Agendas and Minutes

Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission (View All)

Parks Commission Regular Meeting Minutes

Agenda
Monday, November 19, 2007

City of Ashland

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

 

REGULAR MEETING

MINUTES

 

November 19, 2007

 

ATTENDANCE

Present:    Commissioners Eggers, Gardiner, Lewis, Noraas, Rosenthal; Director Robertson; Superintendents Gies and Teige

Absent:     City Council Liaison Navickas

CALL TO ORDER         

Eggers called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Parks Office, 340 S. Pioneer Street.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Study Session – October 15, 2007

MOTION Gardiner moved to approve the minutes as written. Rosenthal seconded the motion.

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no [Eggers abstained]

Regular Meeting – October 22, 2007

Under “Discussion of Ashland Creek Park Construction Documents,” Noraas indicated that the sentence referring to the commission’s “agreement in principle” about construction document changes concerning the kiosk and bike parking was redundant. Under “SOU Students’ Duck Pond Review and Discussion,” Eggers stated that the students’ assertion that the upper pond was separated from Ashland Creek “due to construction of the Granite Street dam” was incorrect. In the same section under “Proposed Solutions,” Eggers stated that the third bullet, relating to adding a biological substance “to maintain the algae problem,” should have read “to alleviate the algae problem.” Under “Alcohol Fee Waiver Request,” Eggers asked that the first sentence be revised to read, “…the recently implemented rental fee covered only 30% of departmental costs….”. Under “Discussion of Ashland Creek Park Construction Documents,” Eggers asked that the first sentence under Discussion Among Commissioners read as follows, “…with Eggers indicating that some of the changes diverged from the master plan….”.

MOTION Noraas moved to approve the minutes as amended. Lewis seconded the motion.

The vote was: 5 yes – 0 no

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Open Forum

None

ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA

None

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

SIGNS AND PLAQUES SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

Gies reported that the subcommittee met to discuss two requests: 1) a sign for the Hunter Park batting cage acknowledging those who participated in the project, and 2) a request for a memorial bench on the grounds of the North Mountain Park Nature Center. He indicated that both requests were viewed favorably by the subcommittee but the policy stated that commission approval was required before moving forward.

Jack Opgenorth of the Ashland Little League indicated that the sign’s mockup was larger than requested, and was actually intended to measure 20” x 30”.

Eggers expressed interest in meeting as a commission to review the Signs, Plaques, and Memorials policy to discuss some of its potentially confusing points.

Motion    Gardiner moved to approve the plaque for the Ashland Little League batting cage at Hunter Park. Rosenthal seconded the motion.

The vote was:  5 yes – 0 no

Gies said that the second request, a memorial bench for the North Mountain Park Nature Center, was fully supported by Nature Center staff, as the deceased person had been a loyal volunteer at the center. He reported that the volunteer had not been deceased a full year, a stipulation contained within the policy.

Discussion Among Commissioners

Gardiner, a subcommittee member, acknowledged that the request did not fit with the current policy but recommended approving the bench and plaque and later reviewing the policy. Eggers expressed the importance of creating a policy that worked for everyone and suggested reviewing the policy at a later date [before approving additional requests].

Motion    Lewis moved to approve the bench and plaque for the North Mountain Park Nature Center. Noraas seconded the motion.

Discussion Among Commissioners

Noraas stated that people often wish to request memorials following a death and suggested reviewing the policy to ensure its sensitivity.

The vote was:  5 yes – 0 no

NEW BUSINESS

BEAR CREEK GREENWAY JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT

Robertson reported that, 30 years ago, Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Central Point, and the Jackson County community agreed to work with the Bear Creek Greenway Committee in creating a Greenway. He said that he and the other committee members developed a draft joint powers agreement for the management of the Greenway. He indicated that the agreement was designed to ensure the viability of the Greenway over time and to shift responsibility for its maintenance from Jackson County to the individual cities through which the Greenway travels. He welcomed Karen Smith, Special Projects Manager for Jackson County, and invited her to speak to the commission.

Karen Smith said the Greenway agreement was modeled on a similar pathway in Idaho. She indicated that this draft coalition agreement for the management of the Greenway would ensure that jurisdictions conducted regular maintenance of the pathway within their area, with major maintenance funded by contributions from each city, which would be held within the county. She reported that an exact accounting of funds would be conducted and the document would be audited.

Smith said the Joint Powers Committee would replace the Bear Creek Greenway Committee, with each city appointing a member. She said the agreement would run for three years, and that it contained a renewal clause.

Discussion Among Commissioners

Rosenthal noted that the estimated numbers showed 2005 figures and asked about their accuracy, given the increase in oil prices. Smith said the numbers were difficult to calculate and would not be recalculated but that it would prove to be a benefit to the cities involved. Rosenthal asked about the committee’s funding plan, in the event funds were depleted and a major repair became necessary. Smith indicated that the committee would approach cities directly for those repairs.

Robertson reported that the additional budget impact would be $11,931, with funds used for major maintenance and staffing, and that the total budget impact would be $24,471, including ongoing Parks maintenance already occurring along the Greenway. Smith said that the Greenway focus was shifting from building the pathway to its management.

Commissioners thanked Smith and Robertson for their efforts.

SUBCOMMITTEE and STAFF REPORTS

Gardiner asked the commission to review the existing Signs, Plaques, and Memorials policy and provide suggestions to the subcommittee about any proposed changes.

ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS

Noraas reported visiting Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, which features a 2.2-mile fitness trail encircling the 36-hole course. She said she spoke with the manager of the pro shop as well as the staff maintenance worker, both of whom provided information about the trail. Commissioners agreed to discuss a proposed trail for the Oak Knoll Golf Course during the upcoming ’08-’09 budget season.

Eggers reported conducting a thorough comparison between the Ashland Creek Park master plan and the draft construction site plan and she invited other commissioners to review them as well. Commissioners agreed to discuss the topic in more detail at a study session in early December.

UPCOMING MEETING DATE(S) and PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS

§         Joint City Council / Parks Commission executive session on December 4 at The Grove, 1195 E. Main Street. Topic to include:

§         Real Property Acquisition ORS 192.660 (2)(e)

§         Study Session on December 4 at The Grove, 1195 E. Main Street. Topic to include:

§         Ashland Creek Park Construction Documents Discussion

§         Study Session on December 10 at the Parks Office, 340 S. Pioneer Street. Topic to include:

§         Fees and Charges Review of:

§         Darex Family Ice Rink

§         Daniel Meyer Pool

§         North Mountain Park Nature Center Programs

§         Recreation Programs

§         Regular meeting on November 19—Parks Office, 340 S. Pioneer Street

ADJOURNMENT – By consensus, with no further business, Eggers adjourned the regular meeting at 8:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Susan Dyssegard, Ashland Parks and Recreation Department

Online City Services

UTILITIES-Connect/Disconnect,
Pay your bill & more 
Connect to
Ashland Fiber Network
Request Conservation
Evaluation
Proposals, Bids
& Notifications
Request Building
Inspection
Building Permit
Applications
Apply for Other
Permits & Licenses
Register for
Recreation Programs

©2024 City of Ashland, OR | Site Handcrafted in Ashland, Oregon by Project A

Quicklinks

Connect

Share

twitter facebook Email Share
back to top