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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRB 2007-02-05 Minutes MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OF THE CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS HELD IN THE PRE COUNCIL CHAMBERS LOCATED AT 7301 NORTHEAST LOOP 820 February 5, 2007 Present: Brad Greene Chairman Marty Kusmierski Vice-Chair Ricky McElroy Board Member Tom Lombard Board Member Jay Crane Board Member Mike Filis Board Member Absent: Marlin Miller Board Member Tracye Tipps Alternate Staff Members: Vickie Loftice Director of Parks and Recreation Bill Thornton Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Sharon Davis Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Chris Swartz Waterpark Manager Christina Lopez Administrative Secretary Lorene Mathis PARD Secretary A-1. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Brad Greene called the meeting to order February 5, 2007 at 6:02 p.m. Ms. Vickie Loftice announced that Mr. Marlin Miller's wife passed away this past Saturday. Staff will send an email with the funeral arrangements. Ms. Loftice also commented on the "new" format of the Park and Recreation Board agenda and packets. Ms. Loftice introduced Ms. Lorene Mathis, PARD Secretary. Lorene transferred to the Parks and Recreation Department from Purchasing in December. She has been with the City for approximately 13 years. Staff handed out the "Summary of Study Findings", an economic impact study which validates the benefits of parks and recreation facilities. The study was prepared by The Perryman Group and was commissioned by the Texas Recreation and Park Society with funding provided by member cities. NRH Parks and Recreation has prepared a resolution, supporting the restoration of funds back to the Park Fund, which will be presented to City Council and when approved, forwarded to the State. This is part of the City's legislative plan. Ms. Loftice announced that the mall demolition began on January 15th and they have 75 days to complete the project. A-2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES APPROVED Mr. Lombard moved to approve the minutes of the December 4, 2006 Park and Recreation Board meeting. Ms. Kusmierski seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 5-0. A-3. REVIEW AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING PARK AMENITY REQUESTS FOR THE FY2007/08 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM BUDGET This item has been tabled until after the Review of Capital Improvement Program Funding presentation (B-2). Mr. Bill Thornton outlined the criteria and methodology for responding to requests for additional park amenities and improvements in existing parks. All requests are evaluated by staff in terms of: Compliance with the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan Current principals and methods of park planning and design Capital costs for the requested improvements Long term fiscal impacts related to maintenance and operations Impacts on other prioritized projects in the CIP Budget One Park Amenity Request was received this year for the Installation of night lighting at Tipps Canine Hollow. The request was submitted by Mr. David Cole. A professional lighting consultant, Yaggi and Associates evaluated the site and determined that the city should anticipate a project budget of $137,000. Discussion was held. Mr. Lombard wanted to know what types of lights are being proposed: Mr. Thornton responded the project would entail 15 poles; seven on the large dog side and eight on the small dog side and four poles for parking lot lights. Mr. Filis asked if any other dog parks have lights. Ms. Davis responded that she is only aware of one. Mr. Lombard also stated that there have been numerous requests for lights since the park opened. Ms. Loftice talked about the Dog Park Association, which Tracye Tipps serves on. There is a possibility that they can help raise funds to help offset the cost of the lights. The Dog Park Association has seven members and has met one time. Ms. Loftice also Park and Recreation Board Minutes February 5, 2007 2 commented that the park is a very valuable asset and has been used heavily. Ms. Kusmierski said the park is so popular and full all the time, and asked if we should consider another dog park in another part of town. Motion: Mr. Lombard moved for staff to review the Park Amenity Request of adding lights to the dog park. Amended by Mr. Filis: "based on the Dog Park Associations participation" Amended by Mr. Lombard: "pending review by the Park and Recreation Board" Amended Motion: Mr. Lombard moved for staff to review the Park Amenity Request of adding lights to the dog park with the recommendation that the Dog Park Association contribute partial funding for the lighting and consider including it in the CIP Budget for City Council consideration. Motion to approve carried 4-0. 1 Abstained A-4. SET A DATE FOR A PARK BOARD WORKSHOP Staff asked the Park and Recreation Board to set a date for a work session to review the information gathered to date for the 2007, Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan update. Motion: Mr. Lombard moved to hold the work session on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. Mr. McElroy seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 5-0. B-1. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Ms. Vickie Loftice, Director of Parks and Recreation provided a brief overview of the following items: Park System Master Plan - As a part of the preparation of the Park System Master Plan, the consultant will provide concept plans for the redevelopmenUdevelopment of three parks: Northfield Park, Fossil Creek Park and Cross Timbers Park - Phase II. Ribbon Cuttings/Dedication Dates - The dates and times were announced for the following ribbon cutting ceremonies: Saturday, March 17th - Dr. Pillow Park, Ace Park and Norich Park and Saturday, March 31St - JoAnn Johnson Trail. Park and Recreation Board Minutes February 5, 2007 $ Tour and Presentation of the Heritage Senior Center - The Park and Recreation Board has been invited on a tour of the Heritage Senior Center in Irving on February 14tn B-2. REVIEW CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FUNDING Mr. Bill Thornton presented an overview of the CIP Budget and Long Range Capital tmprovement Plan. B-3. REVIEW OF CURRENT CAPITAL PROJECTS IN PROGRESS Mr. Bill Thornton updated the Park and Recreation Board on the following Capital Improvement Projects currently in progress. Workman Commercial began work on the Mat Racer slide addition at NRH2O. Pictures were shown demonstrating the progress of the project. LopezGarcia Group has prepared a preliminary draft of the Lakes at Calloway Creek Study. The North Davis City Entry Sign is complete. Mr. Filis asked about the timeline for the Calloway Branch Trail. Mr. Thornton replied that the project is tied to the Little Bear Creek Trail project and staff is working through the trail realignment of Little Bear Creek. We anticipate being able to start construction next year. Chairman Greene asked about the Davis Blvd Streetscape Project. Mr. Thornton said that a design contract for the TxDOT project will be awarded to Schrickel, Rollins and Associates. The project area is between Maplewood to Emerald Hills Way. Along with the Keep North Richland Hills Beautiful Governor's Achievement Award Grant we will be investing over $500,000 in this area. B-4. NRH2O REPORT ON OFF-SEASON PREPARATION Mr. Chris Swartz presented the following update: NRH2O has sold 1,211 season passes during the winter season pass sale. That is a 46% increase over the 2005 sale. NRH2O began testing a new feature that will help season pass holders avoid lines. Guests can email the photo that they would like to use on their season pass to NRH2O; staff adds the photo to their pass, prints it and has it available for pick up after April 15tn Park and Recreation Board Minutes February 5, 2007 4 NRH2O is in the process of hiring approximately 350 team members for this season. A "rehire party" was held in February, and job fairs began in March. Currently 77 people are planning to return to NRH2O; that number is expected to climb. Marketing efforts for NRH2O began even before the last season ended. NRH2O has partnered with Citicable for radio and TV promotions. Group Sales has been working with companies to schedule large group events. Currently, there are eight exclusive summer rentals booked to date. Food and Beverage staff have been working on finalizing the menu for the concessions. This year they are re-introducing the Chick-fil-A sandwich, which will be served Monday - Saturday. B-5. SPECIAL EVENTS UPDATE Ms. Sharon Davis updated the Park and Recreation Board on the following special events: Companies In Action - Formerly Corporate Challenge, the program was updated to generate new interest and enthusiasm. With the new format, companies compete in six events over a nine month period beginning in February with Dodgeball and ending in October with Golf. HealthMarkets (formerly UICI) is a presenting level sponsor in the amount of $7,500. Daddy/Daughter Valentine Dance - The 16th Annual Daddy/Daughter Valentine Dance will be held on Saturday, February 10th at the BISD Fine Arts Athletic Complex. This is the first year the dance has not been held at the Recreation Center. The theme this year is Enchanted Forest. The event is sold out. Sounds of Spring Concert Series - This series will begin its eighth season this spring with a new location. The concerts will be held on the grounds of NRH2O. This location provides great visibility, access from Boulevard 26 and a dual marketing opportunity for NRH2O and the Sounds of Spring. Announcing acts on site, at each concert will be "The Ranch" radio station. The concerts will begin on Friday, May 11th and run for six consecutive weeks. Opening acts begin at 7:00 p.m. with headliner bands immediately following. Another new feature will be the addition of wait staff on hand to take orders at the pavilions for appetizers such as fried mushrooms, fried zucchini and poppers. All of the acts performing are critically acclaimed Texas bands. Lori Brown has also created a "myspace" account for the Sounds of Spring which has generated a lot of interest and Bonnie Raitt has "requested to be a friend". Park and Recreation Board Minutes February 5, 2007 5 D-1. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Lombard moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 p.m. Mr. McElroy seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 5-0. Brad Greene, Chairman ATTEST: ! ~~J- l~ ~ ?~-a.. Christina Lopez, Administrativ S ary Park and Recreation Board Minutes February 5, 2007 6