Agendas and Minutes

Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission (View All)

Parks Commission Regular Meeting Minutes

Agenda
Monday, November 24, 2008

City of Ashland

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

 

REGULAR MEETING

MINUTES

 

November 24, 2008

 

ATTENDANCE

Present:    Commissioners Eggers, Gardiner, Lewis, Rosenthal; Director Robertson;

                 Superintendents Gies and Teige

Absent:     Commissioner Noraas; City Council Liaison Navickas

CALL TO ORDER

Gardiner called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Regular Meeting – August 25, 2008

MOTION Lewis moved to approve the minutes as written. Eggers seconded the motion.

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no

Study Session – October 23, 2008

Under “Lithia Artisans Market Contract Renewal Discussion,” Discussion Among Commissioners, Eggers asked staff to strike the sentence referencing her alleged request toresolve the contract revisions in the best way for all concerned.”

MOTION Rosenthal moved to approve the minutes as amended. Eggers seconded the motion.

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no

Regular Meeting – October 27, 2008

Under “Items from Commissioners,” Eggers asked staff to strike her request to “send thank you notes to the [volunteer park walk] guides to convey the commission’s appreciation for their efforts,” as staff reported on the occurrence of a thank you party.

MOTION Eggers moved to approve the minutes as amended. Rosenthal seconded the motion.

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no

Joint Study Session – October 30, 2008

Under “Roll Call,” Eggers asked that Gardiner’s name be included in the listing of commissioners present [in addition to his listing under “Call to Order”]. On page two, Eggers asked that the sentence regarding the budget change occurring when Parks took over the management of the Senior Center be rephrased as, “…which increased expenditures without supplying any revenue.”

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

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Open Forum

None

ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA

None

PRESENTATION OF COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT

Lee Tuneberg, City of Ashland Finance and Administrative Services Director, presented the commission with their GFOA award for excellence in financial reporting for the ’07-‘08 fiscal year and said it was their 20th consecutive award. He also presented the CAFR for the year ending June 30, 2008, and said the commission was responsible for its contents. He guided them through key points contained within the document.

MOTION Eggers moved to accept the CAFR for the year ending June 30, 2008. Lewis seconded the motion.

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

CLAY STREET PROPERTY UPDATE

Robertson referenced a map of lower Clay Street that included ten acres of land approved by City Council for purchase. He said the land would be used for affordable housing and possibly a park area. He answered questions posed to staff during the September 29 regular meeting and said, after the completion of the sale, that the city would provide Parks with a two-year window in which to determine a funding mechanism for the purchase of the land. Commissioners spoke in support of a renewal of the meals tax. Eggers suggested retaining all potential funding options for the present time. Rosenthal expressed opposition to potentially selling two acres of land in the Westwood neighborhood to fund the lower Clay Street land purchase and asked the commission to consider placing parks in areas of the city potentially more underserved than that area.

Public Input

Ron Roth, 6950 Old Hwy 99 South, voiced support for the city’s purchase of the ten acres at lower Clay Street and said he envisioned a Garfield-like park at that location. He suggested a Parks levy and / or the creation of a part-time development position to raise funds for park purchases such as the lower Clay Street land. He said the sale of existing park land at Westwood would be controversial but suggested retaining it as a possible funding option.

For the potential purchase of the lower Clay Street acres, staff was directed to identify funding source timelines and review the Open Space Plan to determine areas of the city that might be underserved in terms of parks.

CONSIDERATION OF ICE RINK RENAMING

Robertson reminded the commission that Michael Donovan, President of the Ashland Rotary Club, attended the October 27 regular commission meeting and presented them with a potential $50,000 donation over a five-year period for ice rink improvements. He said the Rotary Club suggested renaming the rink the “Ashland Rotary Centennial Ice Rink.” He welcomed Donovan and invited him to speak to the commission.

Michael Donovan said Rotary unanimously supported the donation. He said the Bernard family—original donors for the creation of the Darex Family Ice Rink (and Rotary Club members)—fully supported renaming the rink. He urged community members to step forward with additional contributions. In terms of the longevity of the proposed name, he expressed hope that Rotary could make another significant contribution in the future and retain the name but said Rotary would honor a future benefactor’s request to rename the rink.

Public Input

Commissioners thanked Donovan and the Rotary for their generous contribution and discussed placing the name plaque onto the ice rink structure. They agreed to work out such details in the future.

MOTION Eggers moved to accept, with great thanks, the Ashland Rotary Club’s donation for ice rink improvements and to name the rink the Ashland Rotary Centennial Ice Rink. Rosenthal seconded the motion.

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no

NEW BUSINESS

SIGNS AND PLAQUES SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT AND REQUEST

Gies said subcommittee and staff members met to review a number of requests, agreeing to forward them to the commission for review and potential action. Items included:

§         Lithia Park entrance sign

§         Signs and plaques policy modifications

§         Pending requests for signs, plaques, or memorials in city parks

Eggers provided staff with suggested revisions for the Lithia Park entrance sign. Staff was directed to forward the suggestions to the graphic artist, with another review occurring in the future.

For the policy, Eggers suggested including the initial bulleted points on a page attached to the front of the policy and clarifying their function as a “summary of policy details.” Staff was directed to rework the policy and bring it back to the commission for further review.

Pending requests for signs, plaques, or memorials were reviewed, with the following results:

§         Water fountain at Lithia Park entrance: Staff directed to review file on existing water fountain at Lithia Park entrance for its relevance to the park’s inclusion in the National Registry of Historic Places. If not relevant to the registry, proceed with the removal of the fountain and install a frost-free fountain (with memorial plaque) at that location.

§         Clay Street Park bench with plaque – approved

§         Cooper family bench plaque in Lithia Parkupdated plaque approved

§         “Mary’s Grove” in Scenic Park – picnic table or bench with plaque approved

MOTION Lewis moved to approve the four pending requests as presented. Eggers seconded the motion.

The vote was: 4 yes – 0 no

SUBCOMMITTEE and STAFF REPORTS

Ice Rink Project Update

Gies reported that the project was on schedule and the rink opening was tentatively scheduled for mid-January.

ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS

None

UPCOMING MEETING DATE(S) and PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS

  • Study session and regular meeting set for December 8 at 7:00 pm, Parks Office, 340 S. Pioneer Street.
  • Joint Parks / City Council study session set for December 15 at 7:00 pm, Ashland Community Center,

59 Winburn Way.

ADJOURNMENT– By consensus, with no further business, Gardiner adjourned the meeting at 9:28 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