Star Parks, Arts & Beautification Committee Meeting

City of Star Parks, Art & Beautification Committee (PABC) Monday, September 25, 2023, 6:39 PM 10769 W State St, Star, ID 83669 @ Star City Hall 1A.1. Roll Call PRESENT: Chair Gerri McCorkle, Vice Chair Chris Cox, Council Member Jennifer Salmonsen, Staff Liaison Ryan Field, Rod McClure, Arlene Nelson, Vicki O’Keefe, Sue Speer ABSENT: Claudia Sanders VISITOR: Star mayoral candidate Michele Miles 2A. Approval of August 14, 2023 and August 28, 2023 Meeting Minutes. Vicki made a motion to approve the 8/14/23 minutes, Rod seconded. Arlene abstained because she was not present at that meeting. The vote of the remaining members was unanimous. Arlene inquired about the safety life ring program referenced in the 8/28/23 minutes. After discussion, it was decided to re-name the term “receipt” in the city staff liaison’s report on page 3 to “release of liability”. Rod made a motion to approve the 8/28/23 minutes with the proposed change, Chris seconded, vote was unanimous. 3. Committee Member Discussion/Reports/Updates 3A. Park Sign Kiosks – Recommendation to Table PABC researched informational kiosks and voted to recommend the purchase of a specific kiosk for Waggin’ Tails Park on 8/14/23. The City would like to purchase uniform signage at all City parks, so would prefer to defer any purchases until they could research options further. Ryan said this project might be re-visited in January for possible installation in the spring. Gerri requested that PABC have input if a different product was selected. Rod made a motion to table the kiosk project until after year-end. Chris seconded and the vote was unanimous. 3B. Dog Park Shade Structure – Recommendation to Table Jennifer said the mayor researched shade options for Waggin’ Tails Park, but no decisions have been made yet. The cost is much higher than anticipated and installation is expected to be complicated because the footings must be very deep to withstand 50 MPH winds. Ryan said he believed the City’s goal was to install a shade structure by next summer. Jennifer said any shade structure would likely be paid from park impact fees and the mayor encouraged PABC to invest its share of the dog brick proceeds in another project at the dog park. Arlene made a motion to table the dog park shade structure indefinitely, Rod seconded, vote was unanimous. SS Page 1  City of Star Parks, Art & Beautification Committee (PABC) Monday, September 25, 2023, 6:39 PM 10769 W State St, Star, ID 83669 @ Star City Hall 3C. Idaho Botanical Garden Lunaria Grant - Recommendation to Table Ryan said the city spent $3,776.30 last week to purchase Basalite blocks for the Riverhouse garden project. Originally the garden was envisioned to be in raised beds along the entrance near the property line between the existing Riverhouse location and the newly acquired property next door. The infrastructure work for the surrounding property, including running irrigation lines, needs to be completed before any garden installation can begin. The city attempted to sell the building next door to the Riverhouse, but no buyers came forward and it will be demolished and removed. This process could delay work on the infrastructure. Gerri mentioned she would research the deadline for the Idaho Botanical Garden grant so PABC could attempt to meet the terms and not forfeit the grant. Vicki made a motion to research a possible new location for the garden at the Riverhouse property within the next 30 days, Chris seconded, vote was unanimous. Gerri suggested convening a project team of a few PAB members at the Riverhouse the week of October 8th. 3D. Dog Brick Program Proceeds Discussion Hand & Paw will receive a donation check at the next City Council meeting for their share of the dog brick profits, as PABC previously recommended. PABC retained a portion of the dog brick profits for projects at Waggin’ Tails Park. Purchasing a statue or bench near the brick pathway with these funds was discussed and further research is needed. 3E. Holiday Decoration Contest The City’s website states the application deadline for the holiday decoration contest is 12/8/23 and that applications will be posted soon. Judging will be on 12/16/23. PABC discussed whether past winners may win again. The contest has been held for two years and most of the same individuals won both years in their categories. It was suggested that past winners could compete against each other in a special “Winners’ Circle” or “Tournament of Champions” category, and that could be a helpful compromise in allowing past winners to continue to participate while encouraging other residents to compete. Jennifer will look at the contest application. Ryan will contact ACHD to see if PABC might be able to borrow a van for the judging. 3F. Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation (IWCF) Grant Application Discussion Sue noted the grant application deadline is 12/15/23. IWCF’s grant range is between $20,000 and $30,000 and the interest areas that PABC might apply for would be cultural arts, environment (for parks projects), or in the catch-all rural category for communities under SS Page 2  City of Star Parks, Art & Beautification Committee (PABC) Monday, September 25, 2023, 6:39 PM 10769 W State St, Star, ID 83669 @ Star City Hall 30,000 in population. She said that she did not believe that PABC had any projects identified that were currently ready for the IWCF grant application process, but she would like to apply in the future. Gerri suggested brainstorming project ideas at the January 2024 workshop for next year. 3G. Traffic Box Program Update The city sent consolation letters to the artists that were not selected on 8/18/23. Sue said the next steps in the project are: 1. Contact the artists that won, request W-9s, and obtain signed licensing agreements. 2. Accept the vendor quote. 3. Coordinate any agreement needed with the library, the library artist, and determine how the book drop wrap will be paid. Ryan said that he would accept the vendor quote, meet with Barbara Conly of the City Clerk/Treasurer’s office, and follow up with Jennifer and Sue. 3H. Make Star Shine Project Update There is currently a “save the date” image on the city website for Make Star Shine that Sue previously discussed with Public Information Officer Dana Partridge. Sue requested adding an active link to the Sign-Up Genius volunteer page and the homeowner application. Ryan said he will be meeting with Dana tomorrow and would ask her to please upload those items. Sue asked whether she could personally purchase up to $500 of volunteer supplies (previously approved by PABC on 8/14/23 and identified on PABC’s purchase tracking system spreadsheet) this week before the close of the fiscal year and request reimbursement from the City. Ryan said yes. Sue reviewed the lists of resident application distribution ideas and volunteer team contact people with the committee and noted additional suggestions. Last year, Make Star Shine Day included volunteers raking for senior and disabled residents and picking up trash at numerous roadside locations. Sue asked if PABC could hold the trash pick- up on a different day, ideally in October, because coordinating both events simultaneously split the focus and was more challenging. Given the late date and committee members’ October travel schedules it was decided to combine the events again on 11/18. Vicki mentioned there are approximately two pounds of coffee left over from Art by the River at the Riverhouse that could be used for Make Star Shine refreshments. The owners of Koala SS Page 3  City of Star Parks, Art & Beautification Committee (PABC) Monday, September 25, 2023, 6:39 PM 10769 W State St, Star, ID 83669 @ Star City Hall Insulation have assisted with refreshments in the past and Gerri volunteered to contact them again. Sue mentioned the idea of asking volunteers to participate in a rake “drill team” for next year’s Hometown 7/4 parade. This opportunity is briefly described in the Sign-Up Genius volunteer event page. 3I. Sea Tow Life Vest Grant Program Update Claudia recently filed another monthly grant report for the Sea Tow life vest program. It was noted that the life vests are being used, and someone donated an additional life vest to the stand at the Riverhouse. 3J. Outdoor Exercise Equipment Update As discussed at the 8/14/23 PABC meeting, one of the pieces of exercise equipment requires more space for installation than will be available at Westpointe Park due to an ACHD easement and the irrigation canal. City staff is considering installing the equipment at the east side of Hunters’ Creek Park instead. The committee noted that Hunters’ Creek Park received more visitors and had better parking than Westpointe Park, so that seemed like a good location. Ryan said Buildings and Grounds Superintendent Bob Little will be working on a proposed site map. Ryan noted that the City can pour concrete for the equipment bases year-round, so installation could still be possible once the weather becomes colder. 3K. HOA Update / Safety Ring Project Rod and Chris said that 5 safety rings have been installed near subdivision ponds to date, with 4 more installations pending. Chris said they created an effective system for installation. Chris said that the HOA board members who expressed hesitation were concerned that installing safety rings could be interpreted as condoning swimming in the ponds or might open the HOAs up to additional liability. Chris requested another PABC Facebook post with pictures recently taken after the installation of a ring and a comment that City Code will require rings in new subdivisions to hopefully encourage more interest in the program and allay concerns. The City has approximately 55 rings remaining. Jennifer noted that the City could likely install a few rings near the ponds at Freedom Park. 3L. Opera by the River Sponsorship Idea for Next Year Discussion was deferred to a future meeting. 3M. Art by the River (ABTR) Expense Reconciliation, Post-Show Recap, Exit Interview Recap Vicki distributed a summary of the artists’ and crafters’ evaluations of the show. The comments were extremely positive, with the average overall score a 4.5 out of 5. The most common SS Page 4  City of Star Parks, Art & Beautification Committee (PABC) Monday, September 25, 2023, 6:39 PM 10769 W State St, Star, ID 83669 @ Star City Hall compliments noted the volunteer help (especially with load-in and load-out of the booths) and the Saturday and Sunday morning breakfasts. The lowest category in the evaluations was attendance, despite having 2,500 verified patrons at the show. It was believed that “attendance” in the evaluations might be a proxy for lower than desired sales because that was a comment several artists and crafters told volunteers. Vicki noted that the ABTR volunteers could have sold more wine glasses and tote bags if they had been able to accept credit card payments. They turned down sales when customers were not able to pay with cash. Gerri mentioned there were public art pieces that either the ABTR project team or the mayor identified as possible PABC purchases with ABTR profits, including a “Welcome to Star” rock monument for the City Hall entryway for approximately $800, American flag metal artwork, and a patriotic painting for approximately $2,200. Further discussion and action items will be deferred until PABC receives financial information about the ABTR event from the City Clerk/Treasurer’s office. 4. Recommendations to City Council None. City Council Liaison Report – Jennifer Salmonsen • Jennifer noted that some of the PABC veterans’ banners encroached on the roadway after the widening of State Street/Highway 44. The brackets can be turned so they are out of the way and that process has begun. • Council recently approved a contract with the Idaho Humane Society for dog control. City Staff Liaison Report • Ryan said he attended a conference with other city officials and staff and found the information very helpful. He spent time discussing the City’s accounting software program with a Black Mountain representative. • The City is considering setting a minimum dollar threshold to bring purchases to City Council for their vote so the approval process can be consistently applied. Ryan said his goal was to finish drafting the City’s committee handbook by 9/30 and he hoped to present it to Council at a meeting in October. 5. Adjournment at 9:01 PM. The next meeting will be 10/16/23 at 6:30 PM at Star City Hall. _/s/____________________________ Sue Speer, Secretary SS Page 5