Laserfiche WebLink
Parks and Environmental Commission Regular Meeting Minutes <br />December 20, 2021 <br />Page 5 <br />1 <br />2 Commissioner Guest indicated he has driven by the Lucky Shots by the Columbia Gold <br />3 Course and it has been packed in there so he knew there is an interest in Pickleball. He was <br />4 not sure how much need there is because he had not heard about this until about a year ago. <br />5 He noted there may be a need for it but was not sure paying seventy-five thousand dollars was <br />6 a lot for something the City is not sure is needed or not. <br />7 <br />8 Commissioner Niemi explained the presentation had a lot of information there even for area <br />9 courts and that is the priority piece he was not sure of. He wondered if there are some courts <br />10 that are not that far away that could be utilized. He thought the location was great but he <br />11 wondered if the seventy-five thousand dollars could be used for something else that they have <br />12 been trying to work towards because this just came up in the last year. <br />13 <br />14 Commissioner Reed felt this is a priority to at least have the City Council take a look at this <br />15 and see whether it can be fit into the budget. She also knew that bike trails are an important <br />16 issue. She did not know how the City Council decides how to budget. She believed that there <br />17 is a need for Pickleball Courts and the one over at Culvers Club is not adequate as well as <br />18 Pickleball becoming more popular, not just with seniors but schools are now teaching it as <br />19 well. <br />20 <br />21 Commissioner Guest indicated he is not opposed to this but he was trying to understand the <br />22 entire proposal. He supported the concept and liked the fact that there is a diverse age range <br />23 playing Pickleball, especially because the community continues to mature. The City wants to <br />24 make sure it has the amenities for everybody. <br />25 <br />26 Chair Bellinger noted the motion moved. <br />27 <br />28 Mr. Yunker summarized the proposed motion and the Commission accepted. <br />29 <br />30 Motion carried. <br />31 <br />B.32 Aesthetics for St. Anthony Yards <br />33 <br />34 Code Official Richard Sonterre explained that he regularly receives complaints regarding <br />35 pollinator friendly gardens, natural grasses, and pollinator plants, concerning aesthetics of <br />36 those gardens, creeping weeds, violation of existing code language regarding weeds, and long <br />37 grass and non-turf grasses. <br />38 <br />39 Mr. Sonterre stated staff has noticed an increasing level of acceptance for non-traditional yard <br />40 aesthetics to support environmental sustainability and pollinators in particular. To fit the <br />41 City’s efforts to support pollinators, maintenance practices on City property the last couple of <br />42 years have been to minimize the use of herbicides to control weeds on public property. The <br />43 City is currently studying the uses and application of herbicides including organic and natural <br />44 products to reduce weeds but maintain a pollinator-friendly environment. He stated the City <br />45 also planted pollinator friendly plants in gardens on public property. <br />46