Park Board Minutes - 05/27/2004Wichita Falls Park Board Meeting
May 27, 2004
Municipal Auditorium
Room 106 1Small Conference Room
1:30 p.m.
Presiding: Gary Patrick/Chairperson
RECEIVED IN
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
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Members Present: Gary Patrick, Kenny Haney, William Barnes, Elmer
Emory, Steve Chaney, Peg Marquardt, Walter Tyndale,
Kenny Catney, Gary Diehm and Alan Donaldson.
Members Absent: (none)
Staff Present: Jack Murphy and Genice Wilson
City Council Representative: Johnny Burns
Visitor: Matt Benoit/Asst. to City Manager and Trish Lee of
Special Olympics organization.
CALL TO ORDER:
Meeting was called to order at 1:38 p.m. The minutes of April 22, 2004 were put
before the board. Kenny Haney made the motion to accept the minutes as written
and Elmer Emory seconded the motion. Approved unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS:
A. Request by the Special Olympics organization for extended reservation
privilege by their teams for practice use of the two softball fields in TESCO
Park from 9:00 a.m. till noon June 12"' through October 9"', 2004.
This is a special request of the Special Olympics of North Texas to use TESCO
Park on Saturday mornings for practice games for their organization. Jack
Murphy has had no reported problems with the use of the fields last year and
staff recommends same extended reservation privilege be granted to the
organization.
Trish Lee of the organization was present at the meeting to answer any
questions the Board might have.
The only problem with the request is if the Recreation Department needs the
fields for rainout make up games in which the organization will not be able to
use the fields.
Gary Patrick asks Trish how many individuals are on these teams. She stated
that there are about 45 individuals that play on the three teams and then there
are about 15 to 20 individuals that they just practice individual skills with.
There are no parking problems to the neighborhood because most of the
individuals are with group homes and they come as a group.
The Organization is responsible for clean up.
Kenny Haney made the motion to accept the request and Gary Diehm seconded
the motion. Approved unanimously.
DEPARTMENTAL REPORT:
We are continuing with our project at Lake Wichita Park site. This is a project we
are working on when we get available resources so whenever we get more dirt we
add it to the pile. We have established that we would like to reach 100 feet high. It
is at approximately 75 feet now.
After we reach the height wanted then we can start Phase 11, which is the
construction of wrapping a road all the way to the top. We then start Phase III,
which is the structure that will be placed on top and different facilities around the
base.
We plan on digging a pond just to the North of the hill. Sanitation is loaning us a
scraper to use for this project. The surface area of this pond should be a couple of
acres. Hopefully we can make the pond about 3 % to 4 foot deep.
The time frame for starting Phase II and Phase III should be in about a year.
The Recreation Department is getting ready for the summer programs. We should
be hiring all our summer employees and getting ready for the Day Camp programs
to start and the Swimming pool to open.
Park Maintenance is in full swing keeping parks mowed and maintained.
Kenny Haney wanted an up date on the sign that was placed at the entrance to the
parking area at Lake Wichita Park. Sign shop made the sign we requested and
placed it on the entrance to the park and Jack did not like where it was placed so
the Parks Department will be making a better frame for the sign and installing it in
a different place.
OLD BUSINESS:
A. Discussion of costs for projects in Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan.
Mr. Murphy passed out a chart of Project and Priority needs, costs, timelines
and recommended funding sources. His wish was for the board to go over the
projects and prioritize them according to what was needed to what is less
needed.
Elmer Emory wanted to know if the Gymnasium is going to be left as #1 and
how far down the road are we going to have a site for the project?
We do not have a site right now; tentatively we have the TXDOT land by Kell.
This has been placed on the back burner now because they have indicated that
they are going to have to do a study to determine what land will be needed to
finish the on and off ramps for the freeway. So how long that will take we don't
know.
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Mr. Patrick ask Johnny Burns and Matt Benoit if either one had a4 ir� on
whether this is going to happen and when. Johnny Burns said that there are
other sources that this land is going to be used for.
There were several discussions on what the city needs, what the residence
need and what kind of parks we want. What can the city do in the parks to
keep people from going elsewhere for recreation?
Johnny Burns said that in his opinion we do a lot of nothing in our parks. We
need more active recreation in the parks.
Kenny Haney wanted to know why we haven't tried to get some kind of grant to
help with funding. We are always talking about grants but never seem to apply
for any. Other members wanted to know why the soccer fields and ball fields
that are located in the parks and used for practices and practice games are not
maintained. They have stickers and weeds on them so bad that kids their
hands and knees full, so they don't use them.
Jack Murphy stated that the Parks & Recreation Department does not have the
man power to maintain the practice fields the way they are suppose to. The
department has been cut so many times that we do the best we can.
Gary Patrick asks Johnny Burns if during the budget process could the board
show up and be the advocates for change?
Peg Marquardt wanted to know if the Parks Department could possibly get
volunteers to help with the maintenance. Jack said we have used this before
but the problem is transportation and supervision when you have volunteers.
Jack Murphy will e-mail the form he passed out, for the Parks, Recreation, and
Open Space Plan, to the members and if each will do their own prioritizing and
then bring it back to the next meeting maybe we can accomplish this task.
B. Discussion of budget for FY04 -05.
Kenny Haney wanted to know how the budget process works for the city. Jack
Murphy explained that it is a simple governmental process that is turned in
electronically. Before it starts there is an annual meeting with the City Manager
and Finance Director. They give us the outline and every thing in the outline it
is basically status quo, because the council tells the manager generally to keep
the same tax rate. So our budget is basically the same as last years with no
capital expenditures. Then from here it goes to the City Manager and the
Finance department and after they look at it Mr. Murphy has a meeting with the
City Manager as well as the other department heads. We review the items then
it goes for about two months where the manager has to put together the
request, cut here, add there, to make the budget come into line with his
directions of the City Council to stay with the same tax rate. Then it is
presented to the City Council who will have a workshop, two public hearings
and then they will adopt the budget.
The Park Board wants to go to the budget public hearing whenever it happens.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Peg Marquardt asks what's happening with Safety City?
Jack Murphy said that he had not heard anything else from them.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
I - 4,25
Signature:
Gary P trick/Chairperson