Parks & Recreation Commission

TUMWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING March 22, 2023 Page 1 CONVENE: 7:01 p.m. PRESENT: Chair Erin Carrier and Commissioners Mike Culley, Amy Hargrove, Shane Harrington, Joel Hecker, and Joe Munro. Excused Absence: Bill Kallappa II. Staff: Recreation Manager Todd Anderson, Parks and Facilities Manager Stan Osborn, and Capital Projects Manager Don Carney. Bob Droll, Landscape Architect, and Ann Dinthongsai, Associate, RWD Landscape Architects. CHANGES TO There were no changes to the agenda. AGENDA: PUBLIC COMMENT: There were no public comments. PRESERVE PARK Manager Anderson reported on outreach to The Preserve community and NAMING: surrounding neighborhoods to seek naming suggestions for the new park at The Preserve. Staff received approximately 30 names. The names were reviewed by Director Denney for appropriateness. The Commission is requested to select one or a top list of priority names and forward a recommendation to the City Council. Mayor Sullivan was one of the suggested names; however Mayor Sullivan has declined to have her name considered. The Commission reviewed the list and offered their respective preferences. It was noted that the City discourages naming a park for a living person. Commissioners discussed signage for the park. Several preferences for the park name included Kindred Park and Preserve Park. MOTION: Commissioner Harrington moved, seconded by Commissioner Hecker, to recommend the Council consider naming the park, Kindred Park. Motion carried unanimously. TRAILS END PARK Bob Droll, Landscape Architect, said he has worked with Tumwater since MASTER PLANNING: 1991 and assisted the City in the design of the Deschutes Valley Park (T Street), as well as working on the preliminary design for the Deschutes Valley Trail, and the segment of the trail from Historical Park to Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls. Neighborhood parks serve as the basic building block of the community’s park system. The Trails End Park is larger than typical neighborhood parks TUMWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING March 22, 2023 Page 2 and is located on the best soils within the county. However, much of the park area is overrun with blackberries and evasive plant species. The project is to assist the City and the Tumwater community in developing a master plan based on community consensus. Part of the process was development of three park design concepts based on programming elements. The concepts are somewhat similar with each having some different elements. Mr. Droll referred to poster boards of the three design concepts and five image boards with possible amenities. A public meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. on March 29, 2023. Commissioners are encouraged to attend and engage with the public to receive feedback on the preferred design and park amenities. The meeting format is an open house. Following the meeting, the intent is to identify preferred alternatives. Mr. Droll reviewed the meeting format and the Commission’s role in interacting with the public. The posters include existing conditions and design concepts A, B, and C. Each Commissioner will staff a concept poster and the image boards to describe the concepts and answer questions from the public. Ann Dinthongsai, Associate, RWD Landscape Architects, described existing site conditions. The park site is approximately 17 acres in size. Thurston County was shaped by glaciers, which is evident at the site because of a large kettle consuming a majority of the north area of the property. Kettles were formed from action of glacier ice and sediment building up around ice through time leaving a large depression or lake as the glacier melted. The southern portion of approximately 8 acres is relatively flat and is the site of the future park. The site is located in an area of historical importance and was home to the coastal Salish Native American community, as well as serving as George and Isabella Bush’s homestead. In recent history, the area served as the site of the Trails End and Arena, which was demolished leaving some buildings, gravel areas, and asphalt areas. The site also houses a significant old Garry oak tree. Utilities are readily available to the site. The site is partially bordered by a row of street trees and a partial sidewalk and is surrounded by multi-family and single-family housing and commercial uses. Ms. Dinthongsai reported the three design concepts were derived from a list of program elements vetted during the Operations and Maintenance Facility public process. She described the preferred design features:  Walking Trails  Native Plantings  Community Garden Space  Water Feature  Group Gathering Areas TUMWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING March 22, 2023 Page 3  Enhanced Forested Areas  Community Art  Interpretive Areas  Open Play Areas  Accessible and Unique Play Structures  Discouragement of Homeless Encampments Within the Design  Pickleball and Basketball Courts  Picnic Shelters  Walking Paths with Benches  Exercise Stations along Paths  Restroom  Playgrounds/Flash Pad  No Scheduled Athletic Games Some interpretive themes generated during the public process included horse themes (Trails End Arena), Bush Prairie, and natural, bright, fun, and inviting space. The three concepts combine many of the same features. Several design elements are similar for all three concepts and include parallel parking along Trails End Drive of approximately 20 spaces and two ADA spaces and entrances to the park centered along the parking. The park core is located in the southwestern area of the property because it is flat, clear, and close to parking. The park core will house all program elements. All design concepts preserve the Garry oak tree. All concepts include trails and walking paths in various configurations, as well as interpretive features in an overlook area along the edge of the kettle, open lawn, prairie, landscape berms along the northern edge to buffer adjacent uses, and stormwater retention and infiltration facilities along the northern area. Each option includes a restroom, bike rack, picnic shelters, benches, and tree plantings in various configurations. No access will be provided to the kettle. Invasive species located within the kettle will be removed. Ms. Dinthongsai presented and described each design concept. Concept A includes a community garden near the parking area with a storage shed and 15-20 parking spots. The park core area includes a 5,000 square foot play area, 2,000 square foot flash pad, a basketball half court, and the trail system extending to the north. Concept B features a 7,000 square foot play area, a pump track (a loop track with rollers and berms for motorized sports), low landscaping berms/mounds around the play area and the pump track to add interest to the landscape, disc golf located (Frisbee discs) with disc baskets circling the perimeter of the lawn, full-size basketball court, and an ADA pickleball court. Concept C features a pedestrian archway at the entrance, an 8,000 square foot play area, fitness station located between the play area and the pump TUMWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING March 22, 2023 Page 4 track, three half court basketball courts, and an ADA pickleball court. A fitness station is located centrally to serve families. Mr. Droll reiterated that all concept designs include similar elements. The site is open except for the kettle and the area of trees within the kettle. The site is open visually with the designs maintaining existing sightlines for safety and security. Newly planted trees will be highly branched with canopies providing sight clearance throughout the park. All options include frontage improvements. Entry points to the park are similar in all the design options. One consideration is existing right-of-way in an adjacent cul-de- sac. The design options do not reflect any pedestrian connection at that location based on receiving no specific requests from the neighborhood. Mr. Droll described the low berms/mound features that will require mowing several times a year. The mounded areas will not be irrigated. One acre of park area requires approximately two acres feet of water to irrigate. The goal is not creating additional lawn to reduce the need for irrigation, which is expensive. Manager Carney addressed questions concerning future expansion of the operations and maintenance parking area. No parking is included along 79th Avenue. Concerns were conveyed about crosswalk crossings for families living to the south of the site. The type of crosswalk is based on warrants in terms of the number of pedestrians using the facilities. Ms. Dinthongsai reviewed a list of interpretive themes generated through historical uses of the site and from the public process:  Kettle Land  Plant Restoration  Prairie and Oak Savannah  George & Isabella Bush  Trails End Arena  Story Trail Ms. Dinthongsai displayed image boards of different park themes imbedded within park amenities. The themes included a western focus, a contemporary focus with forms that tend to be futuristic, and a nature theme incorporating timber and bolder structures combined with rope elements. She shared image boards of athletic, recreation, and site amenities, and several ideas for community art. Mr. Droll explained the importance of identifying different elements, such as incorporating a gateway feature. The master plan will identify specific elements of a specific size and the theme of the park. TUMWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING March 22, 2023 Page 5 Chair Carrier asked about the process of documenting public comments during the public meeting using the different theme boards. Mr. Droll said attendees will receive adhesive forms for submittal of their comments for placement on the theme boards. Attendees will also receive colored dots to identify their preferred concept with another color denoting an amenity not desired. The feedback from attendees will be visually recorded on the design concept boards. The goal is to identify a preference of a design by the community. He cautioned against including specific features, such as a splash pad as it could result in a regional draw and overwhelm the neighborhood park. Additionally, the design concepts do not include any organized sports; however, it is possible to play unorganized sports, such as soccer on the lawn. He added that the addition of more amenities could transition the park from a neighborhood to a community park. Manager Osborn commented that the design depicting a storage work shed includes an existing homeowner’s association playground. He supports inclusive play. Some inclusive play is located at Tumwater Historical Park consisting of ADA compliant features enabling seniors and others having trouble in walking to access playground features. However, the option increases the cost of playgrounds significantly because of the need for firm fall zone material and ramps. It is however, important to provide access to all citizens regardless of ability. As much as he would like to include a water feature, the proposed park is not the right location due to operational costs associated with water. He supports the inclusion of a pickleball court but does not recommend including a zipline. Mr. Droll noted that the park will be ADA compliant rather than ADA inclusive, which is a step higher. Manager Anderson said an all-inclusive ADA park would likely double the cost of the park. He cited some inclusive parks in Vancouver, Washington. Manager Osborn pointed out that Historical Park includes some ADA compliant elements located to the west area of the park; however, mobility challenged individuals cannot access the slide, the revolutionary spinner, the zipline, or the swings. The musical area is the only element with full access. An inclusive park affords access to everyone. Chair Carrier questioned whether there has been any conversations surrounding ADA inclusiveness for the park, especially in terms of the upcoming public meeting. Mr. Droll said the options pertain to the design of the flat area of the park. Designing an all-inclusive park would not be as costly because pathways to each feature would not require grading and the play area could be engineered with appropriate surfacing. The pickleball court would be designed to be ADA adaptive. No other pickleball courts meet those criteria in Thurston County. The pickleball court is surrounded by an 8-foot chain link fence. TUMWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING March 22, 2023 Page 6 The Commission discussed an option of including two pickleball courts with one ADA compliant and one that is not compliant. Mr. Droll said much is dependent upon feedback from the public. Pickleball courts are extremely popular in the county with many hosting larger groups of players. Mr. Droll reported the next step following the public meeting is developing a master plan to endorse to the City Council. An accompanying cost estimate would be developed for consideration by the Council. Discussion ensued on the condition of the Garry oak tree. Manager Osborn offered to work with the City’s contract arborist to assess the tree’s condition. Mr. Droll requested the attendance of Commissioners at the public meeting. Commissioners discussed the importance of designating the purpose of each colored dot. Commissioner Colley advocated for providing a cost estimate of different types of amenities, such as the splash pad, basketball court, and pickleball courts because costs will influence preferences by the public. Chair Carrier offered that the exercise is anticipated to produce a vision of the priorities without the need to provide costs. Mr. Droll said a handout will be produced explaining the purpose of the different colored dots. Commissioners discussed ways to increase attendance by the public to the meeting. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled on April 19, 2023. DATE: ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Chair Carrier adjourned the meeting at 8:24 p.m. Prepared by Valerie L. Gow President, Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net