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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParks Board Minutes Dec_6_2023_revised 1 MINUTES WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING, December 6. 2023 ______________________________________________________________________________ LocaDon: Recrea(on Center Chair: Stephanie Magers Secretary: Richard Cunningham Board members present: Samantha (Sami) Morrison, Stephanie Magers, Richard Cunningham, Sarah Barre;, Rebecca Brownlie, Ryan Firth, Stephen Damiani, Laura (Lulu) Lopez, Maryann Grahmann, Ariene Wells, Lauren Griffith. Staff: Susan White Council members: (none) Visitors: (none) Call to Order: Stephanie Magers called the mee(ng to order at 6:37 p.m. Welcome and introduc(ons. Each board member received a WUP centennial Christmas ornament. Approval of the minutes from November 7 meeDng: Unanimous approval. Council Update: (Council member Shannon Carroll unable to a;end due to last-minute conflict.) Friends Update: The 2024 Park Lovers’ Ball, scheduled for February 10, is already 70 percent sold out. Anyone interested in going is urged to get their (ckets soon. Susan White and Sami Morrison noted that the net income for the 2023 Park Lover’s Ball was around $300,000. Fathers and Flashlights raised another $120,000. These are the Friends of the West University Parks Fund’s two largest fundraiser events of the year. About 525 kids a;ended Fathers and Flashlights in 2023, a record high. General conversa(on followed considering ways to spread the word that at least 90 percent of all park improvements are funded by private dona(ons and fundraising events, not tax dollars. Parks & RecreaDon Update: Susan White noted that the annual tree ligh(ng ceremony was Monday, December 4. The mayor and city council unveiled the city’s centennial logo. There was a live ice sculpture carving as well as an ice sculpture that was carved in advance. The weather was nice and a;endance was up. Susan es(mated between 1,200 and 1,400 people. The Founder’s Day event will be May 4, 2024. The Colonial Park deck along Byron Street is under construc(on and will be completed by the end of the year. Par(es and rentals can begin in January. (Photo of completed deck from December 29.) 2 The Wier Park upgrade is out for bids, which are due before Christmas. The bids will be presented to City Council at the January 22 mee(ng. They will also be shown to Friends ahead of (me to keep them informed. The Chevron Houston Marathon will be Sunday, January 14, 2024. As usual, a por(on of the race will pass through West U. Board members and their family members will be receiving invita(ons to the Mayor’s Breakfast. Susan encouraged everyone to a;end the breakfast and to watch the marathon. About 33,000 runners, from elite and special needs to amateurs will par(cipate. There is s(ll one u(lity pole remaining in the middle of the Edloe Street Pathway because we need to coordinate with AT&T to remove their equipment. Freeze-resistant Tangerine Beauty vines are being planted along the pathway this week. West U has a new park. A small triangle of land—2,140 sq. c.—off Bissonnet at Academy was deeded to the City of West University Place in 1999. The land had formerly been set aside as common space for the adjacent townhouses. Apparently the ques(on of who pays for maintenance and water service for this area was not resolved acer the transfer, and now owners of the townhouses would like for the city to begin maintaining the property. The net result is that we have a new park that is about half the size of a small West U homesite. The Parks Board and City Council will consider op(ons for using the property. One possibility is to install an addi(onal well to supplement the city’s water supply. The space will not become tradi(onal park space with playground equipment, but it could include unique ligh(ng or an art installa(on of some kind. 3 Recrea(on Center improvements to the playing field and jogging track are on hold for now, pending decisions about how the land might be used for underground water reten(on. Susan noted that installing a rubberized track will cost more than $120,000, based on an earlier bid. She added that we will probably know before 2027 about water reten(on plans on the Rec Center property. Steve Damiani asked if there were plans to expand the cardio and weight room area of the Rec Center. Susan said that various op(ons have been suggested, but that current u(liza(on numbers do not warrant the cost of remodeling the area. Park Ambassador assignments: Huffington Park – Ryan Firth Judson Park – Stephanie Magers. Ariene Wells asked about a green box she had seen. Edloe Street Pathway – Richard Cunningham Recrea(on Center – Rebecca Brownlie Colonial Park East – Maryann Grahmann Colonial Park Pool – Stephen Damiani Colonial Park West playground and decks – Lauren Griffith asked about possibility of invi(ng food trucks on Saturday mornings to draw visitors to the deck areas. Wier Park – Lulu Lopez Jennie Hughes Park – Sarah Barre; Whi; Johnson Park – Ariene Wells Friends Park – Sami Morrison Old Business: Susan noted that we have not yet had a park facili(es tour for new members. She shared a presenta(on that she and Bri;any did for the Ci(zens’ Academy in October. It included an overview and organiza(on chart. Senior Services is an important area that many Parks Board members may not know enough about. There is a need to spread the word to Seniors that they can get help for rou(ne and essen(al trips, such as the grocery store or doctor’s appointments. New Business: Next mee(ng, Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Adjourned: 8:00 p.m. Unanimous.