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10.10.2019 Parks & Rec MinutesMINUTES 1 1 1 p TO SPER. "A Place Where Everyone Matters" 1. Call to Order / Roll Call. Regular Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board 250 W. First Street, Prosper, TX Thursday, October 10, 2019 6:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by Rebekah Land, Vice Chair, at 6:00 p.m. Board members present: Rebekah Land, Vice Chair, Gina Kern, Secretary; Matt Cely; Shannon Crawford; John Metcalf; and Cameron Reeves. Staff members present: Dudley Raymond, Director of Parks and Recreation; Paul Naughton, Landscape Architect; Trevor Helton, Recreation Services Coordinator; and Patty Kendzie, Senior Administrative Assistant. Also present: Spencer Freeman, Landscape Architect, Schrickel Rollins. 2. Consider and act upon approval of the Minutes from the September 5, 2019, Special Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board. Motion to approve the Minutes by Metcalf. Second by Kern. Approved 7-0. 3. Comments by the Public. Prosper resident Brett Keckeisen requested a pickle ball court be constructed in Prosper. Land said the Board will take his request into consideration and thanked him for his input. Raymond explained the process for discussing Hays Park and suggested the topic be moved up in the Agenda, due to the crowd assembled. 4. Consider and act upon the appointments of the Parks and Recreation Board Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Kern nominated Land for Chair, second by Metcalf. Approved 6-0. Reeves nominated Metcalf for Vice Chair. Metcalf nominated Kern. Metcalf approved 6-0. Metcalf nominated Kern for Secretary, second by Crawford. Approved 6-0. 7. Presentation and discussion of Hays Park. (moved up in Agenda) Freeman presented two design options for the Hays Park Master Plan. The final design will be incorporated into the Master Plan, then sent for Parks and Recreation Board approval, then the construction documents will be developed and funding allocated to construction. Tonight is the first step in the journey to develop the park. Freeman presented Option A, the more formal design, which included a pavilion, playground, planter bed, open lawn for recreation/practice space, backstop, seating area, decomposed granite trail, park sign, and a parking lot with three regular parking spaces and two accessible parking spaces. The construction cost for Option A is $345,000.00. Page 1 of 4 Henry Coleman, Parks and Recreation Board member, entered the meeting at 6:12 pm. Freeman presented Option B, the more organic design, which included a wildflower garden, pavilion, open lawn, including a playground and smaller recreation space, planter bed, backstop, seating area, decomposed granite trail, park sign, and on -street parking. Option B includes less playground space than Option A, due to the parking. Raymond reminded the attendees that the park is small and the recreation area will not be a game facility. The intent is for recreational play and practice. Hays Park will be a neighborhood park, not a community park (such as Frontier Park). The construction cost for Option B is $310,000.00. Freeman said the maintenance cost, mostly mowing and irrigation, for both plans will be similar. The Board expressed concern about a backstop, as it may hinder the aesthetics. Raymond said the construction documents will present a more granular design and the details will be flushed out. Board and resident comments will be kept at the forefront of thought. The Board asked about lighting. Freeman said there is a possibility of soft lighting under the pavilion for security, which is typical. The Board expressed respect for the surrounding homes and requested screening, or something to discourage park activities from leading into resident yards. Freeman noted most homes have fences. Both Option A and B will require about 150 days construction time and soil testing is part of the construction process. Design time will be three to four months. Option A would be over budget, which is $310,000.00 to $320,000.00; Option B with head -in parking is significantly less expensive. Raymond suggested that 90% of those using the park will live in the neighborhood. There is not much parking with either option, so street parking will be utilized. Metcalf asked for staff input on the options. Raymond said both options are good and it's expected that elements will be mixed and matched in the final design. The goal for this park is to improve the space that is there and to meet the needs of the neighborhood. Prosper resident David Hawk addressed the Board to express concerns about access to his barn, and also fencing and parking. His main concern is that public and private spaces are divided. Currently, there is no barrier. His barn backs up to the edge of the Hays Park property and its sliding door is on the Town property side. The narrow road makes street parking a concern. He stated the drawings are beautiful. Prosper resident Greg Krench said the park drawings are gorgeous. He said parking in Option A is unacceptable, as it is placed too near a mailbox. A backstop is also a negative. Currently, the neighborhood now is dark and fenceless. Prosper resident Lori Krench, who has lived directly across from the park since 1989, indicated a preference for Option B. Her concern is folks who do not live in the neighborhood will park in the lot. She asked that parking be deleted, moved to the middle of the park, or decreased in size to be more economical. She asked to keep the trees. She said the designs are very nice and the park is a nice way to honor the Hays family. She requested no lighting and said a natural, kinder and softer park would complement the neighborhood. Prosper resident Michael Woods, who recently moved into the neighborhood, said although both options look great, the head -in parking along the road would create a problem. No parking is needed. He is not in favor of the backstop and suggested an alternative would be a lower bench/seating area. He requested natural tones, not bright colors for the play structure. Page 2 of 4 Prosper resident Scott Dafft indicated approval for a passive small park, nothing extravagant, with live screening preferred over fencing. He said there should be no parking at all, especially on the street. The road is not wide enough. The neighborhood cherishes its privacy, so no lights. There is too much light pollution already and it will get worse with the development of the lighted park at Coit Road and First Street. Dafft said the challenges are parking, irrigation, and lighting. Hawk asked what is planned for the road near to the park and Raymond said he will look into it. Raymond said that if parking is not included in the park, it will force people to park on the street, possibly in yards. Freeman said irrigation is assumed. Neighborhood residents also expressed concern there are no sidewalks, and on -street parking will prohibit the school bus from making the turn. They encouraged the Board and staff to visit the neighborhood and observe the traffic situation. They thanked the staff and Board for their work to get Hays Park developed. Land said Option B is good due to the shade. Crawford said the community preference is a more natural look so the Board should make that a priority, and also address the parking issues. Reeves indicated a preference for Option B, with wildflowers and more open space for play and practice. Freeman said to remember that wildflowers take a couple years to thrive. Raymond said the space could be considered a pollinator garden. Cely suggested the focus should be the educational elements, not the playground. Raymond asked for a Board vote. Option A received three votes (Coleman, Kern, Land); Option B received four votes (Cely, Crawford, Metcalf, Reeves). Board member Reeves exited the meeting at 7:19 pm. Raymond said the consultants will create a new design based on input and bring it back to the Parks and Recreation Board for approval. The Board thanked staff for working to get the development of Hays Park moving forward. 5. Discussion with the Board regarding the possibility of constructing a Cricket Pitch. Last week, Raymond received a call requesting a cricket pitch be installed at Windsong Ranch. Cricket is a fast growing sport for adults. Raymond has experience with the sport from the time he worked in Frisco. He is hesitant to recommend a pitch due to the Town Council focus on youth sports. A regulation cricket game can last a week and requires a huge amount of land. However, modified rules keep it to two hours or so. Raymond asked if the Board is seeing increasing interest in cricket in their neighborhoods. Crawford indicated she sees interest in adult softball over cricket. Cely indicated the focus should be on youth sports. Raymond said staff will keep cricket on the radar, yet it may be a bit early to take any action. 6. Consider and act upon the approval of the second amendment of the Park Facilities Agreement for Windsong Ranch. Naughton said the amendment will extend the current Windsong Park Facilities Agreement into the next phases to allow Windsong Ranch to build out the trail and park system. The south phases (1-4) of Windsong Ranch have been built and are covered under the original Park Facilities Agreement. Coleman asked how often these types of agreements are done. Naughton said frequently, because it allows growth to pay for growth. Motion to approve by Kern, second by Coleman. Approved 6-0. Page 3 of 4 7. Informational items. a) Recreation Update Helton said the 2019 Prosper Community Picnic, held at Frontier Park on September 7, was a success, drawing nearly 500 people to the park. The Hunger Is No Picnic food drive conducted by Bethlehem Place netted 577 donated items. Stuber Elementary won the school competition with 360 items. Helton presented the travelling trophy at a school assembly. He thanked Land and Metcalf for volunteering their time at the event. Coming up is the Prosper Christmas Festival, scheduled for December 7, at Town Hall. Several attractions have been added for 2019, including a Kids' Christmas Shoppe for children ages 4 to 12. Children will be able to shop for gifts, with help, for parents and siblings in a secure environment. Proceeds from gifts sold will benefit the Parks and Recreation Scholarship Fun. Town staff and volunteers are currently being recruited to help the Shoppe become a reality. Also new this year are horse- drawn carriage rides. Firework bids are due this week. Coleman asked if downtown businesses are aware of the event. Helton said he and Raymond are in communications with business owners, working to prepare them for the event. In response to a question about parking from Kern, Helton recommended all attendees ride the free shuttles from Prosper High School or Reynolds Middle School. Downtown parking will be extremely limited. b) Park Development Update Naughton said Star Trace Park, the first neighborhood park in Star Trail, is finalized. The Gateway Monument on Preston is well underway, with work currently focusing on the lighting; additional stone and metal work is scheduled for next week. Additional Town hike and bike trails are being built, with another mile scheduled for completion before the end of the year. Coleman asked about the sidewalk requested by the school. Raymond said a good portion of the trail is on Prosper ISD property. c) Park Operation Update Raymond said the Prosper Arbor Day Celebration will be held on November 2. Parks crews dig holes and scouts will be taught how to properly plant trees. The Parks and Recreation Board also serves as the Arbor Board for the Town. Deadline for submissions to the Champion Tree Contest was yesterday. The tree location and contest winner will be verified next week. 8. Discussion regarding any miscellaneous business or items to be placed on future Agendas. Coleman suggested adding telescopes in the park as an educational element for amateur astronomers. Raymond said staff will look into that. 9. Adjourn. Motion by Metcalf. Second by Crawford. Meeting adjourned at 8:08 pm. Approved 6-0. Gina Kern, Secretary C Page 4 of 4