HomeMy Public PortalAbout05-16-2017 Minutes PRB Regular MeetingPage 1 of 3
Minutes
Parks and Recreation Board
7 p.m. May 16, 2017
Town Barn, 101 E. Orange St.
Present: Chairman Todd Stabley, Vice Chairman Kate Albrecht, Ashley Campbell, Annie Jarabek,
Noah Mace, Nancy Taylor, and Chris Wehrman (Planning Board representative)
Absent: Robb English, Board of Commissioners representative Brian Lowen (ex officio), Rebecca
Swartz, and Kim Woodell
Staff: Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood
Item 1: Call meeting to order; confirm presence of a quorum.
Chairman Stabley called the meeting to order. Ms. Trueblood called the roll and confirmed the presence
of a quorum.
Item 2: Consideration of changes or adjustments to the agenda
No changes.
Item 3: Approval of minutes of April 18, 2017, meeting
Motion: Ms. Albrecht moved to approve the April minutes.
Second: Ms. Taylor seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
Item 4: Update on survey of Riverwalk greenway users
Ms. Trueblood reviewed that she had included a copy of the survey with 20 questions in the agenda
packet and that Ms. Taylor had already spent time on the Riverwalk asking users to fill in the survey.
Ms. Taylor reported she had volunteered four hours so far and had surveyed about 40 people. She
noticed people do not answer all the questions. She offered to read the questions when she guessed that
a couple of users were interested in responding but did not seem to know how to read. She surveyed
users between 1 and 2 p.m. and 3 and 4 p.m. on a Monday, between 10 and 11 a.m. on a Tuesday, and
between 5 and 6 p.m. on a Friday. She stood at the Calvin Street entrance twice and the Weaver Street
Market entrance twice. She shared the preliminary results.
Ms. Trueblood encouraged other board members to volunteer in hopes of gathering 100 to 150
responses.
Item 5: Review draft of recommended changes to the Unified Development Ordinance Table 6.15.7.1:
Recreation Points
Ms. Trueblood reviewed the existing table and explained that Town Attorney Bob Hornik and Planning
Director Margaret Hauth would craft the language for the Unified Development Ordinance amendment.
She expects the language may be ready for the October public hearing rather than the July public hearing.
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The board members discussed what recreational items they want to incentivize. Board members
advocated for dog parks with a water source, natural play equipment, and community gardens.
Ms. Trueblood asked the board to consider whether creating a dog park on the field at Cates Creek Park
might be a good idea. Board members were supportive of that idea.
No action was taken on this item.
Item 6: Review updated advisory board recruitment and appointment policy
Ms. Trueblood reviewed and explained the advisory board recruitment and appointment policy. Ms.
Campbell asked whether the application form would change and said it needs to explain the expectations
placed upon advisory board members.
Item 7: Reports and updates — (Parks and Recreation-related reports)
Board of Commissioners: Brian Lowen — Absent
Planning Board: Chris Wehrman — No report.
Orange County Parks and Recreation Council: Annie Jarabek — Two new people are on the
council. Orange County is opening a new parking lot at Fairview Park. The James “Junebug”
Stewart field is being unveiled at Fairview Park.
Intergovernmental Parks Work Group: Ms. Trueblood — No report.
Park steward reports:
1. Gold Park: Annie Jarabek — There was some flood damage. Dog Park: Nancy Taylor — The
dog park sustained more flood damage.
2. Cates Creek Park: Robb English — Absent
3. Turnip Patch Park: Annie Jarabek — She noticed a tree was cut down at a park in Durham and
portions of it were turned into a table and chairs that are well used. She thought this would
be a good idea for Turnip Patch Park.
4. Murray Street Park: Ashley Campbell — The new mulch looks good. The missing tree’s fence
and post have been removed. She had already reported to Ms. Trueblood that the sign
displaying the park rules is broken.
5. Kings Highway Park: Todd Stabley — It looks really nice. Ms. Trueblood reported the town did
some flood cleanup there. Chairman Stabley said he walked the north side trails, and they are
clear. He described to Ms. Trueblood where there is a lot of poison ivy.
6. Hillsborough Heights Park: Kim Woodell — Absent
7. Riverwalk: Todd Stabley — It looks fine.
Staff updates:
Flood damage repairs — Ms. Trueblood said the recent flood was severe, and it crested and
receded quickly. It created less damage than the flood in the fall of 2017. The town used street
sweepers for two days instead of power washers to clean, and the street-sweeping equipment
worked well. The damage to the dog park fence at Gold Park is likely due to the weight of mulch
lifted onto the fence or could have been caused by two big trees that flowed through Gold Park in
the flood. Amazingly, all the tree identification signs are intact. Benches, trash cans, and the
Stickwork sculpture are fine. About $5,000 worth of mulch needs to be replaced. The dog park
should be reopened by May 23. Ms. Trueblood said she is hoping that two 100-year floods in a
year is an anomaly. There is money within the Public Space budget to cover these expenses.
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Gold Park vandalism — Ms. Trueblood reported branches were torn off trees, pavers from the
pollinator garden were thrown in the river, and the soccer net was destroyed. A cherry laurel tree
was destroyed too.
Plantings — A contracted landscaper has been planting in the West King Street parking lot. Also,
the volunteer workday to plant many pollinator plants in Cates Creek Park took place.
Phone numbers — Ms. Trueblood shared that the town phone numbers have changed, and the
park signs no longer display the correct number. She will correct the phone number with stickers
for now.
Churton Street Access Improvements Project — Ms. Trueblood reported the downtown
improvements construction is going well, although it has been slowed down by rain.
Item 8: Adjourn
Motion: Mr. Mace moved to adjourn at 8:58 p.m.
Second: Mr. Wehrman seconded.
Vote: Unanimous