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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRC Agenda 10042023 AGENDA Orange County Parks and Recreation Council Gina Reyman, Chair; Mikki Fleming,Vice-Chair; Chris Colvin; Louise Flinn; Rod Jones,Trevor Robinson; Rebecca Truluck; Xilong Zhao; Natalie Ziemba; Andrea Zimmerman; Grayson Shinn (YD) October 4, 2023 6:30 p.m. Davis Center Board Room 1020 US 70 West Hillsborough, NC Time Item Title 6:30 I. Call to Order 6:32 II. Report of the Chair a. Approval of September 6 Meeting Summary b. Membership Vacancies (2 - Little River, At-Large) 6:45 III. New Business a. Report on New Hope Creek Advisory Committee b. County Strategic Plan — Community Survey Results 7:25 IV. Old Business a. Recreation Division Update b. November/December Parks Tour Planning 7:50 V. Report of the Director a. Project/Program Updates b. November Meeting (Hillsborough...2030 Master Plan) 7:55 VI. Council and Committee Reports i (next mtg 10/25/23) b. Items from the Council / Sharing of Volunteer Opportunities 8:00 VII. Adjournment Next Meeting: November 1 (Davis Center, Hillsborough) Draft Meeting Summary— Parks and Recreation Council September 6th, 2023 Animal Services Center Meeting Room, Chapel Hill NC Members Present: Gina Reyman (Chair), Mikki Fleming (Vice-Chair), Natalie Ziemba (Zoom), Becca Truluck, Xilong Zhao, Chris Colvin, Trevor Robinson, Louise Flinn, Grayson Shinn Members Absent: Andrea Zimmerman, Rod Jones, Greg Hughes Staff: David Stancil, Abby Mattingly, Kalani Allen, Marabeth Carr Chair Gina Reyman called the meeting to order at 6:30pm. Report of the Chair: a. Introduction of New Staff- New staff member, Abby Mattingly, introduced herself and the group gave brief introductions. b. Membership Vacancies— David Stancil informed the body on membership vacancies, which include a Little River Township opening and a youth delegate. As there are no current Little River applicants, there was nothing available to the body to discuss. The two youth delegate applications were presented to the group. Gina Reyman reminded the body that they could move to recommend a delegate to the BOCC, but in the past have held out in hopes of establishing a more diverse pool of applicants. Becca Truluck nominated Lilly Kohout for the youth delegate position, Trevor Robinson seconded the nomination. Stancil reminded the group as to how appointments from the BOCC operate. Reyman called for a vote to nominate Kohout for the youth delegate. All in favor, none opposed, motion passed. c. Approval of June 7 Meeting Summary- Reyman requested that Greg Hughes be changed to present, as he was listed as both, and that "20230" be changed to "2030". No other changes were made. New Business: a. Review of Perry Hills Mini-Park Draft Master Plan: Stancil informed the Council that the Perry Hills Mini-Park master plan has had positive reception during the community meetings and introduced Landscape Architect Marabeth Carr. Carr presented the Master Plan for the Perry Hills Mini-Park. It is close to Mebane on a two-acre lot. The lot indicates typical Orange County clay on site, which can prevent asphalt from being placed and can result in additional costs. It is zoned within the Back Creek Protected watershed designation. Carr ensured that the design plan will develop under 11% of the land, so as to not have to place a stormwater management system. She went on to outline the opportunities and constraints of the project. There is currently funding for $180,000. Reyman inquired as to if street parking would be an option. Carr stated that parking is required and is the most expensive factor. She then explained how the dot voting operated during the community group meetings as well as the design charrette schemes and the results from those. Carr presented how the Master Plan was developed and showed the body the final Master Plan that will be presented to the BOCC. Stancil stated that the community supports the final Master Plan and asked the group if they wanted to include a formal endorsement from the Parks and Recreation Council. Reyman expressed that she would like to endorse the community process in this park design. Stancil agreed that the community process worked well and would like to see this process replicated in future Master Plan designs. Chris Colvin asked if there was a gate that would be installed, and if bike racks would be included. There will be no gate, as there will be no staff to unlock it, and installing bikes racks and benches would be easy and good potential. Colvin went on to ask if there was any debate on the park's name. Stancil informed the group that this did not come up in the discussions and noted that Perry Hills is a historically underserved community. Reyman and Colvin shared that there might be potential for changing the name in the future. Following this discussion, Truluck motioned to endorse the park plan and the process; Mikki Fleming seconded. All in favor, none opposed, the motion passed. Old Business: a. a. P&R Master Plan — Draft Plan Evaluation Findings: Stancil continued the discussion on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2030 Mid-Plan review. He presented a draft memo from the Council that he will pass on to the BOCC to review. He would like to have the assessment ready to present to the BOCC by December. Reyman asked what other large items the body must address before the new year. Stancil informed that there were no other large items planned until the Outside Agency review in February. The memo includes recommendations that are based on discussions that the Council has had. He highlighted the major points addressed in the document. The first part of the memo outlines successes from the Master plan. Reyman and Fleming had questions regarding the status of the Mountains to Sea Trail. Stancil informed that the route approval and finalization took place in 2018, and several trail segments or locations are close to being finalized and approved. The next section of the document emphasizes mixed-success areas. The document goes on to discuss conditions that have changed or need to be modified. Finally, issues for further study are presented in the document, which includes level of service, an important issue that will need to be addressed continually and is at the core of how parks and recreation systems operate. Reyman asked if climate change was addressed in the plan. Stancil responded that while climate change is not addressed specifically, sustainability concerns that include climate change are. He opened the floor to thoughts and suggestions from the group. Xilong Zhao said that all the parks look very similar and suggested that the group should consider adding a "theme" or "character" to differentiate each park to make them a unique destination. It would give the parks diversity, and potentially open them up to seasonal highlights. Stancil noted that he saw the uniqueness of the idea and stated that the traditional thought is to install similar amenities in each park, but that this idea deserves further consideration. This concept addressed by Zhao added to the idea of incorporating art and gardens in parks, previously addressed by the body. Adding character to a park can be applied to the construction of new parks, but also be added to enhance the status of current parks. Reyman brought up the Friends of Parks and Recreation group, and how this is a topic that could be brought before them. She continued to ask about the intergovernmental council (Intergovernmental Parks Work Group) and how population growth has contributed to conversations on new amenities and partnered growth. Stancil noted this was timely considering that there is a meeting of that group next month and will put it forward as an agenda item. Stancil asked if the outline of the memo warranted any concerns to the Council. Reyman asked for clarification on the application of terminology, such as equity lens. Stancil replied that the County does have a format for an equity lens and that is planned to be utilized more by the department going forward. Louise Flinn asked for a continued conversation on partnerships and community. Reyman posed the question as to how surveys will be conducted and brought up and noted that changes to technology have revolutionized the ability to disseminate information. Colvin offered his support for the fully written section of the memo and inquired if the department keeps tabs on surrounding counties and their facilities. Stancil responded that there was recent research done by staff on the surrounding county facilities for another effort. A comparison between "peer" counties of our size would prove more insightful and compelling. Reyman asked staff to present those findings at a future meeting. Truluck asked if recent damage, and the increased risk for damage and wear, could be emphasized and spoke of within the document. Stancil thanked the Council and noted that he will use the ideas that the body presented to finalize the report and encouraged the body to continue to send in ideas. Report of the Director: a. Project/Program Updates: Stancil asked the body to keep thinking about a tour for the group of the parks. He informed them of storm damage at Blackwood Park, which was closed for three days in mid-August but reopened. He noted that the Council was due for a recreation update and will have one prepared for the body. b. October Meeting (Davis EAC, Hillsborough) - Fall Parks Tour, athletics, year of the park trail update Council and Committee Reports: a. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group (next mtg 10/11/2023)— b. Items from the Council /Sharing of Volunteer Opportunities- none. Adjournment: Reyman adjourned the meeting at 8:06pm. Next Meeting: October 4, 6:30pm, Bonnie B Davis Center Board Room, Hillsborough