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Home My WebLink About12.15.16 MinutesPage 1 of 2 PORT ANGELES PARKS, RECREATION & BEAUTIFICATION COMMISSION MEETING Port Angeles, Washington December 15, 2016 CALL TO ORDER – REGULAR MEETING: Chairperson Shargel called the regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation & Beautification Commission to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Commissioners Forrest, Peterson, Shargel, Sinton, & Sutcliffe; Student Representative Brandon. Members Absent: Commissioner Pittis; Student Representative Palenga. Staff Present: Director Delikat & Secretary Boone. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: It was moved by Forrest and seconded by Peterson to approve the minutes of the November 18 regular meeting. Motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT: Geri Thompson, the current Lincoln Park BMX Track Operator, spoke to address the track and comments made at the last Commission meeting about the operations of the track. She agrees that the track should be a nonprofit 501(c)(3), but she stressed the importance of making sure USA BMX rules and regulations are followed. Thompson stated that she has put her own time and money into making sure the track is operating and that people don’t understand everything she has put into it. She said next year will be her ninth year running the track and she does it because she loves it, because she gets nothing for doing it. Thompson told the Commission that if the City decides to put this into an RFP, she suggests that the RFP is for land use, not specifically for operating a BMX track. FINANCE & PACKET ITEMS: Director Delikat reviewed the November 2016 revenue and expenditure reports with the Commission. Delikat addressed the low revenue for Ediz Hook boat launch due to this year’s shortened fishing season. The revenue amount has been adjusted for 2017 to reflect 2016 numbers and the cancelation of the 2017 Halibut Derby. LATE ITEMS: 1. Camping Policy & Camping Permit Application Chairperson Shargel recommended that the Commission move this item to the end of the meeting so that guest speakers Matt Acker and Steve Methner could give their presentations first. The Commission approved. LEGISLATION: 1. Commission Appointment for Unexpired Term Vice Chairperson Forrest read the Commissioners his official letter of resignation, effective December 31, 2016. The Commissioners invited a previous applicant, Matthew Kirsch, to attend the meeting for a re-introduction and to discuss the open position. After brief discussion, Commissioner Sinton made a recommendation for City Council to appoint Matthew Kirsch to fill the unexpired term left behind by Commissioner Forrest that will commence on January 19, 2017 and expire February 28, 2018. Commissioner Sutcliffe seconded the motion which passed unanimously. DIRECTOR’S REPORT (PowerPoint Presentation): 1. Matt Acker – Lefties Baseball Update Mr. Acker updated the Commission on the progress he’s made so-far for improvements to Civic Field. He recently met with the Planning Commission to discuss their façade improvement grant. The grant includes improvements to the north entrance of Civic Field. He has also successfully been working with a number of businesses in the area on advertising and sponsoring the team and projects on the field. 2. Steve Methner – Dream Playground Foundation Update Director Delikat gave a brief overview of concerns for the playground that came out of an assessment done earlier in the year before introducing Mr. Methner to the Commission. Methner then updated the Commission on the Dream Playground Foundation’s future goals. He said that the endowment currently has more than $100,000, but that is not nearly enough to build a new playground, so the foundation recognizes that it needs to undertake some more concerted efforts to kick off fundraising to build the endowment as much as possible. Since the playground is made up almost entirely of wood, it probably has about 3-5 years of life left. Over the years, the foundation has focused on keeping the playground re-painted and re-stained, and keeping the pickets on the fence in good shape. Methner feels that when it comes time for a new playground, they will probably have to get more of it done professionally as opposed to a community build because getting people emotionally re-charged might be a challenge. The foundation wants to see the new design with better sight lines so parents can see their kids more easily. What they really want to commit to is keeping the character of the playground. It is still a Page 2 of 2 heavily used facility. The foundation will be trying to do some fundraising over time. Methner feels that Port Angeles is in a time of renewal, and the foundation hopes to be part of the momentum. 3. 2016 Major Accomplishments – Admin Director Delikat reviewed a list of some of the major administrative projects completed in 2016, including: the Field Use Policy, new work order system, updated Re-Naming & Memorial Wall policies, partnership with the Boys & Girls Club, signed the West Coast League contract which thus created Advertising & Alcohol Use policies, received $150,000 in lodging tax funding for Civic Field improvements, developed a Security Policy for the City’s Personnel Manual, updated all parks- related ordinances, generated more than 600 followers on Facebook, and replaced three vehicles which included getting a new bucket truck. 4. 2016 Major Accomplishments – Maintenance Director Delikat reviewed a list of some of the major maintenance projects completed in 2016, including: renovation of the Shane Park restrooms to be fully-ADA complaint, replaced the Civic Field lighting with an LED system, hosted a successful Regional Babe Ruth Tournament at Volunteer Field, continued Waterfront Trail maintenance, completed the downtown sidewalk & tree replacement project, opened West End Park, partnered with Cal Ripken Baseball to build a shed at Lincoln Park, fixed the railings at City Pier, had a terrific beautification season, and saw a great increase in volunteerism in parks. 5. 2017 Major Projects Director Delikat shared plans for major projects in 2017. He said the first priority will be to fix some of the floats at Ediz Hook. In March, the Georgiana Playground build will begin. Other major projects include the City Pier floats, renovations at Civic Field, the Calisthenics Park at Erickson Playfield, and preparing to host Lefties Baseball at Civic beginning in June. 6. 2017 Work Plan Director Delikat shared a list of projects he and the Parks Department will be working on in 2017, including: a. Security – Delikat will be in charge of fixing security deficiencies in City Hall and improving employee safety. This would include eventually going to a proximity access control system. Two major areas of improvement will be rebuilding the entrance by the Permits and Utility counters so that it is closed off to unauthorized people. b. Inter-Local Agreement with College – the agreement will be updated and focus on the shared use of facilities. Delikat has made it a point to emphasize the community need for this. c. Memorial Program Policy – this needs to go through a major overhaul. People are constantly requesting to purchase trees or benches along the Waterfront Trail and the department currently has nothing in place for this, so the policy is in dire need of an update. d. Software – Delikat & Secretary Boone are researching various software programs that will allow the department to run a variety of transactions online. 7. 2017 Challenges a. Vandalism, Camps, Needles – these issues have become everyday battles, and it’s an issue that is across all departments. The City will work on putting together a task force to work on these issues together as a City. b. Seasonal Employees – it is getting harder and harder to keep seasonal employees because of the limited number of hours they can work because of Health Care rules. He anticipates it will again be an issue in 2017. Future increases in minimum wage will also be an impact to the seasonal employee budget. c. Capital Projects – the City is able to get funding for capital projects, but it is increasingly difficult to get the projects completed, so Delikat is working with the City Manager and other department heads to combat this issue. 8. Future Items a. January: New Port Angeles Fine Arts Center Director Jessica Elliott; BMX RFP Process (January/February) b. February: Park Re-Naming Applications, Commissioner Interviews c. Commissioner Email Addresses LATE ITEMS: 1. Camping Policy & Camping Permit Application Director Delikat discussed an ordinance change which allows event groups to camp at City parks and facilities with approval from the Director. The new Camping Policy and Camping Permit Application were developed based on the ordinance change. The Commission discussed the policy and application process. After some discussion regarding recreational camping versus encampments, Delikat said he would invite Police Chief Brian Smith to the January meeting to further discuss the ordinance. Commissioner Peterson made a motion to approve the Camping Policy PR-0405 to coincide with the recent ordinance changes approved by City Council on November 15, 2016. Commissioner Forrest seconded the motion which passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: Chairperson Shargel adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m. Next meeting is January 19, 2017, in the Vern Burton Memorial Community Center meeting room #3 at 6:00 p.m. David Shargel, Chairperson Emily Boone, Secretary