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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/28/1995 MEETING MINUTES City of Bremerton Parks & Recreation Department Park & Recreation Commission Meeting MINUTES (approved edition) Tuesday, February 28 , 1995 5: 30 p.m. Smith School 1201 Park Avenue ATTENDANCE: Craig Smith, Mariwyn Tinsley, Carol Johnson, Larry Hall, Larry Sampson, Michael Vaughn. STAFF: Pat Harris, Director of Parks & Recreation, Jodi Wroblewski, Assistant Director, Becky Lorber, Recreation Program Coordinator (Senior Center) , Lena D'Agostino, Office Assistant II . AUDIENCE: R.K. Smith I. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Craig Smith called the meeting to order at 5: 33 p.m. II. ITEMS FROM THE AUDIENCE: None. III. AGENDA 1. Addition Commissioner Craig Smith added Becky Lorber from the Bremerton Senior Center to the agenda. 2. Approval as submitted or revised M/S/C/U (Tinsley/Johnson) to approve the agenda as revised. Becky Lorber, Recreation Program Coordinator at the Bremerton Senior Center, announced an upcoming scholarship fundraiser (lunch) for the seniors to be held at the Senior Center on St. Patrick's Day (Friday, March 17) , from 11: 30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The fun and games will include the gallows and the gallery, auctioning of the gallery items (handmade quality items by the seniors) . Lunch tickets cost $4.00 each. IV. OLD BUSINESS - SALVATION ARMY PARKING LOT In response to an inquiry about the parking lot status, Pat Harris said he drafted a memorandum to Randy Witt, City Engineer. Ironically, the Engineering Department crew started working on the preliminary grading of the lot the same day the memo was sent to Randy. They are now waiting for a better and warmer weather to asphalt. The parking lot should be completed and bringing in revenue within the next 30 days. 411 • V. NEW BUSINESS 1. FOREST RIDGE PARK STREET CLOSURE Commissioner Craig Smith mentioned an interesting article from the Bremerton Sun Newspaper regarding Forest Ridge Park and asked everyone present if they have seen it. Except for Commissioner Johnson, no one had seen the article. Pat said the Mayor has approved funding for the Parks and Recreation Department to do improvements at Forest Ridge Park. A neighborhood meeting was held at the beginning of this month with Councilmembers Sherril Huff-Menees (District #7) and Carlos Montgomery (District #8) . During the meeting, the group went over a letter that Pat addressed to Councilman Montgomery which outlined the proposed improvements that could be made at Forest Ridge Park within the confines of the funding allocated for this project. One of the things that Pat has been working with Engineering and Police Department is the proposal to close Summit Avenue due to a number of traffic and security reasons. Pat informed the Commission that Detective John Johnson,the DARE Program, talked about that park from a security/patrol perspective and he (Det. Johnson) felt strongly that limiting the traffic through there and reducing the access point would really help make the park a safer park. Pat presented this idea at the neighborhood meeting and there was a strong support from the neighbors in that area to do as planned. If the plan to close off the street is approved, signs and direction arrows for the park entrances will be placed at the north end of Burwell so that people know that the park is there. In doing so, Pat felt this would make Forest Ridge more park-like. Right now it has been used as an inter-urban transportation route. Pat did a traffic counts with Engineering Department crew on both Burwell and Summit Streets and came up with anywhere from 70 to 170 vehicles a day which is not significant relative to major thoroughfare but nevertheless impacts the park. Pat asked that the Parks and Recreation Commission recommend the closure of the north end of the road at Summit and closing the Burwell Street access to the park. Pat presented a map outlining the proposal and informed the Commission that the Department would like to try this proposal on a trial basis for a one-year period. It was moved by Commissioner Smith and seconded by Commissioner Larry Hall to recommend approval of said proposal for a one-year trial period and, if necessary, revisited if any problems occurred. Motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Tinsley asked Pat if the tennis courts at Forest Ridge Park will become parking space or they stay as they are. Pat said the Department anticipates refurbishing the tennis courts and due to theft and vandalism problems in the past, steel tennis courts will be installed and properly secured. 2. INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT - BREMERTON SCHOOL DISTRICT Pat mentioned that he has been working on this issue with Walt Draper, Bremerton School District Support Services Supervisor. The School District's concerns were primarily over who would be the users of their facilities and what kind of programs the Parks and Recreation Department would be providing at their facilities. These issues were clarified to their satisfaction and they are Page 2 410 • fully aware as to what the Department's goal is in terms of programming. That goal being: to have the ability to expand the programs by having additional classrooms, athletic fields and gymnasiums. Pat was informed by Mr. Draper that the Department will initially have access to advanced scheduling for the fields starting this spring. They (school district) have long-standing agreements and working relationships with other non-profit - organizations over the use of their facilities. The Department's time on the fields will work on that schedule and the school district will grant a favorable rental rate; the same rate they charge for non-profit organizations. Pat said he is optimistic that this arrangement will work out. At this point, the school district has not expressed interest in using the Department's facilities because they are more limited, other than the potential for again using the Bremerton Municipal swimming pool for their school lessons. Pat said he wanted to share this update to the Commissioners and based on their recommendations, he will bring the issue to the City Council. Pat further explained that this agreement is also a framework in trying to establish a long-term working relation with the school district which he felt is important. Commissioner Smith requested a motion from the Commissioners to agree with the interlocal agreement between the Bremerton School District and the Parks and Recreation Department. M/S/C/U (Hall/Tinsley) to approve the agreement. 3. REVISED ROOSEVELT FIELD REPLACEMENT PLAN/FUNDING STRATEGIES Commissioner Tinsley reported that during the last several months, the Commissioners have been reviewing the Roosevelt Field Task Force recommendations based upon the Commission's preliminary work and their subsequent meeting with Mayor Horton. At the January, 1995, meeting the Roosevelt Field Task Force was asked to meet again and to put together a recommendation and bring that to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Commissioner Tinsley then reviewed with the Commissioners the proposal that was formulated pertaining to funding based upon the property down at the waterfront. This proposal was developed in a phase-in period; addressing the needs of the parks facilities first and then the school district property after promoting parks property. Phase 1 addresses the Evergreen Park expansion and the contribution to Legion Field. Phase 2 recommends purchasing and development of the Haddon site, as well as rehabilitating Warren Avenue and Manette Playfields. Phase 3 then recommends upgrading the school district properties so that they can be used for Parks & Recreation programs. Commissioner Tinsley indicated that now that an agreement exists between the Parks and Recreation Department and the school district, this provides good support for taking this recommendation forward. Rich Hanna, City Treasurer, was contacted and met with the Task Force to discuss current financial status of the Roosevelt Field Trust fund. They also discussed the revenue stream and reviewed the borrowing capability in order to fund the proposed program. It was suggested that the Department had the capability Page 3 • • to borrow on a 20-year bond arrangements. There is a question regarding whether or not that would be accepted by the City Council given the current redevelopment plans for the waterfront. Rich was requested to develop a funding report to be used for the study sessions with the City Council . The Roosevelt Replacement Fund receives approximately $80,000 plus the revenue stream from additional parking space that we would acquire from the Salvation Army. The question is how to address the replacement program when there are other things going on at present that address that piece of property as well . The task force felt that it was important to not just go forward with only the list of property but also the financial information that shows how the projects would be paid for. A consensus was reached by the Task Force to exclude Blueberry Park from the replacement proposal because it is not believed to fit the requirements outlined for Roosevelt Field Replacement projects. It has been determined that the site is not large enough for a youth field. It was also felt that the Haddon site had a greater possibility and the location will better serve the youth/children in that neighborhood. Commissioner Tinsley reiterated that this was the recommendation from the task force to the Parks and Recreation Commission. This serves as a worksheet for the Commission as a collective group to decide whether or not to proceed with the recommendation, or make the necessary adjustments. Pat added that at the meeting, one of the things that Commissioner Tinsley asked Pat to do was to address the funding issue in terms of potential development on the Bremerton Lumber site. In this regard, Pat wrote a letter to Phil Nachbar, Bremerton Planning Department, and met with him to discuss the revenue stream commitment made by the City Council on the Roosevelt Field Replacement Fund. Pat gave Phil a background/sense of history and informed him of the issues that was going on with the community. Pat said Phil had heard about this issue from other people including the Mayor. The Mayor has already indicated to Phil that the development program that takes place on the Bremerton Lumber site property has to preserve the Roosevelt Field Fund revenue stream in some way. The study by Les Tonkin addresses the continuing need for on-site parking. The city will get back with the developers with the commitment for the Parks & Recreation Department as to certain amount of money, and city would want to make sure to get its returns on the investment. As the redevelopment endeavor continues, staff would be keeping their eyes and ears open as it goes through and will update the Commissioners on the progress. Commissioner Tinsley said she thought that the letter written by Pat to Phil Nachbar was excellent and thorough. Commissioner Vaughn added that he appreciated the fact that everyone was made aware of these issues and that it is on the front burner where it should be. Pat informed the group that the scheduled time for the City Council Study Session will be April 3 , Monday, starting time would be at 6 :00 p.m. At that meeting, Pat is also arranging to present the Blueberry Parks and Evergreen Park Master Plans Page 4 • . proposals to the City Council . Commissioner Smith asked Pat as to the type of field the Department is looking at for the Haddon site. Pat replied that the site is about 4 .5 acres and facilities have not been identified. A master plan should be developed for the site. Pat indicated that the Commission and the City should first concentrate acquiring this . property. Commissioner Tinsley suggested looking at a neighborhood meeting to find out what the needs are. She suggested that finding out the children's age groups in that area would be helpful . Commissioner Smith reminded the group that there will be another meeting before the April 3rd study session. Pat suggested inviting the Mayor for the end of April meeting instead of March. He added that the Commission will leave some space for next month's agenda to go through the task force report. Commissioner Tinsley commented that the Commission need not necessarily have to put together a whole lot of documents except for the recommendations and interlocal agreement with the district as supporting documents. Commissioner Smith requested a motion to developtask a force report. M/S/C/U (Sampson/Hall) to approve the motion. VI. STAFF REPORT Pat mentioned that he and Jodi sent out letters to Representatives about House Bill 1617. The bill is significant and it threatens the Department's major funding source (Interagency Committee (IAC) ) for park property acquisitions. IAC has about $70 million that could disappear and go to other priorities. One of the Representatives responded to this request. Pat and Jodi will be attending their public meeting in Olympia and share point of view/perspective on this issue. Pat encouraged all the Commissioners to attend the Evergreen Park Master Plan meeting and share the consultants' presentation tonight right after the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. He also reminded the group about another forthcoming meeting for Blueberry Park which will be held at the public library on Sylvan Way this coming Thursday, March 3rd. Pat reported that Mayor Horton interviewed a prospective Commissioner, Scott Krone. She will be presenting this appointment to City Council in the near future. Pat informed the group that he attended a neighborhood meeting last week for the Kitsap Lake area. One of the questions that was brought up by Commissioner Hall was what the neighbors' input were relating to the drop fee for the boat launch. The response was not positive on this issue and some of the responses from the neighbors include: too much government, too expensive, etc. However, Pat received some good feedbacks about providing outdoor shower, and boat wash-off in the area. The real issue for that particular neighborhood is the "enforcement" issue on the Kitsap Lake. Pat made certain that the residents understood that the Parks and Recreation Department is not an enforcement agency and it does not deal with complaints about speeding boats, etc. , and that they should call 9-1-1 to report these type of problems. The neighbors have a certain amount of frustration for not getting a good response from the Police Department. Pat shared that Page 5 i • information with the Police Chief. Overall , the meeting was very informative and Pat was able to find out about the residents' perspective of what is going on at Kitsap Lake. VII. COMMISSIONERS' COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS Commission Hall brought up the issue of developing. a funding strategy to make the Parks & Recreation Department more self sufficient. Itis his belief that in order for the Department to progress, the Department must be able to provide more of its own funding. Pat verified that what Commissioner Hall was asking was a change in the philosophy of the City regarding the Parks and Recreation services that is provided to the community. Whether the Department should charge for a lot of those services is not something that Pat could address without a great deal of study. If the Commission wanted to pursue the idea regarding different funding sources for Parks and Recreation services, Pat said he can certainly suggest a number of areas that the Department currently does not charge for which could generate fees and revenues. Currently, the Department generates about a quarter of a million dollars out of about $1.4 million budget total excluding the golf course operations. There has not been an emphasis in increasing the revenues because the revenue generated goes into the general fund. If the Department could generate more funds by raising fees and/or creating new fees, Pat suggested that it would be highly probable that there would be a simultaneous proportionate reduction in support from the general fund thus achieving no gain and jeopardizing the base the Department currently depends on. Pat said he agrees with the Commissioners that the percentage the Parks & Recreation Department receives from the General Fund is inadequate to meet the expanding needs of the Department, he is hopeful that the Mayor will continue financial support with the Real Estate Excise Tax Fund. Pat will bring back at the next meeting a number of ideas and get some feedbacks to see if they are worth pursuing. Commissioner Vaughn commented he felt that the issue is to decide whether or not the Commission/Department pursue that philosophy. He had seen it happened in other municipalities where the park generates funds for dedicated use and the funds they received from the general fund is decreased by that amount and a lot of times it does not end up with a net gain. So if there is no net gain in the funds, in someways alienate or least impact the use of parks. Commissioner Hall requested that the Commissioners be provided with copies of Kitsap Lake Fish Pro Report. Pat said he will forward copies to all Commissioners. Commissioner Hall reported that the Kitsap Lake Fishpro report came in and contained recommendations regarding the elimination of the aquatic weeds. the report suggested that the Department purchase weedcutters to deal with the weed problem in the lake. In addition, the City could loan or rent the equipment to the lake residents for their use. The report also mentioned that installing aqua screens would inhibit growth of the aquatic Page 6 weeds . Commissioner Hall requested that the Department install these screens sometime before June 1995. Pat said the Department will have to seriously pursue funding/granting sources these recommendations. This issue can certainly be revisited and look at applying for grants. Commissioner Vaughn commented that he is not familiar with this issue and would like to request a copy of the executive summary of recommendations on this issue. Pat said he will also provide the Commissioners copies on this subject as requested. Commissioner Johnson announced that the Department made almost $2,000 from the Comedy Night and over $1100 from the silent auction. The fundraising event was held at the Cloverleaf Restaurant to benefit Pendergast Regional Park. Also according to Commissioner Johnson, Al Colvin, City Councilmember (District #1) mentioned to her a basketball court on Juniper Street that was paid for and built by a gentleman named Cliff McKenzie, who died of a heart attack three months ago while painting it. The children of this deceased gentleman are requesting the city to officially name the basketball court after their father. They needed permission to accomplish this due to the fact that the basketball court was partially built on city property (Stephenson Canyon) . Commissioner Johnson suggested adding this subject to the next agenda. Commissioner Smith commented that he appreciated the way the Commission is moving with some of the issues and also appreciated all the communication that is in the packet and the information feedbacks provided to all the Commissioners for this meeting. VIII. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: JANUARY 24, 1995 M/S/C/U (Tinsley/Johnson) to approve the minutes as submitted. IX. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6: 30 p.m. Lena D'Agostino Pat Harris, Director Office Asst. II Parks and Recreation Dept. Page 7