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Home My Public Portal About10-16-2018 Minutes PRB Regular Meeting Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood 101 E. Orange St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-296-9481 | stephanie.trueblood@hillsboroughnc.gov www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov Parks and Recreation Board Minutes | 1 of 1 Minutes Parks and Recreation Board 7 p.m. Oct. 16, 2018 Board Meeting Room, Town Hall Annex, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Chair Robb English, Vice Chair Todd Stabley, Board of Commissioners representative Mark Bell (ex officio), Noah Mace, Rebecca Swartz, and Kim Woodell Absent: Kate Albrecht, Ashley Campbell, Annie Jarabek and Chris Wehrman (Planning Board representative) Staff: Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood Guests: Commissioner Kathleen Ferguson 1. Call to order and confirmation of quorum Chair Robb English called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood called the roll and confirmed the presence of a quorum. 2. Agenda changes and approval Trueblood said Lucas Phillips, the Scout who would be presenting Item 4, would be late due to a soccer game and asked that the board skip Item 4 until he arrives. The chair approved the agenda. 3. Minutes review and approval Minutes from regular meeting on Aug. 21, 2018 Motion: Vice Chair Todd Stabley moved approval of the minutes with correction. Board Member Noah Mace seconded. Vote: Unanimous Changes: Board Member Rebecca Swartz was absent in August. “Stable” should be “table” on Page 2. 4. Eagle Scout project proposal from Lucas Phillips to construct and install chalkboards at Turnip Patch Park Phillips introduced himself and reviewed that he wishes to construct and install chalkboards at Turnip Patch Park. Trueblood noted that it would likely take at least three coats of chalkboard paint to get a good chalkboard surface. It was suggested to install at least one of the two chalkboards low for toddlers. Phillips said he could install two 4-foot-by-8-foot chalkboards by spring. Phillips’s father, Gregg Phillips, introduced himself and said that he is a coordinator of service projects for Troop 438. He invited the board to suggest service projects and Eagle Scout projects to the troop. 5. Discussion of Hillsborough Heights Park master plan Trueblood reviewed that Hillsborough Heights is a pocket park. It was constructed in 2006 on land donated by Parks and Recreation Board Minutes | 2 of 4 Assistant Town Manager/Planning Director Margaret Hauth. The back of the park borders Commissioner Kathleen Ferguson’s property. Trueblood noted that Murray Street Park was the first town park and Hillsborough Heights was the second. Trueblood reviewed the 2005 plan put together by neighbors and by Parks and Recreation Board members. Not all the plan was implemented, but the play equipment, picnic tables, grill and some trash cans were. The Hillsborough Garden Club donated a small corner garden when the park was new. Soon after it was built, neighbors requested a fence, which was donated by a nearby church (materials and labor). Ferguson said a few families are bringing babies or toddlers in strollers to the park. There are some preteens who play with a ball or play chase, and there are some teenagers who spend time at the two picnic tables. The Community Watch used to host cookouts there, but that hasn’t happened in some time. Ferguson would like to see more landscaping. She said some plants were planted where they wouldn’t grow well or were planted too close together. She thinks the landscaping needs tidying. A mother who lives in the Churton Grove neighborhood said she belongs to a play group with four other moms. They have 16 kids between them and this park is too small for that many children, she said. She suggested placing seating near the playground area so that moms who need to feed a baby can also watch other children playing on the playground. The Churton Grove resident said it is helpful to have some playground equipment at ground level for toddlers. Trueblood said the trend now is to have playground equipment with more natural materials. Ferguson said she would like to see this playground have equipment as nice as the other parks. The Churton Grove resident expressed an interest in a shade sail. Trueblood suggested replacing the tables with wooden picnic tables. Board Member Kim Woodell expressed concern about locating the open space near the road because balls can go into the road and there may not be adult supervision for the older children. Ferguson said right now they are playing in the street, across the street and in the front section of the park. Trueblood would like to see a butterfly garden and touch-and-feel garden. She noted creating a more contemplative space invites adults unaccompanied by children to use the space. Ferguson said she thought that would be appealing to older neighborhood residents. There was interest in installing a mud kitchen for hands-on imaginative play and a board that could be “painted” multiple times with water-wetted paintbrushes. There was talk of having a focal point like swings. There was interest in building a stick “beehive playhouse” for kids to play in (examples can be found on Pinterest). Interest was expressed in gathering input from the neighborhood by inviting neighbors to a neighborhood meeting in the park on a weekend. A date was not set. 6. Discussion of budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2020 Trueblood reviewed that the following projects are funded in the current fiscal year, which is Fiscal Year 2019: • Slides at Gold Park • Map kiosk at Gold Park • Turnip Patch butterfly garden and picnic table Parks and Recreation Board Minutes | 3 of 4 • Interpretive signs (Pollinator Garden, Regulators Marker, Old Town Cemetery) • Kings Highway Park parking lot improvements • Downtown crosswalks made of stamped asphalt Trueblood reviewed that the board has discussed requesting that the Board of Commissioners fund the following for Fiscal Year 2020: • New interpretive signs (two at Kings Highway Park and one on Cedar Lane) • Murray Street Park improvements • Cates Creek Park improvements Trueblood noted that the unfunded requests include: • A pedestrian bridge at Latimer Street • Exchange Club Park lease/acquisition and improvements (skate park) Board members agreed that Exchange Club Park acquisition and development is their highest priority for budget requests. Other possibilities include: • Picnic tables at Hillsborough Heights Park • Benches at cemeteries • Amenities like updated picnic tables at Kings Highway Park 7. Discussion of rescheduling joint meeting with parks advisory boards It was decided to reschedule the meeting for March 19. 8. Parks and Recreation-related reports A. Board of Commissioners — Commissioner Mark Bell reported that the board had revised the ordinance for sidewalk dining areas. B. Planning Board — There was no report. C. Orange County Parks and Recreation Council — There was no report. D. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group — There was no report. 9. Park steward reports A. Gold Park — Trueblood reported that the wayfinding kiosk and community bulletin board has been installed. She has scheduled repairs to some of the boardwalks. An Eagle Scout made some habitat piles in Gold Park. B. Gold Park dog park — Swartz said there is a gap near the gate. C. Cates Creek Park — Trueblood reported that university students are working with the Stormwater and Environmental Services Division to test soil samples before and after adding compost blanketing on the eroded hill near the soccer field. D. Murray Street Park — Trueblood reported that play surfacing would be added soon. E. Kings Highway Park — There was no report. F. Hillsborough Heights Park — Woodell reported a fence post is leaning on the right side of the park. G. Turnip Patch Park — There was no report. H. Riverwalk — It was noted that some limbs had fallen in the river. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes | 4 of 4 8. Staff updates Trueblood reported that: • The West Hillsborough Sidewalk Connections Project is on schedule. She noted the work on South Nash Street is coming to a finish. The focus for the next month or so is the greenway connections to Riverwalk and Allison Street. • The bids for the parking lot expansion at Kings Highway Park are coming in a little higher than expected. • She plans to re-mulch the Gold Park dog park in late winter. Trueblood noted that Jesse Mowles-Aring was in attendance as he considers applying to fill a vacancy on this board. 9. Adjournment Motion: Woodell moved to adjourn at 8:53 p.m. Swartz seconded. Vote: Unanimous