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Home My Public Portal About02-18-2020 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 4 Minutes Parks and Recreation Board 7 p.m. Feb. 18, 2020 Town Hall Annex Board Meeting Room, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Vice Chair Jesse Mowles-Aring, Carl Cuthbertson, Board of Commissioners representative Robb English, Planning Board representative Lisa Frazier, Chelsea Gailey, Andrew Landstrom and Jason Pattison Absent: Breanna McCormley, Cole Kenworthy and Chair Noah Mace Staff: Public Space Manager Stephanie Trueblood and Public Information Specialist Cheryl Sadgrove Guests: Desi Parker 1. Call to order and confirmation of quorum Vice Chair Jesse Mowles-Aring 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 The agenda stood as presented. 3. Minutes review and approval Minutes from regular meeting on Jan. 21, 2020 Motion: Member Lisa Frazier moved to approve the minutes as presented. Member Andrew Landstrom seconded. Vote: Unanimous 4. Presentation by Desi Parker about Girl Scout Award project proposal for improvements at Hillsborough Heights Park Parker shared the timeline for her projects and reviewed that she planned to create a contemplative garden and build a beehive-shaped play structure. Commissioner Robb English and Member Chelsea Gailey arrived around 7:03 p.m. Motion: Landstrom moved to accept the timeline as presented. Frazier seconded. Vote: Unanimous 5. Update by Jason Pattison regarding Cedar Ridge High School students’ feedback about Exchange Club Park master plan Pattison shared survey questions that he circulated among Cedar Ridge High School students and the answers he received. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes | 2 of 4 The survey asked what amenities teens would like to see at Exchange Club Park. Many of the answers were skatepark and included requests for specific types of ramps for skating. Other responses included: basketball courts; fire pit; pool; BMX-included skate park; snack machines; hammock village; lacrosse nets; indoor space with couches for studying; picnic tables; interactive games like ping pong and cornhole; charging stations for phones; cool seats; water fountain; physical challenge park like a Ninja warrior course; gazebo; gaga pit; and drive-in movie theater. The survey asked what would make teens feel safe without their parents. Answers included lights, cameras, fences, emergency phones, visibility into the park, and 10 p.m. closure of the park. The survey asked how teens envision teenagers getting to and from the park and what would make traveling to the park more convenient. Answers included that Exchange Club Park is convenient for some teens to walk there. Many answers were a bus route/bus stop, sidewalks, driving, connection to the Riverwalk greenway, and bike racks. The survey asked what teens would like to see on the nine undeveloped acres on the west side of the creek. Answers included a skatepark, basketball courts, bike trails, a place to paint or draw with chalk, mountain biking trails, walking trails through the woods, hammock area, preservation and dog park. The survey asked whether teens thought a skate park would be a good use of the park. Pattison reported that 113 of 123 respondents to this question said yes. The survey asked what other uses teens would like to see at this site besides recreation. Responses included many recreation options and space where graffiti-style public art would be welcome. Public Information Specialist Cheryl Sadgrove, who prepares minutes for the board, noted that her Orange High School student and some of his classmates had also responded to the survey. Pattison was asked how many people responded to the first and last questions. Pattison shared there were: • 101 responses to the first question. • 123 responses to the fourth question. • 82 responses to the last question. Pattison said he would send Trueblood the complete survey results. English said he has received one email recently about the possibility of a skatepark. Trueblood said town staff has received emails from two adults advocating for a park for teenagers. Landstrom expressed interest in placing automated external defibrillators at town parks. English encouraged Landstrom to keep asking for them. Trueblood said she would share the survey responses with the board. 6. Conceptual planning for Gold Park master plan Trueblood shared background information about Gold Park. It has a past history of being mill property. A bend in the river was rerouted in the 1970s. The property was donated to the town in 1995. The park was opened in 2009. Trueblood said the park was designed to flood, and floodwaters sweep mulch from the dog park. There are bricks in the woods from a fire at the mill years ago. A baseball diamond for mill baseball teams was at the location of the current field. There is folklore that a cemetery was on the site, but no one has found any indication of a cemetery. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes | 3 of 4 English noted that the 60-some parking spaces at the park are often all in use on weekends. Trueblood noted that Gold Park is heavily used for birthday parties. Trueblood said she spoke with Stormwater and Environmental Services Manager Terry Hackett about the impervious surface limitations at the park. The wetlands area, bioretention pond and swales are designed for what was built. To add any impervious surface, the town would need to develop more stormwater treatment areas. Low-impact uses could be added. She noted that the master plan will need to include the Tree Board’s proposed reforestation plan. Landstrom asked if there have been requests for additions to the park that have come up more than once. Trueblood said a splashpad and shade are frequently requested in the summer. Mostly she hears that people really like Gold Park. Trueblood noted that the field gets used the most by The Expedition School, gets some use for pick-up soccer, and has an occasional bounce house rental. Pattison left at 8:26 p.m. Trueblood noted she doesn’t see the baseball area with the backstop area getting used for baseball. However, the history of the mill teams playing baseball here is honored by that backstop. The field is sized for competitive soccer games. It could be possible to use part of that space for something else. She also noted that there is a lack of basketball courts in Hillsborough. A board member expressed appreciation for the open space provided by the large field. Several board members thought it may be appropriate to add a basketball court on part of the field space. Trueblood suggested inviting Hackett to talk about stormwater regulations at the next meeting. She encouraged the board to think about who uses the park, who the stakeholders are, and how to reach people for comment on a master plan. It is the most used park, so changes would affect many people. There was conversation about The Expedition School and dog park users being significant stakeholder groups. 7. Parks and Recreation-related reports A. Board of Commissioners English reported that the board was preparing for its budget retreat, is in early discussions about comprehensive planning, and had recently received an annual report from the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness. B. Planning Board There was no report. C. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group There was no report. 8. Park steward reports Board members reported on the conditions of the parks for which they serve as stewards. Trueblood noted any small repairs that needed attention and gave brief reports on small repairs that had been made since the previous meeting. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes | 4 of 4 8. Staff updates Trueblood said: • A contractor will make boardwalk repairs in Gold Park the first week in March. It will take about a month to complete the work, and different sections of trail will be closed while the work is underway. • Handrails have been made and installed for some of the sidewalk steps downtown. • The bee hotel has insects occupying it. She has learned more about bee hotels and will replace some of the bamboo with cardboard reeds because moisture gets trapped in the bamboo, molding the larvae. Gailey offered to be trained to maintain the bee hotel. • Murray Street Park plantings will be planted in about two weeks. 9. Adjournment Motion: Member Carl Cuthbertson moved to adjourn at 8:55 p.m. Gailey seconded. Vote: Unanimous