HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 1993-10-27 PM PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
October 27, 1993
MEETING MINUTES
I. ROLL CALL
Co-Chair Debbie Craig called to order the Parks and Recreation Advisory
Board regular meeting on October 27, 1993 at 6:30 p.m. in the Municipal
Court Room in City Hall. Present were Debbie Craig, Mary Olson, Don
Patch, and Gary Evans, Staff. Iral Ragenovich, Mike Henley. Parks &
Recreation Director, Cindy Lincoln, and Kim Gilmer, Senior Recreation
Program Supervisor, arrived later.
II. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
A. Council 's Direction Regarding Commissions
Co-Chair Craig reported on the joint meeting between the Council and
Board and Commission Chairs, and made the following points:
• The Council has directed the Boards and Commissions to reduce the
number of their subcommittees because of the staff time required to
man them;
• The City Attorney has strictly interpreted the Oregon Open
Meetings Law and has declared any meeting at which action
towards a decision occurs to be a public meeting (i .e. . to be
held in a public place with written minutes) :
N The Council has "grandfathered in" most of the PRAB's
subcommittees:
• If a Board or Commission wanted additional subcommittees. the
would have to check with the Council:
• This posed a problem for the PRAB because they used
subcommittees in the development of individual parks :
• The Council also directed the Boards and Commissions to rotate
leadership annually;
• They have held to this position in spite of opposition:
• Recommendation to have a Chair and Vice-Chair ( instead of two
Co-chairs) with the Vice-Chair rotating in as the new Chair
each year.
B. River Grove Elementary School Athletic Field Improvements
r.
Milo Tershey. River Grove Elementary School Principal , stated that he
had three playing fields at his campus in poor condition. He proposed
that the city enter into a joint use agreement with the school
district to improve those fields to serve as a resource for the entire
community. He mentioned that the Lake Oswego school district had
pledged $50,000 for field improvements at River Grove. He realized
that the school campus was in the county but noted that they ran '_•ake
Oswego Recreation Department programs at the school.
Dennis parr and Barry Adamson. parents of River Greve students . spoke
in support of the joint use agreement. each commenting on the need in
the community for more playing fields .
•
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 1 of 8
October 27, 1993
. X
In the ensuing discussion with Mr. Tshey, the following issues were
raised or comments made:
• Would the three fields be an overlay for softball and soccer:
• They wanted, to play district T-ball which did not require dirt
in the fields;
• Whether or not monies could be put outside the city limits was an
� ----1 .
issue for consideration;
• The Board would refer this to the Team Sports Advisory Subcommittee
for review;
• A River Grove parents' committee was currently developing a plan
for the campus, on which Mr. Tershey would like to work with city
staff to develop options:
i2115 --• The Board would notify Mr. Tershey of the recommendation they made
to Council regarding his proposal:
• A joint use agreement between the city and the school district
would be necessary.
In the ensuing Board discussion on the proposal, the following issues
were raised or comments made:
• The proposal was a good idea but a joint~use agreement was
necessary;
• The city owned property in the county already (i.e. . Luscher Farm) :
--- --- therefore spending money on property in the county was not a legal
decision but a political one:
• The joint use agreement needed to make clear that the city got
something back from the school in exchange for improving the fields
(i.e. , first "dibs" on school facilities) :
• Interested parties to this proposal included the school district
($50,000 pledged) , and the Soccer Club ($25,000 available for
recommended projects) :
• Bill Kora'ch. School Superintendent, has requested city staff
involvement in developing athletic field standards and design to
04. create playable fields:
• Mr. Henley has committed department resources (i.e. , Kay Kenyon) :
• The Board could recommend the proposal to Council based on the need
in the school district as well as on the service provided by youth
sports to the community:
• Helping to maintain fields outside the city limits was not an issue
(i.e. , the city has helped at Riverdale) :
_ �• Staff would prepare a report to Council from the Board recommending
these field improvements.
III. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
A. Letter from John DeJager
Staff has already written back to Mr. DeJager.
B. Memo on Teen Center Representative
',44
Co-Chair Craig reported that Ms. Gilmer was preparing a written memo
formalizing the verbal agreements reached between the Board and the
Teen Center. Mr. Henley stated—that he has assigned Kristin Carey.
Recreation Specialist, as the staff liaison to the Teen Center: she
' would meet with Lisa monthly and report back to Co-Chair Craig and ' s.
Olson. Ms. Olson said she would work on the formal agreement
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 2 of 8
October 27, 1993
regarding the quarterly financial report.
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion was made and seconded to approve the September 13, 1993 minutes.
The motion carried unanimously.
Co-Chair Craig stated that the Soccer Club was selling candy, not opening
a candy store.
V. GENERAL BUSINESS
A. Old Business
1. Discussion of Joint Meeting with City Council
2. Advisory Committee's Update on Lakeridge Public Meeting re Field
Enhancements
Mr. Henley reported to the Board and made the following points:
• Reviewed the proposal to rehabilitate the existing soccer field
and to build a soccer and softball field for girls sports next
to it;
• The neighborhood concerns expressed at the meeting were as
follows:
• Their homelife was currently disrupted by school kids
parking in front of their homes. by extracurricular users .
and by trash either blowing in from the field or thrown into
yards by kids:
• Vehicular traffic in the neighborhood as a result of the
high school and field was significant:
• Concern about the lack of a traffic management plan to help
mitigate the traffic flow:
• Emergency vehicles would not be able to get down Cloverleaf
because of cars parked on both sides of the road:
• They used the fields for passive recreation and saw them as
open space;
• They believed they provided a high degree of stewardship for
the fields through picking up trash and notifying police
when necessary;
• Controlled access . managing use after hours , the orientat_iun
of the ball field, and the short distance to the homes were
also issues:
• Once the baseball field was developed, adults as well as
older kids would use it. launching balls and rocks into the
backyards:
• Suggestions included reorientation of the fields, need for
support facilities such as restrooms and drinking fountains .
use of fencing to discourage access, no scheduled use of the
fields on the weekends to allow quiet time for the
neighborhood:
• They favored more rehabilitation projects such as field
improvements at Palisades Elementary before pursuing new
field developments:
• The neighbors were honest and frank in their concerns:
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 3 of 8
October 27 . 1993
• Though the city could put a soccer field in outside the design
review process, Mr. Henley felt the city owed the neighbors the
consideration of notice.
In the ensuing discussion, the following issues were raised or
comments made:
• Since the neighborhood concerns seemed to revolve around the
baseball field, perhaps the city should put in only the soccer
field at this time:
• The soccer field could be laid out so that a baseball field
could be added later:
• The Board agreed to recommend development of the soccer field:
• Staff would forward a recommendation to the Neighborhood
*- . Traffic Management Advisory Board (NTMAB) to meet with the
Palisades neighborhood regarding their traffic concerns.
B. New Business
1. Proposed Lake Oswego Cell Site
Kurt Mayer, General Manager; Joe Williams. Radio Engineer:
Christina Simons, Site Acquisitions; and Randy Walter. Site
acquisitions, (all with GTE Mobilenet) were present. Mr. Walter
presented the GTE Mobilenet proposal to the Board and made the
following points:
• GTE Mobilenet proposed to install a cellular facility in
Cooke 's Butte Park in order to better serve its customers in
the Lake Oswego area:
• Reviewed the physical reasons why this site was the best choice
in the area;
• An equipment and communications shelter and two small poles.
approximately 50 to 60 feet in height, comprised a typical
facility, which occupied a 50 foot by 50 foot area with a six
foot high security fence:
• In order not to affect the character of the park, they proposed
burying the facility in a fashion similar to what has had been
done with the water tank:
• Since this site had been disturbed previously in the
i---`°., construction of the water tank. no trees would have to be
removed for this facility;
'• The facility would be located wit4,50 feet of the water tank.
In he ensuing discussion with the GTE Mobilenet representatives .
the following issues were raised or comments made:
,,, mss
the/ following
poles needed to be higher than the tree canopy:
The site was unmanned with maintenance access one or two times
a month;
• The utilities would remain underground as they were now:
• Mr. Walter showed photographs of the site to illustrate the
location of the facility within the park, noting the facility
would occupy an area of approximately 10 feet by 30 feet :
• Mr. Walter raised a balloon on the proposed site to test
visibility of the poles from the neighborhood. stating that the
balloon was not visible from SW Palisades Crest. Drive. and that
he had received no comments from the neighborhood:
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 4 of 8
October 27, 1993
• GTE Mobilenet 's purpose was to design a facility that would not
alter the character of the park as a viewpoint or change the
usage in the area for city water operations;
• What would be the amount of the lease payments:
�• A typical lease fee for a facility approximately 200 square
feet in size was $800 to $1000 a month;
•\, A cellular facility in this location would enhance the 911
Y emergency services system;
• Facilities at three sites with taller poles (c. 100 plus feet)
would be required to provide comparable coverage if the
facility could not be located in Cooke's Butte Park:
• Mr. Walter explained the three large circles drawn on the map:
• GTE Mobilenet's plan met the Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan
I requirements;
• Concern expressed at locating even a small facility in a park
for which the master plan has not been developed;
• Why wouldn't a tower on top of Mountain Park give comparable
coverage:
• Mountain Park was at a lower elevation:
• Cellular One had cellular sites in Mountain Park and Lake
Grove:
• Lake Oswego area customers were pressuring GTE Mobilenet to
provide better service (i.e. , high dropped call ratio, poor
call quality due to a weak signal) :
• Only the slender metal poles would be visible (i.e. . no
fencing) ;
• This proposal would require a variance to the zoning code
height limitation:
• 911 has been very supportive of this proposal because it would
allow GTE Mobilenet to route area 911 calls directly to Lake
Oswego 911 instead of the calls being picked up by another
jurisdiction:
• Legislation was under consideration to require cellular
service providers to provide "priority access" to public
safety agencies in an emergency situation:
• GTE Mobilenet has been trying to find a site in this area for
five years.
In the ensuing Board discussion. the following issues were raised
or comments made:
• GTE Mobilenet was looking for a new high point because their
competition' already had the other high points :
• This decision ould- be deferred until there was a master plan
for the park (- eduled for 1998 or 1999) :
The site GTE wanted was the best viewpoint in the park:
• Perhaps GTE could landscape the facility:
----:),,,• Mr. Henley commented that he saw this as similar to the
conditional use situation at Luscher Farm. noting that staff
had built a rationale for Luscher Farm around needing a master
plan to make decisions:
• Why couldn't GTE share sites with the other company:
• Preserving the ridgeline was also a concern.
The Board voted three to one against approving GTE's application to
build a cellular tower in Cooke's Butte Park.
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 5 of 8
October 27, 1993
2. Review/Recommendation on the Master Fee Schedule
Mr. Henley reported to the Board and made the following points:
• Staff would like to have the master fees adopted every January
in order to have revenues in place before the budget process:
• Both the golf course and tennis center were enterprise funds
(i.e. , totally self-supporting from direct user fees) :
• The golf course fund tended to be healthy:
• Staff was currently working on a master plan for the golf
course;
• Though the golf fund did not have any reserves, there was a
starting balance this year of $83,000. which was sufficient
when combined with the revenues generated during the heavy
use months (July - October) ;
• The fund did not have a large cash carryover because fees
have not been increased in several years while personnel
services increase approximately 6% a year:
• Suggestion to fund the master plan through a revenue bond
(paying off the debt service with user fees) :
• Explained why they needed to build a capacity reserve at the
golf course to fund improvements;
• Users might accept fee increases to build the capacity
reserve if they understood that the money would be used to
pay for the plan to improve the golf course and to pay for
new maintenance equipment;
• Staff looked at fees at similar golf courses across the
fvray state and set fees that were comparable:
4/pR A full year increase would generate an additional $90.000 in
6C,. revenue.
In the ensuing discussion on the golf course, the following issues
were raised or comments made:
• Concern over increasing the junior and senior fees:
• Fridays would be consider as a weekend at a higher rate because
the volume of users on Friday was the same as on Saturday or
Sunday:
• Green fees revenues were down due to the weather, though
driving range revenues were up:
• Staff would be addressing a policy on renting out after hours
city facilities such as the clubhouse and amphitheater.
Mr. Henley reported on the tennis center:
Staff creatively balanced the budget last year by shifting
money around (the center would be shut down if it ran on .a
deficit) :
• The center was marginally used and in need of management
support to market it but the city did not have the money for a
manager:
• Staff has created some new fees. increased other fees, and cut
expenses by closing the center on Saturday nights:
• Suggestion to run the center for a year to see if the changes
worked:
• If the center remained marginal , the city could look into
leasing the facility to a commercial operation:
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 6 of 8
October 27, 1993
• The courts and recent improvements were good but the facility
did not have amenities such as a viewing area or showers and
locker rooms;
• This was primarily a winter facility used only four or five
months a year.
In the ensuing discussion on the tennis center, the following
issues were raised or comments made:
• The new cardkey fee and decision to deactivate the cards at the
end of the year was intended to control access to the center,
which was not staffed;
• The usage rate between November and March was 83% to 85%
overall but only 30% during the summer. averaging to 65% usage
over a year;
• $42,000 - $45,000 were needed for capital improvements at the
center (i.e. , court resurfacing, cleaning equipment, air vent
covers) :
• Staff was negotiating with Annie Miller to manage the center
parttime in exchange for court time;
• Developing outdoor courts linked to the center would make it a
year round tennis facility but it was in Springbrook Park:
• Providing childcare would help fill the courts also:
• Suggestion that the Tennis Advisory Committee look at options
for the Tennis Center.
The Board recommended that the fee schedules go to the appropriate
subcommittees for review.
Mr. Henley stated that the fees for the Adult Community Center
would be discussed through the council budget hearings . He
reviewed the new fees for the swimpark, noting staff would have the
swimpark cleaned up for next year. Ms. Olson commented that the
season pass should be less than the $25 listed because families
wouldn't save any money on a $25 pass.
Mr. Henley reviewed the new sports activities fees:
• Tournament reservation fee of $100 per day per field plus
applicable light charges:
• Field light charges to go to a light bulb replacement fund:
• Field lighting card nonrefundable fee of $10 per card per
season per issuance:
• The field lighting cards would generate an invoice to allow
staff to monitor group use:
• The fee was also an encouragement for responsible use of t'i
lights.
3. Waluga Park Revised Master Plan
Mr. Henley reviewed the changes made to the Waluga Park Master Plat:
based on the suggestions received from the PRAB and the NRC:
• Relocation of the trail from the east side to the west side:
• Provision of additional picnic shelters in front :
• Removal the basketball court (possibly the neighboring church
would allow public use of its courts in return for court
improvements) :
• Reconstruction of the restrooms:
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 7 of 8
October 27, 1993
• Retention of the culdesac to help traffic flow:
• Toning down of the former group picnic area;
• Various changes made to the trails and boardwalks.
Mr. Henley mentioned a suggestion of Dorothy Atwood's to bring the
road into the park and build the parking area in the middle
(similar to Washington Park) ;
Mr. Henley stated that the straight pathway abutting the road that
the NRC wanted raised ADA issues because of the steepness of the
path. He commented that the neighborhood was against the proposed
soft path that formalized the existing informal pathway in an
attempt to prevent the development of other informal pathtways .
Mr. Henley said staff was bringing in a petrochemical consultant to
test the area for asphalt contamination because of the asphalt
dumping that the city has done there for years . He believed that
the Division of State Lands would require the testing. Co-Chair
Craig commented that the testing should be done only if required as
it was an expensive process.
The Board decided to change their regular meeting date from
November 17 to November 16 to accommodate the Waluga Neighborhood
Association meeting on Waluga Park scheduled for November 17.
VI. ADJOURNMENT
Co-Chair Craig adjourned the meeting to Executive Session at 8:50 p.m.
VII. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Page 8 of 8
October 27, 1993