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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-07-12 - MinutesPRAB REGULAR MEETING JULY 12, 1993 The meeting was called to order by Bill Waite at 5:00 pm 326 of the City Administration Building. Members Present: Members Absent: Staff Present: Guests Present: Media Present: BUSINESS: Anderson, Driver, Kimbrough, Palmer, Waite, Wright Savage Clark, Cox, Crosson, Edmonston Woody Charlton Laura King in room McConnell, I. MOTION:DRIVER/KIMBROUGH The minutes from the June 7, 1993 meeting were approved unanimously. II. CABLE BOARD REQUEST Woody Charlton requested that the PRAB agree to have their meetings televised on the PEG access channel 3. The most requested meetings to be televised are the City Council, Planning Commission, and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Driver: What are the legalities? Charlton: We just want your permission. Clark: Will there by any editing? Charlton: No, only if there is a break in the meeting. Palmer: You can't legally edit a pre -taped meeting. Edmonston:We use the channel for our dance program. What about other programs, or fundraisers? Charlton: If it ties in with the City, it can be taped. Waite: What if we wanted to put together a program? Charlton: Just talk to Shea Crain. Wright: What if we just tape special meetings? Waite: Some people want to see what it happening with Parks and Recreation. Charlton: Sometimes the Press quotes the wild things you say. Television puts everything in context so you can think out loud. Waite: It will not be as informal with a camera. Charlton: You will forget about the camera. Wright: What if someone only sees part of a meeting on television. They might get upset over something and lots of people could show up at our next meeting. Waite: That could happen anyway with what people read in the paper. PRAB Page 2 Driver: Someone has to pay for this. Isn't it a waste of money. I realize some people can't make it to meetings. Charlton: People get to hear things discussed they want to hear about. They get to see how City government works. Clark: We would have to be more formal and concise. For example, we have been on this subject for over twenty minutes, now. Kimbrough:What about when we have only three or four members present. I would hate to waste two or three hours of television time. Charlton: When we do not have a quorum, we won't tape. MOTION: DRIVER/KIMBROUGH The PRAB as a Board welcomes the government channel to tape the meetings. MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 7-0 Driver: I am new, and ask lots of questions. The public needs to know we are trying to learn. Wright: Can we make a time limit on the meetings. Waite: We need to move towards that. McConnell:If we are not sure of a subject, we should table it. We should not drag it out. The camera is not going to bother me. Edmonston:Is the Wednesday at noon agenda deadline still okay with everyone? McConnell:We need to change meeting time to 5:30 pm. MOTION: WRIGHT/KIMBROUGH The PRAB recommends to change the monthly meeting time to 5:30 pm. MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 7-0 III. GREEN SPACE Willow Springs Owner/Developer: Ralph Walker Location: N of Hwy 16 W, W of Rupple Road (Formerly NW Acres Phase 5 & 6) Park District: NW Acres: 15.25 Single Family Units: 54 Land Dedication: 1.35 acres Money in Lieu: $12,150 PRAB Page 3 MOTION:WRIGHT/MCCONNELL The PRAB recommends to the Planning Commission to accept money, $12,150 in lieu of land for the green space requirement for Willow Springs Addition, MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 7-0 Steve Cummings Large Scale Development Owner/Developer: Steve Cummings Location: W of Hwy 265, S of Hyland Park Park District: SE Acres: Single Family Units: Land Dedication: Money in Lieu: 25.362 8 .2 acres $1,800 MOTION:ANDERSON/DRIVER The PRAB recommends to the Planning Commission to accept money, $1,800, in lieu of land for the green space requirement for Steve Cummings Large Scale Development. MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 7-0 IV. LAKE FAYETTEVILLE SOUTH PARK GRANT This grant is a maximum of $50,000 matching funds. The City Council approved the resolution for the Parks Department to apply for these funds. Driver: I talked with Briggs Sculman from the OVC. He was approached by the Gay Task Force. The Task Force offered help to the Police Department to patrol Lake Fayetteville South to help get rid of the bad name. They want to make the park safe. Edmonston: These activities are not allowed in any park by any sexual preference. Driver: Cross country runners would be great to get into the park, because they would be on the trails constantly. V. PUBLIC SCHOOLS/FYC/CITY PARKS & RECREATION COOPERATION Members of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Fayetteville Youth Center Board met with the School Superintendent, Dr. Winston Simpson regarding joint usage of Harmon Playfield and Practice area, Lake Fayetteville Environmental Study Center, and the proposed new school site. Dr. Simpson requested features important for a satellite gym. School Maintenance Supervisor, Marvin Price, met with the Youth Center's Long Range Committee on July 7, 1992. Price will discuss the proposal with the architect and the school building committee. The City is falling behind on facilities. The proposal is to PRAB Page 4 accommodate activities when building elementary school. Like at Asbell, with the soccer fields. The next proposed school is Salem. It is out of the City limits, but would probably be annexed. Edmonston: It is still in the planning stages. The school had asked for ten acres. The joint cooperation would like an additional five to ten acres to accommodate recreation. Kimbrough: Does that mean Green Space would not apply if not in City limits? Edmonston: Celia from Regional Planning Office was inquiring if we could buy park land outside City limits and annex it? Driver: There• is money available from the State and Federal for co -locations such as this. Waite: Could you get some information for us about the funding? VI. PARKS MASTER PLAN Northwest Regional Planning Office will submit the plan one more time to the PRAB. Upon PRAB's approval, the plan will go to a public meeting, and then to City Council for approval. Kimbrough: Are they going to incorporate 1991 and 1992 building permits? The permits clearly reflect what is going on instead of lumping three years together. The paragraph on the classification system needs to be clarified. Driver: Are they still going to incorporate the colored map of park locations? Clark: Yes. VII. LEWIS PROPERTY LEASE Clark: This deal has been in the making for fifteen years. It has finally come to pass. The City Council and the University of Arkansas have approved a 25 year lease. The City staff wants soccer and parking to be on this land. Waite: Can we use the City Engineer's office? Clark: I believe so. Palmer: I would like to see it a high priority. We need a centralized location. Is there a way we can set a time frame. Edmonston: We can certainly request it. Anderson: The facilities committee needs to meet with the soccer association. The Lewis property will not totally satisfy the competitive league. Palmer: The soccer league said they only needed six more fields over ten years at the Walker Expansion meeting. Kimbrough: Will we relocate totally? PRAB Page 5 Anderson: All of the fields at Walker would not fit at Lewis. It would not make sense to give up more for less. I will set a meeting with the soccer association Wednesday, July 21 at 5:30 pm. Palmer: What will we name it-Asbell East? Kimbrough: Will baseball have anything to do with this meeting with soccer? Anderson: The mayor thinks that the current Walker Expansion plan is too expensive. Crosson: Also, we do not want to take out street that were funded by community development. The land on Hwy 112 is being looked at for a sports complex. Wright: Is the new Industrial Park complex bigger than the Tyson Complex. We could have contests for the company that raises the most money, then the park would be named after them. Waite: We need to contact baseball. Driver: Randy was pretty straight forward with what baseball wanted at Combs Park. Crosson: Walker was not a bad acquisition. It was the only acquisition possible at that time. We just do not feel now that it is best for baseball. Combs might be good for practice fields, but not a complex. Combs Park is too wet. The land on Hwy 112 is smaller, but it has its pros and cons. VIII. DAVIS PARK DRAINAGE REPORT Clark met City Engineer, Don Bunn, at Davis Park. The City is responsible for construction of a street and underground drainage. IX. CIP 1993-1993 The facilities committee met June 23, 1993 to discuss priorities. Edmonston: The PP's are potential projects which are very worthwhile, but no funding is available. Clark: Greathouse bridge and Walker restrooms are high priority. Anderson: Baseball is hurting most for fields. They turn people away. The also have seven year olds playing until 10:00 pm which is too late. Wright: T -ball always get bumped. My boy's team got bumped to a different time three times because of baseball. Edmonston: That is because of baseball rainouts. Anderson: You did a great job of getting the new field in for this season. If we are going to turn soccer fields into baseball, let's get after it. They need fields badly. Edmonston: We need to remember little girl's softball fields. They have 442 girls playing on two fields. PRAB Page 6 Kimbrough: What stage are the CIP's in? Clark: They are not approved. Even after they are approved, they are not cast in stone. They are a plan. McConnell: Can we change projects later on? Edmonston: We can with a special request to justify the change. • X. LARRY PALMER'S CONCERNS Lake Fayetteville South Palmer: One year ago the City Board was presented with the homosexual activity at Lake Fayetteville South. The said the problem needed to be resolved. I have been out there and it is as bad as it has ever been. I do not think we should apply for a grant until the problem is solved. Driver: I am out there twice a week. The circular drive is just as bad as sexual activities. People loop through there with their cars. We need to pressure the City for funding to fix the flow of cars. Clark: The Park Patrol will start soon. Driver: It depends on how threatened people feel if they use the park or not. We are looking at positive steps to stop the problem. We cannot just put the grant on hold until the activities stop. I think it is strangers meeting strangers. Stopping the flow of cars would help. MOTION: KIMBROUGH/WRIGHT The PRAB recommends to the City Mayor that funds be made available to restrict access around Lake Fayetteville South drive, increase police monitoring or park patrol, and continue development of the park. MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY 7-0 Driver: The Gay Task Force wanted us to know they do not condone these activities in the park. City Swimming Pool Operations Palmer: I know the fee increase was declined, but how much difference would it make anyway? Isn't is the same 800 users time after time. Edmonton: The season passes are where we lost the most money. They are very hard to monitor. Families seem to grow by the end of the season, and one pass is used for many people. We would like to use discount tickets. We completed a study, and it seems like discount tickets would be the best. Anderson: What about a lunch ticket with holes to be punched? Edmonston: After this season, we can make the fee proposal again. PRAB Page 7 Palmer: How can we justify losing $30,000 on the same 800 people? Driver: How do free pools make it? Edmonston: They close down or they provide the pool for another money maker, such as a pool at a golf course. When we serve 40,000 people a summer, it is worth it. The pool keeps many kids off the street. Anderson: We need to wait and see how new fees and passes go. Waite: The pool serves around 1,000 people. Many other programs serve this amount of people. Wright: Are our concession fees okay? Edmonston. Yes, the question is do we want to operate a movie concession or one that people can enjoy. Waite: No one operates a pool or ballfield without a loss. Baseball Park Maintenance Palmer: I have talked with people from different programs about what they need. They want better general upkeep, etc. I would like to form a committee to meet with baseball representatives to see what they need. The people I talked with do not want to make anyone mad. Clark: Maybe I should meet with each program, and review their summer. Edmonston: Randy Shankle and Sturman Mackey are very happy. The Bambino Association expressed their appreciation for everything done at Walker. Palmer: I was attempting to get the best facility at Babe Ruth. I was told that there is a hole six inches in front of the pitching mound, and it has been there for three years. Driver: How can you fix something if someone does not tell the staff. They need to be adults. There is nothing that can be done if people cannot come forward with something as simple as a hole. I have been out there three nights a week all season with no problems. Adult Softball Palmer: Why isn't the checking account through the City? I went to the Finance Division to find some figures on softball, and they did not have them. Clark: When we started the checking account, City did not want to bother with all the temporary umpires and scorekeepers. Anderson: We need to set guidelines for what we discuss at PRAB meetings. You can discuss these items, but not while we are sitting here waiting. Driver: We need to have a committee for these types of topics. Kimbrough: I think it is more of an organizational structure that needs to be looked at. PRAB Page 8 Waite: This account has been audited. Wright: Maybe it is just the accounting format you don't like. Driver: Do you feel there is information you cannot get. Waite: We need to go into it all the way or not at all. We can't argue accounting principles on just one program. Anderson: Larry, you need to get with the people that take care of it. Go to the Parks office. Palmer: I did Driver: I think Larry and Dave should sit down with Connie, Mark, and Dale and ask questions. Waite: The Board never decided to review pool or softball revenues, just Larry did. These topics need to come to the Board after all questions have been answered. I want a motion to cover these items. Kimbrough: My actions had nothing to do with Larry's. Is there a revenue stream? MOTION:PALMER/MCCONNELL The PRAB requests the Finance committee to review the actions of Adult softball. PALMER WITHDREW THE MOTION Driver: I think awareness has generated. Can we table this until you have asked more questions? Clark: I want to meet with Larry tomorrow. I feel urgency on this matter. Palmer: It has been going on for four months. Finance could not give me utilities or anything. Edmonston: Larry, you have not been to the meetings regularly. Clark: We have account numbers, and we know where to find what you need. Edmonston: We get reports every month on utilities, etc. from Finance. I can take City's part, and go over each line item to tell you what is spent. Mark Paul can give you game and tournament information. The information through City is just maintenance costs, not revenues. Clark: City did not want to handle all the entry fees, umpires, and scorekeepers. I still want to meet with Larry. This is not a simple system. Kimbrough: Is there revenue leverage to fund expansion? Clark: If you need to go to City Finance, we can tell you who to go see. Edmonton: There is a Finance Coordinator, and a Budget Coordinator. They have different responsibilities. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm. Minutes Approved: #13PRAB793 Secretary