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HomeMy WebLinkAbout032624 PRTTAB Meeting Minuteslilyof TownseM. PARKS, RECREATION, TREES, & TRAILS ADVISORY BOARD Minutes March 26, 2024 1 4:30 p.m. I Virtual or In Person Meeting • Join via computer or tablet at.http://moinwebinar.com enter 9 digit Webinar ID 752-525-115 • Join by phone in listen -only mode: (360)390-5064 Ext. 3 access code: 699-128-175# • Submit public comment to be included in the meeting record to: https://Publiccomment.fillout.com/citvofpt • If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please attempt all methods listed above before reporting any issues to: clerksupport@cityofpt.us Welcome, Introduction & Call to Order - Chair Debbie Jahnke Good afternoon and welcome to this meeting of the Port Townsend Parks, Recreation, Trees & Trails Advisory Board. The role of this Board is to assist City staff and to advise the City Council on legislative matters concerning parks, recreation, trees and trails. This meeting is open to the public at the City Council Chambers, virtually via this web format, and is also being video recorded for those who could not attend the meeting today and for future reference. Given that this meeting is in virtual format, we ask that the board members raise their hands to be called on by the Chair. The public can do the some to comment during the public comment periods. We take public comment at the beginning and end of the meeting. I. Roll Call: Pam Adams is briefly delayed, Russell Hill and Jennifer Roterm und are excused; Becci Kimball, Matt Miner, Jim Todd, Debbie Jahnke are present. Staff present include Steve King, Emma Bolin, Adrian Smith, Carrie Hite, Michael Todd, Robin Hill. II. Approval of Agenda/Changes to Agenda: approved by consensus III. Approval of Minutes: minutes for February meeting approved by consensus IV. Public Comment (3 minutes per person/agenda items only): none V. Old Business: none VI. New Business (60 min) A. Comprehensive Plan process update and anticipated board engagement (Emma, Adrian): Comprehensive Plan consultants SCJ Alliance presentation. Bill Grimes, project manager, introduced his project team. Scope is phase 1. Comp Plan update; phase 2. middle housing - policy implications from tactical infill; phase 3. climate change/action plan; phase 4. active transportation. 'Phase' is not intended as sequential. At what point are functional plans adopted into the Comprehensive Plan? Plan to update PROS Plan so it will be good for another six years and adopt it into the Comp Plan (as an appendix or by reference). SCJ is seeking a common language between planners and engineers. Active transportation will be included in the Transportation Element and will be funded through the Climate Change grant. Community engagement is a priority. Project website - PT2045PIanning.org. Consider both challenges and surprises. PRTTAB wants to be very involved to provide the public an opportunity to be engaged. Issues of concern include recreational vs transportation trails and recreational immunity and protection of pedestrians from other transportation modes. Nonmotorized plan didn't get carried through past about five years of the plan. People need to see that all the elements overlap. Who should we reach out to - who is our audience? Students for Sustainability; school clubs for transportation, DASH, Rotary, bus riders, senior groups, employers, young adults and families; HJ Carroll's Jump Playground community, Finn River, the Nest, senior leadership at the high school, DNR proposal connections, environmental groups at the high school, WSU for outreach; Scouts; ReCyclery, County Fairground Committee/Fair Board, HSN contacts, 4H, Rhody Festival, Black Lives Matter, JCIRA; YMCA; Olympic Pride, OPEPO, the library, alternative schools, community garden groups, grocery stores, the Coop, the Food Bank, the Golf Park; keeping an eye on NextDoor is a good place to stop negative rumors and jumping to conclusions. We need the policy elements to play well together. Staff have to create a system of information gathering so data can be collated using minimal staff time due to staff shortage. What are our hooks to ask questions? Do we address differences between city and county? How and where do we ask questions? It is appropriate to go outside the zipcode. County Parks & Rec is a very good source for recreational group identification and access. Ask questions like 'are you willing to get rid of your car?' or 'do you know how much it costs to drive your car?, 'housing costs for families?, 'where will your kids live?, 'are you willing to drive to the pool?, 'where do you shop?'. Don't keep meeting in one place or time and make sure you get representative input from all age groups. B. Grant application update (Michael): DNR grant of approx. $345K for parks/trees approved for invasives removal and tree planting (with natives as much as feasible) at Sather and Bishop; summary of proposed work effort and community engagement was provided. C. Engagement with WSU for various tree grant community outreach efforts (Robin): Meeting is planned with WSU folks to help us with community engagement. Cooperative Extension is about community outreach so this is a very helpful connection. It was noted that community engagement is necessary for the DNR grant, both IRA/USDA grants and the Comp Plan so it would be logical to combine outreach efforts. VII. Staff update — (10 min) A. River Network and realignment of match requirements/waiver for USDA Urban Forestry grant (Emma, Adrian): River Network is the possthrough organization we have been assigned to. The Network does not work with match, so we don't need a match but we need to adjust our scope and include language for equitable outcomes and community -based engagement for the grants for planting and maintenance. We need to write an RFQ to get the community involved. B. Updates on RCO grant efforts for golf park and 12th & Hancock (Carrie): Two grant proposals are being prepared, one for each location. Open house site visit will be April 5 at 12th and Hancock, 3:30 - 5pm. Council authorization of the proposals is planned for May 6. The two locations have a very different match requirement from RCO due to differences in the block group income and other disparities. Match required is 40% at the golf park; 12th and Hancock is 10%. The Hancock site can accomodate folks from Avamere - ADA trails and features; it is still zoned R-IV. C. Grant for Lawrence bulbouts (Steve): We were awarded a $500K street grant for Lawrence Street from the library to Tyler. This will put in all the ADA ramps to connect to Tyler and Jefferson, but it has to be built by August 2024. Due to staffing limitations, this will delay 9th Street's work with banked capacity so it will have to be put on hold. Richard Hefley reported that we will have proper root volumes for the trees planned in the bulbouts. VII. Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting: April23, 2024 Vill. Public Comment: Linda Smith, Sather Park Hemlock Society, expressed appreciation for the success of the DNR grant proposal for Sather and Bishop Parks and addressed the issue of age for our volunteer groups and the importance of engaging younger families and the high school, encouraged assisted migration for planting trees; mentioned the Connectivity Fair April 20 and suggested the School Board for outreach. IX. Adjourn: 6:04 pm 3