HomeMy WebLinkAbout250403 - Minutes, Recreation & ParksPARKS & RECREATION BOARD
April 3, 2025
MINUTES
Present Absent With Reason
Robin Papa Jeff Cline
Julie Sanders Dwayne Freeman
Eric Michael Amy Sterner Thomas Moore Mike Tesla
Lori Sines
Chair, Amy Sterner, called the meeting of the Washington County Parks & Recreation
Advisory Board to order at 3:18 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; Kris Lescalleet, Assistant Parks Supervisor; Matt Burton, Supervisor of Construction, Washington County Public Schools.
Approval of Minutes
Ms. Sterner asked for any additions or corrections to the minutes of March 6, 2025, Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting.
With no corrections or additions, the minutes were passed as presented unanimously,7-0 by the Board. Eric Michael made the motion to approve the minutes, and Tom Moore
seconded the motion. Citizen’s Comments
No one appeared for Citizen’s comments.
Program Open Space Presentations
WCPS Matt Burton, Supervisor of Construction, Washington County Public School presented the POS request for FY2026.
Park Name: Clear Spring Elementary Project Name: Clear Spring Elementary – Playground Improvements POS Funds Requested: $90,000 Other Funds: $10,000 (Board of Education Washington County) Total Project Cost: $100,000
Mr. Burton shared pictures with the Board of the existing playground equipment. This project seeks to replace outdated playground equipment at the site and will focus on providing age-appropriate equipment as needed. This school is located within a
walkable community and in close proximity to the town’s library.
Upon approval of the project – Washington County Public Schools will follow its purchasing policy and solicit the playground equipment.
The playground will be available for public use during periods when the school is not
open for students. The playground will not be available for public use when schools are in session throughout the school year and during the hours of summer school and other WCPS
programs. Additionally, the program will only be available to the public between the hours of sunrise and sunset.
Mr. Burton also shared with the Board a before and after photo of playground equipment at Smithsburg Elementary that was a recent project funded by POS. Also shared a before and after of playground equipment at Williamsport Elementary. With the addition of Pre-K in the schools trying to gear playground equipment that is fenced in for the younger kids.
Mr. Burton thanked the Board for their time and continued support for the students and the community. Mr. Moore asked about our joint use agreements with the schools. Mr. Eshleman
clarified that there is a master facility use agreement that we have with some schools. When it’s a POS project there is an additional supplemental joint use agreement that goes along with that project that has its own 20-year life span. When POS money is used it is available to the public for use during periods when the school is not open to students. Mr. Eshleman said this is why we worked with the school to identify those
locations that meet those criteria and steered more towards community playgrounds at the elementary schools and shifted away from tracks and tennis courts because it does not meet the 20-year life span. Schools are not eligible for Community Parks and Playgrounds funding because they are not a municipality.
Ms. Sterner said she will reach out to WCPS and ask if they are seeking any additional funding for the playground project at Clear Spring Elementary School. Schools are not eligible for Community Parks and Playgrounds funding because they are not a municipality.
Washington County Andrew Eshleman, Director of Public Works for Washington County, presented the POS
request for FY2026 in order of priority.
Project #1 Park Name: Playground Equipment Replacement
Project Name: Woodland Way Park POS Funds Requested: $180,000 Local Funds: $20,000 Total Project Cost: $200,000
Mr. Eshleman shared with the Board photos of the existing condition of Woodland Way
Park. The Park is open year-round sunrise to sunset. The park consists of 4.41 acres.
This project consists of replacing existing playground equipment that is 20+ years old. The playground equipment is outdated, and replacement parts are unavailable. The metal deck surfacing, stairs, and equipment edges are worn and coating cracking. Additional improvements include seating and landscaping which are limited and lacking.
Will also pare it with additional park improvements with sidewalks that need to be replaced that is a prior POS project as well as some pathways in the park that are rough to make it more of an inviting community environment. The tennis courts are on the list to be resurfaced in the coming years assuming everything continues to move forward with the funding.
This project specifically supports Washington County’s goal of providing facilities that support the holistic health and wellbeing of the community and maintaining the existing park infrastructure in a manner that considers future user needs and service upgrades.
Project #2 Park Name: Pen Mar Park Project Name: Interpretive Museum Renovation and Vending Machine Kiosk POS Funds Requested: $36,000
Local Funds: $4,000 Total Project Cost: $40,000 Mr. Eshleman shared photos of the existing condition of the Concession Building and Interpretive Center at Pen Mar Park.
The Park is open year-round sunrise to sunset seasonally May-October, and year-round to walk in public access and Appalachian Trail hikers. The park consists of 38.7 acres.
This project consists of renovating the existing interpretive museum to provide HVAC, lighting, and building signage. The proposed work will provide a conditioned space for the interpretive center which contains Pen Mar Park and local history artifacts. The
existing building is located along the primary pave pathway and signage will be added
to improve the identification and to draw patrons into the building. The existing concession building is no longer used as Sunday Concert series attendance and user preferences have changed towards the flexibility of providing
services through food trucks and mobile vendors. There still exists a demand for
services outside of events for park users and Appalachian through hikers. The existing concession building will be modified to a vending machine kiosk shelter. This project specifically supports Washington County’s goal of providing facilities that
support the holistic health and wellbeing of the community and maintaining the existing park infrastructure in a manner that considers future user needs and service upgrades. Mr. Dick added that food trucks and vending machines are used now in the park systems.
To keep the cost down for this project the facilities staff should be able to do most of the construction. There would be some material cost and use a contractor for HVAC and electrical work.
Project #3 Park Name: Pleasant Valley Park Project Name: Playground Equipment Replacement POS Funds Requested: $157,500 Local Funds: $17,500
Total Project Cost: $175,000 Mr. Eshleman shared photos of the existing condition of the playground equipment at Pleasant Valley Park.
The Park is open year-round sunrise to sunset. The park consists of 8.14 acres.
This project consists of replacing existing playground equipment that is 20+ years old. The playground equipment is outdated, and replacement parts are unavailable. The metal deck surface, stairs, and equipment edges are starting to wear and crack.
Additional improvements include improving the ADA accessible pathways and facilities
to the equipment. This project specifically supports Washington County’s goal of providing facilities that support the holistic health and wellbeing of the community and maintaining the existing
park infrastructure in a manner that considers future user needs and service upgrades.
Park Name: Marty Snook Park Project Name: Playground #2 – Inclusive Playground POS Funds Requested: $900,000
Local Funds: $100,000 Total Project Cost: $1,000,000 Mr. Eshleman shared photos of the existing condition of the playground equipment at Marty Snook Park. The Park is open year-round sunrise to sunset.
This park consists of 2 parcels, 40.34/31.53 acres. The project consists of replacing existing playground equipment in Marty Snook Park that is 20+ years old. The new equipment would replace the two existing playground structures near pavilion
#2. The wheelchair accessible structure does not meet current ADA standards for slope and fall protection. The poured in place rubber surfacing is failing. The red, white, and blue tower structure is worn, and outdated and replacement parts are unavailable. Previously, broken plastic parts were salvaged and replaced with other equipment when they were replaced. The other playground structure was installed by MIHI through a
grant and is the only facility specifically designed for children with physical disabilities in our County park system. The proposed design would create an inclusive play area for all children as well as designated areas for children ages 2-5 and 5-15. The new facility would provide ADA
compliant facilities and pathways to restrooms. Additional amenities include seating, covered picnic and viewing area and an enclosed surround to contain children who are flight risks. The playground would have a bonded rubber surface for fall protection and accessibility. This would be the County’s only fully inclusive playground.
Previously made a $1 million State Bond Fund Request. Made a request for any unobligated State LPPI funds. Mr. Eshleman mentioned there are other organizations they could try to enlist such as Disability Advisory Commission, Arc of Washington County. Mr. Dick said he and Ms.
Boyd will reach out to MIHI as well. The starting point for this project was to work through the designs and layout of the playground. Mr. Eshleman shared with the Board a layout of the proposed design from Kompan along with two rendering options. One with the colored infinity symbol and one
with no color. The total construction estimate for design with the colored infinity symbol is $1.2 million. Mr. Eshleman said from a cost perspective we need to value engineer design to lower costs. The equipment is very expensive. Will look at what the County staff can do for site preparation and what can be done on the bidding side as far as lowering the costs. There is a lot of uncertainty right now with material costs. Things
may change as we need to bring the cost down.
Essential items would be a bonded rubber surface, fencing, some sort of shaded meeting area and accessible pathways. The cost estimate for equipment and installation is around $800,000 and bonded rubber surface $200,000.
Ms. Boyd added that the playground would include features for everyone and would be a great amenity to the Park. Mr. Moore asked for clarification as to when the State gives money once a project is
approved. Mr. Eshleman said what we have so far is the reallocation of the Ag Center
money, $949,000, that was POS and a large portion of that money will go toward playground equipment. With that we will see what we are able to do with the current FY26 allocation. It may be only one project. The total may be around $1 million and working with staff to figure out how to accomplish three playground upgrades without
feeling like we shorted ourselves. Because it is POS money it goes back to the annual program, and it is updated and sent back to the State, and we tell them how we want to use those funds. Essentially there is a 5-year period to start a project once the funds are encumbered to use it before it is endanger of reverting the funds.
Mr. Eshleman explained that we always try to keep a more unencumbered balance than we allocate for projects. Some years if a project is under run the money will go back into the pool of money so that in a given year, we do not need to match the exact amount that we are funding for new projects with what we are receiving. The State will send us a letter showing the encumbered amount that we have on record and our new
amount that we will be receiving for FY26 and our new amount that can be spent on development and acquisition and the unencumbered balance, so we are not over assigning funds to projects more than we have funds for. The State says you can spend as much money as you want on acquisition, but 75% of allocation on development projects.
Ms. Sines asked for clarification of the reallocation of funds from the Ag Center. $949,000 to reallocate will go to park equipment, Regional Park walking trail, Mt. Briar Wetlands. The Pen Mar Interpretive Center has been earmarked to be funded out of the reallocation because we most likely will not have enough funds out of the FY26
money. This is an effort to keep the Park’s money that we had for the Ag Center within Parks. There are a lot of other competing priorities, and we try to do our best to keep what we can, but ultimately at the end of the day it is not our decision. Budget and Finance and the Commissioners balance the budget, and it is up to them as to where the money is going to go.
See attached Ag Center POS fund reallocation document. Ms. Sterner asked if the County ever received any negative feedback from special needs groups about the playground equipment at playground #2 at Marty Snook Park
because it is aged and may not entirely meet the needs of the special need’s groups, etc. Mr. Dick said that he and Ms. Boyd has met with the Disability Commission
numerous times, and they are an advocate of the new playground. We have worked with the Disability Commission on signage that they funded in the Parks.
Mr. Eshleman said they need to do something regardless with the site at Marty Snook
Park and the more they work together with other groups and if it is important to them as well, we are here to lead the charge so to speak. It is a big undertaking when trying to complete expensive projects and get across the finish line.
Mr. Moore talked about the issues with plastic playground equipment and the high costs
and environmental issues associated with it and whether we should be looking for an alternative solution for playground equipment. Mr. Eshleman said he had a separate presentation that he could share another time and
talk about playground design. Mr. Eshleman talked in length about the different playground companies and manufacturers and their use of alternative material such as locust wood and natural elements. The County did have a unique opportunity at Marty Snook with Marty’s Mythical Woods using all natural materials that were salvaged from other areas of the Park. Pen Mar Park because it was a more natural area went with the
Locust natural wood. With every product there are pros and cons. Ms. Boyd said some of the companies have a product line for recycled materials. The lifespan is similar, and the cost may be slightly higher.
POS presentations are complete. Mr. Eshleman asked for feedback from the Board so at the next meeting he can present a proposed schedule. Mr. Eshleman will reach out to the applicants if there is an issue of not being able to fund the full amount if they are still interested in going ahead with the project if it is a lesser amount.
Mr. Tesla asked if there was a way to track the number of people who use our playgrounds. Mr. Eshleman said we do not have trail counters in our Parks. Mr. Dick said he believed all our parks are well used with Marty Snook and Regional Park being used more. Ms. Boyd added that Playground #2 at Marty Snook Park is by
far the most popular park in the park system. Mr. Allen added that in parks planning, part of the survey is which parks are used, and which amenities are used, and it is anecdotal to the people responding to the survey.
Mr. Moore asked if the Board could wait until May for feedback from the Board, so they have time to discuss and ask additional questions about the projects. We will not know our funding amount until May. To clarify further, because Woodland Way Playground Replacement is top priority,
would like to fund that out of FY26 POS funding. With the Ag Center reallocation funds would like to fund Marty Snook Park Playground #2, Pleasant Valley and Pen Mar Interpretive Museum and Vending Machine Kiosk.
Mr. Eshleman feels that Marty Snook Park is a 2–3-year project and hope there is an opportunity to get more funding, contributions, and even sponsorships to help offset the costs. When it was first presented to the Commissioners there was push back because
of the price tag of playground equipment. Part of the role of the advisory board is
advocacy and promote the project instead of scaling back with a lesser piece of equipment. Mr. Eshleman said he appreciated everyone’s support with the project. We have the
renderings, and that part has been developed and a lot more work to do, but at the
stage where we need to do some things at staff level to figure out if we advance it forward how do we afford it or start paring things back for a different design. Ms. Sterner thought it would be beneficial to review the projects on the FY26 Program
Schedule and Board members can communicate via email regarding the projects and any feedback they may have. Department Reports
Parks & Recreation Director’s Report Mr. Dick introduced Kris Lescalleet, Assistant Parks Supervisor, to the Board. Kris transferred from the Highway Department and has been with the County for 8 years.
Ag Center The Spring Open House for the Rural Heritage Museum is this Saturday, April 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The new hours for the Museum moving forward are open
Saturdays only. Staff continuing to work on two construction projects at the Complex. The new show barn and a pavilion in the Village Area. We would like to have both projects completed by the end of the year.
New fans will be installed in the Multi-Purpose Building that was funded by Ad Fulton. Blackrock Golf Course
Play has increased in the last week with the improvement of Spring weather.
JLG will be sponsoring our Youth Golf Clinic this Spring. The Washington County Senior League began playing this week. This is a popular
league.
Maintenance staff are continuing to work on the Bunker project. They have been laying sod the past two weeks. Staff have begun the process of turning on the sprinklers for the upcoming season.
Parks & Recreation The St. Patrick’s Run Fest was a success. We had over 600 participants.
The Recreation Spring/Summer Guide went live this week. Registrations have gone well. The Recreation Department will be going forward with Girls Flag Football League this summer. Will be working on playing fields, etc.
The approved Special Event rules for the Parks have gone into effect and a press
release went out to the public. The 2025 Pen Mar Park Band schedule has been released to the Public. The first band will be on Memorial Day weekend.
Staff have been working on the hiring process. They have been interviewing camp counselors, sports leagues, lifeguards, pool management, cashiers, and cart attendants at the Golf Course.
Work has begun on the Marty Snook Pool floor. Preparation work and replacing the tile. Hope to have all this complete by Memorial Day weekend. Staff are working on the High Rock safety railing project. Materials have been ordered, and we hope to have it complete this Spring. We are hoping it will curb the graffiti
problems. Ms. Boyd recently spoke with DNR and the State Police and 140 citations have been given since February. We have worked with the County IT Department on installing cameras at High Rock, but we do not have enforcement capabilities. Working with
Pentagon Police as well. Hagerstown Field House Mr. Moore visited the new Hagerstown Field House and very impressed with the facility.
Asked if the County had interest or talked to them about possible programming there. Mr. Dick said it is privately owned company and not in the budget for the County to run programs there. Ms. Sterner encouraged those interested in visiting, it is worth the visit to check out the facility.
Next Scheduled Meeting Next scheduled Board Meeting will be held on May 1, 2025, at 3:20 pm in the ARCC on the campus of HCC, Room 220.
Unfinished Business – City of Hagerstown Antietam Creek Easement Acquisition In the March meeting Mr. Moore made a motion and Lori Sines seconded the motion to
vote on the City of Hagerstown’s amended POS application via special meeting vote by
email ballot so Mr. Eshleman could take it before the County Commissioner for approval. Mr. Eshleman received information that City Council supported using POS funds and DNR provided a letter of concurrence for the project. This information was emailed to the Board members prior to the April meeting. The Board agreed to further
discuss and vote on the motion in April.
The motion was amended to approve the City of Hagerstown Antietam Creek Easement Acquisition not to exceed $20,000. Mr. Moore made a motion, and Mr. Michael seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously, 7-0 by the Board.
New Business Mr. Moore addressed his concerns about current Parks and Recreation Advisory Board by-laws and the Objectives and Purposes of the Board as stated in the by-laws and
what the Board does currently. Ms. Sterner said it is her understanding that the by-laws have been in place for many years and the intent and purpose of the by-laws when they originated may have morphed into something a little different and deferred the conversation at a level above
the Board. Mr. Eshleman added that a number of years ago there was an initiative to update by-laws, and the by-laws can be whatever the Board thinks they need to be. Generally, advisory boards are focused on the higher-level mission and values of what they want
to accomplish and that changes with this Board seasonally. Right now, it is Program Open Space season and there is a time where it is more of a planning effort and not as much operational. Mr. Eshleman said they have had the same conversations with the Golf Board because
that board was originally set up to be the operational entity running the golf course and that subsequently changed, and the burden shifted to staff. Mr. Eshleman said the by-laws can be changed and updated and again the board is an advisory board and operates on a cyclical basis. If there are projects and other things the Board would like to advocate for can spend more time, but the Board does operate on a cyclical basis.
Depending on what the Board wants to accomplish in a term Mr. Eshleman suggested planning sessions (capital project sessions, Program Open Space). It is the Board decision as to what they want their by-laws to be but ultimately need to be adopted by the Commissioners if there are changes. Lengthy discussion about the Board and its role. Mr. Moore questioned whether we should set up committees within the Board so
the Board can be more involved and working with staff so they can be the eyes and ears for the staff and the community. Mr. Moore also feels that the Board should be involved in the planning process where it has not been involved in the past.
Mr. Allen says he disputes that account to some extent as far as planning because the planning process is cyclical and updated every 5 years. When the planning process was going on for the updated Land Preservation Parks and Recreation Program it was
presented to the Board at that time and gave the Board an opportunity to make
comments on what is in the plan and projects they want to advance. Also, in contrast to some of the other long range plan documents there is an extremely prescribed format for that plan and there is very little wiggle room in terms of everything you can add to it. Everything that is made into the final document is absolutely something that is required
by the State and DNR to be there. Not to say there isn’t room for input from the Board,
but it is set up for how exactly the plan is set up and how it is supposed to unfold and how it is supposed to be done. Mr. Eshleman added when the planning process was going on for the LPPR a lot of the
input from the Board and working with the staff were the survey questions. Also, when it came to the goals there was more input about what type of things are important because every POS project is supposed to be able to tie back to a County goal plus a State goal.
Mr. Eshleman stated again that by-laws are able and encouraged to be changed and like the Golf Board the P&R Board seems it also shifted more to staff. Mr. Dick added that he has been with the County since 1998 and there was a time when there were committees within the Boards, but at the end of the day the County Commissioners ultimately make the decisions.
Mr. Eshleman added with the vision of North County Regional Park there may be opportunities for committees that may include representatives from the soccer, football, and baseball associations and whoever would like to have input in the planning process for creating a new park.
Mr. Moore feels that the staff should decide whether the Board should be involved in helping with what they are asked to do or whether staff doesn’t feel there is a need for it and whether this Board decides whether they want to be involved.
Mr. Eshleman said selfishly the biggest thing he would ask for is advocacy for the Parks and Recreation. Mr. Moore feels if we are all on the same page and know what the projects are about the Board could be more effective and be an advocate.
Mr. Michael said he appreciates the work that Mr. Allen does on his end with the Planning and bringing it to the Board to share when it comes to that cycle and Mr. Eshleman with POS and providing information to the Board for review and discussion.
Mr. Moore asked about joint meetings with the other County Boards since they are all under the Parks and Recreation umbrella. Mr. Dick said that is something that they have done in the past and all the Boards are different.
Mr. Allen said it’s important to realize that himself and Mr. Eshleman, what they bring to the Board and do is try to pare down an enormous amount of information and break it
down into a digestible format. He and Mr. Eshleman are not trying to make decisions
for the Board, but there is a lot going on before it gets to this Board, and it is important to have a point person to filter things out to be able to work efficiently with the time that we have.
Mr. Dick feels it is important for Board members to be advocates for the Parks and
Recreation and encouraged Mr. Moore to attend a Golf Board and Ag Board meeting as well. Mr. Moore feels if the Board and staff work together, they can get things accomplished
and the goal is to improve the quality of life for everyone in Washington County through Parks and Recreation. Mr. Moore said he would also communicate with Ms. Sterner about possible committees. Ms. Sterner thanked everyone for the discussion and now that the POS presentations
are complete the Board will communicate via email regarding the proposed FY26 POS projects as per FY 2026 POS Schedule Mr. Eshleman provided. Adjournment
With no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 5:01 pm.
_________________________ _________________________
Amy Sterner, Chair Jeannine Miller McVicker Washington County Recording Secretary – Washington Co. Parks & Recreation Board Parks & Recreation