The Stafford County Parks & Recreation Commission held its regular monthly meeting Thursday, March 15, 2007, at the Rowser Building. The meeting was called to order at 7 PM by
Larry Checca.

SILENT ROLL CALL

Members Present Absent Staff: Guests:
Jack Cavalier A Chris Hoppe K. J. Mushung
Larry Checca P Judy Sokolowski Justin Ball
John Druiett P
John LeDoux A
Eric Lindner P
Ken Mitchell P
Tom Paton A
Robert Ray A
Brian Robinson A
Randy Walther P

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Randy Walther motioned, and John Druiett seconded, to approve the minutes from the March meeting; motion carried unanimously.

PRESENTATIONS BY PUBLIC
Justin Ball, a Stafford resident who attended the first Comprehensive Plan meeting at Rocky Run, asked the Commission to incorporate multi-use trails in the plan. Since these trails were the #1 response in the citizen survey as to what citizens want, Justin said it was logical to include these trails in the plan. He said that volunteers could work to construct and maintain the trails, and he would be willing to recruit the volunteers to do the work. He said he would really like to see some mountain bike trails.

NEW BUSINESS
None.

OLD BUSINESS
· Comprehensive Park Facilities Master Plan
Chris Hoppe said there had been three public meetings, and a number of attendees were skateboarders who were very interested in what was going to happen to the skate park at Brooks Park. The meeting held at Hampton Oaks Elementary School was sparsely attended. A meeting with user groups was held at Rowser. A summary report of these meetings will be presented to the Commission at the April meeting.

PRESENTATIONS BY COMMISSIONERS
· Ken Mitchell said that the Planning Commission discussed Stafford Town Station (proposed development off Eskimo Hill Road), and there was still some contention regarding the aquatic center. Ken said he had been promoting the aquatic center and encouraged Commission members to talk with their BOS members to promote the center as well.

· Larry Checca said the Comprehensive Master Plan is in the final stretch, and the committee hopes to have the final results in mid-April, with a public review of transportation, land use, housing, etc., the end of April.

· John Druiett asked Chris Hoppe about the possibility of selling concessions at our fields. Chris said that we do sell concessions at Smith Lake, Duff Green, and Willowmere Parks, as well as Curtis Park Pool. John suggested the department hire a caterer and charge a percentage from the items sold.

STAFF REPORTS
No questions were asked.

DIRECTOR'S REPORT
· The April Commission meeting will be held at the gym at Courthouse Community Center. The annual presentation of the Red Fines Awards will begin at 7 PM, with the meeting immediately following in Room B.

· Patawomeck Park
The permit requirements were met, and the project has gone to bid. A pre-bid meeting was held at Rowser on March 13, and the bid opening date is April 6. We hope to issue a Notice to Proceed in May, which would allow for park construction to be complete in time for athletic field play in May 2008.

· Departmental Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan
Public meetings seeking input on the draft Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan were held on February 27 at Rocky Run Elementary School and March 1 at Hampton Oaks Elementary School. Attendance at both meetings was relatively sparse; however, a number of skateboard park concerns were brought to staff’s attention at the Rocky Run meeting. A meeting with Department facility users was held on March 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the Rowser Building with approximately 15 representatives of groups such as SBL, AYFL, QDD, Royals Gymnastics, and others. All input received will be used to create a final draft master plan that is scheduled to go to the Commission in April 2007 with an anticipated endorsement by the BOS at either their May or June 2007 work session.

· On-Line Registration
Department staff met with a consultant from the Active Network on February 6 & 7 to make final preparations for on-line registration planning. The Department is on schedule to implement on-line registration for recreation programs and view facility rental information in May 2007. Judy Sokolowski is coordinating the necessary work with CLASS/Active Software, I.T., Treasurer’s Office, and Department staff. This feature will allow for 24/7 customer service and free up additional time for administrative support staff.

· Supplemental Signage for Park Sites
A number of additional supplemental roadside signs were installed in February to assist citizens in finding various park sites. Signs installed include one sign on Mountain View Road for Willowmere Park, two signs on King’s Highway for Duff Green Park, and one sign on Doc Stone Road for Smith Lake Park. Two additional signs are to be installed on Garrisonville Road for Smith Lake Park once road construction is complete.

· Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority
The February meeting of the Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority (FSPA) Board included discussion between Stafford County and City of Fredericksburg staff and elected officials regarding the feasibility of the respective Parks & Recreation Departments operating all FSPA sites. In an upcoming meeting on March 21, the FSPA Board expects to review a proposal to be offered by representatives of both localities regarding consolidating operations and maintenance of the FSPA sites. The FSPA Board is expected to hold a vote regarding that proposal at this meeting. Department staff have indicated that an addition of four full-time maintenance employees would be necessary if operations are absorbed by the County. These positions have been identified in the County’s proposed budget.

· SBL/Brooks Park
Staff have been working with representatives of SBL to identify available fields for conversion to 70’ for spring 2007 play. SBL requested our Department to convert the following fields from 60’ Baseball to 70’ Baseball: Smith Lake #2, Willowmere #3, Rowser & Duff Green #2. We have already allowed conversion of Rowser and will be working jointly with SBL to oversee the conversion of Willowmere #3 by the end of March. The conversion of Smith Lake #2 will be delayed due to the detrimental impacts this will have on the existing irrigation system. The Department denied SBL’s request for conversion at Duff Green #2 due to the devastating impact loss of that field would have on youth and adult softball. We received approval from the FSPA Board at their February 21 meeting to replace the fencing and expand the existing 60’ field at Brook’s Park. The low quote on this work was submitted by Triple K fencing for $8,290 and will be done within the next few weeks.

· Curtis Park Asphalt Trail
We are soliciting bids for the repair and replacement of asphalt for the Curtis Park trail system. The original asphalt trail, constructed in 1976, has received numerous repairs over the years and has been deteriorating rapidly over the past two years. After meeting with representatives of Finley Paving in late February to discuss a quote to completely replace the trail, we determined that it would be more cost-effective to advertise for bids. The bid opening is scheduled for March 20.

· Volunteer Appreciation Banquet
Our 19th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet is scheduled for March 17 at the Rowser Building. Invitations were extended to all volunteers working with the Department and its co-sponsored groups. All Commission and BOS members should have already received invitations. The banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. and all volunteers will be picking up their small gift at the conclusion of the program at 8:30 p.m.

· Vulcan Proffer
At a meeting on March 6, the BOS authorized the County Administrator to accept the conveyance of approximately 23 acres of land off Rt. 610 currently owned by Vulcan Lands, Inc. This proffer was identified in a 1991 rezoning and was reviewed by Department consultants in determining its feasibility as a passive-use neighborhood park. The conveyance is subject to the property having clear title, free of any conditions, restrictions, or encumbrances.

· Curtis Park Skate Park
Department staff is working with skateboard enthusiasts and other skate park users to determine the most appropriate course of action to repair, renovate, and determine a long-term plan for the skate park at Curtis Park. The concrete surface and ramp features at the current park are in need of immediate repairs. We hope to have repair work completed prior to the Department’s summer skateboard camp.

ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM.

RGS:CJH:jls