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HomeMy WebLinkAbout032514 OF PORT TOE � ys ti City of Port TownsendwA Meeting Minutes Parks, Recreation and Trees Advisory Board (PRTAB) Tuesday, March 25, 2014, 4:30 PM-6:02 PM Meeting called to order at 4:30 PM by Chair, Rosemary Sikes. Members present: Debbie Jahnke and Ron Sikes Also present were members of the public and City Council member Bob Gray. Approval of Agenda Motion to accept agenda was approved unanimously. Approval of 1-28-2014 and 2-25-2014 minutes Rosemary requested the approval of the Jan minutes, a blend of Lys Burden's and Ron's minutes, and Ron's February minutes. Debbie asked that the number of Park staff be corrected to two, as the Mountainview Pool staff was not part of Park staff Also the reference to a water fountain should have been a drinking fountain. And finally there were some typographical errors. Rosemary said Debbie should send the corrections to her. Debbie moved for approval with corrections, Ron seconded and the minutes for January and February were approved. Old Business The Draft III Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Functional Plan was approved unanimously by City Council. Debbie reported the WA Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) has accepted the plan as well and the City is now eligible to submit grants to them. Work Plan and Tree City USA membership Jason Cecil had reviewed three grants and thought the Tree Inventory Grant would be a good first step in developing a city forestry program. This grant would provide DNR personnel to GIS locate the city's priority trees. However because of the requirement of community letters of support there was not time to provide them before the February 28�h deadline. Friday, April 251h is Arbor Day. Steve Wright, approved planting, at Bobby McGarraugh Park, a potted pine tree, now located at the Chetzemoka Park green house. Rosemary suggested the Arbor Day celebration, as part of the requirement of Tree City USA membership, would be the tree planting and picnic. The City has a proclamation form needed to be filled out and proclaimed during a council meeting for the Arbor foundation membership requirement. Debbie wants to repeat the most popular of last year's spring Tree Walks, the Fort Worden and Uptown tree walks. April 22nd will be a walk to Bishop Park led by Ron, starting at 9 AM at Parkside Drive adjacent to Bishop Park. Ron will lead a walk starting at 9 AM the 261h meeting at the parking area at Fort Worden Commons. Sarah Fairbank will lead an Uptown tree walk starting at 11 am from in front of the Masonic Hall. A deadline to place an article to the Port Townsend Leader for the April 22nd walk is April 7fh and April 141h for the April 26�h walk. Debbie has asked local photographer, Dave Wilson, to take images of trees noted on the "tree walk brochure." New Business Debbie reported last week the Department of Natural Resources notified the City it will reimburse up to $200 for planting a "landscape" tree for Arbor Day. Rosemary suggested Parkside as the location. Debbie suggested asking Park staff to prepare a site and deliver the tree, as it may be too large for volunteers to manage. Ron suggested the park staff pick a place where the tree will be watered. Debbie said she would talk to staff Volunteer for Parks Report There was a work party at the Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park to pull Scotch Broom, Spurge Laurel, English Holly, and pick up trash. Seven volunteers participated in the event on Sunday March 16th. Parkside Drive Park The Jahnke's have been watering and weeding the new plantings. Debbie said park staff has installed the irrigation system. It will water the berm plantings and the rain gardens. She also reported the City is planning to hire a seasonal employee to help maintain parks. This should allow more time for the full time park staff to work on building the Parkside Drive Park. Currently there are 2 Park staff per about 10,000 residents. The national average is >5 staff per 10,000 city residents. Rosemary said local residents with children need to be notified when the play equipment has been installed. Ron offered to deliver notices to apartment managers to post so residents would know about the new local park. Council member Bob Gray said the City could notify each apartment dweller by mail. Debbie suggested notification to citizens also include a request for adoption of sections of the plantings to maintain. Bob knows a local resident he suggested contacting about organizing volunteers for Parkside. Debbie wants the minutes to note changes in the City's parks, recreation, and open space. These changes would be annually compiled and made available for future planners when the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Functional Plan was due to be updated. She made the motion, Ron seconded and it was approved. Trees arrived last week for a segment of the San Juan Street border along the Port Townsend Golf Course. City Planner Rick Sepler sent out a request for volunteers. Three PRT Board members, Council member Bob Gray, Kees Kolff of the Unitarian Fellowship, Rick Jahnke, and two friends of the golf course - Paul Loubere and Patrick Moore participated in the planting. Park staff Steve Wright and Don Cady delivered the 10-foot trees, Sequoidendron gigantea, excavated the planting holes, and maneuvered them into place. Volunteers backfilled the holes and raked the planting areas. The newly planted Sequoias will buffer private residence and the Quimper Unitarian children's play area, across San Jan, from errant golf balls. Three deciduous trees were removed for replanting in other parks. Rick and Debbie Jahnke are nurturing the trees until they can be planted. Grant cycle Debbie reported the need to start the process for developing the grant to tunnel underneath State Route Highway 20 on the south edge of Bishop Park. This would allow a trail to connect via the ravine that descends to Port Townsend Bay and the Larry Scott Trail. Debbie said a member of the Non-motorized Transportation Board suggested the City name the ravine as part of Bishop Park. This would show the WA Dept. of Transportation the need to connect the park with a pedestrian safe corridor. She volunteered to talk to the City Planning Department about designation of the ravine as an addition to Bishop Park. Rosemary thought the Pacific Discovery Trail board would support having an access from this part of the City to the Discovery Trail segment known as the Larry Scott Trail. Debbie said the underpass connection is noted in the City's Non-motorized Trail Plan. During the meeting Rosemary received a letter from Ken Clow, City Public Works Director, concerning the City issuing permits to the Port of Port Townsend to remove two poplar trees at the entrance to the Port Townsend Boat Haven at SR20 (Sim's Way). The trees are located adjacent to the PT Brewery building and are cracking the floor and causing problems with the utilities. After the Port of PT consulted an arborist they installed root barriers. These failed to prevent root damage. The removal will likely occur in the near future. Rosemary asks for recommendations from the board. Debbie suggested replacing the removed trees with some native trees. Rosemary asks Ron to investigate and suggest trees. She plans to send an email to Ken with suggestions of suitable trees. The July 1 deadline for RCO trails grant would be an opportunity to apply for purchase funds for a motorized wheelbarrow. The machine would be useful for graveling trails. Agenda Items for the Next PRT Board Meeting Debbie requested planning for a "Dog" Park be on the next agenda. She suggested looking at City property at 13th and Hancock. Ron said he did not like the idea of a park there if it would require removal of the trees and understory from most of the undeveloped block. Also he thought the local residents might object to barking by playing dogs as happened at Sather Park. He suggested an area already cleared would be better. Debby asks where would that be. Ron and Debbie agreed to visit the Hancock & 13th St. site and invite interested persons. Debbie wants planning for a future dog park as an agenda item. Visitor Comment Faith Morgan said she thought the City should develop a new dog park. She said the one adjacent to Chetzemoka is too small, is muddy, and the view is obscured by tall plants. She would like a larger park with paths surfaced to prevent muddy shoes and paws. Also she would like it buffered by trees and have features attractive to dogs such as logs to climb. Rosemary suggested she join the PRT Board. She said she would consider joining. Jim Todd said he did not like the idea of removing trees at the 13th and Hancock site. Bob Gray said there might be a space for a dog park in the Howard Street development area where a connector road is planned between SR 20 and Discovery Road. He also commented on the nearby business area's park. He said it was not maintained and suffered from trash (particularly beer cans) and weeds. The owner of the park is supposed to keep it maintained and he would like the City to enforce the development agreement. He has contacted City staff and the school board, that has a special school located in the business park. He would like help from the PRT board to persuade City staff to require the owner do proper maintenance. Adjournment There were no further comments. Rosemary asks for a motion to adjourn. Debbie moved for adjournment, seconded by Ron, it passed at 6:02 PM. The next regularly scheduled meeting is 4:30 pm, April 22 nd, 1 sf floor conference room, City Hall.