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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Park and Recreation Commission Meeting 02/19/2015AMES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES DATE: Thursday, February 19, 2015 COMMISSION PRESENT: Leo Milleman, Vicki Feilmeyer, Ed Moran, Julie Johnston, Melissa Rowan, Alisa Frandsen, and Jason Schaben STAFF: Keith Abraham, Joshua Thompson, Kellee Omlid CALL TO ORDER: 4:03 PM APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Feilmeyer, second by Rowan to approve the January 15, 2015, meeting minutes. Motion Approved PUBLIC FORUM No public forum. DIRECTOR’S REPORT A) Donation Presentation – AmericInn Ames Sarah Litwiller, General Manager, spoke to the Commission about a program through the parent company of the AmericInn Hotel where employees can raise funds to donate to a charity of their choice. The Ames employees chose Ames Parks and Recreation Scholarship Program and raised $374.41. Sarah has an extensive background in the parks and recreation field including instructing tennis and soccer as well as working at the Community Center through high school and college and also worked in recreation in Garner, Iowa. B) CAF – Memorandum of Understanding – Friends of Emma McCarthy Lee Park and Munn Woods Robin Switzer, representing the Friends of Emma McCarthy Lee Park and Munn Woods spoke about the work the group hopes to do in the future. He stated that the group is happy with the parcel set aside to comply with the deed agreement and that it won’t take too much to get it to look like it did at the time of the settlers. He is looking forward to having a good relationship with the Parks and Recreation Commission. Milleman asked about the condition of the road and if the road may have to go through the parcel. Switzer stated that the road could really not be moved because of the topography. Feilmeyer asked about sidewalks. Abraham stated that the parcel could be shifted to the south for potential sidewalks. Feilmeyer stated for the record that this parcel would not have interfered with the sand volleyball project and that project would not have had any effect on this parcel. Motion by Milleman, second by Moran to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with the Friends of Emma McCarthy Lee Park and Munn Woods. No discussion. Motion Approved C) Staff Report – Ames/ISU Ice Arena Second Sheet of Ice Staff has met with user groups regarding the amount of ice time they would expect to use if a second sheet was added. Other considerations in this process are the proximity of other skating opportunities, population, ethnic makeup of the local population and operating costs. Abraham stated that the department is pursuing maintaining some outdoor ice but staff does not recommend pursuing a second sheet of indoor ice at this time. Frandsen thanked staff for their work on this project. D) Ada Hayden Heritage Park - Oak Savannah Restoration Project Update Joshua Thompson, Park Superintendent gave a report on the Oak Savanna Restoration project at Ada Hayden Heritage Park. This is a plant community where oak trees are a component but the density is such that grasses can be the focus. The goal is that this will be started before the ground thaws. This project will allow native plants to thrive and offers an educational opportunity. Frandsen asked if there will be signage during the work and along the trail. Abraham said yes and the Friends Group is working on interpretative signage through out the park. Feilmeyer stated that the signs at Moore Memorial with the pond expansion project are great and informative. Frandsen also asked if the department entertained school groups at the park. Abraham stated that staff is working with Story County Conservation and are exploring more natural education ideas. Johnston stated that it sounds like a great project. E) Pool Update Abraham reported on the condition of Municipal Pool. Staff and the School District both feel the pool can be kept open for a while with the work that has been done. Abraham gave the history of the school project and our project. It is his understanding that the school has the money to build a 50 meter pool but they have concerns about the operating costs and providing staff to run the facility. Staff has been discussing with School District representatives the possibility of jointly getting resident feedback regarding future aquatics facilities. Both parties want to make sure that whatever happens is good for the community. Abraham stated that the department needs public input to make sure we meet the community’s needs. The current agreement ends this year and staff is working on extending the agreement for 2.5 years. Milleman wanted to know if we are preserving a potential site at the School District site. Abraham stated that there are pros and cons to either a school site or a separate location. Rowan wanted to know if the process is now in a “starting over situation”. Abraham stated that that was not the case and that he had a meeting scheduled with the School District and ACAC and next week staff will know more. Frandsen asked if there had been anything done by the city. Abraham said that right now was not the time to hire a consultant as it is unclear what we would want them to do. Right now there are two different factions and staff doesn’t know which one is the majority. Johnston stated that this is one of those weird times when the wheels of progress are moving slow, in a weird kind of chess game right now and we don’t know how it will play out. Abraham stated that indoor aquatic centers do not generally break even, however the community wants more than just a pool. Susie Petra (2011 Duff Ave) Commented regarding the fact that different factions have met but the public has not been involved. Her opinion is that it is time to engage the public; otherwise they will feel that the decisions have been made and are done deal with no input. Judy Lemish (327 S. Maple) She is concerned that the School District was in a big hurry to do this separately and don’t have the money to run it. She feels like now they want us to pool our resources and place this in a land locked location where they are already talking about building a new high school. This worries her. There needs to be public input. She would like Staff to follow the model of the library. Milleman would like to see community input involve both the School District and us. He understands that competitive swimming is different from swim lessons. Great thoughts to get everybody involved. Feilmeyer stated that there are a lot of issues and financial pressures on both parties and they need to cooperate. This does not mean doing something together it means both discuss it with an open mind. Johnston stated that people think the conversations have happened but they have not. Frandsen stated that she would direct staff to have meetings with the school, city and citizens in an open, honest manner. Rowan had questions regarding the money and if it is accruing interest. Abraham said yes the bequest is in an interest bearing situation. Milleman asked if the school has an open forum or a way to put items on the board agenda. Milleman said that he could go as a member of the public but could not represent the Parks and Recreation Commission. He also assured Petra and Lemish that there will be public input sessions. F) Park Lease Renewals with Iowa State University Abraham stated that there are five lease renewals from ISU, There will be an 11 month amendment for those 5 leases which include Brookside (W est of the Squaw Creek), Stuart Smith, Franklin, McDonalds Woods (East River Valley) and Zumwalt Trail. MONTHLY REPORT The Iowa DNR hosted a trout stocking event at Ada Hayden Lake along with Story County Conservation, Iowa State University, Jax Outdoors, and Hy-Vee. It was a great day to go fishing if you like to ice fish. TNT landscaping out of Ankeny will be performing the irrigation work at the softball complex. The Spring and Summer Programs and Facilities Guide will be delivered very shortly. Registration is already open. We are offering several new programs so please come and try something new. Open swim at Municipal on Saturday, February 22nd will be sponsored by St. Cecilia. They will pay for everyone to swim and will provide snacks. Open swim is from 1:00-3:00 PM. Rowan asked it this event will be promoted on social media. Omild stated that we will post this information on Facebook. COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Schaben, second by Rowan to adjourn. The meeting concluded at 5:11 PM. Next Meeting: March 26, 4:00 PM