BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING Park and Recreation Department 11th Floor City Hall Monday, July 17, 2006 3:30 p.m. Present: Glen Dey, Doug Leeper, Janet Miller, Andy Solter, Nalini Johnson, Dennis Brunner, Mick Tranbarger Also Present: Mike North - Law Department; Kathy Dittmer - Riverside Citizens Association; Larry Ross and Deborah Foster - Greenway Alliance; Mark Dugan, Nancy Harvieux, and Scott Dunakey - WAMPO; Scott Wadle - Planning Department; Karen Walker, Maryann Crockett, Tim Martz (staff) President Miller called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m. Item 1: Member Introduction. Welcome to New Board Member - Nalini Johnson. President Janet Miller announced the appointment of Ms. Nalini Johnson who was appointed as the At-Large Park Board Member for Mayor Mayans. Johnson comes to the Park Board with lots of experience in planning and is currently working for the firm of Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC). Johnson gave a brief introduction on her background and work experience and everyone welcomed her aboard as the newest member to the Park Board. PUBLIC AGENDA President Miller asked if there were any public agenda items. No items. Item 2: Approve Meeting Minutes. President Miller asked if there were any changes to the June 12, 2006, regular meeting notes. Dennis Brunner said that under the approval of the regular meeting minutes, he was absent and could not have voted to second the action. It was noted and the second was changed to Doug Leeper in the June 12 meeting minutes. No one had any other changes and the meeting minutes were approved with the minor change, received, and filed. On motion by Dey, seconded by Johnson, the minutes of the June 12, 2006, regular meeting, with the changes requested by Brunner, were approved unanimously. Item 3: Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO). Mr. Mark Dugan, WAMPO, introduced himself from Metropolitan Area Planning Department (MAPD). He started the presentation off by explaining that MAPD is not part of either Sedgwick County or the City of Wichita. The organization is a by-product of federal funding and that the federal government mandates that communities that have at least a population of 50,000 and have a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The staffing for this organization is authorized and funded by federal law. The MPO manages regional transportation throughout the entire region to include urban areas as well as the entire City of Wichita. Mr. Dugan showed a map to the board that outlined the transportation-covered areas. Ms. Nancy Harvieux, also of the MAPD, said that the MPO sets forth goals for roads and lane widths, however they do not make or set the transportation policies. They consist of a 20-member group, with 19 voting members from the county, city and transit riders in the area. Ms. Harvieux then passed out an executive summary to the board members that explained what the MPO's mission and goals were. She mentioned that the public is involved with the entire process of creating this guide. Harvieux spoke about the Transportation Improvement Program and its specific projects that will be completed in the next four years and of the Unified Planning Work Program, which meets every year and contains detailed descriptions on activities by WAMPO. She then provided copies of 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan and the 2006 Transportation Improvement Plan. Mr. Scott Dunakey introduced himself and then continued by identifying two objectives that WAMPO must focus on. The first was transportation. He said that federal law mandates that their activities must focus on and be specific to transportation issues and not recreation. The second plan, Dunakey said, is to build a backbone trail system for each municipality in the region. This will show regional connections and linkages that will connect into the different municipalities or provide suggestions as to what to do. He said this plan requires at least a year to create. The second objective that WAMPO is focusing on is the existing facilities for bicycles and pedestrians. Dunakey said they would develop a complete inventory of existing pathways. Mr. Larry Ross, 246 N. Rock Wichita, Greenway Alliance commented to the board that he thinks that there should be some sort of expansion of the curb width line to give more space for those riding bicycles. Both Mr. Dugan and Ms. Harvieux, emphasized that WAMPO must look at their initiatives from a transportation perspective and not from a recreational viewpoint. If they do focus on recreation, they may lose their federal funding. Leeper asked how the federal government determines if WAMPO is working in terms of recreation or transportation. Dugan responded that they would specifically look at how they move from point A to point B. Looking at how people move in town between work, doctors, schools, etc will be a priority. Harvieux responded by saying that there is a really fine line when talking about transportation. She said it is important to think in terms of transportation and not recreation. Johnson asked how would they know the difference. Dugan said that there isn't legislation that sets who specifically is going to get to decide one way or another if it is being written from either a transportation or recreation viewpoint. For us we cannot do a park and recreation plan, that's not what we do. He said that their plan is intended and they work closely with the Advance Plan section. They cannot go out and do a recreation plan. He said that the likely targets for the points are going to be economic; from the view of the businesses, retail significance, employment centers, and hospitals. The Park Board thanked the WAMPO staff for presenting the information at the meeting. Following the presentation, the Board discussed the possibility of drafting a statement to WAMPO that would delineate how destination points of recreation are economic generators. Johnson will work on a draft. Item 4: Parcel Split/Adjustment for DP-129. Ms. Donna Goltry, Principal Planner for the Metropolitan Area Planning Department introduced herself. Ms. Goltry provided the Park Board and members of the meeting with a handout that summarized the project before the board. Ms. Goltry brought to the meeting a GIS map of the Dillons store as well as the surrounding area so she could explain the exact boundaries. She pointed to the map and pointed out all the major boundaries and then explained that Parcel 2 of the DP-129 Maize Road Development Community Unit Plan is located on the southwest corner of Maize Road and Central. She explained that the parcel was divided into two tracts, the Dillon's Companies, Inc who is the lessee and the Mar Living Trust, who are the legal owners of the portion where the Dillons store is physically located. Based on the documents she has reviewed, the Wichita Board of Park Commissioners own the portion developed with the lake, which was donated to them in 1991. She also thought that the Park Department was currently maintaining this area of land. Martz agreed with her that they are. Goltry said she was here today because Dillons was seeking an administrative adjustment to expand their retail building on the Parcel 2 portion. As a requirement of their proposed expansion, Dillon's wants to reduce the parking requirement and to reconfigure their small garden area (Goltry pointed to this area on the map). She said that since both parties own portions of the parcel, Dillon's is requesting an acknowledgement from the Park Board of agreement with their request. Goltry further explained that in addition, parcels of land within the community unit plans were intended to follow ownership boundaries and if this property is separated into two ownerships the customary procedure is to divide the CUP parcel into two separate parcels. She did not find any evidence that this had been done in 1991, when the parcel was donated to the Park Board Commissioners. Therefore, on behalf of the agreement she was requesting the Board to authorize the division of the parcel into two parcels now. The parcel owned by the Board would be designated for floodway, drainage and other park purposes. The remainder would be subject to the general provisions and parcel descriptions for Parcel 2. Andy Solter asked what the Board was being asked to do. Goltry said that there were two requested actions before the Board, and they are: 1. Authorize the chairperson of the Park Board to acknowledge agreement with the requested administrative adjustment to DP-129 for reducing parking requirements and reconfiguring the garden center area (Exhibit "B"), and 2. Authorize Dillon's application for an administrative adjustment to separate Parcel 2 into two parcels in accordance with the ownership. Dey moved, seconded by Solter, to recommend that the Park Board approve the requested administrative adjustment to DP-129 for reducing parking requirements and approve the parcel split adjustment for DP-129. Motion passed unanimously. Item 5: Budget Overview. Ms. Karen Walker, Assistant Director of Park and Recreation handed out several budgetary report items to the Park Board for their information. Ms. Walker briefly described the annual budget process that the department went through to submit the Proposed 2007/2008 operating budget for the upcoming year. Ms. Walker also handed out some quick facts concerning the Maintenance Department and went over those specific items with the Park Board. Item 6: Gray's 5th Addition Donation. Ms. Walker reviewed for the Board how the Park Board and City Council had agreed to accept the donation of this land back in 2003. However, the property had never been officially deeded over to the City. So the property had recently been officially deeded to the City. The family now requested that the park be officially named the Alice Walls Memorial Park. A motion was made by Doug Leeper and seconded by Janet Miller to recommend to the City Council that this park be named the Alice Walls Memorial Park. Motion passed unanimously. Item 7: Discussion of Approving and Prioritizing New Parks and Playgrounds. President Miller asked the Board if they would be OK with moving this item to the August meeting due to time constraints. Approved. Item 8: Status of Riverbank Platting Moratorium. President Miller had requested an update on the status of the moratorium. Karen Walker provided an update and explained to the board that a Council Agenda Report had been prepared and would be submitted to the City Council in August for their approval. Item 9: PROS Plan Report. President Miller asked Scott Wadle if he could provide the meeting with an update. Wadle said he was very pleased about the progress to date. Wadle reported that the RFP would be released in the next several weeks and we expected to get the responses back by mid-September. Once those are back then a Staff Screening and Selection Committee would meet and short list the finalists then interview the top several firms for the final interviews. Other activity the subcommittee has been working on is a speaker series, donation letters, a video presentation, and brochure to help disseminate the information to citizens. Miller updated the Park Board on the progress and discussions with Visioneering Wichita and the Self Help Network. The latter is coordinating the regional recreation alliance meetings that had met to discuss a regional perspective of this effort. She said the committee has also been trying to coordinate efforts with REAP and several of the cities within the seven county area. Item 10: Director's Update: Karen Walker provided an update on the Arkansas Riverbank Corridor Access Plan and said that the City had received five proposals to date and that once the RFP submission date had closed that the Staff Screening Selection Process and would begin. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:43 p.m. __________________________ Janet L. Miller, President ATTEST: ____________________________ Myca Bunch Recording Secretary 2