Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 11/14/2019

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Parks & Assistant Public Works SuperintendentRiverblood stated each page is supposed to ultimately have threeimages related to the text, and that will be included in the final form of the document. Also, staff will use the appendices to get a little deeper into the studies and statistics, so they are not brought into the narrative so much, in order to promote readability. 5.02: Acknowledge Phasing Plan for Public Realm Improvements in The COR Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood reminded the Commission that the downtown was an organic, citizen-driven process that began in 1998. It showed up as an advisory question on a ballot and was affirmed by residents at the general election. It is important to note how far the City has come in the last 15 years, in spite of the Great Recession. The City has not moved substantially away from the vision, which has helped the success of the vision. The downtown area is about half developed currently. A lot of progress has been made with the residential goals. The residential component is very important to getting to the retail, which is what residents really want. The public realm elements are about 30-40% of the way there. The majority of improvements in the downtown are private sector investments, and that is why it is important to hold the vision and deliver. For example, people who are buying next to Municipal Plaza are doing so because the City promised a park there. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood continued to note that connectivity between all the planning elements is key. He presented proposed images of Municipal Plaza. The various phases may include gathering spaces, ac the regional trail, splash pad, wading pool area, restaurants, indoor playgrounds, engineering and infrastructure improvements, and more. Near-term improvements include grading for Municipal Plaza and design work for first phases. Chair Bennett thanked Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood for sharing a vision for the potential phasing of the project. Commissioner Barnes asked about the inclusion of the water stairs. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood responded the water stairs may not occur, but it is a great idea to have a centralized aesthetic and functional component in that park area. The water stairs would also be a nice sound as well as aesthetic for the park. As the plans are refined, staff will look at individual elements. The stairs would not be a first phase improvement and could be looked at in later phases. First phase elements will be grading to Municipal Plaza with later improvements potentially occurring later in the summer of 2020. Commissioner Sis asked about the refrigerated surface that may be an ice rink in the winter. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood responded there are vendors who bring out refrigerated surfaces, so that would be a contract relationship, much like the City contracts with people at Happy Days for generators, tents and bounce-houses. There would be irrigated turf and after the ground freezes, it would be set up. It is a popular model on the East Coast. Park and Recreation Commission/November 14, 2019 Page 4 of 5