01-18-2018 Parks & Rec Commission Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION January 18, 2018 basketball and tennis courts stayed in the same location. Kost noted this would leave the new park parcel unplanned, or open for parking. He explained if the parcel is purchased for the park it should be fully incorporated into the park. Kost stated using the parcel as parking would be a very expensive parking lot. Chair Miller suggested the new plan have less shelters. Chair Miller also liked the idea of a splash pad. Abruzzese noted she was not in favor of moving the basketball and tennis courts. Chair Miller stated he was not in favor of moving or changing the stormwater ponding. Kost and Springer stated the stormwater ponding could be greatly improved with better vegetation and was seen to them as a missed opportunity. Chu stated she was in favor of the New France theme. She explained she liked the wooded area shown in the Into the Wild Plan, but also liked having a gateway to the park, formalized entrance, and she really wanted to emphasize the edges and entrances. Chu stated she was also in favor of a splash pad. Kost stated everyone was in favor of a splash pad. Chu stated she also liked the community plaza shown in the New France Concept. The Parks Maintenance Supervisor asked if this would be the best space for performances, considering Spooner Park has a bandshell. Kost stated the formality of New France could be captured through the Into the Wild Concept, without completely redoing the trails. He explained he didn’t want the Commission to lose sight of the wow park, due to a concern over parking. Kost stated the central pavilion should also be enhanced to better serve the needs of the park. The Parks Maintenance Supervisor stated the maintenance garage in the pavilion was very important for the park. Kost stated there were three options for the central pavilion. It could be remodeled, rebuilt, or removed. Kost explained the amount of baseball and softball activity wouldn’t necessarily require a shelter be in place. Councilman Fisher stated the restrooms and concessions do need to be centrally located. He added maintenance equipment for irrigation purposes is also already located there. Kost explained it would cost between $200,000 and $300,000 to remodel, and $300,000 and $600,000 to rebuild. He noted ensuring durable quality for the bathrooms would also cost more. The Parks Maintenance Supervisor stated he would like to see the facility remodeled. Chu stated she would like to see a cost analysis before making a decision. It was mentioned that the upstairs space could be used or rented as a meeting space if it was ADA compliant. The Parks Maintenance Supervisor stated it would be inconvenient because it is in the middle of the park and there is no vehicle access. Chair Miller asked how the Commission felt about adding a second multipurpose field. Artificial turf was also discussed. The Parks Maintenance Supervisor stated artificial turf would have to be fenced to limit unwanted activity on the field and to maintain it for varsity games. Kost suggested a hybrid artificial and real grass field. The Parks