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Home My WebLink About1992-09-08 - MinutesSPECIAL MEETING WALKER PARK EXPANSION SEPTEMBER 8, 1992 5:00 pm PRAB Members Present: Alexander, Anderson, Jenkins, McConnell, Palmer, Waite Staff Present: Clark, Edmonston Guests Present: Media'Present: BUSINESS: Glenn Sowder-Mayor candidate, Jan Simco - CD Coordinator, Barbara Moorman, Kathryn Laurain Morning News-M.B. Lohr, NWA Times -Leigh Hursey I. MOTION:WAITE/JENKINS The minutes from the August 31, 1992 PRAB meeting were approved unanimously 6-0. MOTION:WAITE/JENKINS The minutes from the September 3, 1992 special meeting were approved unanimously 6-0. II. DISCUSSION ON DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WALKER PARK PROPERTY Alexander:The intent was to place baseball fields, soccer fields and a nature area on this property. Anderson.: I agree to proceed after walking the property. There needs to bea buffer (leave the oak trees) baseball/soccer as needed. Jenkins: Suggestions: 1. Widen street or make it a one-way 2. Would like to see senior citizen area on top of the hill 3. Extend parking lot on the east side of the branch to the south 4. Have park with tables on southeast side 5. Leave north end for trails and take underbrush out 6. Racquetball courts were built with BOR funds, wduld have to investigate removing them. Anderson: Would like the architects to look at lower Walker Park to place baseball field. • Jenkins: We need 2 fields for 12 and under, and 3 for immediate future in existing Walker Park. zone, nature area and provide • Palmer: The southwest quarter is pretty flat. Suggestions: 1. relocate all 4 soccer fields into the southwest, would be less costly. Could put 4th field in northwest corner 2. Existing soccer fields replace baseball fields, would save money 3. Start construction in southwest section for soccer in order for them to be completed before we start the baseball fields. Anderson: We need to try to analyze items to be in this park, need a list of facilities. There are three combinations of how many soccer fields and how many baseball fields. Jenkins: Do we need to address the overall thing here? Waite: How much cut do we do? How many acres or how many fields? MOTION:ANDERSON/JENKINS The PRAB requests the landscape architects to look at design concepts to include four - 12 and under baseball fields and two - regular soccer fields along with the required parking. Look at these so we don't have to cut into the oak grove on the east side as a side buffer zone and to minimize the amount of dirt work required. Also, include the senior citizens park and view the north end of the park to leave the large trees and to cut undergrowth and have walking trails. Option 2: Look at the feasibility of six soccer fields on this site with the same above criteria. Baseball would be moved to the existing Walker Park North soccer fields. MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 6-0 Anderson: We need to have a couple of work sessions with the landscape architects to give them the scope and meet with them according to the' lay of the land. Waite: We need a two scale topo. Clark: We need to give the direction on the senior citizens area as requested. The house is 2400 sq. feet, including the upstairs. This does not do much for the hot lunch program, with the upstairs. Jan Simco has been addressing community development's wants. Anderson: Maintenance and storage need to be considered. Clark: It is a great place for a youth summer program such as the DayCamp or extension of the Latchkey programs. Simco: The Free Health Center needs a new space. It is easy to provide CD funding if it is a multi-purpose building. Senior citizens leave about 2 pm at which time the building could be used for a type of structured program. There is a problem of funding operations and staffing. Neighbors have addressed that there is a need for a meeting room for a reading program and food stamps. CD does not have funding for that -maybe a multi year project. The building would be for the purposes of a dining area, a recreation area, a meeting place, and would house the Free Health and Dental programs. Choices: 1. Activities for 50-60 adults 2. Daycamp for 80 children III. PUBLIC INPUT Moorman: What is the maximum number of fields in the next ten years? Four additional baseball fields and two additional soccer fields. We are trying to keep the age groups together. How many parking spots? 360 total How much• has the City promised for this project? What happened to suggestion that these fields be located at another site? There is a need to keep the age group's facilities together. The City consulted with one group of citizens. It looks like a compromise to leave new land for nature and old land for facilities. We have to move forward. We have to look at the needs. This should be done in a planning session. er: Suggestions: 1. Have public input first before meeting• 2. Plan 20 years 3. 70-80% were for ballfields for a centralized safe area for parks 4. Concerned with neighbors on the three sides 5. Architects to come upwith three preliminary alternatives 6. Review to move all playing fields to Industrial Park area Take caution on the project as to what the City will be in 20 years. land for all the ballfields Park in a natural state. An and look at other property. The 13 -year olds do not have in this area. The idea is to have groups Jenkins: Waite: Moorman: Moorman: Anderson: Moorman: Alexander: Glenn Sowd Laurain: Jenkins: Consider funding and leave Walker option is to stop fields requested Laurain: Sowder: Waite: Palmer: Anderson: together for communication and maintenance. I agree, it would be ideal, if we could up and move all of the fields to one location. Most of the money for our present facilities has come from the public. This best serves the needs now and the future (not 20 years). One person spoke for soccer at the public meeting representing over 800 people. One person spoke for baseball representing over 900 people. Take time to investigate other options. Caution is important. It would be cheaper to move now. We are constrained by money. I think you cannot use Industrial Park because it was purchased with grant money. What kinds of trails need to be addressed? Let's set a facilities committee meeting when Callans and Associates have something to present. The public meeting is tentatively set for September 28, 1992. OTHER BUSINESS: Clark: Larry Woods from the NW regional Planning Office will present an update on the status of the Parks Master Plan at the next meeting. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS The foot bridge at Walker park was completed with the Youth Baseball Program donating $3,000 and the Green Space Southeast Park District funding the remaining $1,592.86. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Minutes approved: