Parks and Recreation Board Meeting 4.19.2022

Detailed briefing

Parks and Recreation Board Meeting — April 19, 2022 ATTENDEES (roll call): John Cox, Dana Mulder, Scott Reese, Allison Rice. • The board approved the previous meeting minutes. It then received an update on the boardwalk project: the EDA grant application remains pending, and staff said the agency could not provide an award timeline. A separate request for federal funding was submitted for the boardwalk and an electric substation, but members stressed that this funding is competitive and not guaranteed. • Board members compared a preferred boardwalk route to the Y with a less costly, straight-up stair option. Discussion characterized the Y route as a better long-term and more accessible option, while the stair alternative could be completed sooner and for less money. Cost figures discussed were estimates only: roughly $600,000 to $700,000 for the Y option and roughly $250,000 to $300,000 for the straight option. • The board voted to recommend that City Council pursue the Y-option boardwalk design and begin developing a fundraising plan. The motion was supported without an announced vote count. Staff are to coordinate with a representative of a group that has applied for federal nonprofit status and has offered to help raise money. No donations had been committed by that group at the meeting. • On the Cole Street dog beach, the board agreed not to change the current rules at this time. Existing rules require dogs to be controlled by leash or voice command, owners to clean up waste, and users to respect neighbors. Staff recommended observing conditions through the summer before considering new hours or restrictions, citing limited complaints and enforcement concerns. Ideas included a QR-code survey and another dog-waste bin closer to the water. • The board completed a rapid rating exercise for projects in its five-year parks plan. Members scored projects from 1, highest priority, to 3, lowest priority. Staff said the ratings would be averaged after the meeting; final results were not reported in the transcript. • Members discussed Marina Park’s summer flower plan and maintenance needs. A planting workday was set for 9 a.m. on May 25, alongside Garden Club planting. Staff was to obtain flower pricing and orders, while members raised the need for grass cutting, irrigation, trash capacity, and early watering. Worth watching: • Whether the EDA grant or separate federal funding produces boardwalk money, and when decisions are announced. • City Council’s response to the board’s recommendation for the Y-option boardwalk and a fundraising plan. • Summer monitoring and public feedback on Cole Street dog beach before any rule changes. Upcoming: Marina Park planting is planned for 9 a.m. May 25. Why it matters: The board’s recommendation sets a preferred direction for replacing a condemned public boardwalk, but funding and final Council action remain unresolved.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.