HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-09-28 - MinutesLAKE FAYETTEVILLE SOUTH PARK
BOTANICAL GARDEN PUBLIC MEETING
SEPTEMBER 28, 1993
The meeting was called to order by Bill Waite in
City Administration Building.
PRAB Present:
Parks Staff:
Guests:
room 326 of the
Anderson, Driver, Kimbrough, Palmer, Savage, Waite,
Wright
Clark, Edmonston
See attached list
Donna Porter gave a presentation to the public on the proposed
botanical garden. PRAB member Dee Wright gave survey results on
the budgets for other non-profit gardens. (See survey)
DISCUSSION:
William Gisee:
Kit Williams:
Palmer:
Porter:
Clem Johnson:
Porter:
Stephen
Wright:
I have lived on Zion Road for 20 years. Leave
beautiful Lake Fayetteville Park alone. Go to Zero
Mountain.
It would be beneficial for tourists and the City of
Fayetteville. Would ask if volleyball could exist
there with the garden? If not, volleyball
facilities could be in other parks.
Botanical garden is not exclusive of the volleyball
courts.
This would be a selective process, after site
analysis.
We have put a lot of money into volleyball. We
would like to be there with the botanical garden.
We would like to compromise. We have ten years
work at this park.
There are other parks available. The botanical
garden would need to be secured.
Zisner:If Donna cannot co -exist with us, she should move to
another location on the 570 acres.
There would be over 100,000 people attending the
garden. How would volleyball enter?
They could bring a volleyball ID.
I am very much in support of the botanical garden.
It would be bizarre to build the botanical garden
around the volleyball court. They cannot co -exist
together.
Jay Springboard:The City does have a tree ordinance. Any
construction or tree removal must be approved by
the City. The water lilies at Lake Fayetteville
have died. Start the gardens by adopting the lily
pads.
Zisner:
Leo Ward:
Page 2
Kirby Estes: I highly favor the botanical garden proposal.
Master Gardeners would supply the maintenance.
There is no publicly funded botanical garden in
Arkansas, only a commercial garden in Eureka
Springs.
Austin: Maintenance and growth of a Botanical Garden would
come from a botanical garden board. The proposal
is not about the City doing this project, but the
City giving the land. City must commit inkind to
volleyball players for an additional area, plus add
facilities. Look at a good location for volleyball
facilities now.
Waite: The LWCF grant proposal includes expansion of the
volleyball facilities at Lake Fayetteville South.
Porter: Lake Fayetteville South is the ultimate prime site.
Accessibility will make or break it.
Nick Faddoul: The park is safe. Running trails are needed. We
must co -exist with these trails.
I am 100 percent in support of the botanical
garden. It would help reserve the family
atmosphere.
Stirewalt:I am chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Events &
Visitor's Committee, and our committee support the
botanical garden. Tourism supports our economy.
People come here for our natural area, and the
botanical garden would be an attraction. Bus tours
would help people to stay longer and spend more.
I could care less about tourists in our City.
The roads cannot handle it. How can one special
interest group say to another special interest
group, I want your spot.
Karen Allred: I left a job in a botanical garden in Los Angeles,
California to move to Fayetteville. Are you
proposing that the City give the land, and if so to
whom?
Waite: The City would need to have a strong voice or
participant.
Karen Allred: A botanical garden could be used for filming. It
is usually run by the county. At this point, it is
not neccessary to know who will run it.
Guest: How many are here to support this garden?
Guest: Is it so red -necked to say they could co -exist?
Kimbrough: We need to see what level of interest there is to
establish a botanical garden. So far this has been
very preliminary. We need to see financial
estimates and support from the community to pursue
more information.
Guy Ames: I am a horticulturist and ex -volleyball player. We
have an opportunity here. Change has come, and I
don't like it. We have an opportunity to beautify
this area. We can take four courts elsewhere for
the two existing. We need to do special things
Guest:
Susan
Jim Glenn:
Waite:
Wright:
Lisa Paschal:
Roy Peterson:
Teresa Morrow:
Guest:
U of A Student:
Curtis Neely:
Waite:
Guest:
Kimbrough:
Waite:
Wright:
•
Guest:
Waite:
Porter:
Page 3
that reflect the beauty of our region.
A botanical garden must have a secured perimeter
and a water supply. We are developing parks for
citizens, not tourists.
We could have the "Friends of the Botanical Garden"
raise a percentage that the City will match. We
could have volunteers to plant the beds.
I support a botanical garden. This area is growing
so fast, we will need more parks. We need to plan
so we will have our parks.
I came to the area because of the beauty. How can
you learn the native plants of Arkansas. I guess
you could have to take a class at the University,
but that would be a hard way of doing it. A
botanical garden would be better.
There is the idea of time and scale. There might
be enough time to work out the different use of the
area. Need to start small and grow slow.
Start small and let this thing grow. Start small
with one greenhouse and grow as the money comes in.
Maybe the garden and volleyball can co -exist for
the next ten years.
I am in favor of the botanical garden. The students
would enjoy it. It would be a great learning
facility, and the Environmental Study Center could
use it.
I live in Prairie Grove, but I would be a supporter
of a botanical garden. You could invest some
revenues from the botanical garden into the
volleyball courts. You could find other land and
fund raise to purchase the land to build a
botanical garden.
The progression of the botanical garden might
proceed as follows: 1. have another public
meeting 2. receive proposal to operate the
garden
I anticipate the need of a non-profit organization
to be established first.
The City may be interested in operating it.
I see it more to be operated by a non-profit
organization rather than the City. The City will
need a lot of assurances in this project.
Many other cities are 50 percent City and 50
percent private, and many of the gardens have City
employees.
What kind of support needs to be shown to take it
to the next level?
It will take some time. At this point, it is only
verbal assurance.
The "Friends of the Botanical Garden" has been
established. There are dues to join to help with
mailing costs. We will establish soon as a non
Waite:
Kimbrough:
Guest:
Guest:
Page 4
-profit agency.
We will review this at the next PRAB meeting. Then
we will request concrete proposals from Donna or
any others.
The PRAB only recommends to the City Council.
Looks like the "Field of Dreams" that money will
come in and it would grow.
It needs a commitment from the City.
Meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
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SURVEYED GARDENS' BUDGET INFORMATION
THE CROSBY ARBORETUM (MISS)
- size - 64 acres
- years in operation- 7
- admin. staff - 4
- maint. staff - 1
- start-up cost - 1 mil.
- annual operation budget - $250,000
MYRIAD
BOTANICAL GARDEN (OK)
size - 17 acres
years in operation -.5
annual operation budget - 1 million (city pays 1)
need 5 mil. more to complete the master plan
r•.4.1,•04
MEMPHIS BOTANICAL GARDENS (TENN)
- size - 96 acres (donated)
- annual budget - $850,000 (city pays 60%)
WITCHITA BOTANICAL GARDENS (KS)
- size - 91 acres (city property)
- years in operation - 6
- admin. staff - 10
- maint. staff 2 full time,
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2 part-time
POWELL GARDENS (MISSOURI)
- size - 835 acres, but only 60 maintained
- years in operation - 8
- start-up cost - 400,000
-. vis/ed center- (restored farmhouse) 3,000 sq. ft. -$100,000
- support greenhouse - 3,000 sq. ft. - $25,000
- admin. staff - 20
- maint. staff - 9
- annual operating budget - 1 mil.
HUNTSVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN (ALABAMA)
- size - 112 (only 35 used)- leased city property
- years in operation - 5
- start-up cost - 200,000 then matched by city
- vis/ed center - 2,500 sq. ft. - $175,000
- support greenhouse - 2,900 sq ft. - $12,700
- admin. staff - 8
- maint. staff - 6
- annual operation budget - $419,500
GENERAL GARDEN BUDGET INFORMATION
ACCORDING TO CURRENT AABGA (AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BOTANICAL
GARDENS AND ARBORETUMS) RECORDS, OUT OF 278 GARDENS SURVEYED:
- 50% have annual budgets under $100,00
- 19% have annual budgets between $100,00 - 250,000
- 12% have annual budgets between $250,000 - 500,000
- 22% -have annual budgets over $500,000
- Gardens associated with universities have the smallest budgets,
while government -affiliated and private gardens have the largest
budgets
- The largest portion of the operating budget is most often allo-
cated to the gardens' plant collections. (Acquisition of the
plant materials, their maintenance and records.)
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- Less than 20% of the total budget is allocated to the research
and educational aspects of a garden