2007-06-12 Regular Meeting
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
PARKS & RECREATION COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING -JUNE 12, 2007
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
The regular meeting of the Parks & Recreation Committee was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by
COMMITTEE MEMBER SALTON STALL on June 12, 2007 in the 1GB School District
Conference Room.
ROLL CALL
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A quorum was established.
COMMITTEE MEMBER HUNTLEY MOVED TO EXCUSE MEMBERS SIROFCHUCK,
FOREMAN, and DEMI. The motion was SECONDED by COMMITTEE MEMBER
TSCHERSICH, and it CARRIED by unanimous voice vote.
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
COMMITTEE MEMBER FOSTER MOVED TO APPROVE the agenda as presented. The
motion was SECONDED by COMMITTEE MEMBER SCHROEDER, and it CARRIED by
unanimous voice vote.
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
A discussion regarding discrepancies of what was said at the previous meeting in the minutes.
COMMITTEE MEMBER FOSTER MOVED TO POSTPONE the minutes of regular meeting
of May 22, 2007 until the scheduled meeting of June 26, 2006. The motion was SECONDED by
COMMITTEE MEMBER HUNTLEY, and it CARRIED by unanimous voice vote.
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Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes
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AUDIENCE COMMENTS AND APPEARANCE REQUESTS
There were no audience comments or appearance requests.
OLD BUSINESS
A. Trails Plan
SAL TONST ALL stated we are waiting on the Borough. At the last meeting we talked about if
we could get it on the budget.
Cassidy stated the trails plan was put on hold because of other issues, the Comp Plan specifically.
You thought there was money in the budget to continue the trails plan.
Dvorak stated there was $10,000 in the budget that staff submitted in the process. He's not clear
whether that money is still there or if it was lost in the shuffle.
SAL TONST ALL said it says in the minutes that there needs to be funding for consultants to
write a trails plan.
Dvorak said it can't be done by the end of June, so it would have to be next fiscal year. We
submitted for the fiscal year 2008. When Finance moved money for junk car removal into
Community Development's contracted services, he doesn't know if Finance realized $10,000 of
that was for trail planning or if they figured it was all junk car removal. Dvorak said he thinks we
can still get the $10,000 because it was earmarked for this trail plan.
SALTONSTALL stated we need someone to write the plan, and then have us comment on it.
Cassidy stated it is not so simple because it has to be a priority of the Assembly. The Parks &
Recreation Committee is an advisory to Planning & Zoning. We need to generate the interest, but
if the money is in there that budget doesn't start until July 1 st.
SAL TONST ALL said he can bring the outline of the trails plan they did previously.
Dvorak stated the reason the trails aren't in the Comp Plan is we got a legal opinion regarding the
trail mapping and the issues of trailheads taking off from private property or going across native
corporation lands where there aren't any 17B easements. Ian Moore mapped every trail
regardless of its status. We discussed whether we could do a disclaimer but the attorney advised
not to publish the trail information. It would be a liability if we published a map showing trails
crossing someone else's property. Dvorak also said all the trails are in GIS format with the
metadata from when Moore mapped over 200 miles of trails.
SAL TONST ALL said we need to review the outline because it included issues, landowners, and
their high priority areas to compare it with the Comp Plan.
Dvorak stated the committee can draft a scope of work because any contractual services have to
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some mapping, a trails survey, and Moore also included some insights that he drew from the
data, and you will need someone who has experience with trails, trails planning and use, and who
has authored these kinds of products.
SCHROEDER stated he and SIROFCHUCK have differing ideas as to what a trails plan is. Is it a
guiding document or is it an inventory of our existing trails?
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FOSTER stated we have the outline that may not need any work. It's all been done; we just need
to find all the information to get it back on the table, but the survey we had done is outdated now.
FOSTER feels it shouldn't take more than a couple of meetings, and then we will be ready to
send something off.
Cassidy asked SAL TONST ALL to bring in what he has so the department can make copies.
HUNTLEY confirmed we have enough to go on.
SCHROEDER wants to see the trails inventory.
SAL TONST ALL stated it is in the survey. All the trails were listed, maps, and then what Moore
did covering those trails.
SCHROEDER asked if we are going to solidify the dynamic listing of trails. We have to say "this
trail exists" in order to give us backing when development comes in and wants to remove it.
Cassidy said let's find out what we have. If it's on private land and they want to develop it, just
because it's a trail doesn't mean it has any higher authority. Ownership will always trump.
SAL TONST ALL stated if it's in the Kodiak Trails Plan, and we as a committee state that that
trail means a lot to the community, even though it's on someone else's land, we can get the
borough to buy it. It's better to have it in the plan than not.
HUNTLEY stated we listed trails that borders or touches private land, but we put it on there
because it exists. H likes to use the information learned at training as a guide.
NEW BUSINESS
A. Dark Lake
Cassidy stated there are an air photo and a map in your packets. Within that boundary is land the
Borough owns and the Assembly is interested in disposing. The Comp Plan listed it as a special
planning area because it has special attributes including trails, scenic overlooks, steep slopes,
poor soils, and wetlands. Cassidy recommended they take a hike up there to see what all it
entails. We can publish something in the paper saying this is the area considered for disposal, and
if you have comments come to the meeting. It will take a lot of planning because we are dealing
with roads, parks, etc. This is a high priority, planning area. He said the purpose is to identify
where the trails and steep slopes are, narrow down where good development areas are, and what
areas should be left for public purpose within this boundary.
TSCHERSICH will provide his personal trail maps of Russian Ridge and the planning area.
SALTONSTALL said they can put TSHCERSICH'S map on the wall to determine where the
good hiking and good development areas are.
Cassidy stated we have wetlands information and aerial photos in 3 dimension to determine
where the steep slopes are. This is just the planning area, so people on Selief Lane win be
concerned about the land behind them and Beaver Lake is a big issue. In the process of putting all
the attributes together, let's see where the wetlands and steep slopes are, and eventually a pattern
will emerge about where lands capable for development appear. There are a number of issues that
are a part of the public process. Maybe you would like to hold a public meeting to obtain public
input to do a decent planning project for this special area. We may find out very little is
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developable. We have some survey information from about 1980 but have been told by surveyors
there are flaws in it. We have basic information, it's just collating it.
HUNTLEY said if we can map these trails and say these are trails that exist to make sure
everyone knows that we know they are there. If anything happens, those trails will be recognized
as being there.
Cassidy stated if anyone is going to lead a hike through there, he will get it on the radio.
B. CIP List
Dvorak stated the first form is the Project Nomination Form. This form addresses the rationale,
the need, does it serve, is it in the plan, and is there funding available. These are the kinds of
questions that will help determine how well this kind of project will score, and makes it easier
for us to persuade the elected officials to give it a higher priority. Everyone should read this and
think about each question. If there is a photograph to help illustrate the need to be met it would
help to make a stronger case. Next, is the matrix used the past several years, the 2nd to the last
column on the right has P&R Committee projects score, and your recommendation. You would
review these projects plus any new projects nominated. Once nominated staff would enter them
into the matrix, bring it back for the P&R to go through to develop a score, and then see where
those projects end up based on their overall merits. The idea is to determine whether a project is
needed and feasible. As you look at the last page, it gives the score and criteria. There are 8
categories for the scores. All of the scores are weighted across the board which results in the final
score. We often use the CIP List as a tool to get funding thorough legislation. Dvorak also said
we got funding for the Island Lake Bridge and other trail improvements, but we didn't get what
we asked for. Once we have a project dollar amount then we'll see how much money is left over
for other Island Lake Trail improvements. The Mill Bay Beach access is to replace the stairs that
were pulled out. If we do replace the beach access it will probably be a handicap accessible ramp.
We look at this from year to year to see if the interest is still there. This gives you an opportunity
to make adjustments. The last item is the actual list, the resolution that the Assembly adopts each
year. They may also change things around a little from year to year. Ranking your projects, in
terms of need and feasibility, is your best way of ensuring the highest needs with the highest
feasibility works its way to the top. You have until late July to rank your projects.
FOSTER stated we already went through it and ranked it. Nothing has changed in what we were
looking for.
SCHROEDER stated these are all easy projects and easy to quantify. That's why they're on the
list. He feels the biggest challenge is improving the quality oflife here. How do we, as a
committee, view limited powers Borough wide Parks & Recreation in our scope of things? Do
we really prioritize trails as 1 % of the value of recreation? 10,000 to a 1,000,000 is 1 %. He
knows it's hard to put a trail on a CIP List, but are we just not doing it because it's hard to
quantify? Why are trails different from roads?
SAL TONST ALL said it is Capital Improvement.
SCHROEDER said there is a bike path extension study on the list.
Dvorak stated as a rule, Capital Projects are $50,000 and more. Anything less than that should
fall under year to year operations. If you had a number of trails that needed the same kind of
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improvements that together amounted to more than $50,000 and because they needed the same
kind of improvements a single contractor could be hired to do so many lineal feet of trail
improvements. Dvorak thinks it could be a CIP project. CIP projects should be a substantial
project, perhaps a multi-year, multi-phase project. Anything less than that should be budgeted in
a single year.
SCHROEDER said let's pretend we had $1,000,000 as a Parks & Recreation Committee. Would
we put it all into ball fields or because we have an idea of how we like to recreate, let's be
creative to come up with things that are capital improvements that reflect what we want out of
the Parks & Recreation and this borough. Because we can't put our finger on one individual trail
that cost more than $50,000 they all fall underneath that, and then they all fall off the table
because they aren't big enough to be a capital project. Ifwe are creative, let's describe it in a way
so it appears to be a capital project, and then put our weight behind it.
Cassidy stated besides putting lists together, we need to look at what grants are available, CIP
process, the Borough, etc. A lot of this goes to the State Legislature for money. We can raise
money somehow.
Dvorak said the big projects listed on the CIP List are broken down into phases. When the list
comes before the Assembly that is the time P&R needs to follow through by attending and let
them know how important your projects are. It's important to have a plan in place that identifies
criteria and justification of background to go to the next step.
It was the consensus of the committee to add the Trails Plan and Chichenoff Trail to the list.
Cassidy stated it sounds like the Assembly is going to reduce the CIP List this year. The key is
having it on a list somewhere so when we get a call from Juneau saying they have so much
money for such and such we stand a good chance of receiving some of that money. It has
happened before.
Dvorak said Parks & Rec will have 3 meetings to think about projects, how you will score them,
and you will vote on the final list.
COMMUNICATIONS
REPORTS
Dvorak reported the Draft Comp Plan and Coastal Management Plan are up for public hearing on
June 20th with the Planning & Zoning Commission. There are new maps coming that will be on
our website. He encouraged everyone to look at the Comp Plan to make sure everything is in it.
Dvorak will have Lori Demi put the Coastal Management Plan on the website. It was adopted in
January 06 but DNR sent it back for revisions several times. There are still editorial changes
being made by DNR, but it's on its way for public hearing. He encouraged everyone to
familiarize themselves with the plan.
Dvorak also reported it doesn't look like the Woodland Estates Land Acquisition will happen.
That's the subdivision that was approved with a caveat where the Borough had a 1 year option to
pursue acquisition. The manager asked that the developers to get an appraisal if they want to sell,
but it doesn't look like there will be an appraisal. He thinks they're waiting for the clock to run
out.
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A) Meeting schedule:
· June 26, 2007 regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the KIB School District Conference Room.
· July 10, 2007 regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the KIB School District Conference Room.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
There were no audience comments.
COMMITTEE MEMBER'S COMMENTS
Cassandra Juenger said the Borough funded a maintenance position.
Kevin Foster asked if the Trails Training coming up in Fairbanks. Dvorak was going to talk to
Bud.
Duane Dvorak said Bud Cassidy's name has been put in.
Andy Schroeder congratulated staff for getting what they asked for, and he is disappointed with
borough staff with regards to projects that we get behind that nothing is done with it. If we have
action minutes then the minutes will be empty but we spend a lot of time talking about things that
are really important.
Hans Tschersich said he is very happy we are talking about the Russian Ridge Trail; it has been
in his heart for years. He has explored this area for years and drawn maps. The maps are online at
the Island Trails Network website. There are also pictures on the website. This is a trail on the
edge of town where you can walk there. It is a pristine, beautiful, undeveloped area.
Patrick Saltonstall said he wanted to go on Hans hike but was sick that day.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
ATTEST
By: ~E'iOn ~S[J
Sheila Smith, Secretary
Community Development Department
KODIAK ISLAND BOROUGH
2~COMMIITEE
. Sirofi uck, Chair
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DATE APPROVED: July 10, 2007
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