Park Meeting Minutes Dec 7, 2007

[Andrea]

Coronado Park Improvement Meeting Minutes, December 6, 2007
In attendance from Parks and Recreation: Louie Spatafore,
From the Coronado Neighborhood: Diane Brennan, Andrea del Galdo, Garthanne DeOcampo, Dot Hurd, Steve Keane, Jen Kitsen, Cam Kowal, Don Mertes, Wayne Murray, Bill Newcomb, Donna Reiner, Joe Schmidt, Michelle Steinberg, Fun Chan (new member)

November meeting minutes approved.

Action Items from November Minutes
No littering signs – Tom Campbell - Tom was not in attendance. Item will be moved to January agenda
Citizens on Patrol – Dot Hurd - Dot is still trying to find out answers from Doreena Wiegert at Phoenix PD. Will continue at January meeting
Dot Hurd asked that her thoughts on the Park be entered into the minutes:

For me the questionnaire points out how many activities are already going on at the park. It seems s like a lot for a small neighborhood park: swimming, basketball, tennis, soccer, a playground. All of which take up designated space. I recommend that we not add any other act ivies that need a fenced space set aside as a dog park would do.

The questionnaire also has made me thing about a park needing space to do nothing but enjoy being a park. I hope, have comfortable places to sit, paths to walk through the park, not just around and increased landscaping amenities which will invite residents to use the park to relax and unwind not just to participate in sporting activities.

In addition, the people who participate in swimming, basketball and soccer come from areas outside the neighborhood, which is fine, it’s a public park, but I think we should also focus on making the park an attractive and comfortable and safe destination for the people within walking distance. – Dot Hurd

Action Items for December
Andrea will write up short article describing park meetings to date
Dot will work on article for future Dispatch on history of Park. Donna Reiner and Louie Spatafore will see if they can obtain historical information.

Survey Questions
Addition/deletion of survey questions. Does the survey accomplish our goal?
Wayne suggested six additional questions:
1. Would you like to see more designated areas of activities 1-5
2. Would you like to see a reduction in the currently designated activity areas 1-5
3. Do you fee that the survey questions accurately address and reflect a direction of the restoration of the Park and its users 1-5
4. Would you like to see more open and available fact-to-face meeting and discussion on the Park restoration?
5. How would you suggest input be obtained regarding restoration of the Park
6. How would you suggest Parks and Recreation offer ideas to the neighborhood and users of the Park regarding the Park plans

Additional survey questions included:
If you don’t use the Park, why?
Would you like to see areas with benches and gardens (other ideas to be added here?)
Do you use other parks?
Would you like to see more activities added to the park (daily exercise classes, walking club, etc?)
(A copy of the complete survey questions will be sent via a separate e-mail. Cam Kowal has agreed to edit.)

Delivery method of survey
Ideas discussed included on-line delivery, personal delivery (going to the park and surveying the users), newsletter delivery, input from schools, houses or worship, senior centers, and hospitals. Combine park survey with “coffee/meeting” in the park?

Budget
Identify items that we must have with associated costs (play area? bathroom? etc.)
Explanation of EAS/Design/Inspection cost ($490,000) contained in Parks “fixed cost” budget (this is 35% of the total budget)
Explanation of $75,000 contingency fee
Items shelved until the January meeting due to lack of time.

Time frame for committee
How long do we have to come up with solutions?
According to Parks and Recs, the committee has about 12 months before the planning of the park will actually begin with city landscape architects.

Present Condition of Park
Health of Trees in Park
Louie has offered to spearhead the project with Gary Kudes (the city arborist). (I also received a note from Greg Simmons, a neighborhood volunteer who is willing to work with Gary and Louie on this. Greg is a botanist and was responsible for two Coronado tree planting projects over the past few years.)

Irrigation vs. sprinkler/drip systems
Group consensus was that the irrigation should stay. In areas that are not irrigated currently (i.e., in front of the pool house) drip/sprinklers would be appropriate. Bill and Andrea brought up use of swales/berms to make those areas visually interesting and Doreen brought up the possibility of using drip for flower/plant gardens.

Other Suggestions
Louie will give participants a list of parks at January meeting for comparison and photos, if possible. Members will view for positive/negative feedback.

Come to a consensus on who should be surveyed about park improvements. Should it be strictly within Coronado or outside its boundaries? If outside the area, what additional areas/neighborhoods should be surveyed?

Meeting adjourned at 6:55

Submitted by Andrea del Galdo 12/8/07