gerry Hodge, Committee Member Timothy W Burns, Committee Member Jesse Dwyer, and Committee Member Noah C McCord 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The agenda was approved. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the minutes was postponed until next meeting. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT Jeff Marti, of the LBA Woods Coalition, stated they are at pivotal point for the LBA Woods project. There will be a Finance Committee meeting in June to discuss funding for this project. Mr. Marti showed a map of the 25+ acre parcels that are still remaining in Olympia. The Bentridge parcel has an existing trail system and is for sale for $6.5 million. He stated the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) has an important role to play and needs to think about the future. Brian Faller, of the LBA Woods Coalition, stated that the Voted Utility Tax ballot measure criteria stated land acquisition is a priority over land development and that major maintenance projects are not included in the first 20 years. The Isthmus purchase was not within the scope of the Voted Utility Tax. Mr. Faller stated that Bentridge is a nice fit to replace those properties on the Voted Utility Tax ballot measure that are not viable for City purchase. PARC Foundation of Thurston County President James Reddick passed out raffle tickets for the upcoming Centro raffle. Tenino's Splash Bash brought in $18,000 for the quarry pool. City of Olympia Page 1 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes May 1, 2014 Committee 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS Parks, Arts and Recreation (PAR) Director Paul Simmons stated that Bob Jacobs recently sent out some information about the Parks budget. Mr. Simmons noted that in discussions with Administrative Director Jane Kirkemo, Ms. Kirkemo had not reviewed the numbers presented, but did want to acknowledge that Parks did lose 13 positions during the recession years. All City departments experienced cuts, even public safety. Ms. Kirkemo offered to attend a future PRAC meeting to give an overview of the City budget as a whole. 6. BUSINESS ITEMS 6a. Introduce Parks Maintenance Manager Gary Franks and Discuss Maintenance Restructure (David Hanna) PAR Associate Director David Hanna introduced the new PAR Maintenance Manager Gary Franks. Mr. Franks previously worked in Public Works and stated that he is excited to be working with the Parks Department. Parks Maintenace has filled most of its vacant positions and hopes to be at full staff by June . 6b. Parks Funding 101 (Paul Simmons/David Hanna/Jonathon Turlove) Mr. Simmons, Mr. Hanna and Mr. Turlove gave a PowerPoint presentation on Parks Funding, starting with an overview of how capital projects are generated through the Parks, Arts and Recreation Plan, Capital Facilities Plan, and the major maintenance program. The presentation also highlighted the various funding sources used to pay for capital projects and how much each source generates annually. Currently there is a gap in the capital and operating budget compared to public demand. Mr. Turlove reviewed the Parks Plan Update process and timeline. The Parks Plan will not require a major overhaul, but an update that will draw information from the Imagine Olympia process and public meetings that have already been done. Public outreach will start in Fall 2014. Mr. Hanna stated that a recommendation does not have to made tonight, but will need to be made at next month's meeting. Two options have been identified: Option A - Proceed as outlined in the proposed process. Option B - Put Community Park Feasibility Study on a fast track to identify all potential community park sites and analyze the pros and cons of each site. PRAC could also propose an alternative option. Mr. Turlove will post the handouts and the PowerPoint on the PRAC webpage. 6c. Prepare for Finance Committee Meeting Regarding Park Funding (Paul Simmons/David Hanna/Jonathon Turlove) City of Olympia Page 2 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes May 1, 2014 Committee 8. OTHER REPORTS A. Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee - Committee Member Hanson updated the Committee on a trail/community garden project off Joy Avenue that may be a potential project for Parks & Pathways funding. B. Olympia Planning Commission - Committee Member Hoppe stated that the Planning Commission is looking at downtown revitalization, gateways, walkability, and maintenance for land acquisitions. 9. OTHER TOPICS The Urban Forestry Subcommittee presented to the Land Use Committee a report and recommendation. Community Planning & Development received Department of Natural Resources grant to hire a consultant to piece together what a program would look like, the structure and organization. The Urban Forestry Subcommittee will provide an advisory role to the consultant's effort. Mr. Turlove will send a copy of the final report to PRAC. The Finance Committee will meet on June 11. Chair Nieland and Vice Chair Hodge will be at the table, but all PRAC members are invited. Staff will declare it a public meeting, as a quorum may be present. The Artesian Commons Grand Opening is Saturday, May 3 10:30 to noon. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned 7:47 p.m. UPCOMING The next meeting is June 7, 2014. 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