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Home My WebLink About1992-09-29 - MinutesThe meeting was called Alexander, in Room 111 PRAB Members Present: Staff Present: Media Present: PRAB SPECIAL METING SEPTEMBER 29, 1992 to order at 5:00 p.m. by Chairman, Steve in the City Administration Building. Alexander, Anderson, Jenkins, Palmer, Waite Clark, Cox, Edmonston Morning News-M.B. Lohr, NWA Times -Rusty Garrett Guests Present: Judy Brittenum, Bob Byers, Karen Rollet BUSINESS: I. LAKE FAYETTEVILLE EASEMENT Springdale Water Department wishes to have an easement at Lake Fayetteville to install a water line along Powell Street on the northwest corner. Approximately 200 feet of water line will be installed to serve .Springdale residents. MOTION:JENKINS/EINERT The PRAB recommends to approve the request with endorsement from the Environmental Study Center personnel. MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 4-0 II. WALKER PARK DISCUSSION Alexander- Glenn Sowder asked for me to let the PRAB know his feelings. He wished for us to look at other options to meet the needs of baseball and soccer for .,the next 20 years. I think maybe we should consider other property, too. Jenkins - I do not agree. This baseball group is not as competitive as others, they just need to have a centralized location. We have already put lots of cost into Walker Park. It would be a waste of money to seek other places for baseball now. Soccer also needs more fields there. We are not going to come up with a field without any trees. Just because I love kids doesn't mean I don't love birds and foxes. I am past 50 years of age and I don't need baseball fields for myself. PRAB Page 2 There are places I can go to see birds beside here. People that don't want anything done are closing their eyes to the other places in Fayetteville such as Lake Fayetteville, Lake Sequoyah, and Lake Wilson. They say we don't have nature places. Alexander - Sowder thought our projection would be short of reality. I think they have a feeling baseball includes all ages, not just six throughtwelve year olds. I do agree we might be underestimating what is happening to Northwest Arkansas. Jenkins - I wish our city could get more industry in here for a bigger tax base and afford more. We might not have to have as many volunteers. I know 1.3 million sounded like a lot of money, but that included other things besides just the baseball and soccer fields. Alexander - Einert - Jenkins - Einert - We have three alternatives 1. We can stop the process and look elsewhere. 2. We can proceed as planned. 3. We can proceed as planned and follow up with ongoing research for our needs in the next 20 years. We will either have to continue on or clean up the nature area and leave as is. It was purchased for development. I don't think it can become a nature preserve. How about the possibility of the separation of the baseball and soccer fields? We are looking at immediate needs. If baseball gave our soccer our fields, it would only make them about two fields. The baseball lights are already there. It would be a waste to move everything. What about the land across from Walker on the south? Would that have been a good spot? Jenkins - PRAB Page 3 The land looks good from the road because fill has been added. Actually there is a 30 foot drop. It sold for $60,000 because it is not suitable. Alexander - How much would it cost to move all of soccer? Anderson - Jenkins - It depends on how much topsoil would have to be added to the land. The last soccer field cost between. $50,000 and $70,000. The irrigation was an additional $3,000 or $4,000. We have talked about the possibility of having practice fields at Combs and saving wear and tear on fields at Walker. This way they would be suitable for games and tournaments. These fields won't suddenly be worthless if we outgrow them. I have spent time, thinking of Combs and Industrial Park as sites. We have to face the fact that we have four soccer fields and two more is six. To add six elsewhere would cost much more. I think the people against the fields would be against them anywhere they were located. Alexander - Gregory Park is a nature park, and is a perfect example of under utilization. The more picnic tables and such that we add causes more utilization. Palmer - What percentage of the 2500 acres of park land that we. have are athletic fields? Edmonston - I am currently doing a report on this. We have approximately 20 acres of athletics, including tennis courts and the swimming pool. We have approximately 1700 acres of nature, including Gregory Park, Lake Fayetteville, Lake Sequoyah, Lake Wilson, Finger Park, Crossover Park, and Gulley Park. Palmer - People say we emphasize playgrounds and athletics. They don't do their homework. There was a motion stating what we would use the land for. Einert - Palmer - Anderson - Palmer - Anderson - Jenkins - Edmonston - Jenkins - PRAB Page 4 There is also the money issue. I don't think the people are against athletics. If we found a perfect meadow, they probably would not object. Our main objective is location. This property is adjacent to the current facilities, and that is why we want this. It is really not a great area to build on. I can't support this plan because it is not going to be as long term as I feel is needed. I disagree. I talked to the baseball association. They will be happy with this plan. It is a compromise. I don't think it is the wisest investment All of the money won't come from the City. Baseball wants to have fundraisers. Has it been said that the City will pay totally for the park? The current soccer fields were paid by private funding, community development, and green space. I think all we are doing is asking for approval to complete this plan in the future. We may not have it all for quite awhile. It gives us a goal to work towards. Einert - We have to make a decision of going forward with this or not. Anderson - I think a lot of time and effort have gone into this property for the best for everyone concerned. It would have been better had it been flat, but it's not. MOTION:JENRINS/ANDERSOt The PRAB accepts and recommends to the City Board of Directors to approve the preliminary master plan presented by Callans and Associates for the design of the Walker Park Expansion project. NOTION APPROVED 5-1 (PALMER NAY) Einert - Edmonston - Anderson - Waite - PRAB Page 5 Do we have cost estimates yet? The two main concerns from the public seem to be: 1. money 2. why are we going so fast? I don'tthink it is going fast. We have had requests for years from these sports organizations. We finally purchased the land and have owned it for six months. These people have been on hold for years. If we don't adopt it now, we are going to keep rehashing the public meetings. I don't think they realize how much that we have put into this. It in fresh in our minds. Why should we spread it over two years or so? If we had ten more public meetings, it would be the same thing. There was less room for compromise last night. If we delay, what are we waiting for? It has taken us a long time to get here. If we wait, what are we going to do? Alexander - I am for the proposal because of what Connie said. Waite - If we waited for more public meetings, do you feel it would change your view? Einert - When it this going to the City Board meeting? Clark - We are on the October 6 agenda. Edmonston - It is sad to give up things. We "do the rightsthings, for the right reasons." Waite - We are not going to satisfy everyone. We have to compromise. Jenkins - I think the silent majority will speak out if needed. These phases and cost estimates were presented by Callans and Associates. See attached: Note that cost estimates do not include renovating the house for the senior citizens or the cost of building a park maintenance building. PRAB Page 6 OTHER BUSINESS: The next meeting will be Monday, October 5, to meet with Northwest Regional Planning Office for an update of the park master plan. The meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m. Minutes approved: Secretary