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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Parks and Human Services Committee - 03/02/2016Page 1 Special Parks and Human Services Committee Meeting Council members: Dennis Higgins - Tina Budell - Brenda Fincher, Chair Jeff Watling, Director March 2, 2016 - 5:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order Chair Fincher called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call Present: Chair Fincher and Committee member Budell Absent: Committee member Higgins 3. Parks and Open Space Plan Update Introduction: Parks Director Jeff Watling explained that the park plan update represents a pioneering effort: it introduces a new approach to level of service (LOS) and a new approach to park classifications. It will discuss strategies to address the challenges facing the park system and it will provide recommendations for moving toward a more financially sustainable future. The parks system is aging more rapidly than we are investing in it and it calls for a new approach to how we address this issue. As the system is aging it loses its’ ability to perform and its ability to serve the community. This plan makes an effort to build on the 2010 update that made the initial pivot to take care of what we have and recognize the importance of our natural resources. A lot of foundational work came out of the 2010 plan, including the Green Kent strategy. The 2016 plan becomes a call to action. From "taking care of what we've got," this plan develops a road map - a list of strategic projects that transforms an aging suburban park system into a more diverse, vibrant, connected urban system that will better serve the community well into the 21st century. The primary components of the Park Plan Update comprise four key goals: 1. Quality Public Spaces: provide a high quality parks system that promotes Kent as a livable community. 2. Sustainable Funding: implement a sustainable and reliable funding model that elevates the level of service (LOS). 3. Performance Based Approach: plan and maintain the system in accordance with a performance-based set of assessment tools. Page 2 4. Transformation through Reinvestment: reinvest into the existing system to transform it successfully into a vibrant and relevant urban park system. The metric traditionally used to determine the LOS has been acres per 1,000 in population. The LOS identifies how the park is meeting the goals of the community. The traditional LOS puts a premium on acquisition. This new approach speaks to how the park performs as well as its potential. A good example of increasing the performance of a park is the new playground equipment at Lake Meridian Park. It has increased the quality of the experience at the park. The plan also addresses what the millennials want in our park system. The new formula for LOS has 15-20 different data points that quantifies its value and tells us how each park is performing. This creates a more balanced emphasis. It helps to align the strategic projects and shifts how we see our park system. The Park Classifications and Strategic Projects map identifies anchor parks or interconnected groups of parks that attract community gatherings for events or activities. They are high performing parks with popular amenities that support a broad level of uses and activities. Supporting parks range in size and provide a variety of amenities that round out the park system. Anchor parks have historically been centered around athletic complexes like KMP and Hogan Park. They all have great elements but they don’t represent the diversity of what the community wants in terms of use. The fifty strategic projects identified will maintain and expand the level of performance of the park system. These projects are associated directly with anchor parks and their supporting parks and open space. This plan lays out seven anchor parks: 1) West Hill (Lake Fenwick and West Fenwick Parks); 2) the Green River Corridor; 3) Downtown Parks; 4) Mill Creek Canyon; 5) Clark Lake Park/248th (including Morrill Meadows and Wilson Playfields); 6) Lake Meridian Park/Kent Kangley - connecting to Soos Creek Trail; and 7) Panther Lake/Huse Farm property. All of these anchored parks are concentrated around natural resources and they are a mixture of structured and unstructured, active and passive parks that have connectivity to urban areas. These seven parks have supporting parks, including athletic complexes, skate parks, neighborhood parks, special use parks, as well as open spaces that support and serve the vision of the system. The dots on the performance board represent the current and future performance of the park system, based on the strategic projects. They are not the only projects needed within the park system. They represent priority parks that need reinvestment, based on information that staff gathered from the survey responses and from public outreach with the Parks Commission. When looking at the strategic projects and the matrix, the bigger dots represent projects having a bigger benefit to the community and the smaller dots having a smaller impact. If all fifty projects are funded, it becomes a high performing urban parks and trails system. Page 3 Committee member Budell spoke to her enjoyment of bicycling on the Green River Trail as opposed to the Interurban Trail, where a lot of traffic and illegal activity occurs. Fincher referenced the prioritized list of maintenance needs that was a part of the 2012 asset analysis list. Watling informed her that the values from the asset list were calculated into the park plan update. Watling continued with the funding chapter and how it sets the table for what to fund and how to fund it. Funding sources are not created equal. This plan shows that different funding sources have different degrees of reliability and capacity. The analogy of this approach is filling a funding bucket and identifying the average annual funding amount. The "fillable" revenue sources include; 1) Big, reliable sources: REET, B&O tax, non-voter approved bonds, voter-approved bonds/levies, a Parks and Recreation District and utility tax; 2) Less sustaining sources: grants, King Conservation Futures, impact fees, developer mitigation fees and real estate transactions; and 3) Smaller sources: donations, partnerships, volunteer projects and sponsorships. A sustainable funding bucket has all three levels of funding. The current bucket that we fund parks is not going to go far. The LOS table is an effort to show the return on investment (ROI). It shows how funding, LOS and strategic projects all tie together. The lower the investment, the lower the LOS and the more the park system declines. Committee member Budell shared her support of a new Mountain Bike Park and referenced a nonprofit group with property for sale. Jeff responded that Forterra is a nonprofit agency who owns a piece of property and wants to sell it for park purposes. The city is not in the financial position to purchase that property, so staff brought the Mountain Bike Alliance and Forterra together to identify space that could become a mountain bike park. Watling agrees with Budell that it would be a regional asset to all of South King County. Committee member Budell sees where the plan is going. She has tried to identify consistent strains of funding. She wants to live where there is an urban forest, where she can walks near the water and see wildlife. She feels that great parks and schools bring people to the city. Parks Director Watling commented that we are stewards of a system that was created by past investments and these investments are beginning to show their age. As stewards of that past system we have an opportunity take those same investments, reinvest into them and have them become a system that builds upon that access and diversity of experience. All things committee member Budell mentioned are essential components of a healthy and vibrant park system. Committee member Budell talked about all the great programs offered to citizens, i.e. Kent 4Health and educational hikes. Chair Fincher likes to see the trail connectors included in the plan as discussed years ago. She wants to work towards performance measures; having information on who’s Page 4 using the parks and as well as how they are being used. She likes the way this is going. The Parks and Open Space Plan Draft will be presented to the full council at the council workshop on March 15. The schedule is to initiate the adoption of the plan at the Parks Committee meeting in April and formally adopt through council in May/June. The plan must be updated by the end of June for the city to continue to qualify for RCO grants. Committee member Budell talked about partnering with Cascade Bicycle Group to help develop the trails. Jeff responded that the city has partnered Cascade on a number of levels including the Lets Go Kent campaign. He said they are primarily focused on Right of Way and not parks and trails. Budell spoke to bicyclists paying taxes to help pay for new bike lanes in Kent - the same as vehicle and transit users pay. Chair Fincher adjourned the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Teri Petrole Teri Petrole Kent Council Parks and Human Services Committee Recorder