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1996-09-09 City of Southlake, Texas CITY OF SOUTHLAKE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING September 9, 1996 MINUTES Board Members Present: Carol Lee Hamilton, Robin Jones, Ronnie Kendall, Larry Goldstein, Sherry Berman, and Vicki Johnson. Bethann Scratchard entered the meeting at 9:15 p.m. Board Members Absent: Rod Johnson and Gary Beyer City Staff Present: Director Kim McAdams Lenoir and Administrative Assistant Coy Gray. The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. by Vice-Chair Vicki Johnson Aizenda Item No 2 Consider: Approval of Minutes for 8/12/96 Regular Board & 8/22/96 Special Board Meetings Motion was made to approve the minutes on August 12, 1996. Motion: Hamilton Second: Kendall Ayes: Kendall, Hamilton, Goldstein, V. Johnson, Berman, Jones Nays: none Approved: 6-0 The following changes were recommended to the minutes on August 22, 1996. Agenda item 2- Add that "Rod Johnson noted that water carries sound." In the third paragraph, last sentence, insert "1/4 mile" in place of "'/z mile." In the fourth paragraph, second sentence, delete "maybe off-road bike trails," and add a sentence about how off-road trails were discussed but the Board did not see a need to consider this use at this time. Add to the last sentence, that "The recommendations made by Sherry Berman will be attached to the Bob Jones Master Plan report or recommendation." Spelling corrections under agenda item No. 4, second sentence, from "emphasis" to "emphasize" and change "fees" to "fee." Add the discussion about "budget" by Larry Goldstein at the end of the meeting. Motion was made to approve the minutes for August 22, 1996 as corrected. Motion: Berman Second: Hamilton Ayes: Kendall, Hamilton, Goldstein, V. Johnson, Berman, Jones Nays: none Approved: 6-0 City of Southlake, Texas Aizenda Item No. 3, Administrative Comments. Larry Goldstein requested the Board's involvement in the budget process be addressed by the City Manager. He questioned if the by-laws need to be changed. Director Lenoir said she would ask City Manager Curtis E. Hawk to comment on the budget process by the Board. Vicki Johnson asked about the status of the letter to Bob Ledbetter asking the CISD to reconsider the indoor soccer at Durham Elementary. Johnson will sign the letter in Rod Johnson's absence. Agenda Item No. 4. Public Forum. Vice-Chair Vicki Johnson opened the Public Forum. Cara White, 84475 Homestead Drive Stated that the Parks and Recreation Board had not sufficiently addressed the buffer issue between the soccer fields and the residents in the Bob Jones area. She also stated the lake in Bob Jones Park is reasonable. She stated that she wants to show the neighborhood's alternate plan at the SPIN meetings and she had reserved the auditorium for both dates. She requested that the entire Park Board attend both SPIN meetings. Richard Anderson, 4552 N. White Chapel Stated that Kim Lenoir, Parks and Recreation Director, was attempting to turn soccer advocates against the Bob Jones Park area neighbors by the remarks she made in a recent article in the Colleyville News & Times. He stated that he resented Mrs. Lenoir for making those remarks and instead of bringing the community together she is tearing it apart. He asked that his comments become a part of the record of this meeting. (Written comments attached). Susan Scott, 9 Sam Bass Ridge Stated that the Park Board should consider amending the Southlake Trail System Master Plan to exclude the four miles of hike and bike trails planned for Bob Jones Park near Grapevine Lake for the following reasons: 1) safety concerns for horses and people, 2) the City doesn't have the funds to patrol the trail properly, 3) many hike and bike trails already exist in the Metroplex, 4) lake access already exists on both sides of Grapevine Lake, and 5) according to the citizen survey 85% of the citizens want open space. Vicki Johnson read a letter from Mr. Christian delivered to the Board before the meeting. The letter by Mr. Christian stated that North White Chapel should be widened before any construction begins at Bob Jones Park. (Letter attached.) Vice-Chair Vicki Johnson closed the public forum. Another resident asked to address the Board. Secretary Carol Lee Hamilton requested that the public forum be reopened. Parks and Recreation Board Meeting on September 9, 1996 Page 2 of 5 City of Southlake, Texas Vice-chair Johnson reopened the public forum. Zena Rucker, S. Carroll Stated she has been a resident of Southlake since the 1960's. She stated the original concept of the City of Southlake was to have undeveloped open spaces. She stated she would prefer the Park Board put athletic fields in one area, leave the area next to lake natural open space. Vice-Chair Johnson closed the public forum. Agenda Item No. 5, Consider: Timarron Park Fee Credits Steve Yetts from Timarron presented the Board with a summary of his requests for Village "I" and "F." Carol Lee Hamilton asked Mr. Yetts to get the information to the Board before the meeting, in their packets if he expected the Board to consider his request. She was tired of him not complying with the procedures of the Board when it came to Timarron and she expected him to fill out the park dedication fee credit form early so that the Board may study the request before the meeting. Mr. Yetts apologized and said he would comply in the future. The Board reviewed the information supplied by Mr. Yetts and consulted the Southlake Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan for Zone 6. Motion was made to recommend 100% reimbursement of fees for the public trails existing or to be built by Timarron on Byron Nelson Parkway and Continental Boulevard. A 10% open space fee credit would be recommended for Village "I" for the open space provided in the Neighborhood Center Number 2. Motion: Hamilton Second: Berman Ayes: Hamilton, V. Johnson, Berman, Jones Nays: Kendall, Goldstein Approved: 4-2 Agenda Item No. 6, Consider: Equestrian Trail Signage The Board reviewed the wording for the "standard" equestrian trail head signage. The first sign will be placed at the Huse Homeplace Equestrian Trail easement. The Board recommended that the sign read "trails" and that a "maximum fine of $500" be added. Motion was made to approve the equestrian trail signage with the changes. Motion: Jones Second: Berman Ayes: Hamilton, Kendall, Goldstein, V. Johnson, Berman, Jones Parks and Recreation Board Meeting on September 9, 1996 Page 3 of 5 City of Southlake, Texas Nays: none Approved 6-0 Asienda Item No. 7. Consider: Revisions to the Park Buildinia Reservation Policy The Board recommended that the policy separate "regular meetings" from "special activities" and corrected a spelling and grammar error. Motion was made to approve the Park Building Reservation Policy with changes discussed. (Policy attached to the minutes.) Motion: Hamilton Second: Goldstein Ayes: Hamilton, Kendall, Goldstein, V. Johnson, Berman, Jones Nays: none Approved 6-0 Aizenda Item No. 8. Consider: Report of Parks & Recreation Board Tour Carol Lee Hamilton recommended that a "purpose" statement be added and that the topics be highlighted. Motion was made to approve the report of the Parks & Recreation Board Tour with the recommended changes. Motion: Hamilton Second: Jones Ayes: Hamilton, Kendall, Goldstein, V. Johnson, Berman, Jones Nays: none Approved 6-0 Agenda Item No. 9. Consider: After-school Program Procedure Motion was made to table the item until the next regularly scheduled meeting. Motion: Hamilton Second: Jones Ayes: Hamilton, Kendall, Goldstein, V. Johnson, Berman, Jones Nays: none Approved 6-0 Agenda Item No. 10. Discussion: Parks. Recreation and Open Space Master Plan Update The Board recommended the following: Under Community Parks, page 23, add that tennis facilities will be in Bicentennial Park. Note that programs are "year round." Under Neighborhood Parks, page 25, delete "additional" from the last sentence. The Board reorganized the priorities on page 26 taking into account the citizen survey done in June. Items recommended from 1998 to 2011 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting on September 9, 1996 Page 4 of 5 City of Southlake, Texas should be bullet points instead of numbers. On page 27, the Board deleted the last column listing Board priorities since they were actually outlined on page 26. On page 28, Facilities Summary, users for the tennis courts were updated and the high school tennis courts were deleted from the inventory due to limited access. The Board recommended that the changes be made and distributed to the SPIN Standing Committee for review and comments. Agenda Item No. 11, Discussion: Board Members Orientation The Board reviewed the orientation information in the packet and commented that it was useful and should be distributed to people considering serving on the Board. To improve communications the Board requested that staff add Park Board agendas and outcome of agenda items to the City Manager's Report. Meeting minutes should to be distributed to the City Council and SPIN representatives. This would help the Board to receive feedback from the City Council and the public. Agenda Item No. 12, Liaison Reports and Assign New Liaison Positions Liaison Reports: Budget - Bethann Scratchard had no report to present. Publicity - Robin Jones and Sherry Berman announced a meeting to be held on September 16, at 2:00 pm at the Community Center for the preparation of the upcoming SPIN Meetings. Recreation - Carol Lee Hamilton discussed "March for Parks" and asked the Board to take the lead on this project with KSB. The Board will consider on a future agenda. Future Facility Development - Larry Goldstein and Robin Jones spoke with the Mayor and David Yelton about five properties for acquisition. The Mayor and Yelton were interested in two and asked Larry and Robin to look into these properties. Bob Jones - Ronnie Kendall said the Board must look into the buffers some more at Bob Jones Park. Youth Sports Association - no report SPDC - no report JUC - Bethann Scratchard reported that JUC reviewed the annual facility use attachments to the Joint-use agreements. Robin said that the CHS tennis courts were now locked and not always available to the tennis players. KSB - Lisa Stokdyk is the new President of KSB. Carol Lee Hamilton will ask KSB to co-sponsor "March for Parks." Development - Robin Jones ask that the Board work on ordinances for park dedication recommendations to be presented to the City Council at the upcoming joint meeting. The Park Board and City Council need to address sidewalks / trail requirements. e being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 10:35 p.m.. Vicki l on, Vice-Chair Carol Lee Hamilton, Secretary Parks and Recreation Board Meeting on September 9, 1996 Page 5 of 5 Comments Before The Southlake Park Board September 9, 1996 Richard Anderson 4553 N. White Chapel Rd. Roanoke, Texas 76262 (City of Southlake) Chairman Johnson and members of the Southlake Park Board. Thank you for the opportunity to address you in regards to the plans for Bob Jones Park and the Army Corps of Engineers, Walnut Grove Equestrian Trails. I also want to thank you for helping me meet so many of my neighbors. We have lived in Southlake for about two years now, and my wife and I have met more neighbors than we ever thought possible over such a short period of time. Divide and Conquer! that seems to be the motto of the Southlake Director of Parks and Recreation. Comments made by Parks Director Kim McAdams Lenoir in last Friday's Southlake edition of the "News and Times" appear to be an attempt to turn members of the Grapevine/Southlake Soccer Association and others, against homeowners in my neighborhood. It appears to be an effort to increase the pressure on the Parks Board, Mayor and City Council to ignore concerns our neighborhood has regarding the design of Bob Jones Park. For the record, the Bob Jones Neighborhood is NOT opposed to the park, we are NOT opposed to the construction of soccer practice fields and our opposition to the Park design has NOT delayed construction of one soccer field or any other facilities planned for the park. We ARE concerned about the placement of those fields and the impact on our safety and lifestyle. For the record, the 17 acres of land at the corner of Bob Jones and White Chapel Road was purchased by the city about 1 year ago, not for soccer fields, but for a Public Works department work center and yard. For the record, the closest house is 150 yards away, not a half mile. There were other comments attributed to Ms. Lenoir, all of which were designed to create a ground swell of public opinion against the very Southlake residents who have the most at stake, those who live closest to the park and whose lifestyle will be most negatively impacted. We do not believe it is appropriate for a city employee, paid with taxpayers dollars, to attempt to pit one group of citizens against another. We encourage all city employees to work with our Park Board and City Council to find common ground. Page 2. City of Southlake Park Board Comments United we stand, divided we fall...... By working together, Park Board, City Council and community groups, we can have a park design we can all be proud of, that will provide the existing neighborhood a buffer from high use areas, will provide the soccer association and others the athletic fields they need; and maintain the open natural space that 85 percent of Southlake residents, in the City's own survey, say is most important to them. Tonight, the Bob Jones neighborhood is offering to join forces with the Southlake Soccer association and call for the Parks Board to work in good faith with all interested parties to address all concerns about the design of Bob Jones Park and the Walnut Grove Equestrian Trail to produce a forward looking design that Southlake residents will be proud of well into the next century. We do NOT believe the current plan does that. Thank you! Remarks. Before the Southlake Parks and Recreation Board September 9, 1996, by Susan Scott, Southlake Resident In August, 1995, the City Council of Southlake, Texas, approved a Trail System Master Plan for hiking and biking trails to be constructed throughout the City and to interconnect with surrounding city trails. The public meetings regarding this plan were not well publicized and I only recently became aware of the City's Plan. Construction is to begin soon. While overall I support the Master Plan, I am opposed to a small section within Bob Jones Park calling for 10-foot wide, barrier-free paved trails to be constructed along the south shore of Lake Grapevine on Army Corps property beside the National Equestrian Trail registered with the Department of the Interior which have existed for over a decade. The reasons are numerous: Construction of a multi-use path beside the equestrian trails will create dangerous confrontations with galloping horses for hikers, bikers, roller bladers, skateboarders, joggers and wheelchair-bound nature lovers. The liability issues are obvious to the City. Experience has taught us that motorized vehicle riders will find this area attractive when the barriers are removed. The City lacks the funds and manpower to patrol these trails adequately, let alone maintain these paved paths in a flood plane, which has been under water for long periods in 1983, `89, `90 and `91. There are currently many multi-use trails in the Metroplex which exclude horse riders, such as Rockledge Park. The trails in question are the only public trails left in the area of any length. There is a tremendous need for horse trails in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The Master Plan calls for more than 90 miles of off-road trails within the City of Southlake. The area in question comprises only 4 miles (or 4 per cent of the total.) There is already lake access from several other parks around Lake Grapevine; however, additional paved trails could be built along Walnut Grove cove to further serve bike riding and skateboard/roller blade activity, separate and a safe distance from the equestrian trails. A recent city-funded survey of Southlake residents indicated that 85% of the residents desire to keep open, natural spaces. Not developing the space in question would be a cost-free means of providing specifically what Southlake residents have told you they want and still support horseback riding as well as hiking, jogging, bird watching and nature appreciation. Delaying the decision as to the nature of the proposed trails (natural vs. paved), until the construction phase is unacceptable. This is Federally owned property and area citizens want these Corps trails to remain natural. I was present last month at the Park Board meeting and witnessed an amendment to the Master Plan. I, therefore, hereby request that the Park Board amend the Master Plan to eliminate these four miles from the Master Plan to preserve the natural beauty and the last unobstructed horseback riding trails in the area. Thank you for your attention. September 9, 1996 City of Southlake Park Board Re: Bob Jones Park Dear Ladies and Gentlemen: I will not be able to attend the meeting tonight at City Hall, but I did want to raise a couple of issues with regard to Bob Jones Park. First, since this proposed park will disrupt quite a large area of native and natural land, I would be inter- ested to know if both State and Federal Environmental Impact st,idies have been conducted? Second, since the proposal now involves a very large park at the end of a poorly maintained country road, I would be interested in knowing if the City of Southlake plans to widen White Chapel Road to at least four lanes prior to any activity beginning at the park. This should also include replacing the bridge over the creek with an elevated concrete bridge. This bridge has been under water on several occasions in the past and I am sure it will again. I believe that failure to do major work to this road and bridge, prior to any park activity beginning, would create a traffic hazard and endanger the children. I ask that you address these issues as you meet this evening. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Tim Christian 4470 Homestead Dr. Southlake, Texas Parks and Recreation Department Policies and Procedures Manual Procedure: Building Reservation Procedure Source: Parks and Recreation Board Category: Reservations Effective Date: January 9, 1995 Revised Date: September 9, 1996 PURPOSE: To summarize the rules and regulations for reserving buildings as outlined in the Park Use Policy. 1. FEES: Fees will be charged in accordance with the current fee schedule. 2. DEPOSIT: If the facility is not left clean and in proper order, or if the keys are not returned within one hour following a meeting, the security deposit may be forfeited and another security deposit must be submitted prior to further use. 3. ACCESS: Access to The Lodge and Community Center is controlled by Parks and Recreation. Multiple activities and/or groups may be scheduled at the same time. The keys will be available and can be obtained from the Parks and Recreation Office between the hours of 8am-5pm Monday thru Friday or evening hours at the police dispatch office located at 667 North Carroll, north end of City Hall, the day of the use or Friday before the weekend use. 4. DAMAGES: Users of the facility are responsible for all damages occurring to the facility, its furnishings, equipment and other property related to the use of the facility, through user's negligence or the negligence of guests, invitees, etc. Payment of the security deposit does not release the user of the facility from responsibility for damages. Failure to comply will result in forfeiture of the security deposit and denied further use of the facility. 5. RESERVATIONS: REGULAR MEETINGS Residents of Southlake may schedule reservations for regular meetings during weekdays. Regular meetings may not exceed two per month. No regular meetings may be reserved from 4:30 p.m. on Friday to 12:00 midnight Sunday except regular meeting groups may have one (1) weekend time slot per year for a special event (3 hour maximum). Organizations that schedule regular meetings for the school year (Sept.-May) will receive their security deposit back (if not forfeited) by June 1. Reservations for the upcoming school year will be accepted on or after August 15. SPECIAL ACTIVITIES Residents and non-residents may schedule reservations for special activities on a first come first serve basis. Reservations cannot be made more than nine months in advance. City meetings and recreation programs will take priority over all building reservations. This may cause a group to be moved or canceled within a 24 hour notice by the Parks and Recreation Department. 6. EQUIPMENT: The City has a U.S. Flag, TV/VCR, dry erase boards, easels, overhead projector and slide projector. The request for these items must be submitted with the facility use request. Equipment will be reserved on a first come first serve basis. City meetings and recreation programs will take priority over all equipment reservations. 7. CLEANING: Return tables and chairs and all other to original place, take trash to dumpster located in parking lot, secure all doors and windows, turn off lights, and turn off thermostats. 8. DECORATIONS & USAGE RESTRICTIONS: The Parks & Recreation Department has outlined a check-in and check-out system and a list of what is expected of the user. All users must follow the rules established for the facilities. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of the deposit and use of the buildings in the future. 9. CANCELLATIONS: The Parks and Recreation Office must be notified of cancellations within 48 hours of reservation time. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of deposit. Parks & Recreation Board Tour Report Purpose The Parks and Recreation Board discussed in January that they needed to tour park facilities to obtain some "hands on" experience and knowledge of developing soccer fields, hike and bike trials, large parks, tennis centers, recreation centers and equestrian facilities. The City Council discussed at the mid-year budget retreat that the Board would tour park facilities in the summer. Members present for the tour were Rod Johnson, Vicki Johnson, Bethann Scratchard, Carol Lee Hamilton, Ronnie Kendall, Larry Goldstein and Sherry Berman. Robin Jones toured the park facilities in Austin and returned to Southlake Saturday morning July 20. Gary Beyer joined the tour in Waco on Saturday afternoon July 20. Staff present was Coy Gray, Administrative Assistant. Kim Lenior, Parks Director joined the tour in Austin on Friday evening July 19. Austin Board members and staff left Southlake at 8:40 am and arrived in Austin at noon. The Board had lunch with Stuart Strong, Park Planner and Kim Jamail, Assistant to the Director from the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. They discussed issues facing their department and the Board members discussed issues facing our parks department. Tennis Center The first facility toured was the South Austin Tennis Center. The center has a pro shop and ten lighted tennis courts. Austin staff pointed out that more people play tennis at night because of the weather. Board member Robin Jones, who is a tennis player, pointed out that the center court was very impressive, because the use of terraced grass areas for bleacher seating. Equestrian Facility The second facility toured was Mary Moore Searight Park. The park is 355 acres of donated land, it has equestrian trails and minor horse facilities such as a horse trailer parking area and an area to mount horses. The park has a creek, disc golf, playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and hike and bike trails. Park Board members were impressed with the solar powered lights throughout the park. They felt the solar powered lights were very cost effective. Soccer Complex The third facility toured was the Circle C Soccer Complex. The complex has 12 soccer fields. Austin staff pointed out that soccer is very popular and that there is a high demand for fields. They also pointed out that soccer has a lower spectator turn out since games are only an hour long and there are fewer soccer players per team therefore there are fewer spectators than found in baseball or football. Veloway The fourth and final Austin park facility toured was the Veloway. The Veloway is 3.1 miles long and twenty-two foot wide asphalt trail that is strictly for bicycle and rollerblade use. Summary In conclusion the tour was beneficial to the Board members because the Austin park facilities are very similar to the ones the City of Southlake will develop in the future. The Park Board was very surprised and impressed with something that does not occur in Southlake, which is the willingness of private citizens and developers to donate park land. The Circle C Soccer Complex and the Veloway were donated to the City of Austin by a private developer and Mary Moore Searight was a private citizen who donated her property for a park. The Board sees this as an option to acquiring land in Southlake and plans to strongly advocate this method. Nature Center The Board's last Austin stop was at the National Wildflower Research Center. The center encourages visitors to convert their traditional lawns to natural wildflower lawns in order to protect the environment. The facilities were very impressive with a combination Spanish and German architecture and cisterns that collect approximately 300,000 gallons of rainwater per year which is used to irrigate the gardens. Georgetown The Board left for Georgetown at 8:00 am on Saturday morning. The Board arrived at the Georgetown Recreation Center at 9:20 am. Randy Morrow, Parks and Recreation Director gave us a tour of their recently completed $1.2 million dollar recreation center. The facility has a large receiving area, game room with pool tables, ping pong and foosball tables, basketball court, and a children's area with books and stuffed animals. The walls have strategically placed windows so the small children can view their parents while they exercise. The center has two racquetball courts, a weight room, and an arts and crafts room. A large kitchen with access to a large room is used by the senior citizens programs and is rented for private parties. The recreation center has a medium sized conference room for Park Board meetings and the Park Administrative offices. Video cameras were in the basketball court, game room, children's play area, and weight room so staff may monitor the rooms and participants from the main deck. The recreation center is on a 100 acre park which has a playground similar to Adventure Alley. The park had ballfields, hike and bike trails along the San Gabriel River, and a swimming pool. The park also had many sheltered picnic areas with large grills. The park has 12 acres of land under soccer field construction. The Park Board members conveyed that the were interested in viewing trails that were in close proximity to residential areas. Director Morrow suggested we go to Pflugerville to view their newly completed hike and bike trails. Director Morrow stated that most residents opposed the trails but after they were constructed the residents praised the trails and the values of their homes increased. The Park Board members were impressed with the 10 foot wide trails and see them as feasible in Southlake. In summary the Georgetown park facility tour was very beneficial as Georgetown has a common past and future with the City of Southlake. Georgetown has a population of 15,000 plus an ETJ (extra territorial jurisdiction) population of 15,000. Director Morrow was the first Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Georgetown. Their recreation center is first class having won many awards in the state and is a finalist for the prestigious "1996 Gold Medal Award" from the National Recreation & Parks Association. Director Morrow pointed out that over 30 cities have toured the recreation center. They have under construction 3.5 miles of hike and bike trails along the river and are currently constructing soccer fields. Waco The tour of Waco's parks facilities centered around Cameron Park which is a 416 acre park on both banks of the Brazos River. Waco Parks Director Max Robertson and Community Outreach Coordinator Stacey Laird. arranged for a park tour on a river boat. Cameron Park's facilities include a disc golf course, mountain bike trails, playgrounds, horseshoe and washer pits, amphitheatre on the bank of the river, zoo and ballfields. Other Waco facilities seen from the river included an amphitheatre, a recreation center, the Texas Ranger Museum and concrete hike and bike trails. Waco staff pointed out the reason concrete was used to construct the trail in the floodplain along the river is because concrete trails do not wash away and are low maintenance. They also stated that concrete trails were designed and constructed to hold up under flood conditions. The scenery was beautiful. Future plans include more hike and bike trails and a major amphitheatre similar to Palo Duro Canyon's Texas production and facility. Revised 9/3/96 C:\ W PW IN\parkboard\tour. pb\eg PARKS & RECREATION BOARD TOUR - JULY 19 & 209 1996 Expenses TRANSPORTATION - Van rental and fuel 382.15 MEALS 314.16 LODGING - Omni Hotel, Austin 484.78 NATIONAL WILDFLOWER CENTER TOUR 52.00 TOTAL $1233.09