Loading...
3.21.23 DRAFT HR Meeting Minutes-FINALHEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, MARCH 21, 2023 PAGE 1 | 7 1. ROLL CALL Present- Committee Members: Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt, Committee Vice Chair Pat Nolan and Committee Members, Kathy Ryan, Pam Warren, Nancy Tashman (virtual), Lisa Post (virtual) Staff: Recreation Director Michael Labagh, Aquatics Superintendent Kacy Carmichael, and Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Miller, Recreation Services Supervisor Mike Atencio Town Council: Councilor RJ Andrade Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt opened the meeting at 10:01 a.m. 2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Committee Member Pam Warren motioned to approve the agenda; Committee Vice Chair Pat Nolan seconded the motion to approve the agenda. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt declared the agenda approved. 3. APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 2023 MEETING MINUTES Committee Member Kathy Ryan made a motion to approve the minutes from the January 17, 2023 meeting and Committee Member Pam Warren seconded the motion. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt declared the minutes approved. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. 5. BUSINESS ITEMS 5.1 Committee Update Recreation Direction Michael Labagh asked the committee if the meeting schedule is agreeable to committee members. He then presented statistics showing monthly and average daily visits as well as the resulting revenues. Michael Labagh presented statistics to follow up the Ice Skating season. Ice skating was open January 3 -March 2, 2023 based on weather. 52 days of operation, use of online waiver was successful. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Committee Member Kathy Ryan inquired if the July meeting would work for Recreation Staff as part of the busy season? Recreation Director Michael Labagh confirmed the July date will work for Recreation Staff. B. Committee Member Pam Warren inquired when is the ice skating rink the busiest? Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Miller replied saying 5:30-8:00 p.m. is a busier time of day, but weekends are the most busy, large groups came to use the ice as well. After school hours and late afternoon/evening on weekends are generally when the ice use was in demand. C. Committee Member Kathy Ryan inquired if the ice rink could be open during Christmas? Recreation Director Michael Labagh stated, yes that is the goal, but the ice was not cleared of snow or flooded yet by Christmas. The goal is to open as early as possible and keep it open as late as possible. Staff hustled to get ice rink use started, and ice maintenance is provided by Public Works. For the ‘23-24 season the Recreation Department will HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, MARCH 21, 2023 PAGE 2 | 7 have an improved staffing plan including cabin attendants specific to that job responsibility rather than sharing staff with guest services at the Recreation Center. Hours may be adjusted for next year as well. Recreation Director Michael Labagh is working with Public Works staff to see what additional equipment they need for improved operations. This season there were complaints about rink lights by Nottingham Lake residents. Lights with timers had some malfunctions and remained on in the evening. Lights are needed to be on for maintenance as well, after skate hours. Town of Avon has a Dark Sky Ordinance, and next year Staff will entertain outfitting the rink with different lighting options. For next year the goal is to increase programs such as Tea Kettle Curling, but ice conditions and weather can be unpredictable. Hockey programs could be engaged as well. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented that the Hockey tournament in the past was exciting. B. Committee Member Nancy Tashman commented that her daughter is involved with hockey and would enjoy use of Nottingham Lake ice skating. 5.2 Recreation Department Update Recreation Director Michael Labagh provided an overview of the May maintenance closure projects including the steam room and sauna remodel, pool deep cleaning, and a refresh of cardio equipment. Michael Labagh then presented an update on summer programs including the introduction of pickleball programming. No more than 3 courts can be rented or programmed at a time. There will be family fun runs, summer camps, and Nottingham Lake swim programs as well as recreational swim meets. The Committee commented/inquired: C. Committee Member Kathy Ryan inquired if the cardio equipment is purchased or leased? Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied stating that the cardio equipment is purchased, a common practice for municipalities. He then provided an explanation of replacement cycles for equipment over $5,000 on the Town’s Capital Equipment Replacement Fund (CERF). D. Committee Member Pam Warren asked about the maintenance contract and what that includes. Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied stating there is a two-year warranty on all equipment and there is no maintenance plan included for the 6 months of operation in 2023. I n January 2024 the Recreation Department will purchase a twice a year preventative maintenance package for the first year, then for the second year move into a more frequent preventative maintenance plan such as 4x a year. E. Committee Member Pam Warren inquired that when things break, how accessible are the parts and staff availability to fix equipment? How high is confidence in new vendor? Recreation Services Supervisor Mike Atencio replied that the Recreation Department conducted extensive research when considering a fitness vendor for cardio equipment. Technogym has a good reputation and is used locally by a gym in Edwards and the Westin hotel. Recreation Director Labagh commented that Staff are looking to employ better practices obtaining spare parts and services on a proactive basis. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, MARCH 21, 2023 PAGE 3 | 7 F. Committee Vice Chair Pat Nolan inquired if pickleball is available via drop in or do people need a reservation? Do people need to call the rec center first? Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied that free, drop in play will be available between 9:00 a.m.-12:00p.m. daily at the outdoor courts. Individual reservations are not required and are not currently available. 5.3 La Zona Planning Project Update Recreation Director Michael Labagh reminded the Committee of the Planning and Zoning Commission & Town Council Review for the La Zona project tonight which will include survey results. Between Option 6 (pool) and 7 (gymnasium), 60% chose option 7 to build a gymnasium. Most people support finishing Mikaela Way connection to the park at Lake Street. The Fire Station replacement options are between building a skate park, a community events/art building, temporary open space or additional parking. The meeting is at 5:00 p.m. in person and on Zoom. The next steps are to get consensus and direction to further the design process. Michael Labagh thanked Councilor RJ Andrade for his contributions at the Town Council level. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Committee Member Nancy Tashman said thanks for getting the gym option on the list, and inquired about cost estimates for a gym compared to a pool? Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied $15-17 million for a gymnasium, and a pool is $20-23 million, estimated based on past projects at other sites by the design team. Options 1-5 total $20 million all together. B. Committee Member Kathy Ryan inquired if $20 million for Options 1-5 includes equipment or just the building? Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied the estimate is just for the building. C. Committee Member Pam Warren commented that the usage of the gymnasium would serve the broadest needs of the community and she feels the community support would be high. However, the pool option has a strong argument as well to serve the community. The piece that will be a challenge is the funding. The other piece is by expanding and losing parking, we will need more parking to host more people in this additional rec reation space. D. Committee Member Warren inquired to Councilor RJ Andrade, housing and parking are important to the town. How will the Council be strategic to make sure these things are considered? Councilor RJ Andrade replied stating that plans always look good on paper, and we do have numerous parking plans, the key is to tie everything together. The pool would provide positive ROI, while the gym would be appreciated by the community. We currently cannot provide either of them, so we are looking to make a plan for how to make either option happen. We’ve discussed housing on top of expansion, and we’ve been thinking about this for years. Councilor RJ Andrade is encouraging Council to look at this as a whole plan not little pieces. Recreation Director Michael Labagh added that right now we are trying to confirm what the community wants. E. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented she donates a lot of money to Avon public education, and $20 million is a scary proposal when on a fixed income. She would not support a bond. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, MARCH 21, 2023 PAGE 4 | 7 Councilor RJ Andrade stated that it’s easy for someone who doesn't use the gym to say no to funding. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt stated that people who don’t care about the recreation center also want other things funded that don’t affect people who use the recreation center, that is what it means to be a community. F. Committee Member Nancy Tashman inquired about how many spaces would be included in parking plans? Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied that a feasibility study from Walker Parking Consultants provided estimations for a sub-grade above ground parking structure in the east lot would be about $15-20 million, and more parking is needed now. Within the preliminary fit test, the total number of spaces would be around 300, a net gain of 156-170 spaces if we expand to the north or west. G. Committee Member Nancy Tashman asked if that would be sufficient? Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied that on paper, yes, we would exceed the minimum requirement of parking code, but it’s hard to tell. H. Committee Member Kathy Ryan inquired if parking would be complimentary? Recreation Director Michael Labagh stated that is up for discussion, but likely to remain free for a few hours each visit. Councilor RJ Andrade added that alternative parking plans are being discussed by Council, they are looking at all the options. I. Committee Member Pam Warren commented that in her experience in resort communities, people pay to park. We need to build in the pay-to-park plan, with 2 hours of free parking. Councilor RJ Andrade replied stating Vail Resorts should provide their own parking, and when they stopped using the Rodeo lot 2 years ago, that put more cars into public parking spaces in Town. J. Committee Member Pam Warren commented saying Vail Resorts should build a parking garage at the bottom of Beaver Creek and put housing on top! Councilor RJ Andrade replied saying they don’t have any requirement to provide that and we cannot force them. K. Committee Member Pam Warren commented saying she knows there must be a special interest group pushing for a skate park, and it looks like an easy win. She would suggest being careful about proceeding in that location, and there would be better places to put a skate park. It would not serve the broad range of people a pool or gym would serve, just men ages 10-24. She is worried it’s an easy solution and could create a situation that we can’t undo. It would not serve the town’s best interest and it’s a lunar landscape, so it can’t be undone. Recreation Director Michael Labagh confirmed that the Avon Skate Coalition has received a planning grant, they are analyzing several locations in the Town, not just the former fire station site, and he appreciates the feedback. 5.4 Harry A. Nottingham Park Policy Work Session 5.4.1 Off-Leash Dog Area Recreation Director Michael Labagh set forth goals of understanding the current concerns, rules and regulations, obtain more info as needed, and provide a recommendation to the Town Council as a committee . All dogs required to be on HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, MARCH 21, 2023 PAGE 5 | 7 leash in public parks, and he explained where dogs are allowed off leash under voice control and a leash available. Recreation Director Michael Labagh provided an overview of the signage currently in use and proposed signage that would be larger, twice as many installed and more noticeable. He then presented some of the challenges with the off- leash dog area including complaints to Avon PD, confusion from signage, safety concerns and enforcement concerns. Michael provided three suggested options to improve the off-leash area. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Committee Member Kathy Ryan inquired about the extent of the off-leash area that was different three years ago. Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied saying he could not find documentation about that area being extended but does recall it being mentioned. He will conduct more research. B. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented that there is conflict of interest between dog excrement on the sand and beach users. It doesn’t sound healthy to have shared use of the beach. Councilor RJ Andrade stated rules are irrelevant without enforcement, so enforcement plan is important, but in three years, enforcement has not happened successfully. C. Committee Vice Chair Pat Nolan commented that when she had dogs, they don’t read signs, so they go where they want without a fence and it’s hard to limit their movement. Councilor RJ Andrade explained that voice control means different things to different people and not everyone likes dogs. The concept for Nottingham’s off leash area and hours is great, but it doesn’t work, it’s not functional. D. Committee Member Pam Nolan commented she would prefer dogs stay on leash in Nottingham Park for safety and cleanliness. A fenced in area could work, but without that the public is put at a disservice because of the off -leash area. E. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented there is an early morning social group that uses the off-leash area to let their dogs play with each other. Councilor RJ Andrade replied that’s why we need a whole dog park, not half a dog park. F. Committee Member Nancy Tashman commented she doesn’t have a dog, and inquired where the closest dog park is? Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied there is a fenced in dog park in Wildridge below the O’Neal Spur Pocket Park. G. Councilor RJ Andrade commented that it would be best to remove the off-leash area entirely for summer (April-Oct), this would be easier than getting code enforcement officers. H. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented that the dogs will be sad and inquired if the Town owns the field near Avon Elementary School, could a dog park go in that field? Recreation Director Michael Labagh reminded the Committee that would interfere with special events and sports use of the lower field. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, MARCH 21, 2023 PAGE 6 | 7 I. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt stated that kids would be playing soccer in dog excrement if that field was designated for dogs. Councilor RJ Andrade stated the outdoor fitness area could be converted into a fenced in dog park. J. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt commented that we should make a plan and not just shut down the off leash area without warning to the public. Recreation Director Michael Labagh reminded the Committee that this is why we could try improving signage first. K. Committee Member Pam Warren commented that a summer seasonal closure could be better than total removal. Out east it’s common that you can take a dog on the beach in the winter, but not the summer. L. Committee Member Nancy Tashman commented that the limited off leash hours is strange, and she likes the idea of seasonal closure or creating a fenced in area. M. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented that off leash is important, and people don’t read signs. If you are going to make new signs, make the time the largest print at the top. In summer, June, July and August are the concern, not the shoulder months. N. Councilor RJ commented again that enforcement is the important part and signs alone are not the answer. O. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt commented that there must be repercussions for people to follow the rules. P. Committee Member Lisa Post commented she likes the idea of signage and a roped off area or spray painted grass to designate the area. Recreation Director Michael Labagh opened the discussion for public comment for the one attendee who joined virtually. No public comments were made. Recreation Director Michael Labagh shared an idea for the new signage that at 9:00 a.m. the sign could be flipped that says “off-leash dog area closed.” Recreation Director Michael Labagh summarized that committee members are generally in favor of removing the off-leash dog area permanently or on a seasonal basis but are also sensitive to engaging the community for their input before making any changes. For Summer 2023, Staff will improve signage within the area, work with Avon Police Department regarding enforcement and provide an update to the Town Council. 5.4.2 Dismount/Slow Zone Designation Recreation Director Michael Labagh provided an overview of the current policy about electric bikes and motorized vehicles in the park. The bike path is currently 8 ft wide, an idea is to widen the path or designate a slow or dismount zone to promote slower speeds even though difficult to enforce. There have been no formal complaints to Avon Police Department regarding bike use, but safety concerns have been recognized by Staff. Recreation Director Michael Labagh opened the floor up for discussion. The Committee commented/inquired: Q. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented she feels strongly that the issues are not just from e -bikes, but all wheeled vehicles. A dismount zone is the answer she would like to see, folks on bikes or wheeled devices can go around the south side of the lake. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2023 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, MARCH 21, 2023 PAGE 7 | 7 R. Committee Vice Chair Pat Nolan commented that there are seniors using wheeled devices to access the area, including wheelchairs. Councilor RJ Andrade stated that all plans have to be ADA compliant and a wheeled scooter that is used for mobility would be exempted from this policy. After discussing with Chief Daly, widening the path would increase speeds, so it has to be dismount zone or not, even if just for Summer. S. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt commented that he likes the idea of a dismount zone on the nor th side of Nottingham Lake. T. Committee Member Lisa Post commented a dismount zone sounds like a good plan to prevent children and people from getting hurt. U. Committee Member Nancy Tashman commented that she likes the idea of a dismount zone, people come up q uick behind her. V. Committee Member Pam Warren commented she is in agreement with a dismount zone. Recreation Director Michael Labagh summarized the discussion to say that staff will work on signage and bring this idea of a dismount zone on the north park path in Harry A. Nottingham Park to the Avon Town Council. 6. Other Business and Committee Members A. Committee Member Kathy Ryan commented that more bathrooms are needed down by the lake on the west end. (RJ – they are on the way, Michael – adding more portable toilets to that section) Kathy also recommended a changing area by the west side of the beach for folks to change in and out of swim suits. Recreation Director Labagh thanked committee members for their time and valuable feedback. 7. ADJOURNMENT Committee Member Pam Warren motioned to adjourn, and Committee Member Kathy Ryan seconded the motion. Committee Chair Kevin Hyatt declared the meeting adjourned at 11:35 a.m. Respectfully Submitted by Kacy Carmichael Aquatics Superintendent