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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-03-01 REGULAR MEETING PARKS AND LEISURE SERVICES BOARD MARCH 1,2004 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Parks and Leisure Services Board was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 1, 2004, in the Council Chambers of the Euless City Hall building by Chairman Eric Owens. Other Board Members present: Mike Daniel, Glendora Waldrup, Stacey Hollinger, Boyce Byers and alternates Carroll "Scotty" Scott and Dan Clark. Members absent: Jeff Sawlan and Carl Miller. Staff members present: Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald, Parks Superintendent Terry Boaz, Recreation Manager Suzanne Hendrickson and Administrative Secretary Linda Lux. Visitors present: Bryan Klein (Ion Design Group), Alex Horton, the Crazy Quilters (Kathy Clark, Jill Davis, Dana Goyer, Pam Anslem, Nina Sampson and Mary Ann George), Randy Clark, City Manager Joe Hennig and Director of Economic Development Bill Ridgway. INVOCATION Mike Daniel gave the invocation. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Owens asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes from the February 2, 2004 regular meeting. There being none, Glendora Waldrup made the motion to approve the minutes as presented and was seconded by Dan Clark. The vote was unanimous. City Manager Joe Hennig and Director of Economic Development Bill Ridgway were in the audience and said they had a copy of the recent video which was shot in December by the Pat Summerall Productions. Mr. Hennig said Euless was selected as the "Best Managed Small City in America" and a two-minute commercial was recently shown in February on CNN Headline News. He said they wanted to show the video tonight to the Board Members. After the video was shown Mr. Ridgway said to contact him and he will have some more copies of the video made for any Board Members or staff wishing to have a copy. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 2 March 1, 2004 OLD BUSINESS I. Board Member's Reports Dan Clark said he walked J. A. Carr Park over the weekend and took some pictures. He said he found a grocery cart in the creek. He mentioned that some of the trash comes from the adjacent apartments and suggested that if the apartments would get an enclosure for the dumpster then it might cut down on the amount of trash blown into the park. He said both J. A. Carr and Kiddy Carr parks were well groomed but said the portable restrooms did need cleaning and there was lots of trash around the enclosure. Carroll Scott said Trailwood Park was in good shape and he did notice a low spot by the kiddy area. At Bob Eden Park the sign was torn, the portable restroom cleaning schedule was not current and the wheel in the playground area needs some work. He mentioned the users of the tennis courts really enjoy the area, Lacrosse was playing on the fields on Saturday and the trail looks good. Glendora Waldrup said she walked the Villages of Bear Creek Park and it looked clean and well maintained. The soccer fields were not being used that day but there were lots of people with their dogs in the park and she spoke with many residents and they told her they really like this park, especially the trails. The portable restrooms also looked good. She also mentioned she is very concerned with the creek erosion being so close to the sidewalk area. Stacey Hollinger said he walked the Parks at Texas Star Athletic Complex today and the park look great. He said he noticed some construction fencing had been started in preparation for the construction of Phase III. Boyce Byers mentioned the following Special Events: (1) the Community Garage Sale was February 21st and there were over 700 people in attendance; (2) the Arbor Daze Premier Night is this Saturday, March 6th at the Texas Star Conference Centre; (3)the Texas Trash Off is scheduled for April 3r at Showplace Lanes; (4) the Easter Egg Hunt will be held April 3`d on the soccer field at the Parks at Texas Star and the event is free. She said last year we received many nice compliments on the event; and (5) Arbor Daze will be held April 23rd to 25th and we need many volunteers to help with this event. She also mentioned the tennis court lights at Lakewood Elementary stayed on all night. Parks Superintendent Terry Boaz said he would have his staff check on the timer system to see if it needs to be replaced. Mike Daniel said Heritage Park is a beautiful park and was super clean when he walked the park. At South Euless Park he said it was also very clean and there were some kids catching crawdads in the creek. He said he walked under the bridge and noticed a 3" PVC pipe and some kind of electrical conduit there and suggested that the Parks staff might check on this. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 3 March 1,2004 IL Volunteer of the Month Chairman Owens presented the Crazy Quilters with a plaque for the March 2004 Volunteers of the Month. This group has given a tremendous amount of time and effort to the city. They have created, made and donated beautiful quilts for the last seven years for the Arbor Daze Auction and Festival. They have also volunteered for the following: (1) beautification projects; (2) Career Day for the H-E-B and Grapevine/Colleyville School districts; (3) helped with tours for the Fuller House; and (4) have provided quilting exhibits for the Euless Library. Those present to receive the award were: Kathy Clark, Jill Davis, Dana Goyer, Pam Anslem, Nina Sampson and Mary Ann George. He thanked them for everything they do for the community. NEW BUSINESS III. Business of the Tree Board Tree Board Chairman Mike Daniel mentioned the following: three (3) Crape Myrtles were planted at the south side of the Library and also three (3) in the parking lot median at the Parks at Texas Star; one (1) Crape Myrtle was planted in the arbor walkway at the Parks at Texas Star. All the above trees were rescued from the City Hall parking lot construction. A Magnolia tree clone was planted at the northeast corner of the Fuller House. Three (3) pecan trees from the City Hall parking lot construction will be relocated to the south side of the Library. He also stated Horticulturist Jimmy Beck drafted the information that will be put on the plaques for the two historic trees (Fig Tree and Southern Magnolia Tree). Glendora Waldrup said she would like to see more Magnolia trees planted on North Main Street and feels there should be more flowering shrubs planted in our parks. Chairman Owens said he appreciates Jimmy Beck's efforts in saving our historic trees for our community. Boyce Byers commented on how nice the new entrance signs are on Mid Cities Boulevard. Ray McDonald said the same entrance signs will also be added at Harwood Road and F.M. 157, as well as F.M. 157 and Pipeline Road. IV. Preserve at McCormick Park Update Bryan Klein with Ion Design Group was present regarding the Preserve at McCormick Park. He said the grant for$500,000 has been approved by the State and we are now in the design stage of Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 4 March 1,2004 the project. He said this will now be the third grant that Euless has received from the State. The Preserve will include the following: • Trail System - that will connect McCormick Park, Bob Eden Park and the Villages of Bear Creek Park, be ten feet(10') in width and include a bridge to facilitate crossing of the creek. The Park will become an Outdoor Classroom and include individual "loops" which will focus on: (1) native species; (2) life on the North Central Texas Prairie; (3) national historic tree grove; (4) recycling/resource conservation; and (5) constructed wetlands/birding habitat. • Small Playground - will be installed and will fit the theme of the nature center/learning environment with color and activity centers compatible with the nature center theme. • Aquatic Observation/Interpretation Area—will have a four-acre pond stocked with fish and a fishing pier. The fishing pier will be connected to the trails system to provide an accessible route. • Picnic Facilities/Pavilion — will have a sheltered structure for picnic events, as well as picnic tables and grills. • Open Play Area—this area will be along Fuller-Wiser Road and will be reserved as a space for open field play. This area is not intended for any type of active league play, but rather for individual, school groups or family outdoor play. • Constructed Wetland and Birding Habitat —this area will be planted with above-water and below-water vegetation natural to the North Texas wetland environment. A birding observation area will also be established to include the introduction of trees, cover and breeding areas for foul. The observation area will include two (2) blinds that allow for observation without intrusion into the habitat. • National Historic Tree Grove—an area will be established to showcase vegetation that has a special cultural meaning. This part of the park will serve a vegetative and educational purpose. It will include a permanent collection of over 40 different trees. The tree grove will feature interpretive signage on each plant specimen and its historical significance. • Interpretive Signage — will include nature trails marked with species native to North Texas Prairie and will also include information on the natural process of successional growth of the prairie following fires and other natural calamities. • Outdoor Classroom — this area will be the "Nature Center" part of the Preserve at McCormick Park and will include trails through the site, various sites for specialized activities and be an attractive place for people to enjoy outdoor recreation while learning about the environment and the Euless/North Texas area. There will be a native species trail, a historical and cultural exhibit illustrating the original human settlement as well as the plant/animal evolution. It will include a recycling/resource conservation exhibit which will be near the picnic and pavilion facility so that youth and adults alike can learn about this topic. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 5 March 1, 2004 Mr. Klein further stated that the Kids Design Council was formed with a few select students from North Euless Elementary, Lakewood Elementary, Bear Creek Elementary and Euless Junior High. He said a field trip with the students is scheduled for Saturday, March 27th and they will meet at the Library at 10:00 a.m. if any of the Park Board is interested in touring the facility with the students. He said we plan to do a ribbon cutting for the facility in the fall of 2004. He mentioned that Mr. Sandlin has planted over 1,700 trees and said he will also be donating an additional 200 more trees for the Preserve. V. Parks and Community Services Reports a. Recreation Report— Suzanne Hendrickson Recreation Manager Suzanne Hendrickson gave the following updates: • At Midway Recreation Center — they have sold 465 memberships this month, been over 10,810 visits to the center, 1,201 hours on the cardio equipment and also 3,270 miles on the cardio equipment. • Parks at Texas Star—opened on February 20th with 14 teams playing. There will be a new church softball league starting in April and we hope to start a new Wiffleball league this summer. • Simmons Center — there has been three trips taken with the seniors and 851 visits to the center. • Special Events — (1) the Arbor Daze Premier Night is Saturday, March 6th at 7:00 p.m. at the Texas Star Conference Center; (2) the Texas Trash Off will be held on Saturday, April 3rd from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at Showplace Lanes; (3) the Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Saturday, April 3rd from 10:00 a.m. to Noon on the soccer field at the Parks at Texas Star. She said the recent Community Garage Sale held in February had about 700 people in attendance. Suzanne also mentioned the Arbor Daze line-up of acts coming to the festival and said all the trailers,tables and chairs have been ordered for the festival. b. Community Services Report—Ray McDonald Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald updated the Board on the following projects: Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 6 March 1, 2004 • West Park—the irrigation project is about one-half completed, and there will be a new entry way into the park which will be done in-house by the Parks staff. Public Works will be constructing a new parking lot on the east side of the playground. The irrigation project should be completed by the end of March. • Bob Eden Trail—this project should be completed within 30 days. • Parks at Texas Star — Phase III — the contractor is currently on-site and the safety fencing has been installed. The irrigation heads have been dug-up and they will be relocating the lines in order to continue watering the fields. The contractor is very excited about this project and said they plan to start with Veterans Field first. • City Hall Median— the plans are to do a cut-through from the City Hall parking lot over to the parking lot in Building "C". The Parks staff has been assisting in this project in order to help with the irrigation lines as well as relocating three pecan trees south of the Library building and some Crape Myrtles were also being relocated to the Library. Ray also said the City Council meeting regularly scheduled for Tuesday, March 9th has been moved to Thursday, March 11 th. Ray said he will be working together with Alex Horton and the Trails Committee to get citizens more involved with the community and the trails project. The project would be to help with picking up trash along the trails in the parks. Ray and Alex would like to ask for the Park Board Members support and any ideas they have to help build this group and focus on building more trail programs in the community. VI. Other New Business Chairman Owens said there was no new business for discussion VII. Input from City Council Members and Visitors Alex Horton mentioned there was a nice article in the paper recently regarding the Preserve at McCormick Park. He also stated he attended a meeting recently with the Corps of Engineers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and he mentioned the erosion problem at the Villages of Bear Creek Park and said they had no answers nor were they able to help with the situation. Mr. Horton suggested that a port-o-let be installed at Trailwood Park since many residents take their small children to play at the park. He also mentioned there is a great opportunity for local businesses to promote their business as well as helping support our trails system. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 7 March 1,2004 ADJOURNMENT Chairman Owens gave the benediction. Being no further business to conduct, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Chairman Attest `�~