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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4th Quarter (October-November)CITY OF THE COLONY DENTON COUNTY, TEXAS OCTOBER 9, 1998 TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given of a REGULAR SESSION of The Parks & Recreation Board of The Colony, Texas, to be held on October 14, 1998, at 7:30 p.m. at the Recreation Center located at 5151 North Colony Boulevard, The Colony, TX at which time the following will be discussed: 1. CITIZEN'S INPUT. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 9, 1998. 3. SET A PUBLIC HEARING DATE FOR IMDGEPOINTE RESIDENTS ON PARK DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA. 4. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR EASTVALE PARK AS SUBMITTED BY TOMLIN ENTERPRISES. 5. RECEIVE UPDATE FROM DIRECTOR. 6. ITEMS OF CONCERN TO THE BOARD. Persons with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting who may need auxiliary aids of services such as interpreters for persons who are deaf or hearing impaired, readers, large print, or *braille, are requested to contact Ruthann Devlin, Deputy City Secretary at 972-625-1756 at least two (2) working days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made. * BRAILLE IS NOT AVAILABLE CERTIFICATION I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE NOTICE OF MEETING WAS POSTED OUTSIDE THE FRON DOOR OF City Hall by 5:00 p.m. 9n the 9t' tiay of October, 1998. i ~ Patti Hicks, ity Secretary MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION BOARD OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON OCTOBER 14TH, 1998 A REGULAR SESSION of The Parks & Recreation Board of The City of The Colony, TX, was called to order at 7:35 p.m. with the following board members present: John Sanders Chairman Donna Baggett Member Jim Cottle Member Laura Bickerstaff Member Susan King Member Scott Calabro Member and with member Lewis absent; thus a quorum was established. Also in attendance was Pam Nelson, Director of Parks & Recreation, Sam Fitzgerald, Lake Parks Manager, and Johnny Smith representing Tomlin Enterprises. CITIZEN'S INPUT. None. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 9, 1998. Member King made a motion to approve the minutes of September 9, 1998. Member Cottle seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted Aye. Noes: None. 3. SET A PUBLIC HEARING DATE FOR RIDGEPOINTE RESIDENTS ON PARK DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA. Ms. Nelson stated she has been receiving phone calls over the past few months from residents of Ridgepointe who have just recently moved there or are getting ready to build there, about when a park is going to be built there and what will be put in the park. She believes we need to move forward and get their feedback. We will present them with the same concepts we presented to the residents in the past so we can get more feedback, input and hopefully more support this time. She said the acreage is a little more than the last time, but it's in the same general area. Member Calabro asked if the developer was willing to put up the $10,000.00 application fee for the grant like he did the last time. Ms. Nelson responded that she does not know and she will look into that. Ms. Nelson informed the board that the date of the Public Hearing could be the date of a regular meeting. She said in order to get all the information prepared, we should wait a couple of weeks. There was a consensus from the board to hold the Public Hearing on Wednesday, November 11. 4. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR EASTVALE PARK SUBMITTED BY TOMLIN ENTERPRISES. The board members were given a draft of the project to develop Eastvale Park from Tomlin Enterprises. Johnny Smith said he has been meeting with Pam and Sam on this project. Tonight he would like to have the board member's input on the project even though they just received a copy of it tonight. Johnny Smith stated they have 4,000 acres with Lone Star Ranch on the east and west side of 423. They are working with Frisco now and they're hoping to break ground on the first phase at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Lebanon Road will eventually open up to 423. He said Eastvale Park is an eyesore and it's not being utilized. The information he has presented in his plan is from the Corp Master Plan. Eastvale Park is strictly a Corp run park. Last year they went on the honor system for gate control; they collected $300 in revenues. Member Baggett stated that part of the lake is very stumpy and she thinks that is why it is not being used. She asked Johnny if he was planning on removing the stumps. Johnny answered that he would let her know after the Corp finishes their Environmental Assessment. To get the stumps removed, we will have to have the Corp's permission. He said we would eventually like to talk to them about that. Johnny said if you come back toward the bridge where the lake goes under the bridge, up over where the wastewater treatment plant discharges over there and goes up into Frisco at that property, we hope to have a wildlife golf course in that area as a part of the Lone Star Ranch project. On the other side of Eastvale Park, where some water comes up to 423, we'd like to dredge that out and make sure there's water there all of the time. Johnny said Tomlin Enterprises is participating with Frisco, just like some of the other developers are participating with the city; we're putting up our money for the Master Plan the Corps is doing now on water based recreation and the environmental assessment that's going to be coming up. He continued saying we want something out there to utilize the public space. We're willing to put some money up for maintenance and clean up - then we'd like to go out to the private sector and try to recruit some business to come in that's water related, park related, and recreation related. He will not strictly being going for water related because he believes they can change the Corps mind on that. He doesn't think it has to be water related because it's not the best place for water related activities. There's a lot of space we can improve on and give some other uses in that area. Johnny said on the drawings you can see where the different elevations are. On the north end where the green - 532 is, that's where we're proposing a miniature golf course and possibly some other activity like batting cages. He said these are some of our ideas, and he would like the board to evaluate them and come back with their thoughts on what they are proposing or even to come back with some better ideas. He said to make the park work and to be able to maintain it, it's going to be necessary for water, sewer, roads, and boat ramp. They need to get some commercial activity out there to get some money back. Johnny said they are not trying to compete with Stewart Creek Park or Hidden Cove Park. They are trying to provide some activity we don't have because we don't have the budget to do it. He said if they can put some other things out there and let the commercial people do it themselves and they pay something back to us, then we've improved the park. We as a private sector can make some profit on it and put something back into it for maintenance and upkeep. He said the timing of this, the commercial operations, depends on the utilities going north. Water will also be the secret to how fast we are able to proceed. Johnny stated the first thing we would like to recruit on the south end near the entrance is a convenience type store - a place to buy gas for your boat, supplies to take on the lake, boat rental or repair. He said a lot of this would depend on how many we can bring out to utilize it. If we don't get people out there to use it, then the commercial sector won't want to come out and invest, and the private sector won't want to come out and take a chance. We have to show the commercial entities we're going to have the traffic and clientele so they're going to want to make an investment. He said if we can get a restaurant out there with a covered patio overlooking the lake, nothing fancy, just something nice to get people out there; it's in the city limits so the city will get the sales tax off of it. To get things going, we could start with the walk -jog trail because that doesn't take a big investment. He would also like to consider having a Park Host like we have at Stewart Creek Park. Johnny told the board that was their plan, now they would like to hear what the board members think about it. He is tired of it being an eyesore and they don't want it across from their 4,000 acres of good development and we don't think the Corps is going to anything else out there. Ms. Nelson said another aspect to take into consideration is unlike Stewart Creek Park or Hidden Cove Park, any facility they put in like a convenience store or food service operation, it will be right on the highway; so it won't just be park users who come in and utilize the facilities. Member Baggett stated Eastvale Park wouldn't be connected to the other park permits. Johnny stated that might be something we want to consider doing. He said if we take over the park, having everyone be able to come out and use it from the other parks doesn't make good financial sense. We may want to have our own permit fee. Member King asked Johnny what the reasoning behind the 6 RV campsites was. She stated she is not in favor of having any overnight camping. She would like to see Eastvale Park as day use only and keep the camping at Hidden Cove and Stewart Creek Parks. Johnny answered that it was 6 RV campsites because it was space available, but the engineer has not seen this yet, so it may be 6 or 10. Member King asked Johnny why he has improvement scheduled in year 4 but in year 3 he starts looking for a miniature golf operation. Johnny answered we start recruiting a year ahead of time - he does not want to build it and hope they come - he wants them to come and then he will build it. She also asked if when he referred to water based sports, he was referring to renting jet skis and boats. Johnny replied that is correct. He said he would also be interested in coordinating with Sam on his other parks to possibly coordinate some type of bass fishing or some other things that he is doing at his parks to tie in with them. Member King asked Johnny that in year 5 and subsequent years, you're talking about the fees and you wrote $2,500 annually or 5% of the annul net profits, whichever is greater - in terms of the fees, at 5 years can we look at it and see if it is still fair to both parties? Johnny answered that the $2,500 was just something he put in. He said if we're doing good, then 5% will be good for you; if we're not, you'll still get $2,500 that's guaranteed, but he doesn't have any problem with that down the road. Member Cottle said if we don't do anything with that area, it's just going to get worse than it is now. Member King stated she doesn't think the city should take up the lease on it unless the city subleases it to someone else because we don't have the money to maintain it. Member King asked Johnny if the city does a more detailed Master Plan in terms of refurbishing all the parks and going with a theme throughout the city of all the parks, would he be interested in pulling that over to Eastvale? He answered yes, they would like to be a part of The Colony - the park is going to be a city park and subleased to us and yes we would like to work with you and be a part of that. Johnny asked the board if they seriously thought he was crazy. Member Cottle said he did. Member Cottle said he could see some good potential and he would like to see something out there, but he doesn't think that he'd be willing to risk the money. He understands why Johnny wants to develop the land. He said having duck boats and paddleboats out there would be beneficial. Johnny said having a duck boat rental launching place right there, where they can go all over the lake would bring in a ton of revenue. That would be a better chance of making money, but the only problem he has is they are limited on the number of boats they could have because of the space they have to put them. Ms. Nelson informed the board that the Corp is not always easy to deal with and receptive to new ideas. We've already heard we may have problems in trying to get some of the things on the list approved by the Corps. We may find out we can only put up picnic tables and volleyball courts. It may change as the process goes on, but these are ideas we want to push through to get the best potential use out of that area. Johnny stated you're the public entity. The Corp will pay a lot more attention to the private sector. We'll pay for the engineering, we just need the city as a public entity to run interference or they'll never let us do anything. He asked the board to have their thoughts back to Pam and Sam at the next board meeting. He said they will review them and make them more formal and then he will come back and meet with the board again. He thanked the board for their time. Member King made a motion to table Review and Consideration of Development Plan for Eastvale Park as submitted by Tomlin Enterprises until the next meeting. Member Calabro seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted aye. Noes: None. 5. RECEIVE UPDATE FROM DIRECTOR. Ms. Nelson stated questions have been asked if I have gotten any information back on whether board members who are up for reappointment have to be reinterviewed - Patti has not been able to get an answer for me, but they are having interviews on October 26"' for new people. Member Baggett stated Patti thinks they are not going to reinterview people who are already on the board. Chairman Sanders said in the Council minutes it says they weren't going to reinterview. Ms. Nelson said there is a Volunteer Banquet on Thursday, November 12th at the Hotel Intercontinental. Everyone will be getting invitations so mark it on your calendars. Ms. Nelson informed the board the Fall / Winter book should be out in a week. Youth basketball registration is continuing through this Saturday and the numbers there look good. The League games begin on December 5d' and the practices begin before that. The fees haven't gone up from last year. The cost depends on the age group because the costs change with the age groups - for example the 5 - 6 year olds only have one referee, but the older they get the more referees we need and we use more equipment. It gets more expensive the older the kids get. Ms. Nelson reminded the board that they will be expected to be at Hidden Cove Park on the 23`d and 24`h to help with the Haunted Hayride. We need spooks and goblins. We also need 4 chaperones to ride 2 '/2 hours each night. 6. ITEMS OF CONCERN TO THE BOARD. Member King asked when the net is going up at Perryman Park and when the dirt was leaving. Ms. Nelson replied she does not know when the net is going up and the dirt is being removed a little bit at a time and it is being put where we need it. Member King said there are some holes behind the backstop at Carney that are turning into sink holes and some of the dirt should be used to fill those in. Member King asked Sam what the attendance was at the Barbecue Cook Off. Sam answered there were 630 cars so that was close to 1,000 people. Member King asked how much money was in the softball account and what was the next scheduled improvement? Ms. Nelson answered she can't tell what's in the account until the season is over and all the umpires have been paid and there is currently nothing scheduled for improvements. Member Bickerstaff asked if there was anything we could do for the CFA to get them some fields. Ms. Nelson said until we have more land available, we can't accommodate any of the select teams. Right now it's not a priority. Most of the select teams that have playing facilities, are typically surplus facilities that a school district or city may have that they can host select teams on. Because of them being select teams, you can run into problems with taxpayers if you're providing facilities for a small group of individuals and the cost you incur by doing that. We encounter the same problems with the Little League fields and why can't any group or organization that wants to play on them be able to. We have to set priorities that will benefit the most number of people in the community. Member Bickerstaff asked if we had done anything in regards to board members being liaisons to sports organizations. Chairman Sanders replied it keeps getting tabled. Member Calabro said he thinks the Eastvale plan is the best chance to getting that park cleaned up and he likes the plan. Member Calabro stated he has heard a lot of complaints about the redecking of the pool. He said there is no doubt that needs to be done, but it seems like the pool is always closed down during the competition season. He said the timing is very poor according to the Booster Club. He thinks that for major repairs, March or April would be a better time to shut the pool down. He asked if there was any way to have the repairs done after the high school and USS team competition season is completed. Ms. Nelson informed the board she has already had several conversations with some parents in regards to this issue. She stated we wanted to do the repairs 2 years ago but an emergency came up during the budget year and we were unable to do them. In this year's budget, we were able to save some money to be able to do the deck repairs but we didn't know if we would have that money until right at the end of the budget year. We went out for bids to see what it would cost and how much we would need to come up with at the end of the year. We saved enough throughout the year to cover the cost of the entire project. We went to Council at the end of the budget year and got approval to get the project done. The problem we had was we couldn't do the project before the end of the year. The budget year ended on September 30th and we got approval on September 21St. We had to write a purchase order and encumber the money from last year's budget into this year's budget. When we encumber money, we want to get the project done as soon as possible. That's what we were striving for when we had our initial meeting with the coaches. We wanted to try to get it done before the end of the calendar year. When the coaches came back they said they really don't want that, but will live with it if it's on these dates. They picked some dates in November. It was the high school coaches and a representative from the MCats. Elise informed Pam that there were some concerns about the dates and could we do anything about them. Pam asked Tony Johnston if the project could get pushed back until March. He said he would, but you will have a problem with the contractor because they may not hold their price until March. The contractor would not hold their price until March because the concrete prices have been so volatile; therefore, they couldn't guarantee their prices. Pam said the only other option was for Council to come up with the money it would take for the project to be done in March. She said it would be a taxpayer expense to put the project off until March - it's a financial thing now. Member Baggett gave Pam a copy of a letter being distributed about the situation. She said it does raise a valid point that the repairs shouldn't be done during their season. She said the time that the pool would be closed down is for 3 weeks during their competition time. Ms. Nelson said the high school team would be displaced, but they would still have their practices in Lewisville. Member Baggett said there was really a lot of opposition about that. Ms. Nelson stated it was suggested that the repairs be done during the Christmas break because the prices are still guaranteed through the end of December, we just don't know if the contractor will be available but we do have a call into them to find out. She said she doesn't understand why December wasn't picked in the first place. Chairman Sanders asked what 4B has done in regards to the Project Priority List we submitted. Ms. Nelson said they haven't taken any action on it yet. Member King said the 4B Board is not doing anything yet because Council has just approved their Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws and hopefully the contract will be approved next week. Sam Fitzgerald informed the board that at Stewart Creek Park, since July 1, 1998, the revenues have doubled each month. He said that is a major result of the gate being more supervised. He said in the past the gate wasn't supervised properly and the rules were not being enforced. There were a lot of people sharing permits. He also informed the board that Hidden Cove Park was less than $20,000 from breaking even until July 1, 1998 when the heat wave and the amoeba scare happened. There bein no further discuss' if,, it was unanimously decided to adjou th eeting a~ 9:00 p.m. Kathy Neal, ecording Secretary J Sanders, Chairman MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION BOARD OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON OCTOBER 28, 1998 A REGULAR SESSION of The Parks & Recreation Board of The City of The Colony, TX., was called to order at 7:40 p.m. with the following board members present: John Sanders Chairman Donna Baggett Member Laura Bickerstaff Member Susan King Member and with members Cottle, Calabro, and Lewis absent; thus a quorum was established. Also in attendance was Pam Nelson, Director of Parks & Recreation, Sam Fitzgerald, Lake Parks Manager, and Elizabeth Fitzgerald. 1. CITIZEN'S INPUT. None. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 14, 1998. Member Baggett made a motion to approve the minutes of October 14, 1998. Member King seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted aye. Noes: None. 3. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR HIDDEN COVE PARK. Sam informed everyone that everything in blue ink is what he is preparing for in the next 10 years. He said the Corps has told us to include everything we could think of in this plan, because if we don't, we will have to do our own survey and EPA for the future. He added that everything that is listed is just a possibility - not a sure thing. He said that each idea is numbered on the map, and Pam has a notebook of each item - blown up- so you can see it in more detail. Member King asked what an environmental bathroom was. Sam answered that it has a tank underneath it that recycles and changes the waste to water and you have it pumped out later. Sam said he has a lodge planned with 35 - 50 rooms and also 1 - 2 room cabins. The Softball Complex would be 2 nice fields, but it's possible the Corp will not allow that because it is not water related so we may have to just have some backstops. The Pioneer Village is an 1800's school building, stores, blacksmiths, and candlemakers - a place where people could go and spend the day - we would have people dressed in costumes from that period. The Nature Center is a place that would have educational material about the parks. People could walk through a primitive area and know the kinds of wildlife and plant life we have. We would try to attract school groups out for this. Ms. Nelson added that Sam is trying to renovate some of the existing shelters into cabins by adding heating and air conditioning so they can be used year round. She said we would try this to see if it is worth the expense. She also stated we would be adding some fishing piers. We're trying to think of things that will attract people to stay at the park for a longer period of time and make it more than a weekend stopover point, so we've also added an arcade, a basketball court, activity center, and also a pool with water park type features. She said we know some of this may not happen, but we had to include it into the plan so they can at least consider it. She added that we are also showing a gazebo by the dining hall to make it more attractive for weddings. Member King asked if the parking area at the dining hall needs to be expanded. Sam answered it does, but the only way to do it is to go west and if we did that we would have to remove a lot of trees and he does not want to do that. Chairman Sanders asked about putting a stage area in for concerts. Sam replied that this had been discussed before but we haven't been able to find a natural sloping place to be able to have a stage and seating. He said that might be an option for Stewart Creek Park. Ms. Nelson added that theCorp is very strict about what they will allow at certain elevations. She said they won't allow any habitable structures below 537 elevation. Sam informed the Board members that he has until November 16t` to get this plan to Pam and if they can think of anything to add to the plan to please let him know. Member King made a motion to approve the Development Plan for Hidden Cove Park. Member Bickerstaff seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted aye. Noes: None. 4. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR STEWART CREEK PARK. Sam informed the Board members that he is going to add a Park Host. He said we would have one to take care of security and one to take care of the gate. He said they both will report to Freida. He said the responsibilities of the Park Host has increased - one will take care of all the problems at night and keeping the park clean, and the other one will be responsible for all the money. Ms. Nelson added that we require they put in 20 hours in exchange for their site and utilities and we will pay them for 20 hours of work. Chairman Sanders asked if there will be a plan in place to review the procedures on how they deal with people coming in and out of the park. Ms. Nelson responded yes. She said Jeanine knew what the rules were but wasn't following them. She also stated that we were not monitoring things very closely. She said when Sam took over the park, he began watching things more closely and that was when we discovered we had some problems. She said we found out a lot of what wasn't being done when Jeanie left. She said it will be watched more closely. Sam said in the plan there is an expansion of the parking lot by the boat ramp and it will be as big as Hidden Cove. He said he is also going to extend the courtesy dock. He said the cabins he is planning for are just like the ones at Hidden Cove. They are 13 x 11, 13 x 13, and 13 x 15 and they would be placed at the existing tree line along the main road. He also plans to add a beach area north and clean out some of the trees. Member Baggett made a motion to approve the Development Plan for Stewart Creek Park. Member King seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted aye. Noes: None. 5. DISCUSSION OF THE PUBLIC HEARING ON NOVEMBER 11 FOR RIDGEPOINTE PARK. Member Bickerstaff informed the Board that she was approached by a Ridgepointe resident about there not being a park at Ridgepointe. The resident told her that a park is desperately needed in their neighborhood. Ms. Nelson stated we would be mailing a notice to each resident in Ridgepointe about the public hearing. She said the notice would tell people to send their thoughts in writing to us if they are unable to attend the public hearing or they can also call us and we will keep documentation of their thoughts. She added that she would like to invite a planner from Carter & Burgess or Dennis Syms to sit in on the meeting and get one of them involved in developing the plan and doing the grant application and the deadline for the grant application is January 31, 1999. She also stated that there may be a glitch because when the final plat was approved, it was supposed to be approved without the land being dedicated because she wanted to use that land as a matching source of funds for the grant, but it has already been dedicated, so she is not sure if and how we can get by that. She said if we can't, we'll have to approach 4B to see if they can come up with some funding to help develop the park. Ms. Nelson gave all the board members a copy of the map of the park so they can go to see the location before the Public Hearing. Ms. Nelson stated that a copy of the map would be included with the notice of the Public Hearing. She also said we would use Citizen Input forms and have a light agenda. Ms. Nelson said she will need approval from the board on the Tomlin Development Plan for Eastvale. 6. RECEIVE UPDATE FROM DIRECTOR. Ms. Nelson informed the board that she attended a grant workshop in Austin for a grant program called Community Outdoor Outreach Grant Program. She said it's the type of program that if you wanted to do a camping program for kids, they would fund things like sleeping bags and tents and things you would need to operate the program. Ms. Nelson also informed the board that while in Austin she dropped off a copy of our Master Plan for TPW to review to see if there were any revisions we needed to make prior to our submitting it for our first grant application that will probably be for the Ridgepointe Park Development. She said one thing that we need to consider is on our priority list, our #1 priority was expansion of the Rec. Center and #2 was the multi sports complex - she said we get high marks for meeting our #I and #2 priorities, but we may need to revise it. Ms. Nelson discussed the JNC Park Dedication. She said last Spring we were looking at a 20-acre parcel at Paige and Memorial Dr. , that has now grown to a 35-acre parcel in the same location. Ms. Nelson said at the next meeting, she would need a recommendation from the board on conveyance of the land. She said we have 3 options: 1. Convey the land directly to the city - if we do this we can't use it as a matching source of funds for the grant application. 2 We can file for a Waiver of Retroactivity with TPW - this will give us up to one year from the time the land is conveyed to us to get our grant application in and have it approved in order to use it as a matching source of funds. 3. Land Trust Foundation - Texas Parks & Recreation Foundation - we can have the land directly conveyed to them and they will warehouse it for us for 2 - 3 years. This will allow us more time to get funds together to develop it and decide what we want to put there. Ms. Nelson told the board that she needs to know if they will support her recommendation to put the land in the Texas Parks & Recreation Foundation and hold it until we are ready to develop it and have the funds to develop it in 3 years or so. She said she will be giving City Council an update on this also and JNC wants to move quickly on conveying the land. Chairman Sanders stated he had been approached by different people about the possibility of purchasing part of the JNC land. He asked if that was possible. Ms. Nelson replied if we do, it would have to happen quickly. Ms. Nelson informed the board the fall brochures have been mailed. She said we are still taking late registrations for youth basketball. She said we went with a sliding scale on the fees for the different age divisions. Sam Fitzgerald informed the board that this was the best year ever for the Haunted Hayride at Hidden Cove. He said it was the quality of people we had helping us that took us over the top. He said in the first year we did the hayride for 5 nights. He said this year we had 5 trailers, we started at 7:00 p.m., and had some people who waited in line for 2 '/2 hours and had no complaints. He said we brought in $5,700 and we didn't spend over $1,000. He said that next year we will have to rent some larger trailers. ITEMS OF CONCERN TO THE BOARD. Member Baggett informed the board that the contractor agreed to do the repairs to the swimming pool in March. Chairman Sanders asked if there were any new developments on the 4B Board. Member King responded that the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and the Contract have been approved. She said the 4B board is getting ready to go out for an RFP to get an Engineering / Architectural Firm. She said they had a team building retreat with City Council last week. She said there is not much going on right now. She said she will inform the board about the Public Hearing for Ridgepointe and she will also show them the plans for Stewart Creek Park, Hidden Cove Park, and for Eastvale. Ms. Nelson asked the board if they had a preference as to who we use for the planning of the park at Ridgepointe. There was a consensus from the board that they preferred Dunkin & Assoc. Ms. Nelson said she would invite him to attend the Public Hearing to see if he would be interested in taking on that project. There being no further discussion, it was unanimously decided to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Kathy Neal, ecording Secretary n Sanders, Chairman MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION BOARD OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON NOVEMBER 11, 1998 A PUBLIC HEARING of The Parks & Recreation Board of The City of The Colony, TX., was called to order at 7:35 p.m. with the following board members present: John Sanders Chairman Jim Cottle Member Laura Bickerstaff Member Susan King Member Donna Baggett Member Scott Calabro Member and with member Lewis absent; thus a quorum was established. Also in attendance was Pam Nelson, Director of Parks & Recreation and Dennis Sims of Dunkin Sims Stoffels, Inc. 1. CITIZEN'S INPUT. None. 2. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF JNC PARK DEDICATION CONVEYANCE. Ms. Nelson informed the board that The Texas Parks & Recreation Foundation does not charge for their services. They allow municipalities to put their land in trust until they are ready to apply for a grant. If we have land thats already been conveyed to the city, we can not use that land as a matching source of funds with Texas Parks & Wildlife. She said we can still apply for a grant, but we can't use the value of the land as our matching source. This protects our ability to utilize the value of the land as a matching source. She said we can pull the land out at any time from the foundation; the land is conveyed to the foundation and we lease the land from them until we get ready to apply for the grant. She added they ask that this be done within 3 years. Texas Parks & Wildlife allows us a "Waiver of Retro Activity" - when a piece of land is conveyed to us, we have to apply for a waiver prior to the conveying of the land to the city. If the waiver is approved, it does have an expiration date, which is the current fiscal year the waiver was approved plus one year. She said you have to have your grant applied for and approved before the waiver expires. She said she is going to City Council with this Monday night. Member Cottle made a motion to approve the JNC Park Dedication Conveyance. Member Calabro seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted aye. Noes: None. 3. REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSAL FROM TOMLIN PROPERTIES FOR LEASE AND DEVELOPMENT OF EASTVALE PARK. Johnny Smith informed the board that since the last time he had addressed the board, he has made the changes requested and removed the RV spots in the proposal. He told the board he would have the documents necessary for contracting and subleasing prepared and work with Pam on getting it to City Council for their review. Chairman Sanders asked if the proposed convenience bait shop was going to be built on corp property. Johnny responded that it will be on corp property above the 532 level, but preferably above the 537 level. Member King made a motion to approve the proposal from Tomlin Properties for lease and development of Eastvale Park. Member Bickerstaff seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted Aye Noes: None. 4. PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE INPUT FROM RESIDENTS REGARDING RIDGEPOINTE PARK DEVELOPMENT. Gene Titus - 4516 Sarasota The Colonv - He would like to see a sketch showing the layout of the park. He is concerned about where the parking will be - on the main street or will there be a designated area. He is also concerned about how the lights will look - how tall will they be, will they be bright and gaudy. Chairman Sanders told everyone that there is not a formal plan yet. He said this meeting is to get the input from the residents to hear their thoughts on having a park and what they would like to see put in the park. Debbie Parker - 4409 Shadowrid a The Colony - She has no problem with having a park in the neighborhood. She is unclear as to where the park will be located and how close to the water it will be. She thinks the park should have something for all ages. She thinks a fishing pier, gazebo, and some walking trails would be good to have. She asked what funds will be used to develop the park - will it all come from the city or have the builders been approached about funding the development. She also asked if the Corp of Engineering property up to the lake could be used and if so for recreational purposes. Chairman Sanders said there are many different funding sources - there are city funds, 413 tax dollars and Texas Parks & Wildlife grants. Chairman Sanders also said that land up to the lake will probably be open and accessible, but it probably would not be developed - that has to come from the Corp. Ms. Nelson added that the Corp of Engineers land adjacent to this property is designated wildlife management area. The only thing that can be put there is passive use recreation. She said the Corp would probably allow some trails, but probably not any kind of structures - they want the land to be disturbed as little as possible. Joe Clark - 4328 Boca Raton The Colony - He said he wants the park no matter what. He thinks there is a desperate need for a park - the kids play in the street. He said he will come back at a later time and give his comments about what to put in the park, but he thinks a passive use park would be best. Donald Sill - 4516 Larner The Colonv - He will be moving to Ridgepointe in a few weeks. He is opposed to the park because the board has not given the residents any layout of what is planned to be built in the park. He thinks that previous commitments should be handled first before starting any new projects. He said he has lived in The Colony for 14 years, and when he moved in he was told there would be a park built at Larner & Augusta, and it has never happened. He thinks lights would be bothersome to the residents. Chris Chandler - 4509 Shadowridge The Colony He is here to give his support for a park in Ridgepointe. He thinks it should be a passive park. The neighborhood really needs a park for the children but not for organized sports. He thinks it should have something that would meet the needs of all the residents. Charlotte Arteritano - 4316 Standrid a The Colon - She has concerns about where the entrances to the park will be located and is very concerned about the increase in traffic. She said there are still 1,000 more homes that are going to be built in Ridgepointe. She wants the community to have input for the development of a park, but how can she support the idea now when she has not seen where things will actually be located in the park. She thought that more detailed information would be presented at this meeting. She asked if corp property can be used for parking and Chairman Sanders replied no it could not. She is concerned about the traffic flow. Chairman Sanders said that we have gotten a Planner to design a park, and once that is completed, it will be presented to the residents. Ms. Nelson said the Corp has many different designations for different areas of their land. There's high intensity use, low-density use, passive, and wildlife management. She continued that Stewart Creek Park, Hidden Cove Park, and Eastvale Park are high intensive use parks; it's been designated that way in their Master Plan. The area adjacent to this park is designated in their Master Plan as a wildlife management area - that's the difference. You can do some development in Corp property that you can't do in others. Charlotte also said she does not want a basketball court to be lighted if one is put in. Member King said we don't light all the parks because they close at sunset. She said pocket parks are to serve the community that surrounds it. Member Cottle said there is going to be a park built at Ridgepointe. He said there is a park dedication ordinance that requires the builder to donate a certain amount of land for a certain amount of residents in that division. He said there are 14 acres donated by the developer and we have a Park Planner to plan a park at Ridgepointe. He reminded everyone that the board does not know what it will have in it yet because we want the residents of Ridgepointe to tell us what they want and we will try to put it in effect. _ Deana Kenna - 4517 Sarasota The Colony - She is the President of the Homeowner's Association Phase 1. She thinks the park should be day use and is opposed to traffic through the park - it should be pedestrian traffic. People on Standridge do not want parking on the street. There should not be a pavilion at the park that could be rented out for use but a gazebo would be O.K. She recommends that any trees that are planted not obstruct view and low lighting if any is put in. She would like to see a pond and a sand volleyball court. She believes the park is absolutely necessary and would like to see one developed, but she is also concerned about whether we have enough staff to maintain the park. Her concerns about having speed bumps on the roads close to the park will need to be discussed with City Council, but she wanted the board to be aware of that issue anyway. Charles James - 4513 Ridgepointe The Colony- He likes the idea and is in favor of having a park, but he thinks parking will be a problem. Mike Anderson - 4505 Rid eyointe The Colony - He moved to Ridgepointe because his family wants a park, something to meet the needs of all ages. He would like to see the issues with the opposition dealt with ASAP and get on with the process of building a park. Bob Cattley - 4333 Boca Raton The Colony - He is all for having a park and was pleased with the items listed on the flyer. He thinks there should be 2 entrances into the park and does not feel that traffic will be a real problem because people who live on the other side of The Colony are not going to come over to Ridgepointe to use a park, he thinks it will be mostly used by the residents of Ridgepointe. He recommends we use the Boy Scouts to clean up the park. The kids in Ridgepointe need to have a park. Curt Spathias - 4317 Cape Cod The Colony - He fully supports having a park in Ridgepointe. He does not think traffic will be a problem. He said the ideas listed on the flyer that may possibly be put in the park were good. He is concerned that the board has the wrong impression of the meeting held last Spring - he said there were only 3 households that objected to having a park. He does not want the park to have lights on at night and no tall trees. He would like to see a plot plan and timetable and get on with it. Ed Patton - 4344 Standridee The Colony - He welcomes the park. He agrees with having the items that were listed on the flyer to be included in the park. He thinks traffic is an issue, especially since Standridge now connects to HWY 121, and is also concerned about parking arrangements. He is not opposed to having lights, as long as they are "dim" and if a basketball court is put in, have it located to where it minimize the thump of the ball. Martha Holcomb - 4309 Biscayne The Colony - She is totally in favor of the park. She is a former resident of Northpointe, and is not concerned about the traffic and parking issues that some of the other residents seem to be concerned about. She told everyone they seldom ever had any problems like that living close to BAMP. She said a small pavilion would be O.K., and basketball would also be O.K. Parking is not an issue. Suzanne Robbins - 4016 Creek Hollow Way The Colony She does not think traffic and parking will be a problem. She does not think the parking area would ever be full and stated there is never a problem with the parking at Kids Colony or Stewart Peninsula. She would like to have a parking lot because she doesn't want to always have to walk to the park. Her main concern is to have shade for the hot months. She would like to have a "real" restroom facility, a gazebo, and some volleyball courts. She asked if there would be a watering system available for the landscaping. Member King said we can irrigate with water from the lake Gloria Arra - 4400 Standrid a The Colony She would like to have a park. She brought pictures of another park to show to the board. The pictures showed a park with walking and bike trails, picnic tables and no lights. Diane Nusbaum - 4421 Lakeside Dr The Colony - She is excited about the park. She would like to have a few parking spaces to accommodate the residents who live away from the park. She is willing to maintain the park and thinks all the residents should play a part in keeping it neat and clean. Terry Hale - 4408 Lakeside The Colony He requested to speak last. He would like the area to remain in it's natural form as much as possible. He would like to have a scenic park. He doesn't want to have any soccer fields, or a playground, and he is opposed to having lights. He thinks a jogging trail would be the best solution. He would like to be involved in the developing process with the developer of the project. Donald Sill - 4516 Larger The Colony - He will be moving to 4009 Lakeside. He wants to know what the timeframe is for having a layout of the park and how much money there is to fund the park. He said the residents were told they would have a park a year ago and it still has not happened. Ms. Nelson informed everyone that the park board could present the residents with a concept plan by the middle of December. She stated there is not a set amount of funds allocated for this park. She said we do intend to apply for a grant for the development of the park. There is a process involved in the grant program, it takes a period of time to do the grant application and to have it approved. We would like to apply for the grant by the January 31, 1999 deadline; August is when they will let us know. We have resources for funding available to us now that we did not have in the past. Member King stated that at the meeting held with the residents last year, the board got the distinct impression the residents did not want a park. She said since then, the board has reopened this project because there is now an interest by the residents to have a park in Ridgepointe. Chairman Sanders added that the Park Dedication Ordinance was not on the books last year when this issue came up. Member Cottle thanked the residents for coming to the meeting and giving their input on the park development. He informed the residents that the Parks Board is just an advisory board to City Council and we don't have the final say on the matter. He also said he felt a lot of hostility from residents at the meeting last year about having a park built. Member Baggett thanked the residents for coming and told them she felt they made it very clear as to what they would like to see in the park. Tony Rasmussen - 4013 Lakeside The Colony He thinks there is an elevation issue. He said fill will have to be brought in to make the land stable for people to walk on and trees to take root and grass to grow. He said if fill were brought in, that would bring the elevation up and put water in his back yard. He is against the park until he can see what's going to happen. Chairman Sanders thanked all the residents for coming to the meeting. He said he was very pleased on the turnout from the residents and appreciated their passion and hearing their ideas for the park. 5. UPDATE FROM DIRECTOR. Ms. Nelson informed the board that there would be two positions opening up on the Parks Board due to Scott Calabro and Rich Lewis leaving the board. The TRAPS Regional Workshop is on December 3rd at the Arlington Convention Center. She informed the board that if any of them want to attend, she will pay for their registration fee and they could attend any session they were interested in and she needs to have an RSVP by November 18`h She reminded the board that the Volunteer Banquet is next Thursday and they should all try to attend. Ms. Nelson informed the board that High School Day is on Monday, November 16th. Students run the city for a day. The Family of The Year reception is Friday night at the dining hall at Hidden Cove. Susan King's family is included in the nominations. 6. ITEMS OF CONCERN TO THE BOARD. Member King asked if the memo from Patti Hicks regarding the not flashing of your headlights at night to oncoming traffic that does not have their lights on was a hoax. Chairman Sanders asked if in regards to the Park Dedication Ordinance, could the developer prevent an individual company from donating land under that ordinance but also be responsible for development of infrastructure around it? He said if that is true, then we shouldn't be liable for development of anything. He said he has no choice, they have to dedicate the land, but they can't put any restrictions on the dedication of the land. Ms. Nelson said she would look into that. There being no further discussion, it was unanimously decided to adjourn the meeting at 10:10 p.m. Kathy Neal, R cording Secretary Sanders, Chairman MINUTES OF THE PARKS & RECREATION BOARD OF THE CITY OF THE COLONY HELD ON DECEMBER 9TH, 1998 A REGULAR SESSION of The Parks & Recreation Board of The City of The Colony, TX., was called to order at 7:35 p.m. with the following board members present: John Sanders Chairman Susan King Member Jim Cottle Member Scott Calabro Member Laura Bickerstaff Member Donna Baggett Member and with member Lewis absent; thus a quorum was established. Also in attendance was Pam Nelson, Director of Parks & Recreation, Sam Fitzgerald, Lake Parks Manager, and Dennis Sims of Dunkin, Sims & Stoffels. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 28, 1998 AND NOVEMBER 11, 1998. Member Baggett made a motion to approve the minutes from October 28, 1998 and November 11, 1998. Member Calabro seconded the motion. Ayes: All members present voted aye. Noes: None. 2. CITIZEN'S INPUT. None. Chairman Sanders said anyone who wants to speak in regards to the presentation of the concept plan for Ridgepointe Park will speak after the presentation by Dennis Sims of Dunkin, Sims, & Stoffels. 3. PRESENTATION OF THE CONCEPT PLAN FOR RIDGEPOINTE PARK FROM DENNIS SIMS OF DUNKIN, SIMS & STOFFELS. Dennis began by saying the plan being presented tonight was designed for neighborhood park use. There are several drain or storm sewer pipes that exit onto the park and at the present time there is no easmant to allow pedestrian access through these lots. He stated the Corp property is wildlife management area and has restrictions on doing any kind of improvements. He said there has been a conversation with the Corp and they did agree if we needed to, we may be able to put in a parking lot for vehicular access, but they will not allow park roads through wildlife management areas. Dennis reinforced the fact that this plan is a concept plan and the elements proposed are based on #1, citizen input, #2, what is designed in a neighborhood park. Dennis said the only access to the park, legally, is from Standridge. He is recommending a small, 20 space, parking lot. This will not prohibit anyone from gaining access to the trail system as it goes through the park. He is recommending two play areas - one for toddlers and one for children ages 6-12 because parents seem to prefer this. You keep the toddlers by themselves and the playground equipment is specifically designed for those ages. There is a picnic pavilion with picnic tables and we are also proposing a one acre lake - storm sewers that cut through the park cause drainage problems and we're trying to capture the water here; a spillway structure will be designed to go underneath the trail and back onto Corp property. Some other elements of the November 11th meeting were a basketball court and a sand volleyball court - we've separated these from the children's area where the playgrounds would be, but they're still close enough to have pedestrian access from the street. There is a hike / bike trail, and a jogging trail that would go throughout the whole park with some intermediate trail connections in the middle. The length of this trail including the length around the lake is 800 meters short of a mile. There will be some scattered tree planting and possibly some wildflowers that could be planted in the park as open space. Member Calabro asked what type of material would be used for the trail. Dennis answered that concrete will be used because of the maintenance involved. Jerry Hale, 4408 Lakeside - He is concerned about the basketball and sand volleyball courts being right in his backyard. He wanted to see if they could be placed further away from the homes. Bill Spencer, 4416 Lakeside - He is concerned about the impact of the flood plain. He knows you can only adjust the contour, but what is it going to do to the 105 year flood plain - none of the homes that are adjacent to the park require flood insurance as it stands. Dennis answered that anything that is done in this situation is going to get cut & fill balance. The impact of these improvements will not effect the flood plain. Curt Miller, 4312 Standridee - He is concerned about the depth of the pond and it being close to the toddler play area. He is concerned with the possibility of accumulating a lot of duck trash and that they will destroy the picnic area. He is also concerned about there being emergency access for emergency vehicles not only now, but 15 years from now. He likes nothing about the park. He bought his property with a lake view that was supposed to be undeveloped. This is something he did not ask for, and now he is asking for compromises. Charlotte Arteritano 4316 Standrid e - She said at the last meeting, she got the impression that very few parking spaces meant about 5. She does not like the parking location and wants to see it moved further onto Corp property and have only 5 parallel parking spaces. She does not like the lake at all because she has a 2-year old toddler and there is already enough water nearby. She would like to have the sand volleyball and basketball courts moved further down into the park area, that way everything is not focused on the front of the park. Chairman Sanders stated to everyone again that this is just a plan for development, it is a concept plan. This plan was brought to the Park Board and the citizens to review and to say they like this or they don't like this. Elizabeth Alford, 4513 Shadowridd e - She is in favor of the development of a neighborhood park because it will increase the value of the residences if we have something besides homes to offer. She is recommending a protective wall anywhere there is a children's area. She is very pro-park. She would like to see her neighborhood have some other amenities to offer. Chairman Sanders asked Dennis Sims how much does the lake effect the erosion factor. Dennis answered you have to have a storm sewer that enters the park in five areas. The pond will help stabilize that because we'll extend the storm sewer into the pond. Georee Duffy, 4513 Rustic Ridee Ct - He asked how close is the lake to the park. Dennis answered you can walk to it but you can't pull a boat to it. Deana Kenaea, 4517 Sarasota - She is for the pond because she thinks it is necessary for drainage. She asked if there is maintenance on the ponds in the city. She also inquired about putting a gate around the children's play area, moving the sand volleyball court, and asked what 20 parking spaces looks like in terms of size. Ms. Nelson said there is some maintenance involved in having a pond and it is not an uncommon feature. Dennis replied that a gate could be placed around the children's play area and the sand volleyball court could be moved. He said 20 parking spaces is about 2x the size of council chambers, but where the parking lot is located is pretty much the only place for it - it's easier topography wise and is more out of the way. Suzanne Robbins - 4016 Creekhollow Way - She likes the pond and everything. She is concerned that there are some homes that are required to have a 4 ft. iron post fence and the 8 ft. trail is very close to the back of some of the properties; she suggests moving the trail a little further back from the back of the lots. She also suggests moving the sand volleyball court. She thinks 10 parking spaces would be sufficient. Gloria Arra - 4400 Shadowridge - She asked if soccer goals could be put in. Member King responded that anytime you put out a soccer goal or a backstop it immediately becomes the property of that sport. She added that there is a huge territorial rivalry between the sports organizations because of the limited amount of space available, we have to leave it as open space - passive use and allow everyone to use it. Chairman Sanders added that it will be a public park and there will not be any use restrictions. Marlon Carpenter - 4320 Standridge - He asked what the approximate completion date is. Dennis Sims responded that it is Summer 2000. Marlon thinks the pond will be an eyesore; it will be black, not blue. The parking lot should be big because he does not want a lot of cars parked in front of his house. He says the playground equipment is a waste of money because it will not be used by anyone. He would like that area kept as natural as possible. Nicole Woodhouse - 4304 Standridge - She is against the park. Her and her husband bought the land with the understanding that the land would not be developed. Her husband is a wildlife photographer. She did not want to live in The Colony but they chose the land in Ridgepointe because it was not going to be developed. Martha Holcomb - 4309 Biscayne - She said if a pond is necessary for drainage, as a compromise it should be smaller. She thinks 10 or less parking spaces would be sufficient. She does not think people will drive across town to use this park; it's a public park and she thinks it's arrogant to think the whole city will use it. Kevin Jones - 4511 Highridge - He thinks 20-25 parking spaces is sufficient. The sand volleyball court and the basketball court should be adjacent to eachother and the pond is fine. Debbie Patton - 4344 Standridge - She lives on the corner close to where the parking lot would be and she is against the park. She purchased her home because she wanted to see natural land. She is concerned about the size of the fountain because it will block her view of the lake. She is concerned about how tall the picnic pavilion will be, how many picnic tables and trashcans there will be, having port-o-pots there, and how close to the road is the jogging trail. She also wants the lake to be smaller and is concerned about it staying clean. Chairman Sanders informed the crowd that unless someone has a new perspective to offer, no one else will be permitted to speak. Member Cottle added that we held a citizen's input meeting a couple of weeks ago. He said we're obligated as a city, to the developer, to put a park there because of the Park Dedication Ordinance. We're presenting you with a concept but you're missing the point of what this meeting is about - we want you to tell us what you like or don't like about this park, we don't need 5 - 6 people making the same comments as John said. Tony Applebee - 4505 Highridge - He is for the park and the pond is o.k. He is concerned that it will become a magnet for the high school kids and is also concerned about it being eailsy accessible to the police dept. Chairman Sanders said the police do have bicycle patrols. Member King said at the last public hearing, the majority of the people did not want any lighting. Dennis Sims said there may be some security lights. Ms. Dashiell - 3957 Creekhollow Way - She is concerned about the vegetation and the pesticides that will be used. Ms. Nelson responded that the city has a licensed chemical applicator that tries to treat everything in a natural way. Dave Powers- 3312 Cedaridge Ct. - He does not live close to the park, but he suggests moving the pond away from the playground, and thinks the trails need to be patrolled. Danielle Branstein - 4512 Sarasota - She likes the park. She is concerned about the picnic shelters, she thinks gates should be placed around the playground area, and there should be less parking or else move it. Chairman Sanders adjourned the meeting for a break at 8:30 p.m. and reconvened it at 8:45 p.m. Dennis Sims stated there were some good comments and some revisions will be made. Member King said she thinks putting a gate around the playground area and fencing the pond are good ideas. Sam Fitzgerald said he is concerned about the walking trail being too close to the back of people's property. He also said if people are concerned about not being able to see anything because of the park, most of those homes are elevated to a point that no matter what the structure is, they're looking mostly over top of it. 4. UPDATE FROM DIRECTOR. Ms. Nelson said the Christmas Parade was a great success with 40 entries. We had over 300 people at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Rec. Center; the bleachers were filled and every available chair in the Rec. Center and from City Hall was used. She said all the mowing - rough-cut, medians, and right of ways - has now been transferred to her department. She said 2 people from public works would be transferred to her department along with equipment and an undetermined amount of money to cover the contracts. She said Public Works would do tree maintenance, irrigation and landscaping. All the pocket parks are contracted out. She said we are getting some new equipment - new utility vehicle for the chemical applicator and a new 84' reel mower like the ones used on golf courses. Monday night we will be going to City Council to replace 3 pick-up trucks and a truck for the chemical applicator with the loan that Tony was able to get for us. She said we are also getting an above the ground water reel irrigation system, a topdresser, spreader, and some other equipment that is needed. Ms. Nelson said Youth Basketball began last weekend with close to 600 kids participating. To date, we have certified 343 coaches this year and are one of the top 5 chapters in the state; David Swain gets the credit for that. Ms. Nelson and David Swain will be going to a Youth Sports Administration Recertification School. Every 2 years you have to be recertified. Mark Shaw is the new Park Board member. He coaches youth basketball, is on the CYFA board, and is on the LISD school board. He would like to get the city and LISD to work closer together. The Lakefront Development Plan will be submitted to the Corp on Tuesday, the 15'x'. We have gotten preliminary Corp results of the lake study back and it said that there will be no new marinas allowed on Lake Lewisville before the year 2015. 5. ITEMS OF CONCERN TO THE BOARD. Member Calabro said he enjoyed working with this board Member Cottle said in October he wasn't sure if he wanted to remain on the board but he told the secretary he would. He said it has been a great 4 years, but as soon as a replacement can be found, he will be vacating his seat on the board. He believes this is an experience that a lot of people should take advantage of and they need to be given that chance. Member Baggett asked about Rich Lewis; she said he is not doing us any favor by making his other commitments. She added that she thought there was a commitment as to how many times you were supposed to come and how many times you could miss. Ms. Nelson said Rich is coaching 2 youth basketball teams that have practice on Wednesday nights. She said he has indicated that if we can find someone to replace him, he will resign but he has not formally resigned as of yet. Member King said we have no control over who comes in and replaces him. Chairman Sanders said there were a lot of good people who interviewed for this board and would be good at it. Member Bickerstaff said she hates to see Jim Cottle leave the board; she has benefited from his knowledge Member King said she attended a TRAPS Seminar and it was very exciting. Chairman Sanders said he also attended the TRAPS Seminar. He got to interact with different park boards and discovered that we are doing a lot of things right. He said City Council has allowed 4B to go out for RFP's for a Park Planner. In regards to the absentee member, it's not fair to the rest of the organization if he's not here. He said the board understands how very upset he was with the outcome of the sports complex, but it is not fair that we don't have a full board to do our business and this issue needs to be addressed. He concluded by saying he has enjoyed being Chairman but a new Chairman needs to be elected in January. He thanked Scott for his time and dedication. There being no further discussion, it was unanimously decided to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. - V ~ ii Kathy eal, Reco ding Secretary T07 Sanders, Chairman