Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 02/10/2022

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Mrs. Bowman agreed that structure is in better condition but also has equipment missing and has experienced vandalism. Commissioner Sis asked if the resident would prefer to keep that structure or gut the entire area. Mr. Bowman replied that it would be his preference to remove both structures and replace it with a smaller structure. Commissioner Sis explained that playground equipment is very expensive, therefore the Commission has to be very considerate of the number of people served by a neighborhood park. He stated that if the one structure is in decent condition, he could support keeping that structure and perhaps adding something as well. Mrs. Bowman commented that they would leave it to the expertise of the Commission as to whether that equipment can be salvaged. Councilmember Musgrove asked for input on lighting in the park. Mrs. Bowman commented that she has never considered lighting for the park. She was unsure how it would impact the neighbors that live next to the park but commented that it could be nice for winter evenings. She was unsure it would be necessary to spend money on lighting. Chair Bennett commented that he does not recall street lighting in that area, which probably lends itself to vandalism. Councilmember Musgrove noted resident input for benches. Mrs. Bowman agreed that it would be nice to have seating, like a bench or picnic table, as the weeds and sandburs prevent sitting on the ground. Commissioner Olson stated that when the Commission met at the park there was a lot of discussion on the different elements. He stated that perhaps some drought tolerant trees could be considered to provide shade. He agreed that native landscaping would also be a good choice because of the lack of irrigation and opportunity to reduce mowing time. Parks &Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood commented that there is a wood bench at the park that could be cleaned up and stained. He commented that the picnic table that previously existed was removed because of the fire incident and could be replaced at the park. Chair Bennett thanked the residents for their input. Commissioner Barten asked for input on the responses received for the Ford Brook outreach compared to this outreach response. Parks&Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood estimated that the responses from Ford Brook were about tenfold compared to Rabbit Park, noting that notices were also mailed to less residents for Ford Brook. Park and Recreation Commission/February 10, 2022 Page 4 of 8