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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/13/2011 Work SessionCity of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, June 13, 2011 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors Pishioneri, VanGordon, Wylie, Moore, Ralston, and Woodrow. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Amy Sowa, and members of the staff. Mayor Lundberg said the items scheduled would be switched for tonight's meeting. 1. Downtown. Circulation Study Update. Senior Management Analyst Courtney Griesel presented the staff report on this item. City staff had been working to progress the adopted 2010 Springfield Downtown District Urban Design Plan by moving forward with the Plan recommendation to convert both Main and South A Street from one- way to two-way traffic operations. Prior to implementing the plan recommendation; staff intended to analyze the feasibility and cost of a two-way traffic pattern. In early 2011 staff began the process to scope the Downtown Circulation analysis work with the transportation engineering and planning firm Kittelson & Associate, Inc. It was staff's intent to update Council on the status and intent to work with Kittelson & Associates and to confirm Council's direction for staff to begin formal analysis work on the Downtown Circulation study as recommended by the Downtown Revitalization Plan. As currently outlined and recommended, the total not to exceed amount to perform the feasibility analysis of a South A and Main Street conversion (Project) was $137,000. As outlined in the Kittelson & Associates Memorandum (Attachment 2 of the agenda packet) and the Project Timeline (Attachment 3 of the agenda packet),. analysis would include public engagement, stakeholder interviews, policy review, alternative development and analysis, alternative recommendation, and a phasing plan. Bringing the public into the process early and throughout the process was planned for the best outcome. Staff anticipated the work to take place over a 3 to 6 month time frame. The goal was to provide Council with reports throughout the process. The Project was funded with up to $120,000 in Springfield Economic Development Agency Downtown urban renewal funds and up to $17,000 in City Transportation Reimbursement Systems Development Charge funds. Ms. Griesel (City Manager's Office), Kristi Krueger (Engineering and Transportation), and Mark Metzger (Development Services) would lead this project. Ms. Griesel said the timeline for the project was included in the agenda packet on page 20 of Attachment 1. The timeline showed staff moving into work for the project in the first year following adoption. Staff planned to initiate a relationship with the consultant to do the analysis in the next 30 days. The scope of the analysis was to look at a number of alternatives and then narrow that down to a set of preferred alternatives to bring to Council before moving on to next steps. She discussed the public involvement during this project. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes June 13, 2011 Page 2 Councilor Ralston said he was glad they were looking at other options besides just two-way. He noted one alternative that showed a large roundabout. He asked if cost estimates would be included with the analysis. Yes. He felt a roundabout could disrupt a lot of businesses in the downtown. Ms. Griesel said that was part of the feasibility question that would be considered during the analysis. Mayor Lundberg thanked Ms. Griesel and said Council was good with them moving forward on this project. 2. Willamalane Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan Update: Draft Community Needs Assessment. City Planner Molly Markarian introduced Rebecca Gershow, Park Planner from Willamalane who presented the recently completed draft Community Needs Assessment report. This report identified the community's needs for parks, recreation, and open spaces. Active involvement of the City was critical in ensuring the adoption of the Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan as a community-wide vision for parks, recreation and open spaces, and as a refinement of the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan. In 2004, the Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan was first adopted by Willamalane's Board of Directors and then forwarded to the City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners for joint adoption. The same process was proposed for this update. Oregon Statewide Planning Goal 8, "Recreation Needs," required communities to evaluate areas and facilities for recreation and develop plans to address the projected demand for them. Willamalane's Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan provided a framework for decision-making over a 20-year planning period regarding acquisition, development, and management of Springfield's park, recreation, and open space system. Its adoption as a refinement plan of the Metro Plan met Statewide Planning Goal 8. The Needs Assessment included input from over 2,000 participants, as well as a technical analysis of parks and facilities, programs, and finances. The findings of the report would provide the foundation for strategies and actions developed for the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). The Willamalane Board of Directors had already reviewed and provided input on the Draft Community Needs Assessment, and the Springfield Planning Commission reviewed it on June 7th. Lane County Planning Commission, Lane County Board of Commissioners, and Springfield School Board would review the draft assessment later in June. Willamalane staff would provide the City Council another update, and request input on the Draft Plan in the fall. Joint adoption was targeted for early 2012. Ms. Gershow introduced Willamalane Planning and Development Manager Greg Hyde and Willamalane Superintendent Bob Keefer who were in the audience and available to address questions or to provide additional information. Ms. Gershow presented a power point presentation on the Community Needs Assessment. The Comp Plan was last adopted in 2004, and provided a framework for decision making for parks, recreation and open space. Involvement of all stakeholders was critical to the plan. She discussed the areas staff had been working on over the last 6 month for this plan. The first thing staff considered was population forecast, which was based on the forecast the City received for their residential land study. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes June 13, 2011 Page 3 There were about 783 acres of parkland and facilities, 37 parks, and seven community centers. Map 1 of the power point showed the recreation planning area. She discussed some of the public involvement activities. Ms. Gershow reviewed the community survey findings. Councilor Ralston asked how camping was relevant for Willamalane parks. Ms. Gershow said that wasn't something they provided in their parks, but was something they wanted to hear about from the citizens. Councilor Ralston said it would be nice if one of the parks could be set up for camping. Ms. Gershow said it was something they could consider for their summer camp programs. She further reviewed the survey results and noted that indoor activities rated high on the survey. Mr. Keefer noted that at the time the survey was taken, Willamalane had not yet taken ownership of the Regional Sports Center. Ms. Gershow said the survey asked what people wanted to see in existing parks, and river front access was the highest rated. Programs for teens was another area that rated high in the survey. Willamalane staff met with the high schools to talk about how that could be addressed. Ms. Gershow discussed neighborhood parks and the current standard of 2 acres of parkland per thousand population. Based on that standard, by 2030 they would need an additional 67 additional acres of neighborhood parks. Another factor included geographic features. Councilor Ralston asked if the land included in development sites was included in what Willamalane needed or if it was in addition. Ms. Gershow said it was irrespective of that figure Mr. Keefer said it could be met if it was part of the development agreement with Willamalane, such as in MountainGate. Councilor VanGordon asked if 2 acres per thousand was a national standard. Ms. Gershow said they had used comparables with other communities in the state and 1.7 to 1.8 per thousand was. about average for neighborhood parks. The National Recreation and Parks Association had historic guidelines and had used 2 acres per thousand as their guideline in the past. The trend was F looking at geographic distribution rather than just acreage. Willamalane was looking at areas that were being served by neighborhood parks. Some elementary schools often acted as neighborhood parks. Ms. Gershow discussed community parks. The proposed standard for community parks was 2 acres per thousand residents. This meant that by 2030, 102 acres of additional community park land or community park-like land would be needed. She explained community park-like land. Those parks served the entire community. Councilor Woodrow asked about the standard related to the size of the specialty community parks. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes June 13, 2011 Page 4 Ms. Gershow said the average size for a community park was 15-20 acres. Two of the current community parks were undersized. There were a lot of factors that went into determining the size of a park. The standard was one way to determine how many parks should be located in neighborhoods. She spoke regarding other parkland (bike paths, specialty parks, etc.) which had a standard of 10 acres per thousand residents. Natural resource areas were included in this category. She discussed some of those natural resource areas. Citizens had consistently said they would like more paths to walk, ride their bike and walk their dog. Growth had been made in that area since the last plan was updated. She referred to a map showing the existing and planned paths and bikeways. Willamalane had worked with City staff on a variety of pieces of the plan, including the paths. The plan also included indoor facilities. She discussed those currently in place. Ms. Gershow said the overall proposed standard was 14 acres of parkland per thousand residents, which was the same as in 2002. They were projecting the need for an additional 364 acres of parkland over the next 20 years. Through this plan, they would determine development of that acreage. Community members had stressed the need for partnerships with other agencies when moving forward with planning for things such as land donations, grants, etc. Ms. Gershow said there was another section of the plan that described the recreation services analysis. That section described community needs for service improvements and identified areas for program expansion. In this analysis, they had looked at public involvement findings, demographics, cost recovery and current level of service compared to past level of service. Willamalane's operations and management were also considered in this plan. Ms. Gershow said this plan had been presented to the City Planning Commission and would be going to the Lane County Planning Commission and Springfield School Board. Their goal was to come back with a draft plan for Council review in the Fall and a Joint Refinement Plan application for the City and the County in the Winter for adoption of the plan. Mr. Keefer said this was as much Willamalane's plan as it was the community's plan. Many things they were hearing from our citizens were not new to Willamalane. Having more trails and being closer to nature was a national trend, and Springfield had an abundance of natural resources available. Willamalane was trying to do what the public wanted them to do and this plan was well put together by Ms. Gershow to point them in the right direction. Councilor Wylie asked what type of activities the teens wanted. Ms. Gershow said they wanted active sports such as sports fields, volleyball, basketball, etc. They were planning on putting sand volleyball at Lively Park, as well as a full sized basket ball court. Councilor Wylie spoke regarding an in-city camping experience. She asked if a park could be closed for a group, such as Scouts, to put up tents and camp out on a permit basis. That would help meet that need for kids in our community. She commended them on the plan. Councilor Ralston said he had been involved in Babe Ruth baseball for many years. Four baseball fields had been lost over the last few years and there was a serious need for usable fields. He noted the complex out at Barger that was heavily used. He felt there should be space for fields for Babe Ruth and other teams. He encouraged Willamalane to look at that and partner with the schools. He talked with a City Councilor in Cottage Grove who told him that Willamalane wanted to take over a building in Cottage Grove. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes June 13, 2011 Page 5 Mr. Keefer said Creswell asked Willamalane if they wanted to be a contract recreation provider/manager of a facility as they tried to develop a recreation program. They had been talking for three years. Councilor Ralston said he helped found the Boys and Girls Club in Eugene many years ago, but he wasn't sure it would work in Springfield. A Teen Center inside a building was something that could be good for the kids. They needed a place to go to get positive reinforcement and socialize. Mr. Keefer said in September Club Two 50 would be open at the Sports Center for teens. The club would include video gaming and access to a gym from about 3:00-6:00pm including the Willamalane Center. Access would be free and in the middle of town near a bus stop. They would like to grow that program at that Center. The Memorial Building was currently leased to the school for alternative schooling. The teen dances were still held at that site. Councilor Moore said there was an article about state parks and funding from lottery funds. She thought she saw something about funds for more than just state parks. Ms. Gershow said they received significant grant funding from the state parks for park development and acquisition. Mr. Keefer said the soccer fields at the Sports Center and enhancements at Lively had both come from those grants. It was all for capital, not operations. Councilor Moore said it was a positive article. She appreciated Willamalane. Councilor Pishioneri referred to the population forecast and asked where they got those figures. Ms. Gershow said the number they were using was the combined population of those living within city limits, plus those living between the city limits and the UGB. Councilor Pishioneri noted that the basketball court had added a lot to the Jesse Maine Park. He would also like to see irrigation at that park to help maintain the grass. He spoke regarding Ruff Park which was outside the UGB, but had access through neighborhoods. He wondered if that would affect their numbers regarding acres per thousand. Ms. Gershow said they looked at neighborhood parks and some other parks that served a neighborhood. Some parks were more in a rural area and not serving the neighborhoods as much. All of that was taken into consideration in this study. Councilor Woodrow liked the camping idea and noted her experience of helping with city kids attending an overnight campout at the park in Philadelphia. There were some areas that weren't developed on the edge of Springfield that could be utilized in that way. Councilor Ralston said Dorris Ranch or Clearwater Park could be some options. Mr. Keefer said they no longer had outdoor school through the schools. It could be a programming or facilities piece for the parks. He said they might want to think about a family camp where someone could reserve an area for a family or group to stay. They would need to look at where that would best fit. He also noted that they were working with Babe Ruth to get a place in Springfield. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes June 13, 2011 Page 6 Councilor Ralston said he would like to talk to Mr. Keefer about it further regarding the different age groups. Councilor VanGordon said he liked the fact that Willamalane was setting the bar for our community and looking at new creative ideas. Mayor Lundberg said we were very fortunate to have Willamalane in our City. Because they were a separate district, they were able to do more. She thanked them for taking on the theater, Camp Putt, and other activities. She was interested in how to define our neighborhoods to retain our small town feel. There were anchors in each neighborhood that included parks, schools, stores and churches. She would like to look at what it would take to get those neighborhood parks. She spoke regarding the Guy Lee School which had baseball fields and the park all together. There were a lot of opportunities for our children to learn about nature and our resources at locations such as that. She would like to look at what we had and how we used our rivers. Walking paths around each park would be a start. Mileage markers were helpful along those trails. All of that kept people active in their neighborhoods. There were many opportunities to work with the schools to best utilize the areas. Other things to think about included things for parents to do while young kids were playing at the park, such as chess tables. She loved the camping idea. Providing recreational opportunities nearby assisted with lowering vehicles travelling distances. As they planned, she wanted them to make sure the schools and parks were connected with walking or biking paths. She agreed that teens liked to just hang out and the Sports Center at 32nd Street was a great place for them to do that. Mr. Towery announced that Mr. Keefer had their first grandchild last week, a baby boy. Ms. Gershow said a master plan process was underway for Clearwater Park. An open house was scheduled for Thursday, June 19 from 6:30-8:00pm at Willamalane Center. All were invited and encouraged to provide input. Councilor Woodrow said she had heard from many people that the first phase at Clearwater was great Mayor Lundberg suggested inviting Mr. Clearwater personally. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at approximately 6:43 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa Christine L. Lundberg Mayor Attest: Amy Sow City Reco er