Board of Park Commissioners

BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall, 11th Floor Park Conference Room 455 N. Main NOVEMBER 18, 2013 3pm Present: Bryan Frye, Cindy Claycomb, Steve Hieger, Hoyt Hillman, Tom Roth, Ron Allen Absent: None Also Present: Doug Kupper, Director of Park and Recreation, Elizabeth Harlenske, City Assistant Attorney, Christina Butler, Clerk, John Philbrick, Real Estate Administrator, Sara Rasmussen, Elizabeth Goltry. Meeting was called to order at approximately 3:03pm. PUBLIC AGENDA None. REGULAR AGENDA Item 1A: Approval of Minutes for Regular Meeting Motion by Frye, second by Claycomb, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO approve with changes, sign and file the minutes of the October 5, 2013, Board of Park Commissioners Regular Meeting (5-0, Allen not present for vote). Item 1B: Approval of Minutes for Retreat Motion by Frye, second by Hillman, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO approve with changes, sign and file minutes of the October 5, 2013, Board of Park Commissioners Retreat (6-0). Item 2A: Westar Easement (John Philbrick) Kupper stated it had been discovered that Westar had moved out of the easement onto private property at 47th Street South at Southlakes Park. He introduced Philbrick as the Real Estate Administrator to discuss the details. Philbrick distributed an aerial photo of the area in question. Westar had approached the City to do a retroactive agreement with a permit stating if they need to do any other changes, they will have to pay for it at their expense. They have requested a 27.5 foot easement. Philbrick countered with suggesting a permit stating they could not move south of the wall. He also noted he would like Park Board to leave Westar poles where they currently are and if the road is expanded, Westar will have to move the poles at their expense. They would also have to pay $25,000 to the City. Hieger asked what happened to make this occur. Philbrick responded that east of Southlakes the City allowed Westar to keep the poles in place. Westar just moved the easements maybe thinking that when the agreement to move the poles was approved, it gave them the right to move the poles anywhere. He noted there is no legal documentation of the BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 1 of 8 easement. Kupper stated that Philbrick discovered this because Westar requested to move the poles to the south and upon investigation he realized that Westar had moved the poles without an easement. Westar had permission to expand 47th Street, but they moved outside of the easement they already had. Claycomb asked where the $25,000 would go upon receipt from Westar. Kupper responded it would go into the General Fund. Claycomb asked if Westar could make a donation to the Wichita Park & Recreation Community Fund. Kupper responded that the Board could ask Westar to donate trees. Frye asked Kupper if he was ok with the easement request. Kupper responded that he was ok with it and added that Philbrick is watching out for the Board’s best interest. He noted Westar can do nothing without first coming to the Board. Motion by Frye, second by Hieger, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to accept staff’s recommendation for an easement for Westar at Southlakes subject to City Council approval (6-0). Item 2B: Kansas Gas Energy Easements (John Philbrick) Kupper stated that Kansas Gas Energy (KGE) has a request to put blow off plants. Philbrick handed out aerial photos of the area. They put a structure underground that render the real estate useless. This one at Columbine affects the park and he feels they are taking the easy way out. Philbrick stated that KGE is going to build a bed, drill 15-20 holes 20’ deep and 9” across and wire them together to hook back to an existing pipe to prevent corrosion. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making them update this. This will be underground like the one at MacDonald Golf Course. Hieger asked of it would be about three foot down. Philbrick responded yes. He stated he has asked how many more they may need and has not received an answer yet. MacDonald Golf Course was an emergency deal and it seemed reasonable at the time. Murdock was approved as well. He has suggested to them to go to a permit that way if the City decides to do something with the property or sell the property, the marketability would not be hampered. Frye asked if they are permanent. Philbrick responded they have a 50 year life span and it would be a long term situation. He added they are offering $3,000 per site. Hieger stated they can be easily pulled or moved. Kupper stated that Columbine and Clapp are deeded to the Park Board with full authority. Philbrick added that once it is in, the course could still be used. Claycomb asked how long it would take to put one in and if it would disrupt play at the course. BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 2 of 8 Philbrick responded it should not affect it much. Hieger added that it should be done in a couple of days. Frye asked if these are the only ones they are asking for. Philbrick responded he did not know. Kupper stated that at Murdock the Board did not approve that request, but instead gave them a different property across the street. He had staff look to see if there was other property to offer, but since it is 30’ wide, it would be tough to do in the available alternative real estate. Hieger asked why they need 15 rods because that seemed to be a lot. Kupper suggested maybe in case they need more at a later time. He stated that they will be able to grow grass, but could not put trees on the area. Frye asked if there are practice fields at Columbine. Kupper responded that soccer practices are held there. Frye asked if there was anything planned to be above ground there. Kupper responded they would have to mark the area so they do not plant trees or try to dig posts for football posts on the area. Claycomb asked where Columbine Park is located. Frye responded that it is near 24th Street and Amidon. He asked if the City was asking for $3,000. Philbrick responded that he had told KGE this would be a harder sell. Kupper stated that the road was already torn up at MacDonald at the time of that request. Kupper felt KGE may be taking the easy way out. Hillman suggested asking KGE to show where the main pipes are running so the Board and the City could work with them on a proposed solution so they do not continue to submit these requests. Hieger added that KGE should be able to provide plans. Hillman stated the Board should see the plans so they can see how the plans will impact the City and the Board. Claycomb agreed with Hillman and stated she too would like to see their plans. Philbrick noted he would go back to KGE and ask to see a more complete plan and see if they have reviewed other options. He stated he could tell them the Board denied the request and they can get another site and roll it into their rate structure. But he also does not want to do anything that will inhibit the parks long term. BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 3 of 8 Frye stated the last two requests were easier to swallow because they were not in direct park property that could be a nuisance. He would prefer to see bigger picture and make sure they have exhausted all of their options. Once given all the information he may be willing to review it. Motion by Frye, second by Hieger, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to table the request and direct staff to visit with KGE to get a big picture for future requests for easements and to give the Board comfort that they have exhausted all other options (6-0). Item 3A: 2014 Goals and Objectives Hillman stated that 1B should have the comment “including, but not limited to KWE, Aquatics and Watson Park”. Claycomb stated that 3A3 should have the “but not limited to USD 259” removed and replaced with “but not limited to school districts”. Claycomb stated that 2 should have “the PARC Fund” removed. Motion by Frye, second by Hieger, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to approve with changes the 2014 Goals and Objectives (6-0). Item 3B: Board Appointee to Aquatics Kupper stated they want to have Community Engagement Meetings to see what will happen with the Aquatics Master Plan and the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit (KWE). Hieger stated he would be interested in the Aquatics meetings. Frye asked if anyone else was interested in the Aquatics meetings. There was no response. Motion by Frye, second by Claycomb, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to approve Hieger to the Aquatics meetings (6-0). Frye asked that staff send notice to the Board on meeting dates as soon as possible. Item 3C: Board Appointee to Kansas Wildlife Exhibit Claycomb stated she would be interested in the KWE, but was not sure she could commit to all of the meetings. Kupper stated they could attend as many meetings as possible. He added he did not think the KWE would make as much of an impact as Watson Park. Frye encouraged all of the Park Board members to attend as many of the Community Engagement meetings as possible. Claycomb stated she would like to take the KWE meetings. Frye asked if anyone else was interested in the KWE meetings. There was no response. Motion by Frye, second by Allen, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to approve Claycomb as the Park Board appointee to the KWE meetings (6-0). BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 4 of 8 Item 3D: Watson Park Master Plan Committee Appointees (Elizabeth Goltry) Kupper introduced Elizabeth Goltry to discuss the Watson Park Master Plan. Goltry stated that she works in the Finance Department and is the Project Manager for the Watson Park Master Plan. She stated the Park Board needed to select a Steering Committee for the project. They had solicited applicants for the committee on survey monkey and ended up with 17 applicants. They looked for people who had experience with Watson Park, have an orientation for change and value what is already there to bring unique experience to the Park. Hillman asked where Marlisha Kearney worked. Goltry responded that her application did not state where she worked, but she is involved in fundraising for her church and visits parks in other communities and could bring that to the table. Hillman stated it looks like a good group of candidates. Goltry stated that only two of the applicants had served on a City of Wichita committee before. Motion by Claycomb, second by Hieger, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to accept the slate of applicants as presented (6-0). Item 4A: Golf Update Kupper stated that October ended with gaining on overall losses. The PGA and National Golf Foundation have listed Kansas as being down 17% for the year. However the City golf courses are running down 13% which is ahead of the state per the PGA. Revenues are exceeding 2011, but behind 2012 revenue. They had picked up some purchases that they had been deferring because they ended up with a good year end. Claycomb asked if revenues were up. Kupper responded they were still up over 2011, but not over 2012. Claycomb asked what they had forecasted for 2013. Kupper responded that with marketing they thought revenue would go up, but they knew it would be dependent on the weather. They tried to forecast similar to what had been done in 2012. They should make all debt payments as required. Whether they can make other payments will have to wait until the end of the year to be determined. There is no other debt carried over except Auburn Hills. Claycomb asked about the status of hiring a Golf Division Manager. Kupper stated that Human Resources had made an offer to a candidate and they were in the process of negotiating with him. Frye gave kudos to Kupper and his staff for bringing in eight great candidates for the position. He stated that two of the candidates were non-traditional as far as finance and managing and not being golf pros per se. The other six more traditional candidates were all strong and thought the Golf Division would be in a good position with whoever is hired. BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 5 of 8 Kupper noted that some interview questions centered around accountability and sustainability. He noted that one candidate is charging the Frisbee golfers to play simultaneously as golf. Frye stated that some candidates had ideas for soccer golf and family golf with larger holes. They also heard neat ideas on turf management and water conservation. All in all, there were great discussions and great ideas. Kupper stated that Hendricks had been advised that an offer had been extended to someone. Frye stated that the fence at MacDonald is looking really nice. He also added that Clapp looks really nice with the improvements to the clubhouse and bathrooms, and the window replacements. He noted that staff is excited about it. The interior is still a challenge. Frye stated that the next Golf Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for December 10. Kupper stated that the 2014 programming has been done so marketing can plan media campaigns. By the end of the month, the Golf Division will have a new software package and should have it up and running by February 2014. This will save the golf fund approximately $30,000 a year. Hillman stated that Clapp looks really nice and he hoped that the Board could look at water conservation issues for next year and that they will continue. Item 4B: Recreation Update Kupper introduced Sara Rasmussen as the Assistant Recreation Supervisor at Colvin Recreation Center. Rasmussen stated staff had partnered with Jardine Middle and Colvin Elementary Schools for a grant that was developed after the Healthy Perception Survey in 2011 to promote healthy eating and being physically active. They were awarded $1,000. The Recreation staff partnered with the Police Department, Department of Child and Family Services, Colvin and Jardine schools. They had giveaways (frisbees and pedometers) and had a free farmers market with produce and food from Cox Farms. The Planeview neighborhood is a one-mile square area in southeast Wichita that has a 22% unemployment rate with 97% of the students qualifying for free or reduced lunches. Approximately 42% of the residents are under the age of 19 and 51% of the adult residents have less than a high school education. The goal was to provide 100 community members fruit and vegetables that they may not have access to otherwise and promote healthy activities. They had 210 community members in attendance for the event. Item 5: Issues on the Horizon Frye stated there would be a new Activities Guide coming out soon. Kupper stated they had tried doing only three guides, but they lost the Winter activities. Stacey Hamm worked with staff to put together an extra guide for a total of four quality guides for this coming year. Barbara McGuire worked with the Recreation staff to come up with programming. They surveyed customers and discovered that they did not want to wait three weeks for next fitness class. They will watch the budget with this new guide. Frye asked if it is still just Park and Recreation activities. Kupper responded that they advertise for City Arts, but do not put all of their classes in the guide. This is BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 6 of 8 mainly because City Arts is tied to colleges with semesters and curriculums and they also have different focuses. He noted that the Recreation Activities Guide is at 40 pages already per guide. There is also concern if they start advertising with City Arts, the guide will get to be 50-70 pages and could be too large and may not be read. Claycomb asked about the Party in the Park event. Kupper responded that they only had about four citizens attend which was probably due to the variety of events going on that day. Claycomb asked about the Southlakes project. Kupper responded that it was approved by City Council. Hillman asked about a grant that Great Plains Nature (GPNC) was to receive in November that had been mentioned at the retreat in October. Kupper responded that they had received the FLAP Grant for $500,000 for trails that are being designed now by the Denver office of the US Department of Wildlife. It will help to replace some trails and create a 10’ wide connector trail from K-96 south to the parking lot to the GPNC. Hillman stated that the Master Bike Plan for the City had just been approved and there is a push for connectivity. They are working on pedestrian plans and are looking for paths and sidewalks. Kupper stated there are no bikes allowed in Chisholm Creek Park because it is designated as a Wichita Wild Parks (Meadows, Oak, Swanson, and Chisholm Creek). They are signed as no bikes allowed due to the wildlife and how it affects the wildlife. He noted that the goal is to finish the connectivity lines. Hillman asked if there were plans to finish the path at the canal route at 6th Street. Kupper stated that there are plans to complete the Redbud path around Koch through Oliver and K-96 to connect out to the Butler County line. The Park Board has supported the completion of the bike paths and the connectors. He added that Larry Hoetmer, Landscape Architect for the Park Department, has designed several versions of some of the bike paths. Kupper stated that Buffalo Park is back on track for design services and he hoped to have it designed and built for Summer of 2014. They plan to have public meetings for the future interactive fountain. Frye asked Kupper to get dates to the Board. Kupper stated that the fence at MacDonald Golf Course had been initiated. They were trying to get the same contractor who is doing the 13th Street construction. It will be a 6’ fence. Kupper stated that the Lord’s Diner food truck is working at Evergreen Recreation Center and that during inclement weather families can eat in the recreation center. Kupper stated that work had begun on the Linwood fitness center and they were recruiting a fitness trainer to focus on the seniors working out there. They will buy equipment for a broad spectrum of citizens. Kupper stated that Grace Med had vacated Evergreen and they could begin programming and re- BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 7 of 8 purposing some of the building. They were considering relocating the weight room or making the space specifically for dance and exercise. He noted that Grace Med had received a grant to build at Cloud Elementary. Hillman stated there would be another event on the floating stage on December 7, Lights on the River, and they would be launching orbs on the river from the Lewis Street dam from approximately 5-7pm. There would be food trucks, a band, lights, and Santa. Delano is having an event from 4-5pm the same day. Kupper stated the Night with Santa event is scheduled for December 3 with the tree lighting outside at 5:45pm and inside events start at 6:30pm. Frye stated the Illuminations event at Botanica will kick off on November 29, the day after Thanksgiving. He noted this has become a critical revenue component for Botanica. Frye stated that they looked at the 2014 calendar and he wondered if they should change the by-laws to meet on the 2nd Monday of each month. Every year the Board has to change the first three Mondays due to the holidays and spring break. He stated it may have to be on the agenda next month. They could either change the first three month’s dates or change the by-laws to the 2nd Monday. Item 6: Adjourn There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:47. ______________________________________ Bryan Frye, President _____________________________________ Christina Butler, Clerk BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING November 18, 2013 Page 8 of 8