ATTENDANCE
Present: Commissioners Seffinger, Gardiner, Landt, Lewis, Shaw; Director Robertson; Superintendents Dials and Dickens
Absent: City Council Liaison Voisin
CALL TO ORDER
Seffinger called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. in the Parks office, 340 S. Pioneer Street.
NATURE CENTER SOLAR ECO-POST REQUEST
Rachel Dials welcomed Libby Van Wyhe, new North Mountain Park Nature Center Manager, along with Environmental Education Coordinator Linda Chesney. Dials said Van Wyhe and Chesney wanted to purchase, install and dedicate a “Solar Eco-Post” at North Mountain Park.
Van Wyhe described the proposed Solar Eco-Post as an interactive, educational device capable of playing audio recordings of local bird calls at the push of a button. She said it would improve appreciation and enjoyment of wildlife and allow people to “bird by ear.” The proposed solar-powered model manufactured by TourMate Systems, Ltd. would require minimal maintenance and come with a rechargeable battery pack and anti-graffiti paint. Chesney quoted a price of $1,650, plus shipping, and said the cost included programming the software for the educational messages.
Van Wyhe and Chesney said the project would be funded through donations collected by the Massey family to honor long-time volunteer and ornithologist Barbara Massey on her 90th birthday. If approved, a small plaque with a maximum of six words would be placed directly onto the post. The plaque would meet all guidelines established by the Signs, Plaques and Memorials Subcommittee.
If approved by the commission, the family would announce the project to Barbara Massey on November 9.
Discussion Among Commissioners
Landt asked why the proposed project, funded by donations, was brought to the commission. In his opinion, it only required a subcommittee-level review. He said he had no problem with the concept, only the process.
Robertson said the project was presented to the commission because no similar devices had ever been installed in an Ashland park and the post could also be considered a potential target for vandalism.
Based on commissioner feedback, Seffinger suggested that staff move forward with the project.
GARFIELD PARK CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN REVIEW
Dickens said he received earlier commission approval to explore a master plan project for Garfield Park. Based upon that guidance, he and Robertson approached Greg Covey of Covey Pardee Landscape Architects and asked for three conceptual master plan alternatives.
Robertson contextualized the need for the Garfield Park draft plans, stating that staff explored solutions to issues previously voiced as concerns: the need to rehabilitate, expand or remove the water play feature due to incompatibility factors; a possible relocation of the existing Ashland Skate Park to Garfield Park; and removal and / or relocation of the sand volleyball court at Garfield, He said all of the topics were previously discussed by staff and the commission.
Covey said he evaluated the park and addressed landscaping, an outdated water play feature and the heavily used sand volleyball court. He said sand and water in such close proximity were not in the best interests of the facilities. Covey provided the commission with three options for improvements ranging from low to high intensity and said the options were only a starting place for commissioners and staff in terms of discussion and direction.
Discussion Among Commissioners
Landt said he was uncomfortable having conceptual plans created without any public input. He asked whether the commission actually said anything in the past about drawing up conceptual designs so early on. He stated that public input should inform the drawings, not the other way around. Landt said he believed a “space needs assessment” would be more appropriate and useful because it would help determine whether the park had adequate square footage to accommodate both the amenities and the public demands.
Shaw said he appreciated having a starting point from which to possibly reconfigure the park. He pointed out that the public could easily provide feedback on the drawings. He said he wanted to consider the long-term needs for Southern Oregon University’s recreational uses of Garfield Park, as they owned their own volleyball courts.
Lewis said he wanted to assess the specific needs of Garfield Park, including the possible need for a picnic shelter and conflicts of volleyball with water play elements. He said Garfield Park would not be an appropriate place to relocate the Skate Park and he did not wish to lose open spaces at Garfield.
Robertson said a public process would be critical to the project because Garfield Park was a well-loved facility and the first developed park to undergo a re-design. He suggested using a landscape architect to interpret the public’s input on the park.
The commission discussed ways of honoring public input and obtaining feedback in order to guide the process moving forward. Robertson proposed a three-meeting public process, with the first meeting consisting of an in-depth review at why changes were needed at Garfield Park.
Alan Pardee of Covey Pardee Landscape Architects said the conflict with sand and water play could be addressed by separating the two features and providing foot showers at each area. Commissioners acknowledged and agreed with the suggestion.
Public Input
Matt Warshawski, 828 Indiana Street, park user and father of a 5-year-old, asked for the waterplay feature to remain at the park. He said a conflict existed between the volleyball players and the children and he agreed with the idea of separating the sand and waterplay features. He asked for the “dog-friendly” status at Garfield to be removed because dogs were known to frighten children and leave excrement on lawns. Lastly, he asked for any public meetings to occur during the day to allow for his participation.
Additional Discussion Among Commissioners
Seffinger requested a timeline for the public process. Robertson said staff would develop a timeline and present it to the commission at their regular meeting on Monday, October 28, 2013.
Seffinger asked staff to explore state-of-the-art park amenities and trends for parks. Dickens asked the commission and staff to consider budget constraints when planning park upgrades. He said funds were budgeted only for waterplay feature upgrades at Garfield Park for the biennial FY 13-15 period.
CALLE RESURFACING BIDS UPDATE
Dials said staff received three bids for Calle resurfacing on October 2, 2013. The low bid of $387,808.60 was submitted by KOGAP Enterprises, Inc. of Medford, and the two remaining bids came from Roxy Ann Rock and Pilot Rock.
The KOGAP breakdown was reported as follows: