Board of Park Commissioners

BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING MINUTES City Hall, 11th Floor Park Conference Room 455 N. Main Wichita, KS 67202 April 13, 2015 3:00pm Present: Bryan Frye, Tori Deatherage, Hoyt Hillman, Ron Allen, Chris Highfill, Patty Vizzini, Cindy Claycomb Absent: None Also Present: Troy Houtman (Director of Park and Recreation), Sharon Dickgrafe (City Assistant Attorney), Christina Butler (Clerk), David McGuire, John Philbrick, Brian Hill, Jennea Noel, Shana Appelhanz (Staff), Michael Scanga, Mark Chamberlin, Ben Jennings (Citizens). Frye called the meeting to order at 3:00pm. Frye introduced Patricia Vizzini (Patty) as the replacement for Tom Roth. He.stated that Council Member Meitzner asked.to replace Roth due to Roth nearing his.termination on the board. With pending discussion of the CIP and PROS Plan, he wanted someone in place from the beginning of those discussions. Vizzini noted she.is has lived in Wichita for approximately two years. She has served on several Boards, currently the Girl Scout board,.has a background in project management and is active at Wichita State Universitywhere she is working towards her MBA. Vizzini was.sworn in prior to the meeting. Frye thanked Roth for his service of almost eight years to community on the Board. PUBLIC AGENDA None. REGULAR AGENDA Item 1: Approval of Minutes Motion by Frye, second by Highfill, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to approve, sign, and file the minutes of the March 9, 2015, Board of Park Commissioners Regular Meeting (6°0, Claycomb not present for vote). Motion by Frye, second by Allen, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to approve, sign, and file the minutes of the March 16, 2015, Board of Park Commissioners Special Meeting (6-0, Claycomb not present for vote). BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING April 13, 2015 Page 1 of 10 Item ZA: Fresh Air Baby Camp MOU Extension (Sharon Dickgrafe) Houtman stated that the Friends of.the Historic Fresh.Air Baby Camp is a group that is renovating the facility and has an MOU which has expired. They need to renew the MOU so the group can move forward with its renovation, Dickgrafe stated the MOU will be·extended, but is not quite ready for review and approval of the Board. Frye statedit is a building in Central Riverside Park commonly known as the Girl Scout House. The group has replaced the roof and windows and is trying to get geothermal heat installed. There are some specifics of the MOU that still need to be. ironed out. Dickgrafe added that the building is on the historical list and they must go through that approval process as well. Houtman stated the group needs·the MOU for grants. The MOU will be brought back to the Board next month. Item ZB: Bicycle X-Change Donation Presentation (Mike Scanga) Houtman stated that this is a donation from the Bicycle X-Change that staff supports and introduced. Mike Scanga. Mike Scanga (908 W. Douglas) would like to donate work stations that will allow cyclists at Air Capital Park to check the air pressure, brakes, and cha.ins on their bikes at the trail head. The station will be placed at the entrance to Air Capital Park with tools for cyclists. Allen asked if air will be available. Scanga responded yes with a built-in gauge. Cyclists can fix a flat tire and perform.basic maintenance. The group would. like to donate.more of these stations,.They have earmarked another forMiUer's Meadow and Santa Fe. Hillman stated this is great and suggested it will be helpful to have bollards in place to protect the work station. Scanga stated they will donate the equipment and will leave the rest up to the City of Wichita. Houtman stated staff will install the concrete and the group will install the work station. He noted that staff will take the suggestion to protect it. Claycomb noted there are vandalism problems and asked what will happen if they.are vandalized. Scanga responded that he or someone from the group could come out to paint it or replace it. Frye agreed that there has been vandalism of signs that have been taken down, so there is also concern with the tools and graffiti. Houtman noted he understood.the concern, but this location warrants the need. Claycomb thanked Scanga for the gift. BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING Aprilµ,20� Page 2 of 10 Frye stated he .did not want to have it installed and have it damaged six months later. He stated he is grateful for the private/ public partnerships and asked if there will be a MOU. Houtman stated they brought it to the Board to get a vote of support. If the Board supports the donation, an agreement will be created. Motion by Deatherage, second by Allen, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to accept the donation {7-0). Vizzini asked ifit will be lit at night. Houtman responded lighting is not needed because there are trees and the area is notconducive to nighttime riding. There are lights in the parking lot. Item 2C: Together Wichita Donation for• Bicycle Path Wayfinding Signs (Mark Chamberlin) Houtman noted thatthis was furthering the conversation for the donation of Wayfinding signs and· would like to get the donation in place before the summer. Staff has reviewed designs and locations for placement of the signs. Ben Jennings noted he is the Project Manager for Together Wichita for 2015 and had been working on this project with several City staff including Stacey Hamm, Larry Hoetmer, Paul Gunzelman and Scott Wadle along with his colleague. Mark Chamberlin of Armstrong Chamberlin Strategic Marketing. They marked the locations for signs last week. There are 7 large monument signs approx. 5' height in 4' wide placed on posts 8' above the ground on the K-96 bike path. Hillside at Dr. Dey Park at beginning of the K- 96 trail. They will install small Wayfinding signs at Oliver and 29th Street facing all directions. A monument sign will be placed at Woodlawn by Home Depot with great visibility and Wayfinding signs along the east side of road. Small Wayfinding signs will be placed at the corner of Rock Road with one sign banded to the traffic light. Asmall Wayfinding sign will be placed at Cypress and 29th Street. A monument sign will be installed at the top of the "hill" on Webb Road so traffic on K-96 can see it. There will also be small Wayfinding signs to help cyclists navigate the path. The intersection at.Greenwich Road is under construction so it will not be marked yet. That will be done when it is more settled. Large monument signs will be installed at K-96 and 21" Street and K-96 and 13th Street. There will also be a sign placed at 127th Street where it dead ends.. He stated they had worked with Hamm on the MOU and would like to request the City accept the donation. They would like to move forward with manufacturing the signs and get them in the ground within 6-8 weeks. Mark Chamberlin (7450 Seneca, Haysville) of Armstrong Chamberlin worked on the concept designs. Some. of the signs are lacking the exact mileages, but the Park Department is getting that information for them. The monument signs have solar panels to provide a light source for the map as well. Jennings stated they made sure the Design Council got whatthey wanted. The posts will be 8" for safety reasons so no one can hide behind them. Hillman stated the concept is fabulous and would like to have this done in the core. He asked how this can happen elsewhere in the City. Houtman responded that Wadle is working on Wayfinding signs for the rest of the City and is working with a group to develop the promotion and marketing for signage for bicycle trails. He.noted this is just one portion of what is going on now. The bicycle Wayfinding package went through Council and Wadle BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING April 13. 201S Page 3 of 10 is working with the contractor. The.signage will.not be exact, but will have mileage and lighting with solar lighting. Claycomb stated she is supportive of this, but is concerned with vandalism. Jennings noted they have allocated $15,000 for maintenance of the signs. Hillman noted when the sign was placed by Gander Mountain, there was a graffiti proof film that bonds to the surface. Frye added that these signs will be 8 feet in the air. Jennings stated the signs will have a vinyl coating. Houtman stated the donors had worked with staff and taken·their suggestions. He and his staff are in support of this donation. Motion by Vizzini, second by Claycomb, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to accept the donation and instruct staff to finish project (7-0). Claycomb asked if there will be a press release. Hamm responded yes, there will be a presnelease·atter it goes to City Council. Dickgrafe asked for the size of the largest sign. Jennings responded 61" high and 48" wide. Item 2D: Sponsorship Policy for Park Department (Troy Houtman) Houtman stated his staff had created a sponsorship policy for the Park Department. Legal has reviewed and approved it. He wanted to make sure the Board had a chance to review it as well. Funding is always an issue and they want the opportunity to accept donations and give credit for those donations. With this policy in place, they can actively search for these sponsorships. The policy can.be discussed at next month's Board meeting. Frye asked how the Sponsorship Policy relates to Policy 13. Houtman responded that the naming of a park is different and that is covered by Policy 13. The Sponsorship Policy would be if someone wants to sponsor a room or a project they could be recognized with a sign. Hamm added if someone wants to donate to Watson Park.or a pavilion it could be noted with a "Sponsored by XYl" plaque or possibly a larger sign. Frye asked where they would draw the line. Dickgrafe added that it would be similar to what is happening at the KS Sports Hall of Fame baseball diamonds with Friends University. BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEfTING Apri1·13, 2015 Page4 of 10 ·' Frye stated he just wanted to make sure the Board is consistent with Policy 13. He asked the Board to study the Sponsorship Policy and bring questions to the next meeting. Claycomb asked whatthe specifications and standards used in the purchase of similar materialswould be. Hamm responded that the standards"have not been created yet. Houtman added they are working on those. Vizzini asked if there is a clause where you can remove the sponsor if needed. Houtman responded yes. Hamm added thatthe sponsorship will include maintenance. They would like sponsorships to be a minimum of three years. Frye asked if there are currently no other sponsorships available for other areas within the City. Dickgrafe responded that is correct. Frye noted that this will be the first. Dickgrafe responded yes. Item 2E: Sponsorship Policy for Wichita Parks Foundation (Stacey Hamm} Frye noted this is similar to the.Sponsorship Policy forthe Park Department and is closed with the item above. Item 2F: PROS Plan Updates (Troy .Houtman) Frye gave Vizzini the history on the PROS Plan. Houtman noted his staff is working to update several master plans including OJ Watson Park and Aquatics.They will also provide an update to the re-alignment of the Recreation Division. These plans will impact the PROS Plan and they will kick off the evaluation of the PROS Plan in the summer. They would like to work with the Board as a group to revisitthe PROS Plan. Frye added that it was one of the Board's goals to help staff review and update the PROS Plan. Houtman stated the Park and Recreation Department is going through the.accreditation process and he would like to have this completed as part of the process. The PROS Plan was adopted in 2007/2008 and needs to be updated. They will have community engagement and meetings with stakeholders. They will have a step by step process by the end of the summer. Vizzini asked if he could email the priorities so the Board.could focus on those. Houtman responded yes. Item 2G: Election of 2nd Vice President of Board of Park Commissioners BO�RD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING April 13, 2015 Page S of 10 Frye stated that Steve Hieger had been elected the 2nd Vice-President, but had resigned. Claycomb is the current 1st Vice-President. Since Frye has been elected to City Council, Claycomb will be Acting President in May. Dickgrafe noted that per Article 4 Section 3 of the Bylaws, the Board can appoint officers as needed. Frye stated the Board needs to fill the 1 st Vice-President position, Allen nominated Hillman as the 1st Vice-President. Frye seconded the. nomination. Hillman accepted the nomination. Motion by Frye, second by Allen, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED for Hillman to be 1 st Vice-President and Claycomb to be President effective in May (7-0). Frye reminded that the Board elections usually take place in September. Claycomb asked whose terms were expiring. Frye responded that his term and Roth's term were expiring. Allen has four more.years. Claycomb noted she. has two more years. Item 3A: Naming Recommendation of Central and Grove Park to Elm Neighborhood Park (David McGuire) Frye asked if staff had gone to the community to ensure this is the name they want. Houtman responded yes they had and they want this name, Frye noted this is a new parcel which is a nice park atCentral and Grove. They met with the neighborhood associations and the DABs. The recommended name is Elm Neighborhood Park. Houtman added that the Council Member is in support of the name as well. Frye noted that the Board recommends the name to the City Council. Motion by Allen, second by Claycomb, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to recommend the name Elm Neighborhood Park for the park located at Central and Grove (7-0). Houtman stated a ribbon cutting is scheduled for Friday, April 17, 2015, at 10am. The name recommendation will go to City Council on April 21, 2015. Item 3B: River Ordinance Changes Houtman stated that staff is looking at making the changes regarding legal concerns with the river ordinance and will make recommendations. They are meeting with police and fire and will have a committee put together. BO�RD OF PARK'COMMtsSIONERS MEfTING April 13, 2015 Page 6of 10 Dickgrafe asked if they will have one set of rules for both rivers -Little and Big Arkansas. Houtman responded yes and will try to have it to the Board in two months. He stated staff is talking to law enforcement to find out what conflicts they can enforce and when they should contact staff in the Park Department. Hillman reminded the.Board of the Lincoln Street Bridge Dam ribbon cutting on Friday, May 1, 2015, at 1:30pm. Item 4A: Recreation Update (Brian Hill/ Jennea Noell Hill sta.ted this was the third year they have had the Bunny Blast and Egg Hunt event since its brief hiatus. They had approximately 3,500 in attendance which was a great turnout! This was due to the marketing effort on radio and fliers distributed to schools. Last yearthey had 2,500 in attendance. The fee was $5 a carload to enter which accounted for $2,245 revenue justat the.entrance. This is $725 more than last year. Kona Jee sold snow cones and the .Department will receive $90 commission from them. This event had a cost recovery of 79%. Noel stated they used Watson's inflatables rather than.renting them. There were three advertised egg o hunts fr three age groups and they had an unadvertised egg hunt for those who may have missed theirs. The rides atthe park were free for the event. There was a Touch a Truck exhibit with EMS and Fire Department trucks. Participants could have professional pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. Tutor Time and La Petite partnered with the Department to run a couple of events. They had the train decorated and running. There were 30-40 volunteers helping with the event. Frye asked if they used the increased concessions forthe cost recovery. Hill responded yes, but they had to bring extra staff in to cover. Frye asked if the photographer partnered with them. Hill responded yes. Deatherage asked if the marketing expense was included in the cost recovery. Hamm responded no because that comes out of the City Manager's budget. Butler stated she will send the Recreation Monthly Report to the Board. Item 4B: Golf Update (Troy Hendricks) Appelhanz stated that Hendricks was unable to attend the meeting. Rounds are up.37% compared to last year and revenue is up 38%. Expenditures are up 3% due to an increase in staffing. Net income is at a negative, but it is better than last year. The month of March had . five days with no business due to snow. She stated with the new marketing efforts including Footgolf, they are confident they can hit 182,000 rounds with revenue exceeding $5 million. They were challenged to increase the email database and created an e-club. They have increased the email database by 500 email addresses. A bucket of balls is loaded to the player's account when they sign up. They are also offering an Early Bird discount wh.ich will start AprU27. The discount will be regular green fees at 50% off from 5:45to 6:57am. Due to the potential revenue, they have plans ih place to proceed with this until September. During the months of May and June, Swing and Save Discounts and Afternoon Discountswill be offered BOA.RD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING Ap'ril 13, 20_15 Page 7of 10 with a coupon. Customer Appreciation Days were held at.the courses. MacDonald had 849 golfers participate and sold 900 hot dogs. They utilized hack golf equipment which adds a 15" cup on the greens to build retention so they·have fun and want to come back. Golfers were asked to fill out a survey and 50% of golfers had negative comments stating they did not like it Frye stated that even though golf numbers are fantastic, courses are in great shape and staff has improved, we still need to get more golfers. Staff is experimenting with things to expose them to the game, get them to play and to speed up play by using family tees and hack golf. He commended staff for taking the chance and noted that not all of them will be successful. Appelhanz noted they have partnered with Air Capital Classic to promote the tournament and in return they are promoting the City's golf events. They are also buying three SNAG (Starting New at Golf) golf kits valued at$3000 each. Aerification will be finished up at Tex Consolve_r next week. She also introduced the two new golf pros - Scot Weller at Sim and Keith Gunter at Clapp. Item 4C:. Golf Advisory Committee Update /Bryan Frye) Frye noted that from the last GAC meeting, the golf minutes will be posted on line. Butler stated she would get them posted. Frye noted the next GAC meeting will be at City Hall, Park Conference Room, May 12 at 4pm. Item 4D: Wichita Parks Foundation Update /Chris Highfill) Highfill noted the Foundation is working on the Independence Day Block Party and Slide the City. They have two bands. Jessica Lynn will play in the late afternoon. She is an up and coming country artist. Lucky People will play in the evening. Allen asked where. the slide will be located. Hamm responded it will start at the top of Lewis Street Bridge on Maple and face west to Sycamore Street and Maple. Houtman stated sponsors have come through and are excited to spread the word about the event. Highfill stated the Foundation is also working on a Poker Tournament on August 22 at Botanica in the new Lotus Hall at noon. Hamm stated buy-in is a $60 donation and the World Poker League is running it. Vizzini asked what the maximum number of players will be. Hamm responded that the capacity is 299. This is another first year event and they are still working on sponsors. Item 4E: OJ Watson Park Committee Update /Hoyt Hillman) Hillman stated the park has sold 18 fishing licenses. They are working oh the train and things are looking up for the park. Hill added that fish tanks for minnows were installed and will start selling the firstof May: BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING Apf"il p, 2_015 Page 8 of 10 Item 4F: Aquatics Committee Update (Tori Deatherage) Deatherage stated they met a couple of weeks ago and have not made any real progress yet. Houtman stated they visited DABs and were attending another DAB meetingtonightto get feedback from the community on what they want to do with aquatics. There is a difficult combination of options and they are trying to come up with a scientific way ofputting it together. They are offeringthe idea of a centralized natatorium, or splash pads. There are pros and cons with each option. So far, it is difficult to say what the best option will be. They have to show people what can be donewith $18 million.They are gathering information and will come back to the Park Board with a recommendation to move forward with a Master Plan to go to Council. Hillman asked if the meetings are open to the public. Houtman responded yes and they are also going to the DABs which are open to the public. Item 4G: President Frye thanked the Board for serving and thanked staff and Houtman. He stated he was thrilled with the great numbers that recreation and golf w_ere doing. He has a replacement recommendation and will recommend that person tomorrow. Frye asked what the status was for Harvest Park. Houtman responded the bath house is approximately 65% done and will be completed for the swim season. Opening day is May 26. Frye stated the Board will hear a lot about CIP. He encouraged the Board to visit with their Council Member and let them know what the priorities are such as: parks, playgrounds, Crystal Prairie Lake, Watson Park. Council Members will look to the. Board for advice and recommendations. Frye asked about the status of the Buffalo Park grant. Houtman responded the State has approved it and they are waiting for one final ok from the Feds. Staff is pushing to get that taken care of. They are meeting with architect for construction to get it kicked off. They are finalizing a few pieces to go ahead once the grant is finalized. Frye stated he is proud of the private partnerships that have been established such as the Botanica Children's Garden and the bike paths, He encouraged the Board to stay open-minded. Item 4H: Director Houtman stated the City had hired Ken Evans as the new Communications Director. Houtman stated the department mascot, Buddy the Bison will be introduced soon. The bison was chosen because it is the State mammal. The mascot will make appearances at events for more buzz about the department and will be featured on the front page of the Summer Activities Guide. Houtman noted there are park cleanup days scheduled: April 25 - Planeview Park or a bicycle path with the Mayor's Youth Council and May 16 - Chapin Park. BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING April 13, 2015 Page9 of 10 Houtman stated there is a tentative partnering with a skate shop in Delano for June 28 at Pawnee Prairie Park. They would like to host a competition and are meeting with staff on Friday. Houtman stated there is a focus on re-activating Naftzger Park with planned activities that started Saturday, April 11. They had approximately 60 participants with music and games. It will happen every Saturday and some Thursdays. The Recreation Division has a mobile van that has organized games and recreation activities such as hula hoops, balls and frisbees: Houtman stated a Kite Festival is planned on May 3 at Eastview Park. Houtman stated that there will be discussion regarding CIP money and the next 10 years. He encouraged the Board to connect with their Council Members. He noted'that the Forestry Division will receive some money and will have. a significant increase in the budget. These additional funds will be allocated for addressing dead trees and reforestation. Houtman thanked Frye for his service and his passion for the Park and Recreation Department. Frye asked for an update on ICTrees. Hamm responded there is a ribbon cutting forthe playground at Dr. Dey Park and an Arbor Day celebration planned for April 24. Staff will plant 50 trees in Dr. Glen Dey Park and ICTrees will have members present with information. Claycomb asked about the defaced trail signs downtown and ifthey are being addressed. Houtman responded he had talked to Wadle to make.him aware of the situation. Claycomb asked about the encroachment policy. Houtman responded that David McGuire and his staff are working on the policy, however it has been made a second tier priority. They are looking at other municipalities' policies. Claycomb stated there was a homeowner in Riverside that asked to buy a portion of the park land and the Board declined the request. The homeowner proceeded to fence the area even after the request was declined. Vizzini asked if there is a time limitwhere if it is there long enough, it becomes theirs, Claycomb responded no and stated the Board had checked with Legal on that question. Houtman stated they may be able to come up with MOUs and agreements with homeowners. Item 5: Adjourn There being no further business, the meeting was.adjourned at approximately 4:45pm. (\__y.,.�Q � �omt:Jident BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS MEETING Api"il.13, 2015 Page 10of 10