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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-05-2007Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Meeting Minutes Tuesday, September 5, 2007 5:30 p.m. ROTARY ROOM AT THE AUBURN SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER 808 NINTH ST SE, Auburn Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairman Paul Wohlhueter. Those members present in addition to Mr. Wohlhueter were Stephanie McPhail, Julie Parascondola, Bob Englehart, Mike Hassen, Laura Higdon, and Vicki Gilthvedt. Also in attendance were Parks, Arts and Recreation Director Daryl Faber, Teen Liaison Drew Koch, and Department Secretary Ann Fuqua. II. Minutes The minutes of the May meeting were approved as sent. III. Committee Member Input The Board members welcomed Drew Koch as the new teen liaison representative. He told of his involvement with the Auburn Youth Council and that he was looking forward to his participation with this Board. The condition of the Lea Hill tennis courts were again brought up. Mr. Faber said the blackberries were removed. It was mentioned that there was a strong sewage smell there; Mr. Faber will follow up with that problem. Ms. Higdon asked about the plans to construct the small park near the Lakeland Community Building, which has been referred to as 8-acre park. Mr. Faber told her that a meeting was set up for the following day to discuss that park with the developers. The actual construction will be done by the developers, and they are still deciding when they will have equipment available to proceed. We have the materials ready for the irrigation system once the project is underway, and there are plans for a split rail fence to allow a sight line into and out of the park, but will keep kids from running into the street. The whole project will probably take six to eight weeks, once everything is ready to go. Ms. Higdon said that a group of volunteers have adopted the linear park, one of whom is 84 years of age and another in his 70s. She also said that there were a lot of positive comments about the cinema in the park at Sunset; residents were very enthusiastic. There have been some problems at the Skatepark, but residents are very happy with the police response when they call. Mr. Hassen asked about Shaunessy Park. Mr. Faber advised that we are attempting to get grant funding to improve this park. A neighbor has agreed to be responsible for opening and closing the park gate; it's old and tired, and we just need to make it a nicer area to encourage more use, similar to what occurred at Cedar Lanes and Terminal Parks. Park Board Minutes Page2of3 Mr. Faber reported that we now have an animal control officer in Auburn; it is no longer a person coming from the County. This should really help enforce problems we have had in the parks with unleashed animals. IV. Correspondence/Public Input None V. Old Business A. Update on Proposed Community Center Mr. Faber reported that Council has agreed to fund a Community Center in Les Gove Park. It is planned to be an 18,000 square foot at the 12th and J Street site (the REC). Mr. Wohlhueter asked if the plan remained the same as was recommended by the committee. Mr. Faber said that the plans have changed; the gym is removed from the Community Center component and would be constructed between the PRAB and the Senior Center, allowing seniors an active place during the day, and the teens to have activities in late afternoon and evening. This arrangement would allow more formal events at the community center without interfering with teen activities. An RFP will go out soon for an architect to oversee this project. VI. New Business A. Introduction of Drew Koch, Teen Liaison Drew was introduced earlier in the meeting. He is a Junior at Auburn Riverside High School, and has been active in our teen/tween activities since sixth grade. He has served on the Auburn Teen Council, worked as staff for teen activities this summer, and has served at various events over the past few years. B. Discussion - No Smoking in Athletic Areas of Parks Mr. Faber reported that there have been several citizen complaints about smoking in the stands at youth organized sports events. A sample ordinance was distributed, as City Attorney had been asked to check with other cities to see how they handled this problem. It is well known that the School Districts have a "no smoking or tobacco use" policy on all of their property. Another option would be to have designated smoking areas easily avoided by people who are bothered. Several of the Board members said that we should just prohibit smoking or tobacco. use in City parks. The consensus of the Board today was ~~no tobacco use in parks", but we will take time to review the proposed ordinance and discuss it at our October meeting. It was also suggested that we have a survey on the web site to get citizen input. VII. Department Report Questions were asked about some of the projects. Mr. Faber reported that the Veterans Park building has run into some issues with work that was not our standards; wall finishes that had to be resurfaced and the concrete floor staining that is very poor. Everyone is anxious to get it finished and open. We ~~$U$,N * MORE THAN YOU IMAGINED Park Board Minutes Page 3 of 3 continue to work with the contractor. The Golf Course is nearing completion; the pro-shop is open and we have moved into the building as the finishing touches are being done. The restaurant is still not complete, and will probably be ready toward the end of October. It was decided that the October Board meeting would be at the golf course. The soccer fields at Game Farm Park are nearing completion. The first field will be completed in about two days, and the other in approximately two weeks. Everyone is anxious to have them finished. The property north of the Mary Olson Farm is being transferred to the City. Once that transfer is completed, we will apply for grant money to complete this project. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. ~~$L,T * MORE THAN YCJU IMAGINED