HomeMy Public PortalAbout05-21-19 PRB Minutes 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
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Minutes
Parks and Recreation Board
7 p.m. May 21, 2019
Town Hall Annex Board Meeting Room, 105 E. Corbin St.
Present: Chair Robb English, Kate Albrecht, Lisa Frazier (Planning Board representative) Jesse Mowles-Aring,
Noah Mace, Rebecca Swartz and Kim Woodell
Absent: Vice Chair Todd Stabley, Board of Commissioners representative Mark Bell (ex officio), Annie Jarabek,
Staff: Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood
1. Call to order and confirmation of quorum
Chair Robb English called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood called the
roll and confirmed the presence of a quorum.
2. Agenda changes and approval
There were no changes. The agenda stood as presented.
3. Minutes review and approval
A. Minutes from regular meeting on March 19, 2019
Motion: Member Kate Albrecht moved approval of the minutes as submitted. Member Rebecca Swartz
seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
B. Review meeting notes from joint advisory board meeting on April 23, 2019
The board reviewed the notes and added that Carrboro has a youth member on its parks and recreation
board.
4. Discussion: Add dedicated position for teenage member
Idea generated from joint advisory board meeting.
This item was address after Item 5. Several board members said one takeaway from the joint advisory board
meeting is that other jurisdictions include a teen member on parks and recreation boards. This board is
interested in also including a teen member.
It was acknowledged that the teen member would have his or her own opinions that may differ from other
teens, just like adult members do.
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Trueblood noted that the Orange County Department on Aging also recommends specifying an advisory board
seat for a senior citizen. The board agreed to do that as well.
Motion: English moved to recommend that the Board of Commissioners change the Code of Ordinances to
specify the Parks and Recreation Board be a 10-member board with one position dedicated for a
senior (55+ years old) and one position dedicated for a teen (13-19 years old) and to update text
to reflect the board has no member from the Occoneechee Mountain Committee. Member Jesse
Mowles-Aring seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
5. Proposal: Use privacy fence in Gold Park for art panels
Casey Collins, a Hillsborough resident and member of the Tree Board, suggested that the Parks and Recreation
Board consider a local art project involving children to paint panels with a nature which that would hang on
the privacy fence at Gold Park.
Trueblood said the Orange County Arts Commission has offered to help organize the project.
Board members said that they liked the idea. There was some discussion about the best material for the
panels. English suggested a product called Gator Skin to create a paintable surface.
It was decided that Trueblood and Collins would meet with the executive director of the Orange County Arts
Commission to continue developing the project.
Motion: Albrecht moved to support a Gold Park art panel project and to request staff to work with
stakeholders on a project proposal and to return to the board with a project scope and schedule.
Swartz seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
6. Debriefing: Joint meeting with parks advisory boards
A. Community Engagement — Member Noah Mace shared that the discussion mostly focused on including teen
members and on sharing information in other languages.
B. Needs Assessments and Data Sharing — Albrecht shared that there was talk of going to places like groceries
and laundromats to survey people who may be harder to reach. There is no date set for a county needs
assessment survey.
C. Environmental Stewardship and Conservation Efforts — Swartz expressed disappointment that few attendees
chose this for discussion.
D. Collaboration and Funding Partnerships — English shared that no staff sat in on this discussion. He suggested
it would be worth talking with Orange County about collaborating on a skate park.
E. Multi-Modal Trail — Mowles-Aring shared that many people attending this session were passionate about
creating a multi-modal trail. He said a few north-south routes have been identified. There also may be a
future connection between Durham, Chapel Hill, and Jordan Lake using a former railroad route. Orange
County plans to work on feasibility studies.
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7. Parks and Recreation-related reports
A. Board of Commissioners — No report.
B. Planning Board — No report.
C. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group — Trueblood reported that the group had met and that someone from
the Orange County Department on Aging had spoken. She said most of the discussion was on artificial turf.
8. Park steward reports
A. Gold Park — No report.
B. Gold Park dog park — Swartz said mulch was caught in the fence after flooding and needed to be knocked to
the ground.
C. Cates Creek Park — Trueblood reported that compost blanketing had been added to the entrance slopes and
that the new plantings in the expanded pollinator garden were doing well. She asked for help watering the
new plantings over the summer.
D. Murray Street Park — Member Lisa Frazier offered to be the park steward. Swartz said she checked on this
park recently and it looked nice.
E. Kings Highway Park — Mace reported that the trails had become overgrown and that the trail by the river is
not visible. He said invasive plants have taken over. Trueblood said the trails get cleared once a year. Funding
for that project is available July 1. Trueblood said she has noticed more cars parked there than ever before.
F. Hillsborough Heights Park — No report.
G. Riverwalk — Trueblood reported that UNC archaeology students were working on a site next to the Classical
American Homes Preservation Trust portion of the greenway.
8. Staff updates
Trueblood reported that:
• Planting had taken place at the expanded pollinator garden in Cates Creek Park.
• Compost blanketing had been applied in Cates Creek Park.
• Some broken pickets and handrails were scheduled to be repaired on the Riverwalk greenway in Gold
Park.
• The stream buffer restoration projects in Murray Street and Turnip Patch parks were completed.
• This board has several vacancies due to the resignation of Ashley Campbell, the future resignation of
Albrecht, and terms ending for Vice Chair Todd Stabley and Kim Woodell. This board seeks representation
from different neighborhoods. West Hillsborough is well represented on the board.
• The purchase of Exchange Club Park was not likely to be funded for Fiscal Year 2020.
The board discussed ways to move forward with prioritizing Exchange Club Park.
Motion: Swartz moved to prioritize Exchange Club Park master plan as the priority for this board for FY20.
Mowles-Aring seconded.
Vote: Unanimous
9. Adjournment
Motion: Albrecht moved to adjourn at 9:03 p.m. Frazier seconded.
Vote: Unanimous