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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Park and Recreation Commission Meeting 02/18/2016AMES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES DATE: February 18, 2016 COMMISSION PRESENT: Julie Johnston, Sarah Litwiller, Dakota Canning, Vikki Feilmeyer, Ed Moran ABSENT: Melissa Rowan, Jason Schaben STAFF: Keith Abraham CALL TO ORDER: 4:00 PM APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Feilmeyer, second by Litwiller to approve the January 21, 2015, meeting minutes. No discussion. No Opposition. Motion Approved. PUBLIC FORUM Moran reminded the audience that public forum is for items not listed on the agenda. No public forum. DIRECTOR’S REPORT a. Staff Report: Parks and Facilities Naming Policy Abraham gave a brief history on the decision to create a naming policy focused on parks and recreational facilities. Abraham then presented the draft policy to the commission members. Abraham explained to the commission members that Staff is looking for feedback on the draft policy this evening. Johnston thanked Abraham for researching this. She would like this to be a guiding principle not policy so that the Commission has some latitude. Abraham explained that it is policy, but is written to include flexibility to help guide the Commission. Feilmeyer stated her first reaction was she never imagined the document would be this big. She imagined that it would be generalized and much smaller with 5 to 10 criteria. She would like to see something that is a little bit smaller and a simple application process. She stated she does not find anything objectionable, just that there is a lot. Abraham explained Items 1 and 2 are introduction and background information. Items 3 and 4 define the categories and guiding principles. Item 5 is the procedure. He stated that it would be easy to make a simple application form. Abraham asked the Commission for input on the waiting period, the percentage amount for donations, or any other part of the policy. Moran stated that he wants to make sure there is flexibility. He hates to see things put down on paper. Abraham stated that during the August meeting Commission gave direction to Staff to put together a policy as the department had no guidelines. Feilmeyer asked if Staff was setting these benchmarks for better and larger donations. Abraham reminded the Commission the document was a draft. The percentages are items the Commission will need to determine. Johnston stated that she was not surprised or put off by the length of the document as this isn’t a simple issue. She likes the start of this policy; it provides flexibility and starts conversation. She asked Abraham if the department receives a lot of requests. Abraham stated that Staff has not received a lot of requests. There have been requests with regard to Northridge Heights and Roosevelt Park. He also reminded the Commission there are opportunities for naming coming up. Johnston stated she feels it helps give donors an opportunity to know the whole thing is out of reach but they could provide an amenity. She thinks this is a good start. Canning stated that he feels the monetary contributions in this document have been addressed. His concern is the context of how a person contributed to the whole community. His feeling is that this policy does not address how to name a facility after a person who was a large contributor to a specific community within the city. Abraham asked the rest of the Commission how they felt regarding Canning’s concerns. Feilmeyer felt the document did address Canning’s concerns. Item 3C is the hard numbers which are easy criteria. In terms in evaluating whether or not someone was an outstanding individual is harder to determine. Feilmeyer also stated that most policies that she has seen have some sort of period of time from the date of death before consideration of naming. Litwiller feels that is should be on a case by case basis with no time frame on it. Moran inquired about whether the person has to be deceased. Johnston feels the policies should not be too specific. That will limit things even further. She feels the policy does allow for conversations and gives a group an opportunity to tell the Commission more about the individual. So she likes the generality to it instead of being too specific. Linda Jansen (528 Division St, Jewell, Iowa) She thanked the Commission for their attention to this matter. Georgie Tsushima was close to her son. She feels Georgie had an impact on many people in the skating community in Ames, California, and other parts of the country. She believes naming the park after Georgie would mean a lot to the people who use it. Her opinion is three years is too long in this case. She stated she is not “asking to name the football stadium after a random skate board kid, just an area where you cleared a few trees and put in a couple of humps and called it a skate board park”. Feilmeyer asked Jansen to speak to the Commission as to why she feels 3 years is not appropriate. Jansen is of the opinion that this is a rare situation, is just different and does not fit into a broad category. Kenneth Toft (224 N Maple Ave) Toft stated that what makes this special, why him (Georgie) over everyone else is that he was a clean example and a great guy who was there to help. Toft is of the opinion that you could not find a more positive example within skateboarding. “Georgie was a gem and so rare in that community.” Teresa Downing (1005 Jarrett Cr) Downing informed the Commission that Georgie was her son. She feels that he made a tremendous impact on the youth of this town. She also stated that her son had a national reputation for his work doing videography for professional skateboarders. She stated that he was dedicated to his friends, family and community and that it was really important to him to reach out and mentor young people. She stated that after recovery from an accident he decided to open up a skateboard shop in Ames because he felt the community here needed one. The shop held a grand opening on the 18th of July and he died that evening. He left an impact on the community as the skate shop is still open. Mackenzie Heddens (3814 Quebec Street) Heddins thanked Keith for his work on this document. In her opinion it is perhaps a bit over zealous. Heddens informed the Commission that she will submit her comments and suggested changes electronically as they are too numerous to state at this time. She is also of the opinion that 3 years is far too long. Feilmeyer asked for clarification on Hedden’s opinion with regard to waiting period. Heddens stated that she understood why there would be a waiting period, especially with the emotional component. She stated that she idolized Georgie and his death is never going to diminish for any of his friends. She asked the Commission, “What’s it to you if it is 30 days or 30 years?” She feels that it is only affecting the people who want to honor him. Josh Kelley (333 East Grand Ave Unit 316, Des Moines, Iowa) Kelley stated that Georgie was one of his closest friends and a big influence on him. He stated that he disagrees with the waiting period though he understands. He also thinks that the draft is pretty strict. His opinion is the more emotional ties should be a case by case kind of thing. Moran thanked the audience for sharing their memories tonight. He reminded the audience members that comments should be directly related to the draft of the policy. The discussion regarding the naming of the Ames Skate Park will be at another time. Jan LaVille (1623 Northwestern Ave) LaVille can’t help but agree with the people who are against the three year waiting period. She states that three years is too long for young people to wait. Nick Muhlbauer (6221 North Fork Rd) He feels the three year waiting period isn’t relevant in this case because the skate park is being renovated. He stated that the skate community was floored it was going to be renovated because most communities don’t do that for skateboarding. He is thankful for the community for doing this. His feels since the park is being renovated this year, it would be appropriate to rename it at the grand reopening. Rebecca Dugan (111 S. Cottonwood, Roland, Iowa) She asked if a donation counts more than time spent volunteering. Abraham explained donations are not tied to naming something after an outstanding individual. Naming does not need to be tied to a monetary donation. Canning asked if there could be more information about waiting periods and if they increased or decreased petitions. Abraham also reminded the Commission that the City Council can waive the 3 year waiting period. b. Staff Report: E-Cigarettes in the Park System Abraham reported to the Commission that the Ames City Council passed an ordinance mirroring the state of Iowa Smokefree Air Act. This ordinance is not a park rule. Abraham then went over options for park rules with regard to the use of E-Cigarettes in the park system. Feilmeyer states that Option 2 seems bad to her and Option 1 is to do nothing. Canning does not feel the need to go beyond the city ordinance. His opinion is that they (cigarettes and E-cigarettes) are baseline different products. When a person is finished they put it in a pocket, not throw it in the bushes. Canning stated he feels like this is a waste of resources to create rules about things we don’t really understand. Abraham stated that the cartridges themselves are dangerous. They have a much higher concentration of nicotine. Feilmeyer would like to see the enforcement be as easy as possible. Option 3 is the more attractive option to her. Agreement by Johnston, Litwiller, and Moran. Canning does not see the confusion. c. Commission Action Form: ECO Fair Request to Waive Payment of 10% of Gross Sales Abraham went over the Commission Action Form for the Commission. Staff recommends Alternative 1.Feilmeyer moved and Canning second to approve Alternative 1. No Discussion. No opposition. Motion Passes. d. Pool Update Abraham reported there is a lot of excitement for providing quality amenities accessible and available to everyone. Feilmeyer encourages everyone to work together for the most comprehensive facility. e. Inclusive Playground and Miracle League Field Update Abraham informed the Commission that if the City is putting $50,000 into this project the City has to take the lead. Abraham also gave pros and cons of possible locations including Lloyd Kurtz and Inis Grove. Johnston was concerned about using Inis Grove. Abraham stated that several programs have been moved out of the park. Johnston thinks this is a nice alternative. She thinks that this would be really good for the community. Moran asked where the new sand volleyball court is relative to this project. Abraham showed a map with the location if Inis Grove were to be used. f. March Meeting Date move to the 24th to avoid spring break. Motion by Litwiller, seconded by Feilmeyer to move the March meeting to March 24, at 4:00 PM. No discussion. No opposition. Motion Approved. g. Project Update Abraham stated there was only 1 bid for the Ice Area Flooring. Some firms did not bid because an item in the specs is no longer manufactured. The plan is to reject the bid, review plans and specs and rebid the project. h. Correspondence None MONTHLY REPORT Abraham asked if there were any questions regarding the monthly report. He gave a brief update on staffing. He informed the Commission of the resignation of Lisa Lang and the upcoming retirement of Greg Toot. If Council approves the budget, the Auditorium/Bandshell Manager position will change from half time to full time and recruiting for that position will begin. Staff is also reviewing the clerical positions held by Katie Kole and Dena Flynn to make sure they are classified correctly. COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS Litwiller inquired about the cycling classes. Abraham shared that the bikes are here and staff has begun training. The brochure will be mailed at the end of the month and registration will begin soon. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Johnston to adjourn. The meeting concluded at 6:45 PM. Next Meeting: Thursday, March 24, at 4:00 PM