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02.09.2017 Parks & Rec MinutesIOSPER WN OF "A Place Where Everyone Matters" 1. Call to Order / Roll Call. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Barbara Cottone. MINUTES Regular Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board 108 W. Broadway St., Prosper, Texas Town of Prosper Municipal Chambers Thursday, February 9, 2017, 6:00 pm Board members present: Chair, Barbara Cottone; Vice Chair, Mandy Goddard; Secretary, Jeffrey Hodges; Amy Bartley, Rebekah Land, and Chuck Smith. Rick McGrath entered the meeting at 6:07 pm. Staff members present: Dudley Raymond, Director of Parks and Recreation; Paul Naughton, Landscape Architect; Matt Furr, Parks Superintendent, Julie Shivers, Recreation Coordinator; and Patty Kendzie, Senior Administrative Assistant, Parks and Recreation. 2. Consider and act upon approval of the minutes from the January 12, 2017, Parks and Recreation Board meeting. Motion to approve by Hodges, second by Goddard. Approved 6-0. 3. Comments by the Public. There were no comments by the public. 4. Discussion with Staff about the 5-Year Plan. Raymond described the work being done on the 5-Year Capital Plan, a plan requested by Town Council after their January 2017 work session. The plan will help prioritize projects while considering budget cost and cash flow constraints. The Master Plan as well as other many other items will need to be analyzed to define the costs and budget impacts of bringing on a recreation center, such as operational cost, membership fee charged to participants, and what items to include. The 5-Year Plan is being worked on currently at the staff level and will go through quite a bit of fine-tuning before becoming final. Page] of 5 5. Informational items. a. Recreation Update Shivers said registration for Spring 2017 programs is up and open. Available activities are Soccer, Fit4Mom, Archery, Tennis and Adult Softball. Summer programming is expected to be finalized by spring break; instructors have not yet committed. Fun Fridays at Frontier, a joint effort with the Prosper Community Library, will be offered again during the month of July 2017. Adult Softball has moved to Sunday afternoons. Shivers thanked Matt Furr and Prosper Little League for helping to work out the new softball schedule. The Parks and Recreation Facebook page was launched on January 9, 2017, and has already received 460 likes! A great turn out is anticipated for the Prosper Fishing Derby coming up on February 25, 2017, from 9-1 lam, at the pond at Frontier Park. Approximately 300 children, with parents and grandparents, attended the free event in 2016. The IT'S TIME TEXAS Community Challenge (ITTCC) continues. Prosper has been in the lead since day one. A couple large point activities are being held back as a strategy. The January ITTCC sanctioned event, the Prosper Community Health Fair on January 27, 2017, brought nearly 150 visitors, 60 volunteers and 70 vendors to the Prosper High School cafeteria. Promoted heavily on social media, the event was livestreamed on Facebook by McGrath and Shivers. Cottone suggested banners on downtown light poles would be a great way to promote the ITTCC and also publicize Prosper's win/s, if the program is to be ongoing. Raymond said the Town may have a banner program someday. For the February ITTCC sanctioned event on February 2, 2017, Mayor Smith joined Recreation and the Community Library for Storytime at Pinnacle Performance Center. For the March ITTCC sanctioned event, Recreation will host an ITTCC booth at Windsong's Bliss Fest on March 25, 2017, to promote the Challenge, as well as Recreation programs. McGrath asked if local fitness centers were involved in the ITTCC. Shivers responded that the Prosper Chamber has encouraged fitness centers, and actually all Prosper businesses, to engage in the Challenge. Although not impossible, tracking points is tricky and a hashtag is the only way to be certain who has earned selfie points. Bartley added that she was happy to see various non -profits and businesses participating in the ITTCC. b. Park Development Update Naughton said the Preston Lakes playground is in progress and is expected to be complete by early March 2017. Construction began at Frontier North on February 1, 2017. Naughton invited the Parks and Recreation Board to the Groundbreaking Ceremony on February 10, 2017. Representatives from Collin County and Texas Parks and Wildlife are expected to attend, along with Mayor Smith and the Town Council. The site will be under construction during the Fishing Derby, so close attention is being paid to minimize any inconveniences from the construction. The public will be updated periodically on Frontier Park North, including construction status and closures. As to other projects, there are trails under construction throughout the Town. Page 2 of 5 McGrath asked about the frisbee golf course at Windsong. Naughton said the developer previously brought the disc golf course to the Parks and Recreation Board to ask that park improvement fees be allowed to be used toward the course. The Board agreed to $50,000; however, the developer did not find that amount adequate, so the course remains private. At Windsong, the hike and bike trail is public, yet the mountain bike trail is private. Raymond said the opportunity remains for those amenities to become public at a later date. Road projects and a planned overpass will make the area more accessible. Naughton said those type amenities will be looked at for inclusion in the 5-Year Plan. If there is a desire and a budget, they can be included. Goddard brought up the topic of negative comments seen on Prosper Moms, a social media page with 3,000 members. Concerns focus on sports fields and overcrowding issues at Frontier Park, with many of the posts coming from non -Prosper residents. She asked if non-resident enrollment could be limited, staggered or capped so quality is not taken away from Prosper kids. Current league rules state teams must be comprised of at least 80 percent Prosper residents. Providing for PISD children, versus only Prosper residents, does nearly double the usage numbers, yet it allows children to play sports with their school friends. Bartley mentioned comments on social media about the need for increased amenities in Prosper. Many comments are from non-residents living near Frontier Park. Cottone said this is not a new topic. Raymond said conversations continue with the Prosper Youth Sports Commission (PYSC) about the tipping point and when there will not be enough room for all to play. Several Board members expressed concerns about non-residents playing sports in Prosper. Topics discussed were practice schedules being cut back; lacrosse players are heavily non-resident; inevitable overcrowding in the near future; how Prosper fields will support the growth, and non-resident usage fees. Cottone said many people feel it's important to keep the school district boundaries. She said increasing the non-resident fee will not solve the problem of lack of fields and that there are sufficient fields for practice and games for Prosper residents. At some point, the issue will have to be dealt with, possibly first moving the percentage to 90/10 and grandfathering kids already in the program and then it may get to the point that it's 100% resident kids. Goddard said girls softball numbers grew 35% from Fall 2016. McGrath said it's important not to compromise the experience for the entire group. Furr said he is a member of the PYSC, which includes the sports leagues and Prosper ISD. Talks are ongoing regarding the non-resident player issue. For the first time, baseball registration has been capped. It's not the fields that are the biggest issue, it's the parking that's not sufficient. PYSC is looking for solutions, yet waiting to learn the school district's plans for the area. Frontier North will add parking, yet the space is landlocked. Talks continue with the neighbor to the east about a possible 2-year agreement for some type of temporary parking. Furr said that, six years ago, Town Council directed the sports leagues to continue accommodating all kids from Prosper ISD. Now, Celina and Gunter kids also come to Prosper, as they have no place to play, so the landscape has changed. Hodges asked if the planned stadium parking could be used as park parking. Furr said that was the original plan, to gravel that entire space, from the stop sign all the way around the curve. Then it was learned Prosper ISD would begin construction in that area this summer. McGrath asked if options were being discussed. Page 3 of 5 Raymond said yes, planning is in the initial stage, so no firm timelines are available yet. It is known that construction will begin on the natatorium and the stadium and the entire area will be under construction. This will be a problem, most likely, for less than 14 months. The leagues have been asked to set up their schedules based on parking, not grass, availability. Several Board members expressed concern about traffic issues at Frontier Park, in that parents drop off the kids, then speed through the park and neighborhoods. Cottone commented that traffic was also an issue at the 2016 Community Picnic and said there is a need for police to control the parking at Frontier Park. McGrath said to remember that lack of parking is not a good experience for residents nor non-residents. Raymond said that after the first 14-18 months, things will get a lot better. Also, leagues have been asked to schedule playing times later, to preserve the experience for the kids. McGrath asked if the School Board knows the planned construction is causing problems for Prosper sports at Frontier Park. Raymond said he has talked with district representatives who expressed a willingness to help, yet they can't make a commitment this early in the process. He said the best solution, to date, is placing gravel on the eyebrow curve. Yet, that will be costly, won't be there for long and won't be optimum. Goddard said, because it's known the next couple seasons will be impacted, is there a way to look at capping enrollment numbers? How would we go about making a suggestion to consider that? Bartley agreed with giving Prosper residents first priority for space. Raymond said the sports organizations are addressing it. Goddard also expressed additional concerns posted on social media, specifically the gravel pit on Frontier Parkway and the condition of the road. Raymond said he is not directly involved in the discussions, yet he knows those issues are being addressed with Celina and the school district. If and when details become available, Parks and Recreation will post the facts on social media. People do need an update on the project. Referring back to the topic of disc golf, Cottone said one reason Town funding was not granted is because the course is in the flood plain. Naughton said accessibility and liability are important for the Town to look at carefully. Bartley asked about timelines in the 5-year Plan, specifically, the timing for Sexton Park and a rec center. Raymond said, typically, that will depend on land deals. The 5-Year Plan will keep in line with the Master Plan, yet the big picture will change often. These things are fluid. As cash flow is understood, a systematic approach will be developed. He said the rec center will be decided by the desired amount of cost recovery, and how much population will support it. Also, it's important to build the right sized center that will not be too small for the future. In response to Goddard's question about public basketball courts, Naughton said the programmability of all parks is being looked at. Lakewood Preserve is identified for basketball. Cockrell Elementary School and Windsong each have public basketball courts that are open to the public now. c. Park Operations Update Furr said he will be speaking to Celina about opening up their soccer complex to use as overflow for Prosper leagues. Celina kids play in Prosper, as the city hasn't yet met the registration threshold to start a league. Celina has soccer facilities for practice or small games, but they are used for football. The biggest concern is the Prosper Fall 2017 season, when three to four sports will be going on at the same time. Page 4 of 5 Furr said a lot of work has been done in response to the growth in baseball this year. Working with PISD, 60-70 foot bases were installed so kids can practice at Reynolds Middle School, the district's largest field. It's not pretty, but it will serve the purpose. Also, a pitching mound was added to Boyer Field at Eagles Landing Park, so baseball can be practiced there, as well. Parks Operations is still battling beavers; 12 have been caught near Frontier Park (one was 42 lbs.). As for sports, soccer and lacrosse have started. The whole southwest corner has been converted to eight baseball fields, in preparation for opening season. Also, Folsom Park and Fire Station Park are ready. Some residents aren't aware Prosper has parks other than Frontier. Based on numbers, soccer gets space priority at Frontier. Lacrosse is growing fast and will benefit from the other available spaces. McGrath asked if the hike and bike trail at Folsom can be repurposed into soccer fields. Furr said it could be done, but there is no water. Bartley said power lines there are a negative. Furr said, originally, the lights from Main Street Park were to be moved to the Eagles Landing and Folsom Parks' backstop areas and also Boyer Park, but that project has stopped. The light manufacturer will not warranty the lights. No company has been found that will. Lights have fallen over at different schools in the past, so this is a big concern. When the Town Council funded moving the lights, warranty wasn't anticipated to be a problem. The money is still there. McGrath asked if light sponsors had been considered. Furr said yes, but there has been no interest. The installers are working to find a solution. Auction is an option. Raymond told the Board that, on February 14, 2017, the Town Council will address field striping at Frontier Park North. Raymond reminded the Board that the next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board has been moved to Monday, March 13, due to spring break. McGrath asked if the Parks and Recreation Department attended HOA meetings. Raymond said he and Naughton do, as it's a good way to get feedback. Motion to adjourn by McGrath, second by Smith. Meeting adjourned 6:57 pm. Approved 7-0. Page 5 of 5