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Park Board Minutes - 10/26/2000Municipal Auditorium Recreation Center, 10' & Indiana 1:30 p.m. Presiding: Wichita Falls Park Board October 26, 2001 RECEIVED IN CITY CLERK'S OFFICE Date //- 69_C,;066 By -Time Gary Patrick /Chairperson Members Present; Gary Patrick, Al Norris, Mark Howell, Matthew Bohlen, William Barnes, Linda Bates, Ed Godsey, Barbara Green and Bob McBee Members Absent: Kenneth Haney and Clark Waters Staff Present: Jack Murphy and Genice Wilson City Council Representative: Dan Shine (Absent) CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order and the minutes of August 17 were put before the board. There were no changes to the minutes and motion was made by Mark Howell to approve the minutes and seconded by Matthew Bohlen. Approved unanimously. Motion was made to have the November and December meeting together on December 7th at 1:30 in the City Council Conference room. DEPARTMENTAL REPORT: The trail between O'Reilly and Williams Park has been finished. We have installed the benches, litter barrels and signs. We are proceeding with an 8,000 -foot jogging trail loop in Jaycee Park with $50,000 in grant funding received from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as part of the T -21 Federal Funding of the National Trail Section. We are still on schedule for the T -21 three -mile grant for the trail from the Spillway across the Lake Wichita dam to Jaycee Park. The bids should open sometime in February 2001. The Tram is finishing up and the storage barn is complete. We don't know how we are going to operate the Tram. In the budget process last month the above current funding was not accepted and this included the positions for the Tram operators. We hope we can use the Tram for the very first time with the opening of the City Lights Activity on November the 241h The overnight camping events we conducted with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Community Outdoor Outreach Program grant money, went very well. These trips were taken to Lake Arrowhead State Park and Copper Breaks State Park. There are two more such camping trips set up for March 2001. The last time we counted our planted trees, there were from 300 to 400 that had died. It now depends on the weather for how many more will die this winter. At least having to deal with the drought, we now know which species we need to plant from now on that will stand up to the dry conditions of this area. Fun Land is closing and moving to San Angelo. Ernie Baker who leased this facility will be taking the rides with him when he goes. More than likely we will expand the parking lot and upgrade the picnic facility to hold a larger capacity. The Parks and Recreation department received permission from the City Manager to move a portion of the Recreation staff to the Recreation Center at 10th and Indiana. This should help with our registration procedures for classes and for the registration of new Senior Zone members. Mr. Patrick ask about the status of the Weeks Park Tennis Center, and Jack Murphy informed the board that the tennis pro at the center has moved on and we are in the process of interviewing for a new tennis pro to take over the operation. The contractor resurfacing the courts at the Weeks Tennis Center attempted to put the finish on them October 25 but was delayed due to rain. In the triangle in front of Crockett school was a monument, and Mr. Patrick wants Jack to check and see if it is still there and whom it belongs to. Jack Murphy said that he would check on it. OLD BUSINESS: Status of Five Year Plan The City Manager has called a meeting of all department heads to review the Capital Plan. Jack met with the City Manager and informed him of his thoughts, which are similar to the report that the Park Board gave the City Council last month. The City Manager said that he would be meeting with the council to discuss the five -year Plan and that is where it stands at this time. Gary Patrick's understanding was that the City Manager was looking at the Five Year Plan's priority items and may be putting some of them on a bond issue. Mr. Murphy was not aware of this and said that if that were so, then it would be something new because it has not been done before. Mark Howell gave Texas Parks and Wildlife grant application procedure guides to Jack Murphy in order for him to be aware of grant application procedures for Indoor Recreation and Parks funding. Howell again emphasized the importance of putting together a city park Master Plan to better qualify for up to $500,000 in possible grant funding. Motion was made by Al Norris to form a committee to meet with the City Manager to follow up on the Five -Year Plan. Bob McBee seconded the motion. All approved. This Committee consists of: Gary Patrick Mark Howell Ed Godsey Bob McBee Al Norris Bill Barnes suggested taking this issue to the TRN Newspaper and getting Carroll Wilson to back us with an editorial. Some discussion on this was made and the board decided to wait to see the committee results first. a. Park Advocates. The Park Advocates committee was explained to the new members and discussed. Mark Howell made a motion to again assign different Parks to each member of the board and resume the Park Advocate reports. Bob McBee seconded the motion. All approved. NEW BUSINESS: Lake Arrowhead boat ramp improvements. Mark Howell visited with Scott Taylor on this and explained to him how simple the application was for 100% grant reimbursable maintenance and improvement monies at existing ramps. Now would be a good time for these improvements because the Lake is down and the maintenance would be a lot easier. Mr. Taylor reported back to Mr. Howell that a funding application letter for improvements at the Deer Park and Ouchita Park ramps would be sent the following week to Texas Parks and Wildlife Boat Ramp Program staff in Austin. Roller Blade Park This was put on the back burner until a later date. OTHER BUSINESS: No other business was discussed and Bob McBee made a motion to adjourn. Mark Howell seconded this motion and all approved. Meeting was adjourned at 3:20 p.m. THE NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY DECEMBER 7T ", 2000 IN THE MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM, CITY COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM.