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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/18/1998 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON JUNE 18TH, 1998 A WORK SESSION OF The Colony Municipal Economic Development Corporation (4B Board) and The City Council of The Colony, was called to order at 7:10 p.m. with the following members present: Don Goebel Chairman Vicki Briggs Member Sue Walden Member Susan King Member Morris Seay Member and with members Bullard and Manser absent; however a quorum was established. Also in attendance was Pain Nelson, Director of The Parks & Recreation Dept. of The Colony, and John Sanders, President of the Parks & Recreation Board, Eric Fainter, President of CYSA, Bill Murdock, Vice President of CYFA, and Jim Briggs from the Select Football League. 1. CITIZENS INPUT. Eric Faucher, President of CYSA - The CYSA Board is in total support of the Concept Plan for the Multi Sports Complex. Our soccer fields can't hold the growth. We would like to have about 6-7 more fields. We currently have 1,200-1,300 kids and anticipate having 1,500 in the next few years. Frisco has broken away from CYSA but Little Elm continues to participate. We would like to be able to hold soccer tournaments in The Colony like other cities do. We have 9 full fields that are marked off according to age - U5 25x40, U6 25x45, U7 30x50. The U8 field is possibly 4000, U10 is 50x80, and the U 12 field not certain of dimensions There is a higher number of participants in the younger ages. The 9-12 year olds move on to select clubs. We will maybe try to start a petition at sign-up for support of this Plan. The CYSA Board is in total support of this Plan. Jim Briggs , Select Football League - This is the first year for the Select League. We are included in the North Texas Football Association. Other cities currently included are Garland, Lake Highlands, Rowlett, and White Rock. Next year Highland Park, Mesquite, Allen, McKinney, and possibly Plano will be included. We anticipate each team coming into The Colony to play bringing 100+ people. Children who participate have to try out - football player and cheerleader 4-12 years old. Cost is $200. Each team will have 20-25 players with cheerleaders. We currently have contracts with Riddell and Rawlings for equipment. We don't have any fields to play or practice on. The city only has 2 fields to play on by City Works that are being used by CYFA and we will not infringe on them for use of those fields. However, those fields won't be enough room for CYFA because City Works may someday have to expand and take up that space. Every year the High School Booster Club brings in about 600 kids for a contest. The kids have to be split between two locations - Griffin Middle School and the High School. LISD has passed a rule to make lower fields available to rent - so that may be a possibility. Right now The Colony can only support one Select team; but with the expected population growth, the city will probably be able to field 2 Select teams. We would like to see a new sports facility across from the high school because we don't want to cross 121. We will ask our parents to write letters to City Council or get them to attend City Council meetings or whatever else we can get from them to show City Council how much we want and need this new sports facility. Bill Murdock, Vice President CYFA - This is our 11`x' season. Our kids are 4-12 years old and this year we will allow home school kids to play who are 13 years old. Our Board is in support of the Concept Plan for the Multi Sports Facility. We are limited on lighting and have to worry about daylight savings time toward the end of the season. We use regulation fields for all ages and have spent alot of our own time on field maintenance. We sometimes use baseball fields to practice on. We have 14 teams with our largest volume of players in the 9-10 year olds. We can share practice fields with soccer, but not game fields because of the way they are laid out. The CYFA has attended some big presentations about the multi sports complex prior to the election. We think all sports programs centralized in one location would be a great selling point for the City. People will start recognizing what The Colony is about. Frisco has joined their own association and have achieved numbers very close to ours in their first year. We will continue to play them. The CYFA will do whatever we can as far as having parents writing letters to City Council or attending City Council meetings to show them how much we want and need this new sports facility. 2 Member Briggs stated that City Council needs to hear alot of what has been said tonight. The coaches from each organization need to contact their parents and ask them to call or write their councilperson or show up at City Council meetings to show their support of the Concept Plan. Member Walden suggested letters be written to us telling us what they are asking us to do so we can include them with the minutes and get copies of the letters to City Council. Member King suggested until we get the land, get as many people as possible to go to all City Council meetings. Chairman Goebel stated that there are many people who want other things as well and there are legitimate arguments against the site that have been discussed. We are aware of the strong interest in the sports complex, but it is not as cut and dry as it seems. Ms. Nelson suggested that each sports organization present tonight get letters to formalize their feelings about the issue. Tell how many people participate, the growth you are anticipating, get petitions going and give them to City Council. This issue will be discussed at the City Council meeting on July6. Citizen's input closed at 8:00 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES. Member King made a motion to approve the minutes as corrected. Member Briggs seconded the motion. The motion was approved by the following vote: Ayes: Members Seay, Briggs, Walden, King Noes: None Abstain: Member Goebel 3. DISCUSSION OF WORK SESSION WITH CITY COUNCIL. Member Goebel to meet with Lanny Lambert and Richard Seidler on Wednesday, June 24. Ms. Nelson stated she had a conversation with Lanny earlier in the day and he informed her nothing had been decided yet in regards to having 1 or 2 directors; but he is supportive of the City Council's desire for 1 director for both Boards. Lanny said City Council is adamant about having 1 director; he doesn't think City Council wants 2 directors. Ms. Nelson told Lanny that neither she nor the 4B Board got that impression from City Council at the Work Session. Ms. Nelson reminded Lanny that he told the 4B Board that the 4B Board could do whatever they wanted and that he would support them. Member Walden said an employment ad had already been placed for an Economic Development Director and that person should have 4A and 4B experience. The city is hoping for 100 applicants; Margaret, Personnel Director will narrow the selection to 20, then 4A will get a list of 5, and Lanny will hire from that list. The 4B Board is also supposed to interview the applicants. Member Briggs stated if it looks like we may have to go with one director and that director is going more in the direction of economic development as opposed to leisure and Parks & Recreation, we should say that our money goes to the development of leisure services. Member Walden stated we need to prioritize our wants. Ms. Nelson stated the community wants us to look at the immediate needs of the community. President Goebel was not clear on the direction the Board wanted him to go when meeting with Manager Lambert and Richard Seidler of the 4A Board. President Goebel stated we are an Economic Development Board and our sole purpose is economics for the community. Member King stated that City Council seems O.K. with our proposal and that's the direction she thought President Goebel should go. Member Briggs was concerned that if there was one director, that director may give all their attention to 4A and that the citizen's wants would get pushed aside. Members Seay and Walden stated we need one director for 4B and one director for 4A. Member Briggs stated that City Council member Bernetta Henville-Shannon wants to be a liaison to the 4B Board. Ms. Nelson recommended the Board write a formal letter of request to the Mayor to appoint a City Council member to become a liaison to our Board. 4. DISCUSSION OF FUTURE PUBLIC HEARINGS. Ms. Nelson stated she has been getting pressure from Lanny and Mary to have more public hearings. They want alot of them. Member Briggs suggested that we have one more open hearing before any more projects are started. President Goebel asked if we could have the meeting somewhere other than City Hall. President Goebel requested that at the next Board meeting, we have a plan on how we will get the 3 Hall. President Goebel requested that at the next Board meeting, we have a plan on how we will get the word out about the Public Hearing to be held on July 23 at 7:00 p.m.at City Hall. Members King and Briggs said they would have that ready. 5. DISCUSSION OF SURVEYS. President Goebel stated we have only received 25-30 surveys from the Parks & Rec. Book. He stated that because the survey was placed at the back of the book that was possibly why the response was so low. He thought we should try again for a better response by placing the survey in the Leader or the Courier. President Goebel wants copies of the surveys now. 6. DISCUSSION OF FIELD TRIP TO EULESS. Member King and Ms. Nelson went on a field trip to Euless to see their new facilities. The Mayor of Euless conducted the tour of the Texas Star Golf Course & Conference Center. They also got a chance to tour the library, which was built first. The entire complex was built with 4B money and sales tax money. The complex they built is actually bigger than they needed. The site was built on 100 acres of land. They did not want fields all over the city. The complex includes 2 In-Line Hockey rinks, 16 Ball fields, Batting Cages, Sand Volleyball Courts, and 3 Institutional sized Soccer Fields. Member King has given all the Board members a copy of the Texas Star Sports Center packet showing how they did everything. Member King said the city runs the concessions so that they would be done right. They did not want the teams to use volunteers. It was a battle though. Member Seay stated they probably did things in phases to accomplish the building of the complex. Member Seay suggested it would be a good idea to get another tour together and get City Council members to attend. 7. DISCUSSION OF THE LAKESHORE DEVELOPMENT STUDY. President Goebel stated the City, Tim House, and 4A have bailed out of this. The City does not have enough money. If we don't have projects on the list in October, everytime we want to do something, we would have to pay for the Environmental Assessment Study. We should participate in the survey. The Army Corps of Engineers dictates the rules on their land. The Board is uncertain as to how the public would fell about money being spent for more consulting fees. Member Seay stated we would probable get mixed reactions from the public. 8. NEW BUSINESS. Member Walden was told by Patti Hicks, that all Board members must be sworn in. Member Walden stated she wants to serve on the 4A Board in an Ex-Officio capacity. She wrote a letter to City Council as requested and filled out an application to be on the 4A Board. Mary inquired to the Attorney General's office to see if the 4A Board can have their bylaws amended to do this. Bill Longo nominated Member Walden to the 4A Board but was not appointed. Lanny said 4A will amend their bylaws to have an Ex-Officio member. An Ex-Officio can attend meetings, would be included in mailings, but can't vote. Member Walden has a commercial background; but she wants to remain on the 4B Board, but thinks it is important for a 4B Board member to serve as an Ex-Officio to the 4A Board. Member Seay suggested this be discussed at the next meeting as an agenda item to have Member Walden represent the 4B Board as an Ex-Officio to the 4A Board. Ms. Nelson discussed the JNC Plan. They are proposing the cost of the land at $24,000 per acre. The land was $36,000 per acre. They are very serious about this plan. They see numerous opportunities for the city as well as for themselves. The main thing we need is to show City Council that the 4B Board and the Parks & Recreation Board want this to succeed. We don't have alot of time though. It's possible that 4B would help the City with funding until the City funds arrive. The City would own the land and 4B would use money to develop the land. 4B can borrow money against the estimated sales tax. There would be deed restrictions on the land. Ms. Nelson stated the Board should go to City Council with a recommendation that they support this Concept Plan and this be placed on the agenda for the next 4B meeting. Member King told the Board there is an Economic Impact Study from Texas A & M that is excellent and everyone should get a copy at the next Board meeting. 4 and everyone should get a copy at the next Board meeting. There being no further discussion, it was unanimously decided to adjourn the meeting at 10:30 p.m. Kathy Neal, Recording Secretary Don Goebel, President