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HomeMy WebLinkAbout250306 - Minutes, Recreation & ParksPARKS & RECREATION BOARD March 6, 2025 MINUTES Present Absent With Reason Robin Papa Jeff Cline Julie Sanders Eric Michael Amy Sterner Thomas Moore Mike Tesla Lori Sines Dwayne Freeman Chair, Robin Papa, called the meeting of the Washington County Parks & Recreation Advisory Board to order at 3:19 pm. Guests were Jaime Dick, Director of Parks & Recreation; Andrew Eshleman, Public Works Director; Travis Allen, Comprehensive Planner; Rob Holsinger, Recreation Supervisor; Pam Boyd, Parks Manager; Danny Hixon, Director of Facilities; Eric Deike, Director of Public Works City of Hagerstown; Chad Rooney, Town Manager Town of Williamsport. Approval of Minutes Ms. Papa asked for any additions or corrections to the minutes of February 6, 2025, Recreation & Parks Advisory Board meeting. With no corrections or additions, the minutes were passed as presented unanimously,7- 0 by the Board. Tom Moore made the motion to approve the minutes, and Amy Sterner seconded the motion. Citizen’s Comments No one appeared for Citizen’s comments. Program Open Space Presentations City of Hagerstown Eric Deike, Director of Public Works for the City of Hagerstown presented the POS request for FY2026. Mr. Deike presented his projects in order of priority. PROJECT #1 Park Name: The Greens at Hamilton Run Golf Course Project Name: Reconstruct Hole No. 5 POS Funds Requested: $112,500 Local Funds: $12,500 Total Project Cost: $125,000 The Greens at Hamilton Run Golf Course is a public 9-hole golf course open 12 months of the year as the weather permits. The course can be walked or driven with carts at the choice of the golfer. No reservations are needed. There are fees associated with playing the course that vary for days of the week with discounts for senior citizens. The course is located at the intersection of Dual Highway (MD Rt. 40) and Cleveland Ave. The course is almost 42 acres bordered to the south by Dual Highway, to the west by Cleveland Ave., mostly residential properties to the north, and the Pangborn Elementary School grounds to the east. Town full time greenskeepers manage the grounds, greens and roughs. There is a full-service clubhouse on site that provides concessions, club rentals, and sales of golf gear. Approximately 20,000 golfers per year utilize the course playing an average of 24,000 rounds of golf. Staff arranges for 4 – 6 tournaments each year. In November, of 2023, the course was closed to complete a stormwater stream restoration project on Hole No. 2. The project restored the flow of Hamilton Run across the fairway from when the stream had been diverted around the fairway previously. The restoration project also elevated the tee box on Hole No. 2 creating a more challenging play for the golfers. Additionally, the City sought to rebuild Hole No. 5 on the east side of the course. The green is built on inadequate material that makes it a challenge to keep grass growing. The material is not conducive to provide the proper soil nutrients needed to provide a proper green for play. The hole is also too far east partially encroaching on the Board of Education property. This proposed project is to relocate the entire hole a bit further to the west and with the proper soils to greatly improve maintenance and play. The stream restoration project continued into early May 2024 and time ran out to rebuild Hole No 5. The funding for Hole No. 5 was no longer available by the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2024). The design has been completed and only needs minor modifications and updates for the reconstruction work to progress. The work needs to be completed when the course is used less often hence the proposed start date of November 2025. If this window of time is missed, the work could be pushed to the end of 2026. This project is almost shovel ready. Once they receive funding they can move forward with this project. Mr. Eshleman asked, because POS funding is tight this year, if they would need the entire amount requested, $112,000, or is there a certain amount they would like to have to move forward with the project. Mr. Deike said they would like to get as much as they can and will try to find a way to fund the rest. The preliminary total amount for POS this year is $544,000 and the development portion of that is 75%. There is some uncertainty with the budget where all POS funds could be transferred out of the budget to help balance the state’s general fund budget. The total development requests this year are $1.1 million. Estimated acquisition funds available is $136,000. PROJECT #2 Park Name: Fairgrounds Park Project Name: Construct Pickleball Court POS Funds Requested: $180,000 Local Funds: $20,000 Total Project Cost: $200,000 Fairgrounds Park is available for use by the public all year round. Officially, the parks close in Autumn with restroom access restricted due to weather. The park system reopens in the Spring of each year. The Ice & Sports Complex is available all year long and includes public ice staking for a fee. Fairground Park consists of 68+ acres of amenities for the active lifestyle. The site contacts 3 softballs fields, 4 soccer fields, 1 little league baseball field, a skatepark, a dog park, an outdoor hockey rink (doubles as basketball courts), walking trails, a BMX bike course, the Ice & Sports Complex, an indoor Fit Room (yoga, gymnastics, dance, etc. programs) and home of the Police Athletic League (PAL) who provide athletics for youth including wrestling. There is playground equipment towards the north of the park along with multiple pavilions for the public’s use. The park provides a variety of activities to satisfy those of any age. Fairgrounds Park is also connected via a paved trail to Pangborn Park and sits within 0.4 miles of The Greens at Hamilton Run Golf Course and within 0.75 miles of the soon to open Hagerstown Field House (117,000 sq feet of hard courts, 2 field courts, weight room, etc.) The project is to add a pickleball court to Fairgrounds Park. This would provide yet another amenity within a park that is already packed full of outdoor and indoor facilities and within close proximity of other City owned recreation facilities. More importantly, Fairgrounds Park is surrounded by residential neighborhoods making the park easily accessible by walking. The court or courts would be placed just off the main entrance to the park from Cleveland Ave. The proposed placement is near an area that provides drainage from a portion of the Park but has rarely seen much water. Grading and elevations of the court(s) would be an important factor in the final layout. There is currently no design for the court(s). Depending on funding, other amenities may be included such as benches, fencing, and walkways to the trail. There is a parking lot within the park that provides 50+ parking spaces for those that would drive to the Park so no additional parking spaces would be needed. This project is not shovel ready. PROJECT #3 Park Name: City Park Project Name: Replace Roof of Train Museum POS Funds Requested: $13,500 Local Funds: $1,500 Total Project Cost: $15,000 The Train Hub is a fenced compound that is open seasonally on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission rates apply for entry. The Train Museum is part of the overall Train Hub. The Train Hub is fenced to protect the assets from thieves and vandalism. The Train Hub sits towards the southwest corner of City Park that includes 65+ acres of ground. The Train Hub includes the Train Museum, a pavilion, playground equipment, restrooms, and Steam Locomotive Engine 202. The area is fenced, and access is limited due to the nature of the items within the Hub including artifacts located outside the museum other than Engine 202 that includes a train signal, cabooses and a maintenance car. The Train Museum includes numerous train artifacts used to educate visitors on Hagerstown’s train history. Artifacts include tools, equipment, photos, and other displays. The building was originally used for storage but was converted in the early 2000’s into a museum. It is a rather small museum so visits by the public are restricted. The roof is currently covered with asphalt shingles that are coming to the end of their useful life. The Hub’s pavilion and restrooms currently have metal roofs which provide a much longer life compared to asphalt shingles and a bit of color. The metal roof would provide protection for the museum’s artifacts for decades as compared to replacing the asphalt shingles with similar materials. Installing the metal roof will also help with aesthetics by matching the roofs of the pavilion and restroom. Mr. Moore asked about last year’s POS Project for the Burnap Parking Lot Improvement at City Park. Mr. Deike said that that State still has not confirmed the funding. It was submitted in September and does not go to the Board of Public Works until April 23rd. Mr. Moore also asked about the Hagerstown Field House and congratulated him on that project. Mike Tesla asked if any of the schools used the golf course. Dwayne Freeman, Athletic Director at South High, added that their home matches are played there. Mr. Tesla also asked if pickleball lines could be added to the 2 tennis courts at Pangborn Park. Mr. Deike said his staff is already getting prices on pressure washing and putting down lines. Mr. Deike learned that there is acquisition money available and interested in putting in an application for the Antietam Creek Waterway Trail – Creek Access that is located by Mt. Aetna Rd by the old City Light Plant. The City owns property on the East side of the stream. Phase I of the project was to build a 3-space parking lot on the upstream side and access to the stream. There is already access to the stream at Kiwanis Park and the County will have access at Security Road. On the downstream side there is a weir. Because of the weir boats cannot be taken over it because it is dangerous. Phase II would be to run a path under the bridge to the downstream side past the weir. In FY21, $45,000 in POS was given to the City for phase I of the project and $270,000 in FY24 for phase II. Phase I has been designed, have permits from MDE and ready to go. Phase II is all but designed but ran into an issue with the location of the weir and the property being privately owned. The City does not want to buy the property but would like to purchase an easement across the property so they can build a better pathway to the water. A price has been negotiated with the owner. Mr. Eshleman added that we do not receive as many requests for acquisition, but it is always a goal on the park planning side and something we always need to be working towards. Because this project is not currently on the annual program either the current year or FY26 would need to get Board consensus and then needs to be added to that program which requires Commissioner approval. Mr. Deike will get the paperwork to Mr. Eshleman and will talk to City Council in executive session next week, but it will take some time to get it all through with the attorneys. Mr. Eshleman added that we currently carry a fund balance from previous years and there aren’t any acquisition requests for this year. If the request is put on for FY26 the funds will not be available until July 1. Mr. Moore suggested as a possibility to make a motion to review the information and have an executive session via email and vote via email to speed things up before the next meeting. Mr. Eshleman also added that a good potential resource for the City for park money would be Greenspace Equity Program because they would be dual qualifying. Mr. Deike thanked the Board for their time. Town of Williamsport Chad Rooney, Town Manager Town of Williamsport, presented the POS request for FY2026. Prior to the presentation Mr. Rooney gave the Board an update on the POS project from FY24 which was the restroom facilities improvement at Byron Memorial Park. The project has been completed, and the restrooms are currently in use. It is ADA accessible and the community is very happy with the updated facility. In FY25 received funding for the restroom facility improvement in Billy Doub Park. The plan was to demolish the building and create new. Their engineers inspected the building and found it to be structurally sound so will be modifying the proposal to remodel the bathrooms to save money as opposed to demolishing the entire building and rebuilding. Park Name: Byron Memorial Park Project Name: Pavilion #4 Construction Project POS Funds Requested: $216,900 Local Funds: $24,100 Total Project Cost: $241,000 The area specified for the construction of a pavilion is located on a small hill overlooking the swimming pool and park. It will be a 100 x 60 ft structure with cement flooring. It will also have electricity for lights so it can be used in the evenings. It will allow for a shaded area for visitors to congregate and stay out of the sun during the warmer months. The town has several pavilions in the same park but frequently sees them filled during the warmer months with individual residents, civic groups, day care centers, and other such groups. This additional facility will fulfill the needs of the community by adding additional shaded space for park users. Access to the pavilion will be provided by a paved parking lot off Springfield Lane used currently for the Springfield Barn. There will not be a need for additional ADA access as the concrete for the pavilion floor will be flush to the parking lot allowing for easy handicap access. The town will provide picnic tables and serving tables for public use, but will not be rented out to the public like the other pavilions in the park. Mr. Rooney gave the Board an update on the Springfield Mansion House. The Town was awarded $300,000 in acquisition money. The Town of Williamsport was successful in 2023 and 2024 in the State Legislative process to have $1.27 million assigned to the Town through the department of general services and were able to get access to that money along with Town funds to be able to acquire that property. Will not be utilizing the $300,000 in acquisition money given to them through POS. Mr. Rooney thanked the Board for their time. Election of Officers There were 2 candidates on the ballot for election of officers for Chair and Vice-Chair. The Board members voted and Amy Sterner with 5 votes will serve as Chair and Julie Sanders with 2 votes will serve as Vice-Chair. Mr. Dick and Mr. Michael thanked Robin for her time as Chair on the Board. Department Reports Parks & Recreation Director’s Report Black Rock Golf Course Update The maintenance staff is continuing to work on the Bunker project. The weather has limited play at the Course. We are hoping for the weather to break soon and expect to be busy once Spring arrives. Registration for the Senior league has gone well, right now there are 120 participants. 30 Tournaments scheduled so far for 2025. Ag Center Update Staff are working on two projects at the Complex, the new Show Barn and a pavilion at the Rural Heritage Village. The first big event of 2025, the Quad State Beer Fest will be held on Saturday, March 15th. Staff are working with the County EDC Department and will be holding Farmers Markets beginning in May on Thursday evenings. Parks & Recreation Update Staff presented the updated parks rules and special event policy to the BOCC last Tuesday and it has been approved. Staff presented to the County Commissioners naming 2 ballfields for Steve Danfelt & Dwayne Bowlus at Kemps Mill Park and it was approved. Staff is preparing for the St. Patrick’s Run Fest event scheduled for Saturday, March 15th. Staff continuing to work on rentals at the Rec Center, drop-in programs and our Winter Pickleball Ladder League finished up. Staff are working on the Spring/Summer Schedule. The program season will run from April 21st to August 31st. Staff are working on hiring lifeguards, pool management, cashiers for MLS Pool, summer camp counselors, Park Attendants for the Parks and Cart Attendants for the Golf Course. Construction continues at the new pavilion at Marty’s Mythical Woods. Working on light upgrades in pavilions at 3 parks. Staff are working on a site plan for a restroom addition to the Maintenance shop at Doubs Woods Park. Staff are working on athletic field requests for the Spring/Summer season. The Dog Park at Marty Snook Park will be closed soon to work on maintenance issues. Next Scheduled Meeting Next scheduled Board Meeting will be held on April 3, 2025, at 3:20 pm in the ARCC on the campus of HCC, Room 220. Unfinished Business Mr. Moore asked Mr. Eshleman how the hard surfacing of the tennis courts is going to be funded. Mr. Eshleman said they received some positive news. Draft 1 of the Capital Improvement Plan Budget was presented to the Commissioners this past Tuesday with the funding in place to carry out what they have been working on with the schools. In FY26, the current fiscal year, budgeting for $1.5 million to get the jump start on rehabilitating the courts and then in the successive 2 years another amount proposed to finish that out. And that is just programmed in the future, not actually funded. Still several months away from having an approved budget, but positive sign in the balanced budget for CIP. As a refresher, the County worked collaboratively with the schools and the tennis courts. Developed a spreadsheet with costs associated with the tennis courts and different repairs and programmed that out over one life cycle which is about a 7-year period and try to forward fund that over a 3-year period. To avoid the tennis courts all being due at the same time, will not schedule all the courts in a one-year period. Would like to get enough funds built up so they feel secure enough in the plan. Mr. Moore asked if the list of projects that were shared with the Board last month to be funded with the money allocated to the Ag Center project were on the CIP draft for funding. Mr. Eshleman said there is a sizeable amount with $950,000 going to park equipment, meaning playgrounds (Marty Snook #2, inclusive playground). Also, money toward Regional Park and the trail network, Marty Snook Pool, and Mt. Briar Wetland Preserve. Mr. Moore feels as a Board member he does not have the proper knowledge of these projects, and it is difficult to give an opinion not knowing all the projects that are possible and not knowing the facts and details of the projects. Mr. Moore provided a list of Parks and Recreation Capital Fund Budget Projects for budget year FY2025 and wondered if it would be a benefit to the Board members to have a list of the projects, so they are aware of the projects that are planned and maybe get some information on the projects. Mr. Eshleman explained that projects are programed on a 10-year basis and capital planning takes place in November, December where staff discuss projects that they have and new projects that are added may not be added in the current year. New projects may not be added until the end of the line in year 10 and things move up and when it gets to the level of the P&R Board with POS funding it is whatever the current year is. On the County side there is a CIP Committee which reviews the Capital Budget and spends a lot of time on it and then on to Budget and Finance and Commissioners to program. Mr. Moore’s concern is with the P&R by-laws and the purpose of the Board and involvement in planning and making recommendations and being active in that process and wondering how the Board can get the data and information so they can help with future plans for Parks and Recreation. Mr. Eshleman explained that it is not every year, but when the planning efforts occur there is a more intensive effort on outreach and feedback. Last time the capital survey was done the priorities were hiking/walking trails, multi-purposes fields and that is what trigged Marty Snook and Regional Park for field improvements, Regional park trails, and why certain projects were funded. After the priorities of the community are set and it comes to the level of where it makes sense for these projects staff know more about resourcing and where it makes sense for projects. Mr. Allen, Comprehensive Planner for the County, explained the planning process and how it works. The long-range park plan is updated every 5 years. There is a broad wider scale approach as to what the priorities are, where the projects should be located and within that plan there are analyses within censuses tracks and where parks and amenities are not already located and some of that gets into the fine grain details of surveys, etc. There is a lot of planning and identification of priorities before it gets to the point where the P&R Board gets involved and priorities have already been identified and now looking from a fine-grained list as to what within those higher established priorities should then be funded once it gets to the P&R Board. Again, the long-range plan is updated every 5 years. The County reaches out to the different municipalities, and they provide a list of projects in specific detail that go into the plan that establish the priorities. When it gets to the level of this Board because priorities have already been identified it would be looking to refine it further from the higher established priorities. Mr. Moore asked about the comprehensive plan and if the Board should be more familiar with that. Mr. Allen explained that it is a hierarchy with the comprehensive plan at the top. It sets broader objects for Parks and Recreation amongst many other different types of land uses and programs. The priorities that are identified in the comprehensive planning then filter down into the functional plans. The Land Preservation Parks and Recreation Plans (LPPRP) is one of the functional plans that refine the broader objectives in the comprehensive plan into more specific details in that plan and that is where there are project related requests, etc. At the comprehensive plan level, it is broad and policy based and the parks plans are a lot more specific to what the Parks & Recreation Board does and what to look at in terms of priorities at the project level. The most recent LPPRP was fully adopted in 2022 and there are still projects in that plan that are relevant to some of the things that the County is trying to do with funds from Project Open Space. In theory, whatever is funded in POS and any other funding sources should match the priorities that are identified in the LPPRP. Mr. Eshleman added that as part of the POS application it is a specific requirement that must be mentioned as to how projects tie into the LPPRP as well as the State goals. This also is significant for when cuts need to be made for POS projects and if those projects have been identified as a need and a larger priority. The role of the P&R Board is more involved with POS and the planning aspect of setting priorities and supporting projects. Mr. Eshleman had a lengthy discussion with questions from Mr. Moore about the FY 2025 capital plan budget and FY 2026 budget and reallocating money that was going to the Ag Center to other parks and rec needs and how we are able to get $1.5 million for the hardcourts. Also, as discussed in last meeting the POS money from the Ag center is going to be distributed to other projects. Bond money was distributed elsewhere and $3.3 million in ARPA funds went to public safety training center. The balance will essentially be applied towards North County Park because that is the next big capstone type project for the community and needs seed money to fund it. The strategy is to reallocate POS money because we cannot wait 5 years to spend it, and the other general fund money will essentially be the seed money for North County Park. Mr. Eshleman said from a planning perspective there will be a lot of effort and input from the P&R Board with North County Park because it will be a new park. The first step would be a master plan and P&R Board will have input into the needs on the planning side and what is important. Mr. Tesla asked about turf fields at North County Park. Mr. Eshleman said we realize there is a need for turf fields. In the conceptual plan they looked at so far in terms of the budget piece and how to phase it so that there is enough to be self-contained to operate. One of the challenges would be if there are private leagues (like baseball or soccer) if they invested, they would want it for their own use, which does not help in the public aspect. The first phase would be the piece that the County owns and operates to have enough so that other groups can use. In the budget we know the big piece that the community has asked for and looking for a concept with 2 turf fields in a complex where events can be run. Still approximately 5 years out with this project. Ms. Sterner updated the Board on HCC’s athletic facilities and planning for the future. HCC staff met with the Maryland Stadium Authority to work with them on a plan to completely renovate all their outdoor fields in addition to if money allows overhaul of the ARCC building as well. Within the master plan for the outdoor facility would be proposing a turf field for all 3 fields (baseball, softball, soccer), new track and lights on all the fields. Consultants from the MD Stadium Authority and associated representatives from other subcontractors to the organization toured the facilities and a question-and-answer period. Funding is paramount with a project of this size. Money has been allocated in the County CIP budget. Mr. Eshleman added that planning money is what is currently funded and in the future in the FY2026 plan, there is future investment potentially from the MD Stadium Authority. Dr. Klauber and the Board of Trustees are on board with making that a reality. It will most likely be a 2-3 year timeline and have a significant buy in from all the players associated with making this project successful. It will also allow the ability to partner with the County and the Parks & Rec Dept to have more programming for the community and rentability as well. Mr. Tesla mentioned the lack of turf fields in Washington County and limitations with that. Mr. Michael said that there were current school board members at their last public meeting that said they would never vote for a turf field. Mr. Dick added that moving forward adding turf fields is a need in Washington County. New Business Mr. Moore made a motion to vote on the City of Hagerstown’s amended POS application via special meeting vote by email ballot. The email ballot will be sent out once the County receives the proper paperwork from the City of Hagerstown. Mr. Eshleman added that it would be reimbursed to the City for acquiring the perpetual easement on the property. The project has already been blessed and approved. The Board just needs to consent to the acquisition. Lori Sines seconded Mr. Moore’s motion to vote by email ballot. Motion was passed 7-0 by the Board. Ms. Sterner asked for clarification, now that Williamsport is officially turning in their acquisition money, would it be in the FY25 budget for the $20,000 reimbursement to the City. Mr. Eshleman said it would not make a difference either way because Williamsport has rolled it over for several years and there is an unencumbered balance. Williamsport has not encumbered the money, so it is still sitting there. Mr. Eshleman is not concerned and certain there is $20,000 in unencumbered funds in acquisition. Adjournment With no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 4:24 pm. _________________________ _________________________ Robin Papa, Chair Jeannine Miller McVicker Washington County Recording Secretary – Washington Co. Parks & Recreation Board Parks & Recreation