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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-12-10 - MinutesNft a e ay-1.1e Alt%A H'•M1' FAYETTEVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD Minutes for December 3, 2012 Opening: The regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board was called to order by Billy Waite at 5:40 p.m. in Room 111 at the City Administration Building at 113 West Mountain Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Present: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board members Sass, Waite, Paul, Lawson, Watson, and Proffitt were present. Leonard arrived later. Meldrum and McKnight were absent. Staff members Edmonston, Humphry, Jumper, Gipson and Thomas were in attendance. AGENDA: 1. Approval of November 5, 2012 PRAB Meeting Minutes: PRAB Motion: Lawson motioned to approve the minutes as written, and Watson seconded it. Motion passed 6-0-0 by voice vote. 2. Botanical Garden Society of the Ozarks Report: Phillip Watson, PRAB Watson had no report. Addition to the Agenda: Edmonston said that Phillip Reed, a candidate to be an Eagle Scout, was at the meeting, but not on the agenda. She said she would like him to go ahead and do his presentation. Reed said he was with Boy Scout Troop 116, and he was working on his Eagle Scout badge. He said he would like to clear out the invasives and undergrowth at Lake Sequoyah by the trailheads and kiosk. He plans to construct two 10 x 10 beds with mulch, landscaping timbers, and rebar. He said he will install picnic tables. He said the total cost of the materials would be $258.49. Watson asked if Parks had blessed this project. Humphry said yes. He said that he and Jumper had been working with Reed. Paul wanted to know if maintenance would be required once the project was done. Reed said possibly. He said it should stay pretty clear. Waite commented that there has been a long line of Scout projects with Parks and Recreation. PRAB Motion: Watson motioned to approve the project, and Paul seconded it. Motion passed 6-0-0 by voice vote. 3. Naming of Lake Fayetteville Nature Trails Lake Fayetteville Environmental Study Center has proposed to name the nature trails used by their program to teach children at their center in order to expedite emergency notification of Fire/Police/Ambulance in the event of an emergency. They have proposed names of five nature trails as designated on the attached map. This item was tabled at the November 5 meeting per the Park Naming Facilities Policy. Park Staff Recommendation: Staff approves the proposed names of the nature trails. PRAB's approved proposed names of the trails will be forwarded to City Council for final approval. Jumper said that the naming of the trails was tabled for one month. Waite asked if she had gotten any feedback and Jumper said no. Waite then asked if anyone else had received any comments. No one had. Edmonston said naming the trails are a great idea, so if there is an emergency on a trail, the emergency responders can find them more quickly. Lawson noted that signs for the named trails were discussed last month. He wanted to know if that was still going to happen. Edmonston said yes. She said Parks will work with the Environmental Center. Paul asked if there had ever been any discussion for naming rights to trails. Edmonston said no, not to her knowledge. She said that was something Parks could look into. She said she thought the idea would relate to donations. PRAB Motion: Proffitt motioned to accept the trail naming proposal, and Lawson seconded it. Motion passed 7-0-0 by voice vote. 2 4. Park Land Dedication: Development Name: Engineer/Surveyor: Owner: Location: Park Quadrant: Units: Total Acres: Land Dedication Requirement: Money in Lieu Requirement: Existing Parks: Developer's Request: Staff Recommendation: Developer's Comments: Justification: Alison Jumper, Park Planning Superintendent Eco New Jorgensen and Associates Specialized Real Estate Southwest corner of Duncan and Center St., south of Oak Ridge Trail SW 94 Multi -family 2.16 acres 1.316 acres $52,640 Wilson Park, Walker Park, Frisco Trail, Oak Ridge Trail, Hill Place Park Land, Hotz Park, Square Gardens, YRCC Money in lieu Money in lieu Several parks exist within a one mile radius of this development. The development is adjacent to Oak Ridge Trail which provides pedestrian access to Frisco Trail and many of the adjacent parks. Seth Mims, with Specialized Real Estate, said he was there ready to answer any questions. He said this development would be a "walkable" community. The residents would be close to the university, shopping, trails, and other places. Waite said this was a great project. Proffitt wanted to know if this development was similar to Eco Modern Flats. Mims said it will have an urban format. It will be a huge asset to the neighborhood. He said the sidewalks are really outdated, and that would be corrected. Edmonston said this project goes to the Council tomorrow night. Paul asked about the possible start date. Mims said he hoped it would be April or May. PRAB Motion: Lawson motioned to accept the money in lieu. Paul seconded it. Motion passed 7-0-0 by voice vote. 5. Park Land Dedication: Development Name: Engineer/Surveyor: Owner: Location: Park Quadrant: Units: Total Acres: Land Dedication Requirement: Money in Lieu Requirement: Existing Parks: Alison Jumper, Park Planning Superintendent Penny Lane Bates and Associates, Inc. Penny Lane Construction LLC Northwest corner of Winwood Drive and Mission Boulevard NE 5 Single Family 2.35 acres 0.115 acres $4,600 Gulley Park, Craft Park, Brooks -Hummel Nature Preserve, Ridgeway View Park Developer's Request: Money in lieu Staff Recommendation: Money in lieu Developer's Comments: Justification: Several parks exist within a one mile radius of this development. Additionally, the land dedication requirement is less than two acres and does not provide adequate land for a neighborhood park. Jumper said that a house is already constructed on the property. She said Staff is recommending money in lieu. Waite commented that money in lieu is good for a small piece of land. Paul said that there is already construction on the land. He asked if it was supposed to come before PRAB before beginning the project. Jumper said it is supposed to, but this project had a lot split which kicked it into a new development review. So this project had a different process. PRAB Motion: Watson motioned to accept the staff recommendation of money in lieu, and Paul seconded it. Motion passed 7-0-0 by voice vote. At this point, Boy Scout Troop 46 came into the meeting, and Edmonston introduced them. 6. NWA Disc Golf Association 2012 Report and Walker Park Course Presentation: Ray Moore, President Staff has met with members of the Northwest Arkansas Disc Golf Association and the University of Arkansas Disc Golf Club to discuss the possibility of a disc golf course at Walker Park in the wooded areas to the north and south of the Walker 11 Senior Activity and Wellness Center. The course would be constructed largely by volunteers, working in coordination with Parks and Recreation Staff. Park Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends the construction of the course with members of NWA Disc Golf and other volunteers following a staff -approved plan with relation to course design and layout. Ray Moore, Robert Davis, and Ryan Black, members of the NWA Disc Golf Association came to discuss the proposed golf course. Moore said that the club wants to put in a disc golf course at Walker Park in the Senior Center area. Black said that he helped found the U of A Disc Golf Club. Davis said that he was the current president of the disc golf club at the U of A. Black said that in 2008 there were approximately ten disc golf teams across the country. There are now around 100 teams. A course at Walker Park would be great, and it would be easy to get to. Davis said Holcomb and Owl Creek Schools just got a youth disc golf course installed. He said it's an educational disc golf experience for schools. He added Lake Fayetteville has a challenging course, but an easier course needs to be available for beginners, so they won't be scared off. It would help them to develop their skills. Black said that having a diverse course would be a bigger pull to have tournaments. Moore commented that Alma had over ninety golfers at the PDGA tournament. Edmonston wanted to know how the course would be developed. Moore said they are working with the U of A. Some of the sponsors that will donate baskets are Ella's, Pack Rat, Lewis & Clark, and Play It Again Sports. Paul asked how much the baskets cost. Moore said anywhere from three to five hundred dollars. Paul asked how much maintenance would be required. Moore said they would keep it up. Paul asked about liability issues on the course, such as snakes. Moore said that the amount of traffic on the course would minimize that hazard. Proffitt said the course would be a great use of the space. Moore said there are a lot of downed trees and debris, and honeysuckle at Lake Fayetteville. He said the parking lot is small, and the program is getting a lot more members. Edmonston said that this is a very active club, and they will be working with Parks and Recreation. Moore added that he made sure the lines didn't cross any part of the trail. Waite asked if the final layout is ready to be approved. Gipson said that it is still being developed. Moore commented that there was still a lot of cleanup to be done. Watson said that this project is a great idea. He commented that a couple of areas were close to the trail. Black said signage would be put up. Leonard asked if the baskets could be moved. Moore said yes. He said they already do that so people would continue to be challenged. Paul asked what the cost would be. Moore said they would be meeting with the U of A about that. He said he thought it would be around $5,000. Lawson wanted to make sure Moore knew that baseball was played there March through June. Moore said he knew. He added that disc golf could always adjust their dates. Aubrey Shepherd, a guest, asked how wide the tracks would be. Moore said they would be from 40 to 60 feet wide. Black said that the tracks in places at Walker would be as small as 10 feet. The playing area would be more compact. Moore said each hole would have concrete and pads that would measure approximately 6 x 6 feet or so. Shepherd said from a public viewpoint, this; was one of the most shocking things he's heard in awhile. He said it's a wildlife habitat with a lot of trees, deer raising young, and birds nesting. He said that Fayetteville is a national wildlife certified city. He said that part of Walker Park is natural. He said that many species of butterflies and birds live there. He asked if the tracks would be concrete, blacktop, or exactly what. He added that the homeless people offends some people there, but if you tear out the woods, it would push these people further and further out of the city, and they would have to travel further for services. He said there are no real shelters in Fayetteville. Edmonston said that the problem with the homeless is the safety on our trails, and the fact that there's an ordinance that says there is no overnight camping in our parks except at Lake Sequoyah for the boy scouts that requires special permission. One of the boy scouts, a small boy, said that the area is natural, but it would be fun to go to the course. Watson said the course would have very tight trails. There would be three to five trails going through the trees. He said he didn't see much ramification on wildlife. Moore agreed, and added that people enjoy being around nature. He said that hopefully no trees will need to come down. Waite said he was a big disc golf fan, because it has a low impact on nature. PRAB Motion: Watson motioned to approve the construction of a disc golf course at Walker Park, and Paul seconded it. Motion passed 7-0-0 by voice vote. 7. Other Business: Waite read the upcoming events. 8. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 6:39 pm. Minutes taken by Melanie Thomas