BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING Park and Recreation Department 11th Floor City Hall Monday, August 13, 2007 3:30 p.m. Present: Janet Miller, Glen Dye, Andy Solter, Doug Leeper, Bryan Frye and Tim Roth Absent: John Stevens Also Present: Karen Walker, Assistant Director of Park and Recreation; Tim Martz, Superintendent of Park Maintenance; Larry Foos, Recreation Superintendent; David McGuire, Recreation Supervisor; Tim Austin, Poe and Associates; Don Reinert and Steve Finely, Westar Energy; Greg Ferris and Myca Bunch (staff) President Miller called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Miller began the meeting by introducing Tom Roth as the new Park Board member appointed by Councilmember Schlapp to represent District 2. Miller also notified the Board that John Stevens was appointed to the Board for District I by Councilmember Williams, but was unable to attend today's meeting due to prior commitments. PUBLIC AGENDA No Items. REGULAR AGENDA Item 1: Approval of Meeting Minutes Motion 1: On motion by Solter, second by Frye, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED that the Board approve the June 18, 2007 minutes. Miller proposed edits to the July 9, 2007 regular meeting minutes and asked that they be brought back to the Board for approval in September. Miller asked that the agenda items be changed to accommodate Dr. Dey, who needed to leave the meeting early due to medical problems. She requested that items 4B, 4A and 4C, in that order, be moved up to follow item 3C. She said that items 3D and 3E would now become the final two items to be discussed prior to Item 5. Motion 2: On motion by Miller, second by Leeper, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED that the Board approve the motion to reconfigure the agenda items as suggested. Item 3A: 2007 Park Board Retreat The Board suggested the dates of September 8, 15, 22, and 29 as possible dates for the annual Park Board Retreat. Miller asked that all Board members look at their calendars and let her know their availability in the coming week so they could set a date quickly. Item 3B: Tree Line Clearance and Vegetation Policies Don Reinert and Steve Finley from Westar Energy presented information on Wichita's Tree Line Clearance policies. Reinert showed a power point presentation on Transmission and Distribution and spoke on how each affect the citizens of Wichita. Reinert also showed before and after photographs of how the trees grow into the electrical lines and how they look once Westar crews or contractors trim them. Information on safely planting and caring for trees was also passed out to each Board member. Item 3C: Country Acres 3rd and 4th Additions Miller informed the Board that action had been taken on the land with the Median Shrine back in 2004, but that development plans had now changed. Tim Austin, 5940 E. Central, Suite 200 - Wichita, KS Mr. Austin showed the Board members the areas in the Country Acres Addition belonging to the City and said that he would like the City to give the Shrine their northern parcel in exchange for an equal sized parcel that currently belongs to the Shrine adjacent to a southern parcel of land owned by the City. Solter asked if the Park Department had any future intentions for the land. Kupper replied that it had been reserved for drainage and park and that the land had been sitting idle for approximately 50 years. He said there was no playground in the area and they had not mapped out any future use for the area. Dey asked if any thought had been given to the possibility of establishing a walking or bicycle trail in the area. Austin said that he thought that was a good idea but that they were also looking to develop a gated community for those citizens who would like to downsize but also wanted access to the water. He said that when the Median Shrine originally bought the land they platted the east half of the 150 ft and put it into a reserve for utility easement. Austin said they would like to use that reserve area and put in a pedestrian signal to provide access into the Sedgwick County park system for the surrounding communities. Miller commented that she would like to see the areas connect to one another to allow the surrounding pathways and open spaces some sort of linkage to one another. She said that by doing this it would better serve the community and provide more recreational opportunities to the citizens. Austin said they would give this idea consideration. Austin said if the request were approved they would take the total acreage of the two parcels and combine them for use. Frye asked where the access point to the southern portion would be located. Austin replied that they would provide access through the drive system when it is developed. Kupper said that currently the only legal way to access the southern parcel is through the drainage easement from Ridge Road. Roth asked about the size of each parcel. Kupper replied that the northern parcel is approximately 1.3 acres and the southern parcel is approximately 5.4 acres. Miller asked if there had been a drainage study done on the land. Kupper said that he thought that the parcels had already been elevated out of the flood plain. Austin said that they are also doing a flood study on both areas due to FEMA regulations. Frye asked if the homes would have access to Spinnaker Cove Lake and if there would be issues concerning who owned the lake. Kupper said that he did not think the question was ever properly answered back in 2004. Miller said she remembered the lake residents saying then that they would no longer be allowed to hold liability insurance for their portion of the lake if the Shrine was there. Austin said that they were looking at the issue and the lake residents were also gathering additional information. Miller informed Austin that the Board would take the matter under advisement for one month and make a final decision at the next regularly scheduled meeting. Item 4: Cell Phone Tower Request Greg Ferris, PO Box 573 - Wichita, KS Mr. Ferris originally asked Board members in July to allow T-Mobile to build a cell phone tower in the Millbrook Park area. The Board informed Mr. Ferris they would have an answer for him at the August meeting. Ferris again presented his ideas to the Board about placing a cell phone tower in Millbrook Park and the possible benefits of doing so. Miller recommended that the Board consider developing a policy to look at and examine any future cell tower requests. Motion 3: On motion by Frye, second by Solter, it was voted that a cell phone tower be placed in Millbrook Park and the proposal be forwarded to the City Council for further approval. Motion approved 4-2; No - Miller and Dey Item 5: Dry Creek Park Request Financial Report Martz said he was responding to the financial aspect of the Dry Creek Park request. He provided the Board with a spreadsheet outlining the annual operating costs at $1,300/year and construction costs of the playground at approximately $40,000. Motion 4: On motion by Solter, second by Roth, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED that the request for the neighborhood park be approved. Item 6: Park Board Goals Report Item postponed. Item 7: Recreation Division Overview Larry Foos and David McGuire showed a PowerPoint presentation to the Board members outlining the individual sections of the Recreation Division. The presentation explained the cost and attendance figures for the Summer of Discovery (SOD) program as well as facts and figures for the recreation centers, athletics programs and the City's swimming pools. Item 8: Budget/CIP Presentation Kupper provided each Board member with a copy of the proposed Capital Improve Plan (CIP) figures that were pending approval by the City Council. Item 9. Issues on the Horizon. No Items. Item 10. Adjourn Miller adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:15 p.m. ___________________________________ Janet L. Miller, President ATTEST: _______________________________ Myca J. Bunch, Recording Secretary ?? ?? ?? ?? Board of Park Commissioners August 13, 2007 1