2004-10-18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Svetz said a needs assessment of the community needs to be done to determine priorities. He said that some things at Mclntire Park are driven by the Meadowcreek Parkway. Ms. Hamilton thanked Mr. Svetz for bringing these issues to Council. She said that as a frequent users of the pools, she can only describe the bath facilities as "gross." Mr. Schilling read the following comments from the memorandum provided to Council from the City Manager and Director of Parks and Recreation: "Currently, most of the facilities are not worm class, in disrepair, and in dire need of renovation, not only physically, but programmatically as well. Unfortunately, as you all know, the City of Charlottesville is facing an extended period of shrinking revenues and it is becoming increasingly important that we improve what we already have first. It is not the right time to spend over $1.5 million on a new venture when there are so many problems at our existing facilities." Mr. Schilling said he hopes Council takes these comments into consideration. Mr. Caravati said that Mclntire Park is a long established priority and asked about the approaching budget review. Mr. Svetz said that we need to make sure these priorities are in line with the community. He said we should identify what portion of Mclntire park benefits the community. Mr. Svetz said the trails in Mclntire Park are a priority. He said an RFP will be required for a needs assessment. Responding to a question from Mr. Lynch, Mr. Svetz said that the pond, potential relocation of utility lines, and proposed new entrance off Melbourne road into Mclntire Park are related to Meadowcreek Parkway. Mr. Lynch said we have a lot of recreational infrastructure and no maintenance funds for them. He said that before we do another study we should know the value of our current assets. He said there should be an industry standard to determine our ongoing obligation about what we need to maintain and then we can determine where we come up with that funding. He said he would like a list of all park assets and their value and an estimate of their long-term costs to maintain. Responding to a question from Dr. Brown, Mr. Svetz said there is approximately $1 million for Mclntire Park in the CIP, with an additional $500,000 over the next three to five years. Dr. Brown said he would hate to lose the momentum we have on Mclntire Park. He asked about the relocation of the wading pool. Mr. Svetz said the wading pool is scheduled to be relocated for safety reasons, though it could continue in its current location for a few more years. He said it is a matter of taking it to the next level. REPORT: MCINTIRE PARK PLAN Ms. Karen Firehock, a member of the Mclntire Park Master Plan Committee, said that the feeling is that Mclntire Park could be the "crown jewel" for the City. She reviewed the main features proposed: walking and nature trails; relocating the Vietnam Memorial and making it more accessible; building of a storm water pond that will also be a recreational pond; new entrance off Melbourne Road; some sort of a conservancy; and a bridge over the railroad tracks connecting to the other part of the Park. She noted that the Committee was instructed to assume that the Meadowcreek Parkway will be built. She said there have been public workshops and public events about the proposals, but no formal public hearing. She said the Committee would like to know what Council wants and then recommends that a public hearing be held. She asked Council to consider an implementation committee for the project.