INC Parks and Rec Committee Meeting Feb 20 2019

Attendees: Brad Cameron, Katie Fisher, Steve Fisher, Joyce Kennedy, Ronni Crawford, Hele Orr, George Mayl, Marlene Johnson, Amber Clark, Dona Dodson, Kathleen Rust, Jay Rust Maggie Price, Cindy Johnstone

Our speaker was Joyce Kennedy with People Pollinators and Bees

PPB works with state agencies and local governments. They partnered with the Department of Transportation to work on highway 76 which is known as a pollinator highway.  It runs from Arvada to Julesberg. It has empowered the group within CDOT who do the landscaping to change their management of the corridors. It has decreased the amount of mowing and sprays used to manage growth. Some of the planting was done with mechanized equipment. This is done on the furthest part of the right of ways to the highway where a 15 ft swath was mowed and planted. No state agency is responsible for insects or pollinators, but Department of Agriculture has taken on the honey bees.

They have also worked on pollinator resolutions which is considered to be a first step. There are regulatory teeth but can get community’s involved in thinking about what can be done for protection of pollinators.  This has been done in Longmont, Lafayette and Boulder and last spring the pollinator resolution passed in Denver.

It is estimated that 40% of species are declining. PPB has opened up a conversation with Parks and Rec but as yet does not have a comprehensive understanding of the their management practices.

Questions 

What are pollinators?
Any creature that moves pollen from one plant to another for reproduction. People can be pollinators too.

What about bumble bees, are they becoming rarer?
They are, the rusty backed bumble bee is no longer in Colorado. Was first bee to be put on endangered list.

Are you advocating for the planting of more native plants?
Yes

Discussion on adding pollinator networks to platform.

Kaitlin Smith  Urban Villages

Kaitlin is the outreach manager from Urban Villages who are currently putting together a plan for Larimer Square. Kaitlin asked what people care about in Larimer Square. No drawings are available at this time.  She is interested in getting feedback on openspace as regarding any project that will take place with the square. Feed back from our community included no high rises, rents and revenues in the square are some of the highest in City which speaks to preservation of the buildings. Urban farming as presented in plan is not realistic.

Question
Is there any discussion of closing off the two blocks of Larimer?
No commitment, it is a state highway.
Question
Who maintains the street, state, city?
BID does

Urban Villages wants to keep funding private and wants construction to move as quickly as possible because of harm to businesses.

PARC is looking to more green space and less modern look for this area.

Candidate questionnaire

A list of questions regarding parks was sent out the week of 2/17/19 to all council , mayorial, clerk and auditor candidates .  Questions were a result of last months meeting.

At this time few responses received except from CW Debbie Otega.

Questions were

1. If you were appointing the Executive Director of Parks and Recreation Department, what education and previous experience would you expect the person to have?
2. Will you support an ordinance moving OS-A zoning from the Ex Director of Parks back to City Council? If no, why?
3. What would you consider is adequate green space for high density development, for example Elitchs? What steps would you take to ensure the zoning requirement for green space is adequate?
4. The use of recycled water in Denver parks appears to be causing the premature loss of many mature evergreens. Is that an acceptable trade-off for accommodating more population growth or should the city spend money to untie remediation measures to save those legacy trees? Explan your answer please.
5. What would you do to protect and enhance waterways going through Denver?
6. What aspects(s) of INC Parks and Rec Urban Platform do you support?

Loretto Heights Steering Committee

INC PARC chairs sent letter to planning committee for Lorreto Heights. We hope that the letter will be read at their April meeting where they will discuss openspace.  A copy of the letter will be sent to our committee member Amber Clark to be forwarded to the representative from College view who is attending the meetings.

Plan goes into College View. Buildings may be more apartment buildings.

View planes appear to be respected. Affordable housing will be provided. Tree surveys are being done.

Jay Rust: Question will openspace there now be given to Parks and Recs to maintain?
Amber: Not sure, last meeting did not indicate that.

SKATING RING IN CITY PARK-

Maggie – Proposal that has been discussed of a rink of some type to be donated by the Avalanch for team sport.  This would be to promote hocky. Location would be on baseball fields north side of Museum of Natural History. City would help to provide some of the equipment.  Ring would not neccesarily be for ice. Concern of group would be that it could impair the periable surface used for flood control and the stated reason for the City Park Golf Course drainage project. Was initially brought to  CPNAC.

SOS  Save Open Space

Maggie and Cindy still working on project to obtain Park Hill Golf Course if it becomes available . A website has been created and a independent questionaire created and sent to candidates to gauge attitude as to aquiring the property in the future

SOSDenver.net

Sloan Lake and Overland Park Golf Course sidewalk issue.

Cindy and Maggie will write a letter about the process
LETTER FOUND HERE

Report from Katie PRAB.

Some of the game plan documents speak to 3 years and 5 years. PRAB may look at this and comment.  City dollars may be spent in areas where there are no parks within 10 min walk.

Report from Jay and Brad regarding continued designation of parks

Met with Scott Gilmore about designation of parks. It is now down to 1 small round a year.

This year it will be a portion of City Park Golf course.  It was discovered during the litigation regarding the golf course that a large tract of that land (perhaps 80 acres) was actually only leased by the city in 1955. Technically it was not grandfathered as a designated park. They are going to designate 90 acres of City Park Golf Course officially to maintain designation.   Can expect to see this round right before the elections. Also talked about Martinez Park proposing to designate the dog park by Carla Madison . Jay, Brad and Kathleen have been pushing for designation of parkland the area on Speer Blvd coming east from I-25. It is a triangle shaped property that at one time was for sale by the City.  It has been landscaped and is perfect entry to downtown .

Ajourned 8:00