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Home My WebLink About2013-05-06 - MinutesNft a e ay-1.1e Alt%A H'•M1' FAYETTEVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD Minutes for May 6, 2013 Opening: The regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board was called to order by Steve Meldrum at 5:30 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 Meldrum, Lawson, Leonard, Maxwell, Paul, McKnight, and Proffitt were present. Watson arrived later. Staff members Edmonston, Humphry, and Thomas were in attendance. AGENDA: 1. Welcome to Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting for May 6, 2013: Steve Meldrum, Chair PRAB 2. Approval April 1, 2013 PRAB Meeting Minutes: PRAB Motion: Proffitt motioned to accept the minutes as written, and Paul seconded it. Motion passed 7-0-0 by voice vote. Maxwell asked if the special meeting should have been noted. Edmonston said no, it was a public meeting and no minutes were taken. She said she would check to see if it was on Granicus yet. 3. Public Art Proposal: Hank Kaminsky Kaminsky said he had been developing this project for four years in his studio. He used slabs of stone he found in the woods and mounted them in a pyramid. It stands seven feet tall. It will be cast in concrete and tinted. It will say "You are Standing on Sacred Ground" in twenty-five languages. The project will be funded through a kickstart program. 1 McKnight wanted to know if the public would be invited to participate in the kickstart program. Kaminsky said yes, that's what is planned. There will be awards for larger donations, such as pieces of the sculpture. The first location choice is at the foot of the trail at Wilson. He would like to locate it on the south end. Santiago Perez, a professor at the U of A, may use this project with his students so they can learn more about architecture. Kaminsky said he would like the blessing of PRAB for the project. Edmonston told him thanks for thinking of Parks. Leonard wanted to know if it would have to go through PRAB again if the project changes significantly. Edmonston said yes, it would have to go through the whole process again. Kaminsky commented that the essential element in the sculpture won't change. McKnight said that the kickstart program will need to be highly publicized. Kaminsky said he liked that idea. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the project with the final location to be determined by staff and the artist. If approved by PRAB, this project will then be forwarded to the Arts Council, then City Council for final approval. PRAB Motion: McKnight motioned to accept Hank Kaminsky's art proposal. Paul seconded it. Motion passed 7-0-0 by voice vote. 4. Eagle Scout Project: Jay Haas In coordination with Park staff, a proposal to build a new bridge on the nature trail at Lake Sequoyah. Haas gave an overview of his Eagle Scout project with visuals. He is planning to build a bridge. He said the overall plan will include three fourteen foot telephone poles for steady support. The poles will rest on gravel. The boxes at the corners will be secured by rebar. He will be doing this project this weekend on Saturday. The project is located at Lake Sequoyah near the bait shop. 2 Meldrum asked Byron if he was aligned to the plan. Humphry said yes. He added that some of the materials Parks will help finance. Haas commented that he would need a key so he won't have to cut the lock. Edmonston asked if he was going to do the whole project this weekend. Haas said yes, and added he was going to camp out there on Friday night to protect the lumber. Staff Recommendation: To approve the Eagle Scout project at Lake Sequoyah. PRAB Motion: Meldrum motioned to accept the staff approval for the Eagle Scout project at Lake Sequoyah, and Watson seconded it. Motion passed 8-0-0 by voice vote. S. Other Business: Heath Stanley and Tucker Shaw talked about the Arkansas Gryphons Rugby Club. The club was established in 2007. There are 20 to 25 active playing members who pay annual membership dues and USA Rugby dues. The members are a collection of young professionals and entrepreneurs in the community promoting the sport of rugby. They are sanctioned and regulated by USA Rugby and certified referees. They have fundraising events in the spring and fall, and volunteer at the Battered Women's Shelter and Vista Health Center. They have a youth program as well as a high school program. Shaw said the vision of the club is to help and work with kids. Heath said that they are looking to work with the Boys and Girl's Club. He mentioned that all their support comes from membership dues and sponsors, and they would appreciate Parks and Recreation support. They would like to have a permanent home at Walker Park. They would love to come back with a formal proposal. Next year they will host an Australian rugby club. Edmonston said that there is a big need for multiuse fields. Regional Park will help. c Paul asked if the club practices at Walker Park. Heath said no, they don't practice there as much because it's a multiuse field. They try to find bigger spaces like Holt. They don't need as much space to train. Steve Schneider is with the Off -Road Cyclists. He said they have a meeting with the Botanical Gardens tomorrow. He asked where the funding for the bridge behind the Butterfly house came from. McKnight said they came from the Botanical Garden funds. Schneider said he is excited about working with the Botanical Gardens. He wants to make the situation work, but if no agreement is reached, he said it will be very expensive for the cyclists. He said if that happens, he hopes that the Botanical Gardens will pay for part of it, and possibly the City will help. He knows the question can't be answered today, but he would like advice. He said his organization loves Lake Fayetteville, and has been there for 2 '/2 years. They have started organizing an after school bike program that will be at Lake Fayetteville. They are applying for a grant and will ask for approximately fifty bikes. He said he is sad about the soft trail that's being threatened. He added that if anyone has questions to please contact them and look at their website. Paul asked what the total length of the soft surface trail. Schneider said the length is 7.1 miles. Paul wanted to know how long the threatened section is. Schneider said it is 6/ 10 of a mile. It's half field and half wooded. Meldrum asked what budget is available in that quadrant. Edmonston said there was very little. Schneider said that if an agreement is reached, the cyclists will do the work for free. Aubrey Shepherd, a guest, said that he also values a soft trail. Edmonston said that the Parkapalooza event is on May 18 and begins at 9 a.m. She also said PRAB is down one member, so if anyone knows of someone, please have them apply. She added 11 that the applications for the boards are now available online. Meldrum said that the floating wetland looks great, as well as the volleyball courts. 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:22 pm. Minutes taken by Melanie Thomas