The Stafford County Parks & Recreation Commission held its regular monthly meeting Thursday, June 21, 2007, at the Rowser Building. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM by Larry Checca.

SILENT ROLL CALL

Members                 Present     Absent                                 Staff:                                Guests:
Jack Cavalier                              A                               Greg Sager                       K. J. Mushung
Larry Checca               P                                               Judy Sokolowski                Daniel Webb
Harry Crisp                  P                                               Chris Hoppe                       Chad Webb
John Druiett                 P
John LeDoux                                A
Eric Lindner                 P
Ken Mitchell                 P
Tom Paton                   P
Robert Ray                  P
Randy Walther             P

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Ken Mitchell motioned, and John Druiett seconded, to approve the minutes of the May meeting; motion carried.

PRESENTATIONS BY PUBLIC
None.

NEW BUSINESS

· Walker Heights Cluster Plan
Daniel Webb of Webb & Associates presented the cluster plan that is located off Truslow Road in the southern part of Stafford. The plan includes 4.5 acres of recreational area with a swing set, tot lot, multi-purpose field, dog park, picnic shelter with tables, and a historic interpretative area. After review and discussion, John Druiett motioned, and Rob Ray seconded, to recommend approval of the Walker Heights Cluster Development Plan as presented. Motion carried unanimously.

OLD BUSINESS

· Skate Parks
Randy Walther visited Old School Skate Boarding and said it is a very nice facility. Randy said the owners are interested in doing programs with the P&R Department.

Chris Hoppe said the Curtis Park skateboard park reconstruction should be complete by the end of June with rebuilt ramps, repaired asphalt. He said he will look at the skateboard facility at Brooks Park after July 1.

· Facility Use Committee
Greg Sager said the committee will meet Tuesday, 6/26, at 9 AM to discuss the Department’s Facility Use Policy, and the Commission will be updated at next month’s regular meeting. Greg would like to present the revisions to the BOS in August.

· Comprehensive Park Facilities Master Plan

Greg distributed CDs of the plan to members who needed them and asked for everyone’s comments by 6/28. On 6/29, he will compile all comments/revisions and give all changes to the consultant for the final plan; the plan will go to the BOS 8/21.

PRESENTATIONS BY COMMISSIONERS

· Tom Paton asked Greg Sager if Reb Benson had talked with him about field issues. Greg said yes, that about two weeks ago, he, Reb, and Barry discussed field rotation and working together on Duff #2. Tom aid that SASA proposed buying artificial turf for two fields; asking exclusive rights to one field and first priority on the other. Greg said he would need to go to the P&R Commission and the BOS for approval. Tom also said the VYSA was looking for large, flat property to build a soccer complex; they have the money to do so.

Tom asked Greg to e-mail him a list of sites that need work and would benefit soccer, and Tom would see if he could obtain the funds to repair them.

· John Druiett asked about the fishing tournament idea he suggested at the last meeting. Greg Sager said he talked with our programming staff about having it next spring or summer, before summer camp begins; perhaps early or mid-June.

· Larry Checca said that radio station WTOP gave a very good history of Government Island last week. Larry said he was umpiring at Duff Green Park recently and was notified of loud profanity from the adults. After repeated warnings, the umpire forfeited the game because of foul language. Larry said he was umpiring a game at Melcher’s last Friday, and a fox came onto the field and chased a left fielder. Last Saturday, an Animal Control employee killed a fox there. Larry said the field at Duff is rough, and he gets a lot of complaints from parents. Because of the rough terrain, the ball bounces, and the kids don’t have a chance to catch the ball. Larry also said that Carl Coogle is still coaching and deserves special recognition for all of his years of volunteer coaching service.

Larry asked that the Commission write a letter to Jeff Shover for his years of service as the Senior Citizen Coordinator.

· Randy Walther suggested having a P&R Commission liaison with the FSPA Board and said he would be interested in serving in that capacity. Larry Checca appointed Randy as the Commission’s liaison.

· Commission members welcomed Harry Crisp, new representative for the George Washington District.

STAFF REPORTS
No questions were asked.

DIRECTOR'S REPORT
· Patawomeck Park
The fourth submission of the site plan was submitted on May 8, and plan approval was received on June 7. S.W. Rodgers of Fredericksburg received a notice to proceed and has begun work on phase I construction

· Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority
Members of the Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority (FSPA) Board voted to approve the takeover of maintenance and operations for FSPA sites located within Stafford County at their May meeting. A final draft agreement was distributed; it was brought before the BOS at their June 19 meeting. We just completed interviewing candidates for the four full-time maintenance positions created by the BOS in the FY08 budget who will be operating and maintaining the FSPA sites. Representatives from various public safety divisions met recently to discuss the operations and safety issues at Falmouth Waterfront. We plan to station a rescue squad unit onsite so that employees will have quick access to 9-1-1. Two park supervisors will be stationed at Falmouth Waterfront when the gates are open; PFDs will be strongly encouraged, more signs will be posted, alcohol will be prohibited. We are also going to ask that the staff at Old Mill Park step up their safety measures, as most of the drownings have occurred from that side of the river.

· YMCA Agreement
Distributed Agreement that was passed by the BOS at their 6/19/07 meeting by a 4/3 vote. The YMCA plans to break ground in spring 2008, with completion by spring 2009.

· Curtis Park Asphalt Trail
We are supervising work performed by Gator Paving to remove and replace the asphalt for the Curtis Park trail system. The project should be completed by the end of June.

· The B101.5 Stafford Family Film Festival
Over 2,000 attended our Stafford Family Film Festival on June 2. Activities began at 3 p.m. at Curtis Park and featured inflatables, games, and other entertainment. E.T. was shown on a 25-foot high inflated screen. Admission was free, and all comments received were positive.

· Department Staff Changes
We are pleased to announce that Brion Southall from Utilities has been selected to serve as the new Superintendent of Parks and Facilities effective July 2. Brion has held many positions in the Utilities Department over the past 13 years, most recently serving as Manager of Field Operations and Facilities Maintenance. We are fortunate to have someone with his skills and abilities joining our staff.

We are also pleased to announce that Lois Nedza, currently serving as Recreation Facility Coordinator, has been selected as the new Recreation Programmer II (Senior Citizens’ Coordinator) for the Department, replacing Jeff Shover. Lois has served the Department well in various capacities over the past 7+ years and will begin her new job duties on July 2.

Lastly, we are pleased that Suzanne Smith has recently begun work with us as a Recreation Facility Coordinator. Suzanne brings a wealth of experience in facility rental and scheduling to this position.

ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM.

RGS:jls