HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRC minutes 100715 FROM: Parks and Recreation Council
SUBJECT: Monthly Meeting
DATE: October 7, 2015
LOCATION: Blackwood Farm Park
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MEMBERS PRESENT: Neal Bench; Joel Bulkley; James Carter; John Greeson;
Haywood Rhodes; Rob Robinson; Rachel Massai; Daniel Siler; Tori Williams Reid;
Evelyn Daniel;
MEMBERS ABSENT: Allan Green (excused); Betty McDade Khan
STAFF PRESENT: David Stancil; Lynn Hecht; Chris Sousa; Lee Barnes
GUESTS: Toney Massinople and Amy Brumbach from the Equestrian Arts Institute
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I. Call to Order Bench called the meeting to order at 6:30pm.
Roll was called and introductions were made.
II. Meeting Summary (September 5) and
Additions & Changes to Agenda No comments on the
September 5 notes, and no additions to the agenda were made.
III. Report of the Chair (Bench)
a. Recruitment for Eno Township Position. Two applications for
Eno Township, to replace James Carter, were discussed.
Mark Anderson and Michael Dempsey were considered. Siler
noted that Dempsey has a lot of experience in recreation.
Robinson added he has also been here a lot longer (since
1992 compared with 2006). It was noted that the Council
could wait and see if any new applications came from the
recruitment, or make a recommendation tonight. The Council
decided to wait.
IV. New Business
a. Resident Request (Toney Massinople)
Representatives from the Equestrian Arts Institute (EAI)
attended the meeting and asked to address the County. EAI
wants the County to help provide for horse-riding lessons at
their location. Stancil stated that in a conversation with
management and staff, there were concerns about liability
and risk management. EAI representatives noted that the
facility is a learning institute for horseback riding. They
would like to open it to adults and children for lessons with
the help of the County. English riding is their style of choice.
Bench thanked the representatives for coming and indicated
the Council would discuss their proposal. After their
departure, Bench suggested that this be discussed at the
November meeting.
b. Annual Recreation Division Report (Chris Sousa)
Recreation Manager Lee Barnes joined Superintendent of
Recreation Chris Sousa in reporting on recreation programs
in the last year. Sousa passed out a comprehensive report
with data about programs, events and activities and
participation rates and revenue generation. Overall,
Recreation had a good year. There were challenges,
however. Two employees left the department at different
times, so the division was shorthanded for the entire year.
The primary function of Recreation is athletics and recreation
program management, facility management, volunteer
management concessions and community outreach. Sousa
described the scope of the recreation staff and its tiers of
supervision. He also provided a table comparing Orange
County programs and staffing with other jurisdictions.
Williams Reid asked if it was possible to decrease some less
popular programs and increase resources for the more
popular programs. Sousa noted that Orange is the only
county to his knowledge among those in the table that does
not subsidize recreation programs. Program categories
include: Athletics; General Recreation; Special Events; and
Camps. Facilities managed are Central Recreation Center;
Soccer.com Center; and Efland Cheeks Community Center.
Volunteer use for programs was discussed, as was the
manner of providing concessions. Community Outreach and
new ways to reach the public was also discussed.
c. Planning for Biennial Joint Advisory Boards Meeting. Orange
County is the host this year. Staff is anticipating that the
meeting will be in January/February as it was last year. At
this meeting the County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and
Hillsborough parks and recreation advisory boards meet
together on matters of mutual interest. . Stancil will be
meeting with the other department directors next week, and
asked if the Council had any suggested topics for the joint
meeting. Artificial fields were mentioned as one topic,
although there were concerns about health impacts from
these fields. Stancil added that Joint Capital parks planning
has been a previous topic and is still relevant. Siler
mentioned pump tracks (for mountain bike riding). Disc Golf
as mentioned, as was the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) and
trails in general, along with primitive camping.
d. Staff Memorandum on Disc Golf. Stancil shared a
memorandum prepared by staff related to disc golf, potential
at County parks, as requested by the Council earlier this
year. In summary, staff recommends the following:
1. Suggest that the Council could recommend to BOCC that
a possible joint disc golf course venture with the Town of
Hillsborough for Kings Highway Park be explored in the
short term.
2. Secondly, beyond this joint effort, that the County look to
include a disc golf course at the Northeast District Park
for that facility when the park is master-planned, which
will provide a course in northern Orange County.
3. That local disc golf organizations be invited to help
design and construct and contribute finding to the
creation and maintenance of any new courses.
Rhodes and Siler indicated that Blackwood Farm Park would
be the ideal park for disc golf. Bench asked the board to take
this report home, read it and come back next month
prepared to create a Council action.
V. Old Business
VI.
a. Orienteering Proposal (November)
b. Primitive Camping (November) Stancil indicated he has a
meeting about primitive camping with many County
departments, including the County Attorney and Risk
Manager, later this week.
Report of the Director (Stancil)
a. Fairview Park – Field Naming and Parking Lot. On October 5
the BOCC decided to name Fairview Park Ballfield after
James Stewart. Mr. Stewart was the gentleman from the
Fairview community who took it upon himself to build a
ballfield for the Fairview children back in 2000. His “Field of
Dreams” was dedicated in 2001, but eventually had problems
from the landfill materials underneath resurfacing onto the
field. There may be a dedication ceremony next month.
Work is also moving ahead on the parking lot at Fairview, to
be under construction in July 2016.
b. Community Centers. Cedar Grove Community Center is
currently under construction. A position is about to be
advertised for a person to coordinate and staff this and the
Efland Cheeks Community Center. The position will be
housed in DEAPR but also have some responsibilities to the
Asset Management Department.
c. P&R Master Plan – 2015 Report Card Status. The DEAPR
Leadership Team has been looking at the one year mark
since the P&R Master Plan was adopted to see how are we
are doing. Information will be reported back to the Council
after the Leadership Team completes its assessment.
d. Other Projects and Activities. The Occonneechee Tribal
Council has agreed to be involved with the updated work on
the Occonneechee Village in River Park.
VII. Council and Committee Reports
a. Items from the Council. None.
b. Friends of Orange County Parks and Recreation (FOPR) None.
c. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group (October 14)
VIII. Adjournment
Next Meeting November 4, 2015 (Chapel Hill Public Library
Meeting Room, Estes Drive, Chapel Hill)
Meeting adjourned at: _8:05 pm____________________
Name of Notes Taker _Lynn Hecht___________________