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Home My Public Portal About01-16-2018 Minutes PRB Regular meeting Page 1 of 3 Minutes Parks and Recreation Board 7 p.m. Jan. 16, 2018 Town Barn, 101 E. Orange St. Present: Chair Todd Stabley, Vice Chair Kate Albrecht, Board of Commissioners representative Mark Bell (ex officio), Annie Jarabek, Nancy Taylor and Kim Woodell Absent: Ashley Campbell, Robb English, Noah Mace, Rebecca Swartz and Chris Wehrman Staff: Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood Item 1: Call meeting to order; confirm presence of a quorum. Chair Todd Stabley called the meeting to order at 7:14 p.m. Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood called the roll and stated there would be a quorum when Vice Chair Kate Albrecht arrived. Albrecht had informed Trueblood she was delayed by traffic. Trueblood advised the board that the meeting could begin but the board could not take official actions until Albrecht arrived and quorum established. Item 2: Consideration of changes or adjustments to the agenda There were none. Item 3: Approval of minutes from Oct. 17, 2017, and Nov. 21, 2017, meetings. This item was addressed after Item 4 to wait for the presence of a quorum. Motion: Albrecht moved approval of both sets of minutes as presented. Stabley seconded. Vote: Unanimous Item 4: Discuss development of Murray Street Park Master Plan Trueblood reviewed that this is a draft plan. She had added background information about early park development to the plan. Trueblood noted Albrecht arrived at 7:17 p.m., making quorum for the meeting. Trueblood shared that she had found the original sketch for the park, which also indicated paths and a small play area. She reviewed the existing conditions section of the plan, which includes comments from board members and park neighbors at previous meetings as well as current photographs. She then reviewed the plan details and recommendations. Board members appreciated the detailed background information and suggested new stairs might be a priority. Trueblood noted there are not immediate funds available to install a new swing set. Bird feeders could be installed, especially if they are donated by Wild Birds Unlimited. Board members suggested letting the park’s neighbors know that the board intends to vote on this plan in February and that there won’t be many changes at once due to lack of budgeted funds. For instance, the old play equipment would not be disassembled until the town purchased new play equipment, and there is not money in the budget to purchase such equipment now. Page 2 of 3 Trueblood suggested she craft a priorities page at the end of the plan so neighbors would know the order of the changes that are likely to take place. Trueblood reviewed that the priorities were: 1. Landscaping, removing the stairs and dead trees, and working on the stream and new plantings 2. Adding amenities and paths 3. Retrofitting the play area and installing new equipment The board discussed possible surfacings for the paths in the park, such as Chapel Hill gravel. Item 5: Mid-year review of expenditures Trueblood reviewed that the parks budget was $65,000. This does not include grounds maintenance; it does include Riverwalk greenway. There is now $38,000 remaining. Big expenditures were fence repair and mulch in Gold and Murray Street parks after the second and third floods of the year, replacing the fence at Turnip Patch Park, and replacing the slides at the Gold Park playground. Expenses that will be incurred in the remainder of the budget year will be replacement of deteriorated wood on a bridge over a stream in Gold Park, design improvements to a parking area in Kings Highway Park, a wayfinding kiosk in Gold Park, graphic design changes to the map that would go in the kiosk, and any small repairs that need to be made. Item 6: Annual election of officers — chair and vice chair Motion: Stabley moved to table elections until February when more members are present. Taylor seconded. Vote: Unanimous Item 7: Reports and updates — (Parks and Recreation-related reports) • Board of Commissioners: Mark Bell — There was no report. • Planning Board: Chris Wehrman — He was absent so there was no report. • Orange County Parks and Recreation Council: Annie Jarabek — There was no report. • Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Jarabek — The Orange County Board of Commissioners is holding a public hearing at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Whitted Human Services Center regarding the Mountains- to-Sea Trail. The trail near Cane Creek Reservoir and an alternate trail are two separate items. Trueblood shared more information about the proposed trail locations and a map. Motion: Stabley moved to approve Jarabek to advocate for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail on behalf of the Parks and Recreation Board at the upcoming commissioners meeting. Albrecht seconded. Vote: Unanimous • Intergovernmental Parks Work Group: Trueblood — There has not been another meeting, so there is no report. • Park steward reports: 1. Gold Park: Jarabek — There was no report. Dog Park: Taylor — It looked to be in good shape. Bell said mulch is eroding in some areas but the grass is doing well, so he wonders about establishing more grass. Trueblood explained the dog park would have to closed for a long time to establish grass. 2. Cates Creek Park: Albrecht — Many groups are using it. Now that the apartment complex has a lot of tenants, the park is busy, Albrecht said. Kids play in the woods on the far side of the field. She would like the woods to be designed for access eventually. 3. Turnip Patch Park: Jarabek — It looks good. Page 3 of 3 4. Murray Street Park: Campbell — She was not there to give a report. 5. Kings Highway Park: Stabley — He had no report, but Trueblood reported that an Eagle Scout had cleaned and fixed the picnic table, installed a bench and mulched the picnic area. The materials were donated for this project. 6. Hillsborough Heights Park: Kim Woodell — There are some low branches at eye level. 7. Riverwalk: Stabley — It looks great. Trueblood reported there is a detour in place for Riverwalk because a sewer main is being replaced. • Staff updates: ○ An Eagle Scout will install low, natural fencing along Riverwalk where erosion is taking place. This is not where pedestrians try to access the rocks. He will stack tree limbs in a way to create habitat for animals. He will be looking for volunteers to block four areas where erosion is happening. This will not cost the town any money. ○ An Eagle Scout wants to build a chalkboard for Turnip Patch Park. The chalkboard will be installed on the fence, and the scout will install a bucket for chalk as well. This will not cost the town any money. ○ Trueblood has been working on a draft budget for Fiscal Year 2018-19. Her draft budget includes: ◦ Turnip Patch Park and Murray Street Park improvements ◦ Landscaping for the entrance slopes at Cates Creek ◦ A kiosk and water fountains at Gold Park, if not paid for this year ◦ Kings Highway Park parking lot improvements ◦ A newspaper and weekly containment area in front of Mayo Park ◦ A boardwalk connecting the western part of Latimer Street to Hayes Street ◦ Downtown landscaping and amenities and expansion or maintenance of the pollinator gardens ◦ Usual grounds maintenance and repair ◦ A full-time parks manager position, possibly paired with a facilities manager position Item 7: Adjourn Motion: Stabley moved to adjourn at 8:39 p.m. Jarabek seconded. Vote: Unanimous