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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRC Agenda 09062023 AGENDA Orange County Parks and Recreation Council Gina Reyman, Chair; Mikki Fleming,Vice-Chair; Chris Colvin; Louise Flinn; Greg Hughes; Rod Jones, Trevor Robinson; Rebecca Truluck; Xilong Zhao; Natalie Ziemba; Andrea Zimmerman; Grayson Shinn (YD) September 6, 2023 6:30 p.m. Animal Services Center Meeting Room 1601 Eubanks Road Chapel Hill, NC Time Item Title 6:30 I. Call to Order 6:32 II. Report of the Chair a. Introduction of New Staff Support — Abby Mattingly b. Approval of June 7 Meeting Summary c. Membership Vacancies (Little River, 2nd Youth Delegate) 6:45 III. New Business a. Review of Perry Hills Mini-Park Draft Master Plan 7:25 IV. Old Business a. P&R Master Plan - Draft Plan Evaluation Findings 7:50 V. Report of the Director a. Project/Program Updates b. October Meeting (Davis EAC, Hillsborough), Fall Parks Tour 7:55 VI. Council and Committee Reports a. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group (next mtg 10/11/23) b. Items from the Council / Sharing of Volunteer Opportunities 8:00 VII. Adjournment Next Meeting: October 4 (Davis Center, Hillsborough) Draft Meeting Summary— Parks and Recreation Council June 7, 2023 Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agricultural Center, Hillsborough NC Members Present: Gina Reyman (Chair), Mikki Fleming (Vice-Chair), Natalie Ziemba, Andrea Zimmerman, Greg Hughes, Becca Truluck, Xilong Zhao, Chris Colvin, Trevor Robinson, Louise Flinn, Grayson Shinn Members Absent: Rod Jones, Jessie Birckhead, Greg Hughes Staff: David Stancil, Kalani Allen Chair Gina Reyman called the meeting to order at 6:30pm. Report of the Chair: a. Introduction of New Members- Reyman asked members to introduce themselves, their township and their interest in the Orange County Parks and Recreation Council (PRC). New Business: a. Public Request— Potential Dog Park at Cedar Grove Park (Lara Markovits): Lara Markovits presented the idea of a new dog park proposed to be located at Cedar Grove Park. Markovits said the subject of a dog park came up in conversations with neighbors who are pet owners. She explained that the nearest dog park, located in Durham, is 15 minutes away from the Cedar Grove area. Neighbors noticed what seemed to be an empty field at Cedar Grove Park and thought it would be a good location for a dog park. She explained that she gathered information on what is needed for a dog park through online research and discussions with others who have created private dog parks. She emphasized that the dog park would create a great community and prevent neighbors in the area from having to travel far outside of the County to utilize dog parks. David Stancil spoke to questions raised about the identification of each field at the park and which organizations have access to the fields. He clarified that the empty field is actually a multi-purpose field licensed for use by HYAA, and that the park has a master plan that defines the current uses and future phases of the park. This would need to be amended if any new facility like this was approved, and the amendment would have to be assessed by staff, the PRC, and eventually be approved by the Board of County Commissioners. Becca Truluck asked what the cost of the dog park would be. Markovits had estimates found online. Andrea Zimmerman asked what action items could be taken to start the development of the park. Chris Colvin said the presentation done in favor of the park was in the early stages and more needed to be done before he felt like the PRC could offer any kind of support. Reyman asked if this topic should be discussed at a later meeting after the Markovits and the community have a more detailed plan. Members agreed. b. Appointment to the New Hope Creek Advisory Committee- Members voted on the new PRC representative to the New Hope Creek Advisory Committee. Reyman asked for any volunteers, and new member Lousie Flinn said she was interested. A vote was taken after Zimmerman motioned in favor of Flinn being the new representative, and Vice Chair Mikki Fleming seconded the motion. Members approved all in favor, and youth delegate Grayson Shinn showed his support as well. c. Possible Storybook Trail at County Park-There is interest in a storybook trail in a county park. Stancil illustrated the components of a storybook trail. The Orange County Library, Erin Sapienza, and Friends of the Orange County Library have expressed interest in this project, along with some park managers. Trevor Robinson voiced support for a changeable storybook rather than a permanent display. Flinn expressed that this would be an opportunity to promote equity and inclusion within the county. Truluck stated that she would like to join the interest group comprised of the Friends of Orange County Library and other community members. The Council acknowledged Truluck's interest and approved. Old Business: a. P&R Master Plan 2030 Mid-Plan Report/Findings (Continued Discussion and Timeline): Stancil facilitated more discussion on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan 20230 Mid- Plan review. He spoke on the creation of parks within underserved communities that the County has pursued. Other topics included accessibility and how facilities are received, collaboration within towns to ensure parks are created with limited land space, and survey results and questions related to those answers. Reyman asked about the condition of the only indoor gym at Central Recreation Center and whether a second gym will be built. Stancil said plans for another gym are in the Capital Investment Plan toward the end of the decade. The subject of pools and more questions regarding what those entails, and gardens were considered. Stancil ended the discussion with a timeline of when the Mid-Plan draft report will be shared with the Council. Report of the Director: a. Project/Program Updates (Perry Hills, Blackwood, Headwaters Preserve, etc.): Stancil gave the date for the final Perry Hills Park master plan meeting, and the Blackwood Farm disc golf update, as he said the County is looking for a designer. For the Headwaters Nature Preserve, Stancil added that the County would create a stewardship and management plan to configure and design this preserve. He also mentioned that the department is a part of the Southeast Bumble Bee Atlas, with Chris Hirni as the Orange County coordinator for this project. b. August Meeting Plans (Davis EAC, Hillsborough)- Parks and Recreation Master Plan Mid- Plan. Council and Committee Reports: a. iILclrUVcl IIII1C1ILai Parks Work Group (next mtg 10/11/2023)— b. Items from the Council /Sharing of Volunteer Opportunities- none. Adjournment: Reyman adjourned the meeting at 8:OOpm. Next Meeting: September 6, 6:30pm, Animal Services, Chapel Hill