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12/1/2022 - Meeting Minutes PARKS,NATURAL LANDS,URBAN FORESTRY AND TRAILS ADVISORY BOARD of SALT LAKE CITY Formal Meeting Thursday,December 1,2022 5:00 p.m.—7:15 p.m. Join Via Webex: httus://saltlakecity.webex.com/saltlakecity/i.i)hi)?MTID=mll4a24b0e2lclac3b6b9fOc4442823a4 Or Join at the Public Lands Administrative Building: 1965 W.500 S. Salt Lake City,UT 84104 Upstairs Parks Training Room Join by phone 1-408-418-9388 Access code: 2490 189 6492 Meeting Minutes (Unapproved) 1—Convening the Meeting 5:00 PM Call to order — Clayton Scrivner — Ginger Cannon — Meridith Benally — Aaron Wiley — Brianna Binnebose — Phil Carroll — Jenny Hewson — Samantha Finch — Melanie Pehrson Chair comments 5 mins Chair Brianna Binnebose thanked the Board for their support as she's been acting interim chair. 2—Approval of Minutes 5:05 PM Approve November 3, 2022 meeting minutes 5 mins Ms. Hewson motioned to approve November 3, 2022 meeting minutes. Ms. Finch seconded the motion.The Board voted unanimously to approve the November 3, 2022 meeting minutes. 3—Public Comment Period 5:10 PM Verbal comments are limited to no more than 3 minutes; 15 minutes total. Written comments are welcome. Kenton Peters Kenton joined the public comment portion online. He is an architect and a frequent user of the Foothill Trails. He is a founding member of the Salt Lake City Trails Alliance and a member of the Salt Lake City Landmark Commission. Kenton's comment is regarding the Foothills Trail System Plan. He stated he understands the Trails Plan is currently on pause due to the complaints from the Save Our Foothills group. While he agrees with some of the complaints, like the closure of the Legacy Ridgeline Trails for trailhead improvements, he stated that their concerns are based on hyperbole rather than fact. Kenton referenced the Salt Lake City Trails Plan, Section 1, stating there are "at least 87 miles of social trails and 20 miles of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail". He continued to share what grade trail conditions constitute for public use and trail maintenance. He presented the Save Our Foothill's argument that are around/or more than 100 miles are adequate therefore more trails aren't necessary. Kenton stated that most of the current trails are available for public use and trail maintenance is more than 10%. In conjunction with Section 1 of the Salt Lake Trails Plan,this puts around two-thirds of current Foothill Trails outside the 10%grade threshold for adequate access for the public and maintenance. He went on to address the groups of people with limited access to these trails due to their grades like families with small children and mountain bikers. He stated both groups believe in equal access to all, but per Section 1, these common goals are not being accomplished. He addressed the timing of this process and how long it's taken compared to other trails plans and believes there is no reason to cause further delays. 4—Staff Discussion and Agenda Items 5:25 PM Public Lands budget initiatives overview and board discussion about prioritization 30 mins process—Tyler Murdock and Carmen Bailey Tyler Murdock and Carmen Bailey, Deputy Directors of Public Lands, spoke. Ms. Binnebose stated she liked the Google document-sharing approach, allowing the Board to comment and ask questions. Mr. Murdock and Mr.Allen will work together to dedicate time for staff to respond to members' comments and questions. Mr. Murdock shared his screen displaying the Budget Initiative, which was included in the board packet before the meeting. 1. Ongoing costs 2. New Properties&Amenities 3. Staff Needs 4. Foothills Trail Maintenance Expansion Program 5. Trails and Natural Lands Maintenance Enhancement 6. Parks Events/Afterhours Crew 7. Public Way Beautification (formerly Weed Abatement) 8. Public Lands Tree Maintenance 9. Additional Planning Team Capacity(3 Planners) Mr. Murdock said some items will be removed from New Properties &Amenities list as they are included with the Bond. Ms. Cannon inquired if square footage or size reference could be included within the document for reference. Mr. Murdock responded it may be challenging for expanded restoration areas, but for new properties, it could be done, and he will work to include the expanded restoration areas. Ms. Finch asked for clarification on the Fairmont Springs project if it was about the area that was fenced off. Mr. Murdock clarified maintenance's responsibilities and expectations moving forward. Ms. Hewson asked about the listed Foothill Trailheads and how they are funded. Mr. Murdock said the request is anticipating the completion of those five trailheads. It is fully funded but does not fully include maintenance funding. Mr. Wiley asked if the Afterhours Crew request will be implemented on all sites. Ms. Bailey clarified they'd be starting with higher traffic parks during the weekends and afternoons, i.e., Liberty Park and Fairmont Park. If this is successful, they will expand it to other parks. Ms. Cannon asked if Public Lands looked into adjusting current staff hours to meet this request as it's only a few parks they will be starting. Ms. Bailey clarified the hours and workload expectations for the planned new employees (one Lead Parks Maintenance and five Parks Maintenance Technicians.) Ms. Finch inquired if this would replace any individuals on a contractual basis. Ms. Bailey explained how outsourced individuals are used and it's not enough to fill the needs. Ms. Binnebose inquired how many acres are currently funded and how many more would be added under this request. Ms. Bailey and Mr. Murdock shared there are a few medians currently funded, but there are more areas needing additional support, and another maintenance staff is being pulled from other projects to address these public complaints.The purpose of this crew is to get ahead of weed concerns before there are complaints. Ms. Cannon asked in the chat how many hours annually are spent on the Weed Abatement Program. Mr. Murdock and Ms. Bailey said they would investigate it and include those findings in the uploaded documents. Ms. Cannon stated she feels it's a management issue and is not happy with how it is pulling already stressed staff away from the Public Land's duties. Mr. Carroll suggested that the Public Lands Tree Maintenance be included under the umbrella of Urban Forestry. Mr. Murdock clarified this request is an addition to Urban Forestry and would be widening their scope of impact in more parks and golf courses. Tony Gliot, Urban Forestry Division Director, who was at the meeting virtually, mentioned that with 5,000 public requests annually,that leads to around 10,000 work orders and Urban Forestry is currently having to prioritize other projects. About 1/5`h of their time is designated to parks, but need more, while golf courses don't get any. This request will make it easier for Urban Forestry to fulfill more work order requests in all areas.Adding two additional FTE tree groomers,will up current tree grooming ability from 1,000-1,300 to 1,500-1,700 annually. Board continued to discuss Public Lands Tree Maintenance. Board and Public Lands Staff continued to discuss specifics for the Budget Initiative. Mr. Murdock suggested the Board duplicate their voting process from last year to determine their top priorities and generate their letter of support. Ms. Hewson reiterated the appreciation of everyone being able to access, make comments, and ask questions via Google Docs. Board discussed how plans get funded, how they gain to get more funding for additional projects, and how the Bond money will be used regarding maintenance. The Board discussed the reasons why a prioritization was needed, instead of just requesting all needed budget initiatives. Ms. Pehrson asked when the Board needs to have their responses in. Mr. Murdock stated the Budget Initiatives would be uploaded as early as tomorrow for the Board to review and the Public's Land submission is due February. Due to the holidays, Mr. Murdock suggested having the Board's response by early February. 5—Board Discussion and Action Items 5:55 PM Continued Public Lands CIP FY 2023-2024 discussion & PNUT project ranking letter 30 mins (Action Item) Mr.Allen shared his screen with the Board's CIP rankings. Ms. Binnebose clarified the difference in count and rank and how the two impact each other in determining the Board's collective priorities. Ms. Ngo submitted her rank minutes before the CIP discussion and missed the deadline. Board continued to discuss rankings. Mr. Wiley asked if there could be an easier way of identifying the impact, especially economically for Salt Lake as a whole, of these projects on the community.Tom Millar, Planning Manager, stated it's currently not a metric in the application process but should become one for future applications.The example used is the Salt Lake City Petanque (Glendale Park). Mr. Millar suggested adding the request for a more extensive application review process to the Board's letter of support. Board continued to discuss the process of reviewing CIP applications and funding. Ms. Finch asked if anyone had concerns about Ms. Ngo voting late. Ms. Cannon stated the Board had agreed in the last meeting when votes were due by and as a Board, they need to respect those deadline expectations. Ms. Binnebose asked if the Board should move forward with the previous standings before Ms. Ngo voted. Mr. Allen verified that Ms. Ngo's vote did not affect the top ten and only flipped the 12 and 13 rankings and some decimals values for other items. Ms. Cannon made a motion to move forward with the list and top 10 as is. Mr. Carrol seconded.The Board voted unanimously in favor of the motion. Mr. Millar requested the Board submit their letter of support or list of priorities for both internal and constituent projects by the beginning of the week of December 121n Mr. Millar noted that some of the names may change to help them be more compelling, but no content would be changing. Ms. Binnebose wanted to further address Ms. Hewson's concern about internal applications and CIP. Mr.Allen clarified this topic is on the draft agenda for January's meeting. Ms. Binnebose stated for this new year there will clarification and separation between internal application applications and CIP. Ms. Hewson asked if the Board would highlight them differently and how they would rank them. Ms. Binnebose confirmed,yes. Mr. Millar stated the Board can produce two letters, one for constituents and internal applications if they would like. Board continued to discuss internal applications and constituents and a summary of the Budget Initiative. Board chair and vice chair nominations 10 mins Ms. Binnebose asked Mr.Allen for clarification on when and how Board voting can take place. Mr. Allen clarified voting will take place in January. Mr. Allen and Ms. Binnebose between now and January will reach out to all those who have been nominated to either accept or decline the nomination. Ms. Finch nominated Ms. Binnebose, Ms. Hewson, and Ms. Cannon as chairs. Ms. Hewson declined the chair. Mr. Wiley nominated Ms. Finch as chair. Ms. Finch declined. Ms. Finch was a past chair. Ms. Binnebose nominated Mr. Wiley and Ms. Pehrson for both chair and vice chair. Mr. Wiley declined both chair and vice chair. Ms. Pehrson declined the chair but accepted the vice-chair nomination. Mr. Carrol nominated Mr. Wiley for vice chair. Mr. Wiley declined. Ms. Finch nominated Mr. Scrivner for vice chair. Mr. Scrivner accepted the vice chair nomination. Ms. Benally in the chat nominated Ms. Cannon for chair and Mr. Scrivner for vice chair. Determine the location and topics for the January board retreat 15 mins Location: Mr. Allen shared the Board had discussed either Tracey Aviary or Memory Grove Memorial House for the Board retreat. Mr. Allen called both locations and they are both available. It will cost$1,000 to reserve the Memorial Grove House and $600 for the Tracey Aviary. Mr. Scrivner asked if Public Lands had a location,they could showcase the Board. Mr. Millar stated Fisher Mansion would be available in two months, so this is an option for next year. Kyle Shields, Operations Manager, shared they have an agreement with Memory Grove for the Memorial House without a fee.The Board voiced support for Memory Grove for the Board retreat. Agenda: Mr.Allen shared his screen with the proposed agenda items. 1. Dinner/Ice Breaker Activity (20 mins) 2. Public Comment&approve December minutes (15 mins) 3. Chair and Vice Chair Election (10 mins) 4. Reimagine Nature Review and Discussion (45 mins) 5. Break (10 mins) 6. Review Bylaws as a Board (100 mins)—Board Member Responsibilities and Subcommittees 7. Discussion of powers and duties,values (60 mins) 8. Create a written process for annual CIP, Budget Initiative prioritization, and Formalize the standard plan for the annual retreat (25 mins) 9. Requests for 2023 Staff Presentations and Agenda Items (15 mins) Ms. Cannon commented in the chat she would like to see less time spent around Bylaws and more time on the CIP written process. She would also like to use the retreat as an opportunity to get contact and bio information for the website. Ms. Cannon inquired if Board should also review the powers and duties Board. Mr. Carroll expressed an interest in using part of the retreat to discuss each Board member's values and interests, as they relate to the board. Board continued to discuss agenda items,the order of discussion, and the retreat. Mr. Allen will send out a revised agenda list. Approve the 2023 meeting schedule (Action Item) 5 mins The Board discussed the process of getting desired topics of discussion onto the agenda and encouraged one another to do so throughout the year. According to the Bylaws,there are predesignated requirements, but Board members are invited to suggest Agenda topics for Board discussion. If Mr. Carroll would like to hear each Board member's interests or what issues they are passionate about, he may request this as a future Agenda item. Ms. Binnebose motioned to approve the 2023 meeting schedule. Ms. Pehrson asked if there was a possibility of doing field locations for Board meetings. Mr.Allen said they've done it before but could not offer a virtual option. Board discussed the logistics of field locations to keep them available to the public. Board unanimously approved the 2023 meeting schedule. 6—Confirmation of Next Meeting, Board Comments& Future Agenda Items 6:55 PM Board subcommittee updates as needed • Trails subcommittee • Ms. Hewson addressed some of the concerns around the Foothills with some construction happening. Ms. Hewson also addressed some other projects the Trails are focusing on and they are doing their best to limit public disturbance. Some discussions are happening around E-bikes. • Communication subcommittee • Ms. Binnebose the Communications subcommittee has been working on prioritization,file management, and letter writing.They are working on getting their letter drafted. Board comment and question period Ms. Binnebose congratulated the Public Lands staff on the GO Bond. Next meeting:January 5, 2023 Request for future agenda items Ms. Finch addressed that Ms. Ngo has missed more than two consecutive meetings. Mr. Allen verified Ms. Ngo has had two excused absences. Board discussed the process of removing Board members violating the Bylaws. Mr. Allen will follow up with Ms. Ngo. Upon that interaction, Board will determine further action. Ms. Binnebose motioned again to adjourn. Board unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting. 7—Adjourn 7:15 PM