Minutes of the Centerville City Parks and Recreation Committee meeting held Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Business Conference Room, 250 North Main Street, Centerville, Utah.

MEMBERS PRESENT
William Duncan
Gary Goff, Vice Chair
Kevin Merrill
Peyton Smith
Stephanie Wheatley

MEMBERS ABSENT
Steve Blais, Chair

STAFF PRESENT
Steve Thacker, City Manager
Bruce Cox, Parks and Recreation Director
Kathy Streadbeck, Recording Secretary 

MINUTES REVIEW AND APPROVAL

The minutes of the Parks and Recreation Committee meeting held January 15, 2009 were reviewed. Gary Goff made a motion to approve the minutes as written. The motion was seconded by Peyton Smith and passed by unanimous vote (5-0).

ENTERTAINMENT IN THE PARK PROGRAM

Peyton Smith distributed a list of the six (6) proposed movies for the 2009 Entertainment in the Park program with their associated costs. The Committee had no objections. Mr. Smith said the City plans to purchase a DVD projector for this year’s program. Bruce Cox, Parks and Recreation Director, said he will further research the cost of a DVD projector, procuring several bids. He will also look into the difference between HD and Blue Ray capabilities.

The Committee discussed possible concert options. They agreed to schedule Cold Creek and Bren Hill for this year’s program. Mr. Smith said he will contact these groups for scheduling. If there are problems scheduling either group, Mr. Smith will contact Octapella as a third option. The Committee agreed.

Mr. Smith said he will contact Heber Lefgren about developing a full-color flyer for this year’s program to be inserted in the City newsletter. Mr. Cox said he would look into purchasing additional banners, to be posted around the city for further advertising. 
 
COMMUNITY PARK EXPANSION

The Committee spoke with Jill Hankins, wetland consultant, via a conference call regarding the Community Park expansion site. Steve Thacker, City Manager, provided the Committee with an aerial photo of the site showing the proposed wetlands delineation.

Ms. Hankins explained the changes to the protocol for securing wetlands delineation approval. Now that the City has redirected the surface water and repaired the subdrains on the site, there is a possibility of getting approval from the Army Corps of Engineers to develop this site, if the wetlands are mitigated. She discussed mitigation options that may be approved, i.e., drainage swale along the Frontage Road, and/or buying into a local migration bank.

Mr. Thacker explained that the City is not currently ready to develop this site. It may be several years before development is possible. The current plan for the site is to develop two (2) multi-use fields with parking on the west end. The City plans to maintain a continuous drainage swale along the Frontage Road as part of the mitigation plan.

Ms. Hankins explained that the Davis County representative for the Army Corps of Engineers will be changing in the near future. She said the current delineation plan is on his desk and may be approved before his departure. She said she will contact the representative and make sure he has all the correct information. If an approval is granted, it is good for five (5) years.

The Committee discussed the proposed plan for the Community Park Expansion. They agreed that multi-use fields would be the most appropriate for this site. This park already contains baseball diamonds, a sand court, trail walkway, and playground equipment. Open space seems the most appropriate. The Committee also discussed the possibility of an additional bowery in this park and trail lighting. They would also like to see the trail walkway extended. Bruce Cox, Parks and Recreation Director, said the residents to the east of the expansion site would also like to include a gate into the park from their subdivision.

Peyton Smith suggested designating these fields as practice only. He said playing fields are often not allowed for practice because it is detrimental to the turf. He questioned whether the fields could be constructed in such a way that they could stand up to practices. Mr. Cox explained there are some more aggressive development options that could be explored in order to make these fields sturdier. 

Mr. Thacker said he will forward this information to the City’s engineering staff. A conceptual plan may be ready for this site later this year.

GENERAL PLAN – PARKS, OPEN SPACE, and TRAILS

Steve Thacker, City Manager, said he is not prepared to discuss the revisions to the General Plan at this time. This agenda item was postponed until a later date.

Mr. Thacker informed the Committee of a Parks and Recreation Seminar taking place in March. If anyone is interested in attending, the City will make sure they get registered.

DISCUSSION OF POTENTIAL EXPANSION OF COMMITTEE’S SCOPE OF INVOLVEMENT

The Committee discussed the possibility of taking over the responsibility of booking the concert for the July 4th celebration each year. This option was recently mentioned since the Parks and Recreation Committee is now involved in booking the Entertainment in the Park series.

Steve Thacker, City Manager, said the concert for this year’s July 4th celebration has already been taken care of, but the Committee may choose to help out in the future. The Committee agreed they may be able to help in the future, if needed.   

Committee members agreed to discuss “other park events” at the next meeting when Chair Steve Blais is in attendance. It was understood that Chair Blais wanted to discuss the possibility of a Farmers Market. Steve Thacker, City Manager, said it seems the physical parks are well planned and/or already established, it may be time to shift the focus of the Committee to recreation aspects.

Bruce Cox, Parks and Recreation Director, reported the Trails Committee has been hosting a trail walk/hike class in conjunction with the City’s recreation program. He explained the City’s baseball program is in need of some help. This may be a way for someone from the Parks and Recreation Committee to donate time. Gary Goff said he would be interested in volunteering in this capacity.

NEXT MEETING

The next regularly scheduled Parks and Recreation Committee meeting will be held on March 19, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

 
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.