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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-11-05 REGULAR MEETING PARKS AND LEISURE SERVICES BOARD NOVEMBER 5, 2001 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Parks and Leisure Services Board was called to order at 7:07 p.m. on Monday, November 5, 2001, in the Council Chambers of the Euless Municipal Building by Chairman Eric Owens. Other Board Members present were: Boyce Byers, Bruce Ebert, Glendora Waldrup and alternates Carroll "Scotty" Scott and Mike Daniel. Members absent were: Stacey Hollinger and Carl Miller. Staff members present were: Director of Community Services Rick Herold, Parks Superintendent Johnnie Green, Recreation Manager Ray McDonald, Special Events Coordinator Glenda Hartsell and Administrative Secretary Linda Lux. Visitors present were: Terry Cheek with Schrickel, Rollins and Associates, Jeegna Vashi, Vidyut Vashi, Margarita Koye, Tim Rolen, Heidi Hulin, Barbara Hurley, Alex Horton, Kathy Grove and Barney Snitz. INVOCATION Bruce Ebert gave the invocation. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Owens asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes from the October 1, 2001 regular meeting. There being no changes Boyce Byers made the motion to approve the minutes as presented and was seconded by Mike Daniel. The vote was unanimous. OLD BUSINESS I. Board Member's Reports Mr. Ebert said at Bob Eden Park a sign was missing from the fitness trail and there was some trash on the trail and also back by the ballpark fence. At Trailwood Park he noticed graffiti at the play gym, some guide wires which were not covered with reflective tape on the trail between both parks and a large tree with a broken limb. He also said both Bob Eden and Trailwood parks are some of the nicest parks in the city. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 2 November 5, 2001 Mrs. Byers said the Halloween event was very successful and had a very large attendance with many children entering the costume contest. The first Julia Wakeley Golf Tournament was held in October and it also had a large attendance. Mr. Herold said the event raised a little over $6,000 which will go to the Julia Wakeley Scholorship Foundation at the University of North Texas. Mr. Daniel mentioned that Westpark had lots of activity today and the park was very clean. He noticed no activity at Wilshire Park. Mrs. Waldrup stated Midway Park was clean and recently mowed and the playground had many users. The pool had been drained but she noticed the diving board looked rusty and the tennis courts were also being used and had new netting. Blessing Branch Park was clean with the exception of the creek bed. She said she likes the rock wall which had been installed. Mr. Scott said both J. A. Carr and Kiddy Carr parks looked good. He said he toured the parks during the daytime and the lights were still on at J. A. Carr Park. He said the gazebo and playground both looked good and there was some trash in the creek area. Mr. Green said they will be installing a sonic bird device to hopefully keep the birds away from the gazebo area. Chairman Owens said both South Euless and Heritage parks looks good and extends his thanks to all the staff for their hard work throughout all the parks. II. Volunteer of the Month Chairman Owens presented Jeegna Vashi with a plaque for the October Volunteer of the Month and congratulated her for the many hours she has volunteered with the preschoolers. Mrs. Vashi said she loves working with Heidi and the children. Chairman Owens also presented a plaque to Margarita Koye for the November Volunteer of the Month. Ms. Koye thanked the Board and said she also loves working with the children and is very glad to be a part of the community. NEW BUSINESS III. Business of the Tree Board—Bruce Ebert Tree Board Chairman Ebert said trees were planted at the Library and a tree was also planted along the Raider Drive median. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 3 November 5, 2001 Chairman Owens said he and Boyce Byers, Council Member Leon Hogg, Council Member Veva Lou Massey, City Manager Joe Hennig and staff attended the Awards Gala Banquet in Waco on October 25t. The City of Euless was awarded the Governmental Award for Arbor Daze by the Texas Forest Service at their annual Tree Conference. Mr. Herold said the award is a historic tree picture of which there is an original and a limited number of prints made and the original plate will be destroyed. He said this print is of `The Old North Church Oak' in Nacogdoches, Texas. The oak tree is estimated to be over 150 years old. Mr. Herold also mentioned we will probably lose the large pecan tree in the Office Depot parking lot which was evidently damaged during the construction of the facility. He further mentioned that Urban Forester Larry Schaapveld of the Texas Forest Service will be retiring after thirty years and a retirement party will be held in his honor at the Texas Star on Friday, November 9th Mr. Ebert inquired about the Tree Ordinance. Mr. Herold said the staff in the City Manager's office is still reviewing the draft ordinance. Mr. Herold said Horticulturist Jimmy Beck presented his first SmartScape presentation to the fourth graders at South Euless Elementary. IV. PALS Board Sub-Committee Update—Schrickel, Rollins and Associates Mr. Terry Cheek with Schrickel, Rollins and Associates was present regarding the Trails Master Plan. He said the Master Plan is a guide for orderly development of parks and trails within cities. He said the trails are multi-purpose with all levels of usage and users - from bicyclists to joggers and walkers. He showed a drawing with four loops in the city for the proposed trails project. The four proposed loop areas are: (1) Greenbelt Loop — which includes Bob Eden, Villages of Bear Creek, McCormick and Midway parks (2) Heritage Trail Loop—which includes South Euless Park (3) Texas Star Loop — includes Wilshire Park and Westpark areas and would go west to HEB Hospital (4) Morrisdale Loop—which would include all the Morrisdale Estates subdivision Mr. Cheek said the trail in the Greenbelt Loop area would be twelve feet wide with three foot shoulders on each side. Mrs. Waldrup inquired as to where the money would come from. Mr. Herold said funding would come from the Ice-T program through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) only on the Greenbelt Loop due to the widening of Mid-Cities Boulevard. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 4 November 5, 2001 Mr. Herold said he and staff would continue to work with the Planning and Development Department on the trail project. They will also work with Terry Cheek and the Sub-Committee members which includes Alex Horton, Kathy Grove and Barney Snitz. Chairman Owens said he is in favor of taking the proposal to City Council for their input since this is a refinement to the trails area of the Master Plan. He thanked Terry Cheek and the sub- committee members for all their hard work and dedication to the project. V. Parks and Community Services Reports a. Upcoming Special Events—Glenda Hartsell Special Events Coordinator Glenda Hartsell said the recent Halloween event was a great success and many parents and children attended. She said the month of December will be full of activities which will include: (1) December 1st — Christmas Parade of Lights which starts at 6:30 p.m. and will end with live entertainment from Vince Vance and the tree lighting at City Hall later that night; (2) December 8th—Christmas in Heritage Park; (3) December 15th — ICEFEST 2001 at the Dr Pepper StarCenter with free ice skating and games for the entire family and ending the year with; (4) December 31st—Trout Fishing in America at the Texas Star Conference Centre. She said the children's show will start at 1:00 p.m. and the adults concert will start at 9:00 p.m. She said all the events are free with the exception of the New Year's Eve concerts. b. Trails Symposium and Wilshire Park/Pond—Johnnie Green Parks Superintendent Johnnie Green informed the Board that grading from the parking lot to the proposed trail had been completed at the Wilshire pond area and concrete should be poured the end of this week. He said pictures had been included in their packets for viewing. He said he also attended a three-day camp out conference at Fossil Rim recently and was informed that many cities have citizen volunteers who help with their trails projects. He said there are numerous cities presently who have trail projects in progress. Mr. Green said he also attended the TRAPS Conference in Plano and said there are some new healthy and hardy plants that are Texas natives and they will start using them at some of the parks. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 5 November 5, 2001 c. Community Services Report—Rick Herold Mr. Herold distributed a copy of the local polling places for elections tomorrow. He said he is always excited about free events for the children and said the Halloween event was a great success. He said many people arrived early with their children and the staff received many comments on how much they enjoyed the event. He said next year the event will start at an earlier time. Mr. Herold said informational flyers about events are being displayed at different locations throughout Euless on our display stands. He said displays can be found at Texas Star, Albertson's, Kroger's and other businesses. Mr. Herold also advised the Board that the recreation center will be closed for remodeling until after the first of the year and he hopes to have some type of timetable for re- opening by the next meeting. He also reminded everyone of the Boards and Commissions Dinner scheduled for Monday, November 1l m at the Texas Star Conference Center. VI. Other New Business Chairman Owens reminded the Board Members of their annual Christmas Dinner scheduled for Monday, December 3`d. He said dinner is at 6:00 p.m. in the large conference room of Building "A". Chairman Owens also suggested that maybe the Board Members in early spring could tour some of the local skate park facilities, as well as Las Colinas and River Legacy to view their trails systems. VII. Input from City Council Members and Visitors Barney Snitz stated the trail in Villages of Bear Creek Park is in great shape and there were lots of users on Sunday. He said recently there was a problem with people parking on the soccer fields in the park but that has now been corrected. Mr. Snitz also mentioned how much he enjoyed working with Heidi Hulin at the recent Halloween event. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Owens gave the benediction. There being no further business to conduct,the meeting was adjourned at 8:48 p.m. Chairman Attest