Agendas and Minutes

Ashland Parks & Recreation Commission (View All)

Parks Commission Regular Meeting Minutes

Agenda
Monday, November 22, 2010

City of Ashland

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

REGULAR MEETING

 

MINUTES

November 22, 2010

ATTENDANCE

Present:    Commissioners Eggers, Gardiner, Lewis, Rosenthal; City Council Liaison Jackson; Director Robertson; Superintendent Gies

Absent:     Commissioner Noraas; Superintendent Dials

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 – October 18, 2010

In the section entitled “Chitwood Park Update,” Eggers asked that the sentence referring to the “joint project” between Parks and the RVCDC be rephrased to state that, “[Robertson] said the meeting was a joint project between Parks and the affordable housing group RVCDC.” In the following sentence she asked that the word “relocate” be changed to “locate” with regard to the affordable housing developers’ need to “locate the stormwater treatment bioswales on Parks property adjacent to that section of land.”

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

The vote was: All yes

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

OPEN FORUM

Dr. Vanston Shaw, 180 Lithia Way, said dogs and parks went together in most places other than Ashland. He said he missed the opportunity to walk his dog in Ashland parks and suggested a step process in which dogs were allowed in all parks but Lithia Park and the commission worked with citizens to help them become more responsible and accountable for their dogs. He said it was a citizens’ rights issue for dog owners to walk their dogs in parks and he expressed hope for the emancipation of citizens and their pets.

ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDA

None

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

DOG PROCESS DISCUSSION

The commission agreed to hold a commission-only discussion, as they said they previously heard a great deal of public input on dogs in parks. After much deliberation, a six-point strategy was outlined for staff:

1.       Develop enforcement methods

2.       Develop signage, maps, and other  informational materials about where dogs currently are allowed

3.       Determine additional areas (parks and facilities) where dogs might be allowed

4.       Determine any potential cost for implementation

5.       Consider new dog park at southern end of town

6.       Evaluate: are we meeting commission goals / goals of community members?

NEW BUSINESS

INTRODUCTION OF VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Gies said 60 applications were received for the Volunteer Coordinator position. He said Parks staff and a human resources representative interviewed six candidates and chose Lori Ainsworth as the volunteer coordinator.

Lori Ainsworth introduced herself to the commission and spoke briefly about building on existing volunteer programs in the Parks Department and encouraging service groups to adopt community parks. Gies said staff would prepare materials in the coming months for the commission’s review.

CONSIDER DELAY OF CHITWOOD PARK MASTER PLAN

Robertson provided a summary of all the meetings at which the Chitwood Park project was discussed. He said the commission debated, at their last meeting, possibly delaying the park master plan but the affordable housing developer, RVCDC, needed to submit drawings to Planning and required the commission’s decision about stormwater issues on the property.

Public Input

Rick Landt, 468 Helman Street, spoke of his uneasiness when hearing of a public entity giving a benefit to a private entity (i.e., Parks proposing to give a benefit of land for the stormwater system in return for receiving a master plan for the park site). He said the maintenance of that treatment area would continue in perpetuity and the cost of maintenance would exceed what Parks received for the park master plan. He suggested including language stating that RVCDC would be responsible for the maintenance of the stormwater area.

Maria Barnes, 2252 Chitwood Lane, speaking on behalf of the Deerfield Estates Homeowners Association, said if the park were left undeveloped, the undeveloped land would negatively impact surrounding housing values. She said the street (narrow and winding with no clear markings) had experienced a fire and she felt there might be inadequate space for firetruck turnarounds.

Motion Eggers moved to approve RVCDC constructing, operating, and maintaining, in perpetuity, at RVCDC expense, to City of Ashland standards, a stormwater remediation project in the area designated on the map on the Chitwood Park property pending a formal written agreement between the City of Ashland and RVCDC. Lewis seconded the motion.

The vote was: All yes

SUB-COMMITTEE and STAFF REPORTS

None

ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS

Eggers reported attending the Ashland Senior Center Thanksgiving dinner on Monday evening, November 22, hosted by the Firefighters’ Association.

Eggers said she attended the 2010 NRPA conference in Minneapolis and would review her meeting notes in the coming months so that the whole community could benefit from her participation.

Gardiner said his time on the commission was limited and requested that the commission not delay in master planning Chitwood Park as the neighbors in that area were interested in having a park. He asked the commission to consider an upgrade to the tennis court lights at Hunter Park. He said the project appeared on the commission’s capital improvement plan and the upgraded lights would make the facility more available to tennis players after dark. He said the tennis community might be able to provide some funding.

UPCOMING MEETING DATES

  • Study session set for December 13 at 7:00 p.m., Parks office, 340 S. Pioneer Street. Topics:
    • Contracts for Calle Restaurants and Artisans
    • Director’s Evaluation (Executive Session)
  • Regular meeting set for December 20 at 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street. Topics:
    • Fees and Charges Discussion
    • 2011 Meeting Calendar

ADJOURNMENT– By consensus, with no further business, Gardiner adjourned the meeting at 8:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Susan Dyssegard, Ashland Parks and Recreation

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