BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING Park and Recreation Department 11th Floor City Hall Monday, October 8, 2007 3:30 p.m. Present: Janet Miller, Glen Dey, John Stevens, Tom Roth, and Doug Leeper Absent: Bryan Frye and Andy Solter Also Present: Doug Kupper, Director of Park and Recreation, Karen Walker, Assistant Director of Park and Recreation, Scott Knebel, Planning Department, and Myca Bunch (staff) President Miller called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. PUBLIC AGENDA Patricia Ardissone, 541 W. 26th St. South Ms. Ardissone asked the Board to consider building a walk-in gate at 27th St. South and McLean. She said that both her and Mr. Ardissone do a lot of walking in that area and the addition of the gate would benefit them and many other citizens by giving them easier access to the park and nearby lake. Ms. Ardissone said that she spoke to many of the residents in the area and provided the Board with signatures of those individuals in favor of having the gate built. Larry Ardissone, 541 W. 26th St. South Mr. Adrissone commented that he and his wife do a lot of walking, as do many of the citizens in the neighborhood. He said that he would like the gate to be constructed to better allow him and others to enjoy the area parks and other recreational facilities. Miller returned the discussion to the Board. Leeper asked that staff prepare a report on the safety and feasibility of building the gate in this area. He said he would like to see a traffic study conducted to look at other possible safety issues. Leeper also asked that Staff look at the area and if it is deemed unacceptable for this type of gate, that staff proceed in researching alternative sites to fulfill the request. He said he would also like to know of any budget requirements or other barriers that would delay the gate from being built. REGULAR AGENDA Item 1: Approval of Meeting Minutes Motion 1: On motion by Leeper, second by Roth, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED that the Board approve the September 22, 2007 Park Board Retreat minutes. Item 2A: Proposed Off-road Motor Sports Park Kupper presented the idea of building an off-road Motorsports Park in Wichita on 160 acres of City Property known as the Furley Landfill. Kupper commented that this type of recreational activity is currently the fastest growing sport today and that there are no other venues of this type in the surrounding area which forces many citizens to take their business to other parts of the state and even into Oklahoma. Kupper said that currently many citizens in Wichita ride their ATVs illegally along the flood-way and the river corridor posing many safety concerns, as these areas are not monitored. Kupper said that there is an area within the proposed park that currently has power, which could be used as office facilities and on-site housing for the park manager. He said they are looking at possibly opening an RV park for those citizens coming from out of town who wished to utilize the park. Staff is currently researching various ways to create a buffer from the noise created at the park and its impact on the surrounding citizens. If the Board approves of the idea, Kupper said that staff members would then visit each District Advisory Board (DAB) within the next two months to gather their input prior to taking the proposal to the City Council for final approval. John Stevens said that he felt that the proposal was a good utilization of City property and a great opportunity for the community. Miller asked if the entire park would be fenced to which Kupper said that they would be required to fence the park to control access. He said that the park would not have lighting and that as of now, they foresee keeping the park open year around. Miller asked if the site had to meet certain criteria to be tournament approved. Kupper said obtaining that type of license or approval is one of their goals for the future but that it might take them some time to get to that point. He said that ultimately they would like to invite national and regional off-road motorsports events to Wichita and have them hold their rallies at the venue. Miller asked about the proposed budget and what it would cost to build and operate the facility. Kupper said that they will apply for state funding to cover a portion of the costs and that they anticipate the expenses to be close to $1 million, but that those figures do not cover any additional fees to host rallies and tournaments. Dey asked if the park would have controlled speed and safety rules in place. Kupper said that they would be teaching safety and would require all participants to wear the proper safety gear. Dey said he would like to see a helicopter pad at the facility for immediate transportation for anyone that might be seriously injured. Kupper said that they planned to have EMT on site with all necessary precautions taken to aid in accidents and injuries and that the landing pad is another option they could research. Miller asked how the idea of this new ATV Park would fit in with the on-going Park, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) plan and what she should tell citizens who question why the money is being spent on this new park instead of waiting on the results of the PROS Plan to tell us what types of parks citizens in Wichita are interested in. Kupper said that the money used for the ATV Park would come from land acquisition funds that already exist in the CIP and that the PROS Development money has already been allocated in the CIP for future years. Creating this new park does not take away any funding away from the PROS Plan. Kupper said that he feels we cannot stop developing new parks and creating new ideas just because the PROS plan is not yet finalized. Steve Wheeler, 13425 E. 37th. St. Mr. Wheeler said he is very excited about the possibility of an ATV Park coming to Wichita. He said that his family is a member of the JEEPS Organization, but does not think that it will hurt their business at all. He said that his son, age 14, also rides and is equally excited about the park. Motion 1: On motion by Miller, second by Stevens, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED that staff will continue to explore the ATV Venue and look at all budgetary concerns to include any possible grant funding. Once staff has visited and presented the proposed ATV Venue to each of the DABs, they will bring the item back to the Park Board for a final decision. Motion 2: On motion by Miller, second by Leeper, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to move item 2C ahead of item 2B. Item 2B: Proposed Amendments to Wireless Communication Facility Regulations. Scott Knebel, Planning Department Mr. Knebel was asked by the Board to attend the meeting and clarify the Proposed Amendments to the Wireless Communication Facility Regulations. Knebel explained that the proposed document states that citizens wishing to build a wireless tower on City owned park property could gain permission from the Planning Department without ever contacting the Park Department or Park Board. He said that the Planning Department Director could, under the new proposed document, administratively approve any application of a cell tower up to 150 ft. on City owned property. Kupper asked if a request for a 65 ft tower at Sim Golf Course, for example, could be administrative approved without the applicant ever contacting the Park Department or the Park Board with the way the regulations are currently written. Knebel said yes. Dey asked if there was currently a way that the Board could be notified each time an application was submitted. Knebel said that currently there is no system in place and that the terms of the application requires the person submitting the application to sign and verify that they are authorized to submit the application for that property. Knebel said that towers up to 85 ft could currently be built on any City property with the current Wireless Plan. The only major difference with the new Wireless Plan is that towers of 120 or 150 ft could now be built. Miller asked if all of the DABs had received copies of the new plan and how they had voted. Knebel said that each of the DABs had voted in favor of the new plan. Stevens said that he does not like the idea, as it seems that the Board may not have any input on the placement of cell phone towers on parkland. Miller agreed and said that it appears this could happen even under the terms of the current plan and that the new plan only allow taller towers to be built. Motion 3: On motion by Miller, second by Leeper, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED that the Park Board draft a letter to be presented to the Metropolitan Area Planning Committee (MAPC) on October 18, 2007, stating that the Board is not in support of the proposed amendments to the Unified Zoning Code pertaining to Wireless Communication Facilities, as there are several unknown instances where taller towers could be administratively approved on Park Dept operated land. Item 2C: ARCAP Plan Motion 4: On motion by Leeper, second by Dey, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to approve the ARCAP Plan in its entirety as presented. Motion 5: On motion by Leeper, second by Miller, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED to postpone item 3B until the November Park Board meeting. Item 3A. Country Acres 3rd and 4th Additions In October, the Board heard the request from Tim Austin of Poe and Associates, concerning the Country Acres 3rd and 4th additions and their proposal to trade a parcel of land (property #2) located in the northern portion of the Country Acres addition in exchange for an equally sized parcel of land located in the Southern area (Park property #1) that currently belongs to the City. Miller informed the Board that DAB 5 and the MAPC had both rejected the request for the development plan, but that the Park Board still needed to make a motion on the request to inform the developers of their decision on the land exchange. Motion 6: On Motion by Leeper, second by Miller, IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY voted that Park Property #1 be released in exchange for a parcel of land in the Southern portion of the development that would include Property #2 to the water’s edge, providing an easement for maintenance and future park activities. Also, it is the Park Board’s wish that any future development would include a walking path between West 13th and Park Property #2 Item 3C. PROS Plan Update Miller briefed the Board members on the upcoming visit to Wichita by the PROS Plan consulting team, MIG, from Oct 24 – 27. She also spoke about the upcoming PROS Plan Charrette that will be held on October 27 at Edgemoor Recreation Center and hosted by the Greenway Alliance. She informed all members that their presence was welcome and encouraged at all of the meetings. Item 4. Review of Pending Issues None Item 5. Updates from the Director and President None Item 6. Issues on the Horizon None Item 7. Adjourn. Miller adjourned the meeting at approximately 6:10 p.m. ___________________________________ Janet L. Miller, President ATTEST: _______________________________ Myca J. Bunch, Recording Secretary Board of Park Commissioners October 8, 2007 1