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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-14-2018 Parks and Recreation CommissionIowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, February 14, 2018 Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center — Meeting Room B 220 S. Gilbert St. AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES ITEM 3 PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA ITEM 4 BACKYARD ABUNDANCE PRESENTATION — FRED MYER, JEN KARDOS, CO - DIRECTORS ITEM 5 DOG PARK LIGHTS — CHAD DYSON ITEM 6 REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF a) Recreation Division Superintendent —Chad Dyson b) Parks Division Superintendent— Zac Hall c) Parks & Recreation Director—Juli Seydell Johnson ITEM 7 CHAIRS REPORT ITEM 8 COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ITEM 9 ADJOURN If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Tammy Neumann, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department at 3191356-5210 or tammy- neumann@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES DRAFT JANUARY 10, 2018 RECREATION CENTER — MEETING ROOM B Members Present: Steve Bird, Wayne Fett, Cara Hamann, Lucie Laurian, Ben Russell, Angie Smith, Joe Younker Members Absent: Suzanne Bentler, Jamie Venzon Staff Present: Chad Dyson, Zac Hall, Brenda Nations Others Present: Del Holland, Doug Mensing, Ben Staehlin, Brian Wills, Brianna Wills, Charlotte Wills, Anna Wills CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Hamann called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. STEAM MURAL RIBBON CUTTING: Commission members attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the unveiling of the "Exploring Iowa's Renewable Energy" STEAM mural located in the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center lobby. The mural is sponsored by the Iowa City Public Art program and based around principles of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). "The mural, `Exploring Iowa's Renewable Energy,' uses visual, sound and tactile elements to provide visitors with an interactive experience that spotlights Iowa's Green Energy potential. Visitors activate light, sound, and wind in a graphically displayed Iowa landscape. Turning a hand crank moves a windmill, covering the solar panel affects the building lights, and touching the river activates light and sound. The mural was created by a team of students and faculty members from the University of Iowa who represent a broad range of disciplines including Computer Science, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, Emerging Technologies and Sculpture, Photography, Art and Art History, and Digital Media in Performance. The UI team includes Kyle Rector, Stephen Back, Daniel Fine, Daniel Miller, Yifan Du, Colleen Reynolds, and John Winet. Additionally, photographer Dana Keeton contributed to the project." (https://www.icgov.orgtnews/new-steam-mural-be-unveiled-robert4ee-recreation-center) RECOGNITION OF OUTGOING COMMISSION MEMBERS Outgoing Commission Members, Larry Brown and Chairman Clay Claussen were recognized and commended for their dedication and service to the Commission. Two new Commissioners, Larry Bird and Ben Russell were introduced. Russell shared that he grew up in Iowa City, is a Regina graduate and currently works in commercial lending at Hills Bank in Coralville. Russell expressed that he is excited to be a part of this commission and to work on the parks that he used while growing up in Iowa City. Steve Bird stated that he moved to Iowa City a little over five years ago from Seattle. He considers himself to be a "super user" of Iowa City Parks and Recreation. He is interested in participating on the Commission as he believes that "excellent parks are what makes an excellent city." PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2018 Page 2 of 5 RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): _Moved by Laurian, seconded by Fett to accept fees in lieu of land for the Foster Road Development to satisfy the Neighborhood Open Space requirement. Passed 7-0 Bentler & Venzon absent). OTHER FORMAL ACTION: Moved by Smith, seconded by Younker, to approve the December 13 2017 minutes as written Passed 7-0 Gentler & Venzon absent). ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Fett nominated Joe Younker to serve as Chairperson of the Parks & Recreation Commission. Laurian nominated Hamann to serve as Vice -Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Moved by Laurim seconded by Fett. to elect Cara Hamann as the Vice -Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission for 2018 Motion passed 7-0 Gentler and Venzon absent) Laurian suggested having a reception for outgoing members Brown & Claussen during the February meeting. PUBLIC DISCUSSION None RIVERFRONT CROSSINGS PARK CONTRIBUTION/HICKORY TRAIL PARK RENAMING REOUEST: Brian and Brianna Wills sadly lost their 12-year-old son, Calder Wills, in November to cancer. Brianna shared that she was a part of the original group of parents who brought the idea of developing a playground in Hickory Trail Park. This group of parents got together, met with City staff, put together a plan and built a playground in the park. Brianna said that while Calder suffered through his journey, he fought valiantly and through the process inspired a lot of people. Brian and Brianna would like to move forward in furthering Calder's legacy by renaming Hickory Trail Park to "Calder's Park." They would like to help fund further improvements to the park over time as determined appropriate by the Parks and Recreation Department and Commission. The Wills have been meeting with Seydell Johnson to discuss giving a donation to Riverfront Crossings Park. Specifically, they would like to make a donation to the explorer path in Calder's honor. Younker expressed great appreciation for their consideration and expressed condolences to the family. Dyson reported that staff is in support of waiving the usual two year waiting period posthumous prior to naming a facility in recognition of an individual. The family will continue working with Parks and Recreation staff. NATURAL AREAS PLAN DRAFT REVIEW Hall noted that the natural areas management planning began in 2008 when the City hired Brenda Nations who wrote a Natural Areas Plan for 12 natural area parcels owned by the City. In 2016 the Parks and Recreation Department, along with the Public Works Department and Brenda Nations, identified 42 sites to be incorporated into a system -wide natural areas plan. After a competitive RFP process, Applied PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2018 Page 3 of 5 Fcological Services (AES) was selected as the firm to complete the plan. Doug Mensing with AES presented the draft plan to Commission which is attached to these minutes. His presentation included the project goals, aerial imagery, land cover mapping and quality assessment, site specific management briefs, prioritization and costs, getting more done, and conservation planning. Younker asked for staffs response to the draft plan. Hall reported that staff is very excited about the plan as it helps in identifying where to focus efforts, where to focus volunteers, and which grant funding to go after. Laurian commended Mensing on his presentation. NEIGHBORHOOD OPEN SPACE REVIEW: UNIVERSITY LAKE PARTNERS In December of 2017 an application for rezoning was submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission for Foster Road planned development. As per the requirements of the comprehensive plan, the developer is required to dedicate 1.39 acres for park space. The developer proposed a land donation of 24 acres for parkland. This property is in a ruggedly steep wooded area south of interstate 80. Staff recommends accepting fees in lieu of land. This was determined based on the following: Lack of connectivity to other parkland; inaccessibility for the public and staff; additional staff and resources burden; challenging land type for trails or park amenities to be added; size and type of land does not align with North District recommendations outlined in the Parks Master Plan. Moved by Laurian, seconded by Fett to accent fees in lieu of land for the Foster Road Development to satisfy the Neighborhood Open Space Requirements. Passed 7-0 (Bentler & Venzon absent). PLAYGROUND ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION REPORT Commission requested a presentation from staff regarding playground accessibility. Hall presented. He noted that the 2017 Parks Master Plan identified, inventoried and ranked park areas with respect to accessibility and alignment with ADA standards. The master plan outlined three system -wide priorities to address accessibility and alignment as follows: 1) Maintain fall -zone surfaces, 2) Provide accessible picnic tables, 3) Provide parking, truncated curb ramps and paths to park amenities. Hall further explained that 2018 projects will include accessible paths to playgrounds at Pheasant Hill Park, Highland Park and Mercer Park. Future accessibility projects will follow CIP budget requests. The Master Plan evaluation, including ADA improvement update and the presentation are attached. REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF Recreation Division Superintendent Report — Chad Dyson Recreation Construction Update: Dyson reported that the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center reopened this week after being closed for renovations. The renovations included new restrooms on the lower level of the building, administrative office remodel, resurfacing of the gym floor, pool maintenance as well repainting of meeting rooms and other maintenance. Registration: Recreation program registration has begun. Staff is pleased with the number of participants registering for programs. Dyson further stated that the Winter Break Camp was very well attended this year. Incident at Recreation: Dyson addressed the incident where a young man was found deceased in the edible garden classroom area outside of the Recreation Center. He explained that the police were notified and that the investigation is ongoing. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2018 Page 4 of 5 Parks Division Superintendent Report — Zac Hall Staffne: Hall reported that staff has been busy with snow removal recently. He talked about the brining solution that is being used to pretreat areas. Staff is pleased with this product. Garden Plots: Smith asked for a report from Hall on garden plot locations and if there is a need for additional areas in the City. Hall reported that there are 111 plots at Wetherby, 56 at Chadek, 16 at Reno, and 20 at Kiwanis Parks. He noted that there is a plan is to add gardens to Creekside Park as well as increase the number of plots to Chadek Green gardens. He also mentioned that there may be more added to a parcel of land owned by the City on Walden Road. There was discussion about the possibility of using some the flood buyout properties in Iowa City as community garden space. Younker suggested that staff invite Fred Meyer from Backyard Abundance to do a presentation at a future meeting. CHAIRS REPORT No report. COMMISSION THvMSUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: None ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Hamann. seconded by Fett, to adjourn the meeting at 6.39 n m Motion nagged 7-0 (Bentler & Venzon absent) PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2018 Page 5 of 5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NAME TERM ti o EXPIRES N M11 H e Suzanne 1/1/17 NM X X X LQ X X X X X X O/E Bentler Steve Bird 1/1/22 * * * * * * * * * * * X Larry Brown 1/1/18 NM O/E X X LQ X O/E X X X X Clay 1/1/18 NM X X X LQ X X X X X X Claussen Wayne Fett 1/1/19 NM X X X LQ X X X X O/E X X Cars 1/1/20 NM X X X LQ X X X X O/E X X Hamann Lucie 1/1/10 NM X X X LQ * O/E X O/E O/E X X Laurian Bm Russell 1/1/22 * * * * * * * * * * * X Angie Smith 1/1/18 * O/E X X LQ X X X O/E X X X Jamie 1/1/20 NM X X X LQ X X X X O/E X O/E Venzon Joe Younker 1/1/20 NM O/E X X LQ X X X X X O/E X Nal = No meeting LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum * = Not a member at this time �k I I * par -to*: F ►4 f E g n lr�H�E# fy�+ fii E� i d Ug 9 �pAypa� lit 111' .11101. A u ®1 it in s ®o®o -s Y aQ 0 x c� z } x 0 z z I L a if � | It ;I e@Gm@a . .•�# .\�,, Iowa City Parks & Recreation Commission Packet February 14, 2018 Upcoming Events • Freeze Fest —February 10 at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area,1-3pm • Spring Break Camps and Workshops — March 12-March 16 • STEAM Fest —April 15 at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area,1-4pm Status — Previous Commission Items and Discussions September 2017 Discussion of Pet Rules —Dog Leash rules. Will be placed on February agenda January 2018 . Request for presentation from Backyard Abundance. © Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff Parks • The Parks division welcomes Elijah Elliot to the team as a Maintenance Worker— I Parks. Elijah holds a BA in Business Administration with a minor in Environmental Studies from St. Ambrose University. Elijah served as a temporary staff member with the Athletic Facilities sector for 9 years. • Athletic Facilities staff have been coordinating with the Green Iowa Americorps team on energy efficiency upgrades at Kicker's Soccer Park. The upgrades recently installed include LED fixtures and lights, occupancy sensors and programmable thermostats. These upgrades will bolster the city's application for Environmental Facility Certification awarded by the Sports Turf Manager's Association. Notification of award will be announced this spring. • As part of the Tobacco Free Parks Initiative approved by City Council staff have installed 50 Tobacco Free signs at shelters throughout the Parks system. Recreation: • Working with Americorps team members on dog park solar lighting and special event planning. • Finalizing IPRA spring conference planning for education sessions, tours, and networking events. • Staff will be touring City Council members at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center on Friday, February 8'. We will be discussing new renovations, operations, and challenges. Cemetery: • The cemetery staff purchased a motorized auger to assist with preparing cremation graves. Facilities: Jeff Cretsinger, our Senior Maintenance staff at City Hall will be recognized for 20 years of service. • We will be taking out a portion of the BAS project, the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center BAS project will be sent out for bid as a competitive quotation. • Mercer/Scanlon HVAC and Boiler Replacement Project was awarded to AAA Mechanical, we have had a pre -construction meeting on site and a schedule from the contractor is pending. • Happy Hollow Park Restroom and Shelter Replacement Project- we received 5 bids for the project, the lowest base bid was $258,504.00; City Council deferred action until the February 201n meeting, and have asked the Department to host a neighborhood meeting. This will be held at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, in meeting room B on Tuesday, February 13`n Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City • Ashton House water Damage repairs- The Engineered Floor system is scheduled to be installed starting the week of February 121". We have received a proposal for painting from A+ Painters. Too Staff Issues Parks • Clearing and grubbing vegetation along trails, bridges and creeks. • Winter is not over and snow removal has kept staff busy clearing trails, bridges and park areas. Recreation • Seasonal illness affecting staffing levels at facilities and programs. • Working on the summer program guide. Cemetery • Staff has been busy with snow removal on the cemetery roads and along our sidewalk snow route. The cemetery has been busy with defrosting and preparing graves as we have already had 3 full burials this month. Facilities • City Hall maintenance staff have been assisting with the walk throughs from the third - party consultants monitoring the piling work for the neighboring Augusta Project and utility shutdowns to City Hall. • AmeriCorps had an LED light education session with lighting expert, Cory Kessler of 3E. • Staff are continuing to work with contractors on repairs to Ashton House, and have been monitoring the humidity at the facility. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City Project Timeline Status Facilities - HVAC Control Software Multi -year Implementation for all City Buildings ($535,000 CIP) Project out to bid. Mercer—HVAC Summer/Fall 2017 Contracted. Work in late spring 2018. RALRC— Lobby Renovations Fall 2017/Winter 2018 Project Complete Admin: Natural Areas Plan October 2016 — December 2017 Project Complete Forestry: Tree Inventory 2017 Tree inventory 80% complete. City Park Cabin Restoration Construction Fall 2017 Contract to North Construction. Cabins moved off site. Happy Hollow Shelter & Restroom Upgrades Construction Fall 2017 January bids rejected. Riverfront Crossing Park, Phase 1 Fall 2017 —Spring 2018 (Phase 1 and Nature Play) Work began on 6-26-17. Chauncey Swan Park TBD — Park rebuild at end of building project. Park construction 2018. Hickory Hill Trails, Signs & Bridges Construction Spring 2017 Design underway— RDG/HBK. Bid in winter 2017-18. Work in Spring 18. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City Oakland Cemetery FY 17 Revenue Report werage, Revenue from Lot Sales tot sale Syr Average # of Interments Interments Syr avg. Revenue from Interments 5 year Avg.: on interments Total Revenue Syr Avg. on iotal revenue July $2,800.00 $5,490.00': 4 6.6 $2,500.00 $3,312.00 $5,300.00 $8,802. 00 August $8,400.00 $4,900.00: 8 8 $3,720.00 $4,099.00 $12,120.00 $8,999.00 Sept $14,950.00 $5,080.00 8 6.8 1 $3,625.00 $3,432.26 $18,575.00 $8,512.00 Oct $18,100.00 $6,770.00. 2 8 $1,600.00 $4,342.26 $19,700.001 $11,112.261 Nov $5,600.00 $5,680.00 6 6.8 $3,820.00 $2,953.50 $9,420.00 $8,633.50 Dec $4,600.00 $1,940.00 5 5.8 $2,830.00 $2,640.00 $7,430.00 $4,580.00 Jan $2,600.00 $3,840.00' 5 3.0 $3,100.00 $2,040.00 $5,700.00 $5,880.00 Feb March April May June Totals $57,050.00.00 L$33,700.001 38 45 $21,195.00 $22,819.02' $78,245.00 $56,518.76 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City