4/6/2023 - Meeting Minutes PARKS,NATURAL LANDS,URBAN FORESTRY AND TRAILS ADVISORY BOARD of SALT LAKE CITY
Formal Meeting
Thursday,April 6,2023
5:00 p.m.—7:15 p.m.
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Approved Minutes
1—Convening the Meeting
Call to order
- Phil Carroll
- Clayton Scrivner
- Ginger Cannon
- Brianna Binnebose
- CJ Whittaker
- Melanie Pehrson
- Dave John
- Aaron Wiley
Chair comments 5 mins
Ms. Binnebose thanked the Trails Subcommittee for the work they've been doing.
They've been working quite a bit in the past couple of meetings to update their
documents. Ms. Binnebose is also excited about the new Board member.
2—Approval of Minutes 5:05 PM
Approve March 2, 2023 meeting minutes 5 mins
Ms. Larsen said Ms. Hewson sent her some minor corrections for the minutes, and
those are corrected. Mr. Carroll motioned to approve the minutes. Mr. Scrivner
seconded the motion. The Board unanimously voted to approve the March 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.
Sally Barraclough
Ms. Barraclough is the Vice-Chair of the Sugarhouse Community Council and Chair of
the Parks and Open Space Trails Subcommittee. On April 1st, over 20 trees were
planted in Fairmont Park in a volunteer project between TreeUtah and Friends of
Fairmont. Friends of Fairmont Park are working on designing their glass recycling bin to
be more designed like Liberty Park as these containers get graffitied.They did some
fundraising with Sugarhouse Community Council and Momentum Recycling,the ones
who own the recycling bins, Friends of Fairmont, and Salt Lake Arts for a $2,000 grant
to pay an artist to design the recycling bins.The deadline for the proposals is April
19th.
Elliott Moss
Mr. Moss wanted to praise the person who does the monthly newsletter.They are
good, and he appreciates receiving that every month. He also thanked the Board for
the work they do. He shared when he was on the Board,that he was involved with the
Jordan River and Bear River. He spoke about the importance of these water sources.
4—Introduce New PNUT Member 5:25 PM
Welcome Dave John.—Kristin Riker 5 mins
Ms. Riker introduced Mr. Dave John, a new Board member, and shared his background
and involvement in the indigenous community. Mr.John shared some additional
groups he is involved with. Ms. Cannon welcomed Mr.John to the Board.
5—Director's Report IN 5:30 PM
Summary of current high-priority department items.—Kristin Riker 5 mins
Ms. Riker said there are many topics she could discuss, but it would take longer than
five minutes. She listed off the topics and let the Board decide which ones they would
like to hear more about, such as: the recent press release on Seven Canyons, public
comments on the Og-Woi Gardens,flooding information and precautions, and
partnering with SLC police to enforce park curfews.
Park Curfews
Mr. Scrivner said a lot of people have been asking him about people camping in the
parks over the last few weeks. Ms. Riker said that in 2017,the police department
received funding for a Park Squad.This ended in 2020 when the social uprising
happened, and they lost a lot of police officers to higher priority items.They have been
working with the Mayor to address this in the highest calls parks, like Liberty Park,
Jordan Park, Cotton Park, Hermans Franks, and Fairmont. Mr. Scrivner said the little
league is starting soon, and there are people camping in the fields. Ms. Riker said
Public Lands hired off-duty police officers. Public Lands are paying their overtime out
of their budget to have police in the parks enforcing the curfew.They will close the
busiest and works parks first. Ms. Riker said once the restrooms open,they will ask
them to close the bathrooms at curfew. Mr. Scrivner asked what happens when it's
obvious camping that's spreading happening at the ballfield and if there's a policy
around it. Ms. Riker said they can do mitigations for smaller groups and get a rapid
intervention team to move them out. Once it becomes larger,they have to use the
County.The County and City will work together, but that can take time, even up to six
weeks. Mr. Scrivner asked if the insane winter we've had has affected best practices.
Ms. Riker said they try to be sensitive to moving people, especially on snowy evenings
because they want to be compassionate.
Ms. Cannon asked if in addition to paying for the police officers if there is another
budget being spent on resources for unsheltered people. Ms. Riker said that comes
from somewhere else.The City does get some State funding to create more resource
centers. Ms. Cannon asked if any additional conversation had happened in the City
Council on the ordinance with people camping in parks. Ms. Riker said no. Mr. Carroll
spoke to the church group Mr.John is involved in bringing people off the street. It's all
volunteer. Mr.John says he sees a lot of misuse of funds. When they set up to feed the
unsheltered, he sees four to six police officers sitting in parking lots for hours. Mr.John
said if they push people out of a park,they'll go to the next one over or come back a
couple of hours later. Mr.John said this money could go to making additional shelters.
Ms. Riker said when Public Lands hire the police officers that work for them,they tell
them what Public Lands wants them to do and where to be. Ms. Riker said when they
sit in the parks during their regular hours to work on admin paperwork,they love that
in the parks just to have a presence.The Board continued to discuss the park curfew.
Og-Woi Garden
Ms. Riker said Og-Woi Garden was an unapproved garden started by a private group in
2020. About six months after the garden was established, Public Lands realized what
was happening and approached the group about what they were doing. Public Lands
wanted to work with them on an agreement with Tom King, who started the garden.
Currently, it's irrigated with Mr. King's private irrigation system,there are some signs,
and raised beds. Public Lands received some complaints from members of the
community who didn't want a garden in their area. Public Lands took a survey to
understand community support. Most of the folks supported the garden.This garden
has done some great things. Ms. Riker shared practices of what community gardens
need to follow to comply with the City. Ms. Riker said this garden didn't go through the
traditional CIP process. Some practices of City gardens are that it needs to be hooked
up to City irrigation so they can monitor water usage and soil testing. Public Lands
tested the soil of this garden and found high levels of lead, arsenate, and benztropine,
which exceed the EPA's level of soil use. Public Lands asked the group to put a stop to
the garden to ensure it's safe for the people working in the dirt and to remove the
infrastructure. Ms. Riker continued to speak to the conversation between the City and
the Og-Woi Garden community.
Mr.John asked if there would be a letter going out to the neighborhood letting them
know that the soil in their area could be contaminated. Ms. Riker said they only tested
the garden area, and contamination can vary so they aren't going to warn people
because they don't know where or how this contamination occurred. She said they are
going to work on making this information more accessible to the public so they can see
what was tested. Ms. Riker continued to discuss the Og-Woi Garden. Ms. Cannon
asked if there was a current agreement with the group. Ms. Riker said they are trying
and trying to work with Wasatch Community Gardens. Ms. Cannon asked if it would be
possible at their next meeting to get an update on what's been spent on this project to
date. Ms. Riker said she wouldn't be able to give an accurate estimate. She said they
can give an update on where they're at in the process. Ms. Binnebose said for a future
agenda item, she would like an update on the Seven Canyons. Ms. Riker said they'd be
happy to share an update.
6—Urban Forest Action Plan Presentation 5:35 PM
Urban Forest Action Plan Presentation.—Tony Gliot 30 mins
Ms. Larsen shared her screen to display Mr. Gliot's,the Urban Forestry Division
Director, presentation. Mr. Gliot shared a high-level overview of how the urban forest
in Salt Lake City is growing. Currently,there are over 90,000 property trees, around
290 distinct species,with 20%of the trees being on Public Lands and 80%on right-of-
ways. While Urban Forestry is charged with managing the umbrella over public lands,
they are the only division that doesn't manage land.The benefits we reap from our
urban forest are greater in value than the money being put into creating and
maintaining it. Mr. Gliot highlighted the benefits of trees, capacity for work,
production, and challenges.
Mr. Scrivner asked if about 20 years ago, utilities really began butchering trees during
their work. Mr. Gliot said utility companies don't trim trees for tree health. Mr.
Scrivner asked if it was always that way. Mr. Gliot said he can't say for always, but for
his entire career, it's been that way, and it's everywhere, not just in Salt Lake. Utilities,
within their easements, need to ensure their services don't impact trees. Mr. Gliot said
that Rocky Mountain Power does better than average. Mr. Gliot encourages the public
to share with them any issues they see around trees and utilities.
Ms. Binnebose asked about the 80%of trees on park strips and private properties and
if there are any opportunities, like grant programs or assistance,for lower-income
families that have these trees on their property but still want to care for them. Mr.
Gliot believes there are grant opportunities out there.There's a lot of money that has
been allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act for urban forestry support. He and
Ms. Riker have been working together to learn more about this. Mr. Gliot highlighted
the hiring and retention of the urban forestry division.
Mr. Gliot shared some photos highlighting poor tree maintenance, especially with the
windstorms of 2020 and construction. Ms. Cannon asked if there were tree cops. Mr.
Gliot said no, but the service coordinators would be the people who could do that. Mr.
Gliot said they are working towards a solution to this issue. Mr. Gliot shared some
photos of the good and poor watering practices of trees.
Mr. Gliot shared some recent accomplishments, such as the Mark Smith Memorial
Arboretum, 1,000 West Side Tree Planting Initiative, 2020 Windstorm Backlog
Completion, and Capability Enhancements(equipment, training, skill). Mr. Gliot
continued to highlight urban forestry projects. Mr. Gliot shared a campaign launching
on Arbor Day called "Keep Your Cool"to promote the benefits of trees and encourage
the public to water and care for trees.
Ms. Binnebose asked if they foresee challenges overcoming other messaging around
conserving water and if there are any opportunities to coordinate with other groups.
Mr. Gliot noted that those other campaigns around conserving water have a decade on
this new campaign. Part of those campaigns generated some apathy of not having to
do anything. Mr. Gliot believes that water conservation and watering trees are not
conflicting strategies for responsible stewardship of our spaces. Mr. Gliot shared more
of the educational aspects of"Keep Your Cool".
Mr. Carroll shared that he stops and talks to the construction site superintendent and
shares his concerns about the trees in that construction area, and that usually helps.
Mr. Gliot agrees and says that helps. The Board and Mr. Gliot discussed construction
sites and trees. Mr. Carroll brought up water trucks, and Mr. Gliot said that's not
feasible, but it is something that they have looked into. On a scale of residential, it
doesn't work.The Board continued to discuss the urban forestry update.
Ms. Cannon asked about the Urban Forest Action Plan. Mr. Gliot explained this is a
planning document that he provided input on. It is not approved.This document will
offer additional support outside of just Public Lands through planning, engineering,
and other City divisions to prioritize the care and maintenance of trees throughout the
City. Ms. Cannon asked if it's something this group could advocate for passage and
how as an advisory board,they can express support and see that plan. Ms. Riker said
they could write a letter to the Mayor or City Council. Ms. Cannon said she would like
to see it first. Mr. Gliot said he will reach out to planning and find out where they are
at in the process and get the Board an update. Ms. Cannon asked if it's been formally
adopted by Council. Mr. Gliot said no.
7—Park Ranger Report 1 6:05 PM
Park Ranger Report— Nick Frederick 20 mins
Ms. Larsen shared her screen to show the Park Ranger Activity Dashboard. Mr. Nick
Frederick introduced himself as the Park Rangers Director. Mr. Frederick handed out
some small handouts with ranger information. Mr. Frederick asked the Board what
they think of when they hear Park Ranger. Board members said Smokey the Bear and
park advocates. He said they are trying to learn from the different models in other
cities and adopt what works for Salt Lake City. He explained they aren't law
enforcement.The Park Rangers works four 10-hour days to cover all seven days of the
week and are based out of four main hubs: Liberty, Fairmont,Jordan, and Pioneer.
There are 18 rangers in total,two of which are Foothill Rangers. Mr. Scrivner asked
about their hours of operation. Mr. Frederick explained their hours of operation
change with the sunlight to keep them out during the day.The plan is to scatter them
out throughout the day so they can go from sunrise to sunset.
Mr. Frederick shared how and where the rangers are involved in the City and other
divisions. Currently, a big thing they're focusing on is greetings in the parks and letting
people know about the Park Ranger program. He explained how they partner with
other organizations focusing on the unhoused community. Mr. Frederick shared the
work Park Rangers are doing with dogs-on leashes both in parks and Foothill areas. All
the rangers are certified interpretive guides and are trained in creating and
implementing programming. Mr. Frederick continued to highlight other areas Park
Rangers will be focusing on and the Park Ranger Activity Dashboard. Mr. Frederick
offered to share his information through Ms. Larsen if the Board had any questions or
comments.
Mr. Carroll asked how the Rangers are getting around. Mr. Frederick said they walk,
bike, Kubota, a pickup truck, and one electric car. Ms. Pehrson asked if there are
specific Park Rangers getting to know specific parks and patrol areas or if is it on a
rotation basis. Mr. Frederick said it is a rotation. They try to keep folks where they are
comfortable, but they have been moving folks around. Mr. Scrivner asked what the
Ranger's relationship is with law enforcement when it comes to the crime being
committed in the parks. Mr. Frederick said they will log these records with the non-
emergency number. If it is an emergency, they have ways to contact law enforcement.
Mr. Scrivner asked about Ranger safety and if they carry any defense tools on their
belt. Mr. Frederick said no.They are trying to avoid the appearance of enforcement.
Ms. Cannon said she is really glad this program was funded and acknowledges that
they'll have to continue to fight for funding. Ms. Cannon asked if there was a way for
Mr. Frederick could give updates one to two times per year, or whatever is
appropriate, so the Board can be sure to continue to include this program in requests
for budget and see the metrics of their program. Mr. Frederick said a lot of it is the raw
numbers of what they are doing (greetings, increasing public safety, education, etc.).
The Board continued to discuss the Park Ranger program.
8—Action Item: Bylaws 6:25 PM
Review and approve Bylaws changes. 10 mins
Ms. Larsen shared her screen to display the updated Bylaws with the City attorney's
comments and edits. Ms. Binnebose shared the City attorney's feedback is fairly minor.
She said two options would be to collectively as a group to review those changes and
continue with their action item of approving the Bylaws or if folks would like more
time to review the additional edits and table this for next month. Ms. Cannon said the
major changes are grammatical.The attorney had a question regarding limited
engagement under"Public Engagement" within a subcommittee and what this means.
Ms. Binnebose said they can motion to approve or further discussion and tabling for
the next month. Ms. Cannon suggested "time certain" rather than "limited
engagement".The Board discussed limited engagement for subcommittees. Ms.
Cannon asked if Mr. Whittaker would like to take some time to review the changes and
vote on them in the next meeting. Mr. Whittaker said he was fine with replacing
"limited engagement" with "time certain". Ms. Binnebose made a motion for changing
that language. Mr. Whittaker seconded the motion. Mr. Carroll finds the wording a
little awkward and feels they need more time to discuss it. Ms. Binnebose said they are
trying to avoid being too prescriptive.The Board continued to discuss public
involvement on subcommittees. Ms. Binnebose repeated the motion after discussion
to change "limited engagement" to "time certain" and with that language change,to
accept both that and the City attorney's suggested edits and approve the revised
Bylaws. Ms. Pehrson seconded the motion.The Board unanimously voted to approve
the changes and revised Bylaws. Mr. Carroll asked if there has to be a quorum at every
meeting. Ms. Riker said only for voting.
9—Subcommittee Update 6:35 PM
Trails Subcommittee. 10 mins
Ms. Binnebose asked Mr. Whittaker if the subcommittee would still like to use this
time to give an update to the Board as they continue to work on their deliverables for
the formation of their subcommittee. Mr. Whittaker said they are working on
redefining their scope and working with Tyler Fonarow,from Public Lands staff.They
will update the Board in a month to put it up for a vote. Ms. Cannon asked for some
time for the Board to review their deliverables before the next Board meeting. Mr.
Whittaker agreed to send an email and put it in the subcommittee folder in the shared
drive. Ms. Cannon also reminded all subcommittees that anyone on the subcommittee
who is a non-PNUT Board member,the Bylaws ask for an explanation of their
expertise.
10—Staff Items 6:45 PM
Board Bios, and donation updates.—Ashlyn Larsen 5 mins
Ms. Larsen thanked the Board for completing their OPMA training, bios, and Conflict-
of-Interest forms. She has submitted those to the recorder's office. Ms. Larsen shared
her screen to display the Public Land's PNUT page with the Board bios included. She
made minor edits to those bios. Ms. Larsen will include the new Board members' bios
once she receives them.
Ms. Larsen shared she is working on creating an internal process for donations. She
said this has been a discussion for the PNUT Board in the past and defining a donation
threshold amount for them to approve/deny. Ms. Larsen asked for the Board's
feedback on if they'd like to set the donation threshold limit or if it's something they'd
like staff to suggest. Ms. Cannon has a limit in mind based on a percentage of the type
of budget. Ms. Cannon asked Ms. Riker what the budget was for Public Lands. Ms.
Riker said she was not sure where they are at. Ms. Riker said it's probably around $20
million. Ms. Cannon suggested only reviewing$25K+. Ms. Riker explained their
Operating Budget is different from their Capital Budget each year. Ms. Binnebose
suggested keeping this an agenda item for a future meeting after getting more
information.
Mr. Carroll asked if it comes down to what the staff might be concerned about with a
particular donation. Mr. Carroll said it would be nice to know annually what is being
donated, including hours of volunteer time. Ms. Cannon said this is not necessarily in
relation to those hours, but donations with a physical amount of money.The Board
continued to discuss the Board's involvement with donations. Ms. Riker explained how
some donations add amenities to the parks that require further maintenance. Ms.
Cannon noted this then costs money and time. Ms. Riker said yes and that's another
reason why they come to this citizen board to receive input. Ms. Cannon feels they
should be looking at the higher donation items. Ms. Larsen shared that she was doing
research on previous Board meetings to determine the frequency of the Board
reviewing donations and the dollar amounts associated with those donations. She can
share this information with the Board to help them determine a threshold.
11—Confirmation of Next Meeting, Board Comments& Future Agenda Items 6:50 PM
Board comment and question period.
Mr. Carroll asked how they can encourage the City to initiate a working group on e-
bikes. Ms. Binnebose said the Bylaws address this and would be outside the Board's
jurisdiction. Mr. Carroll said he knows he can write a letter to the City Council, or the
Board could make a motion to encourage the City Council to create a working group.
Ms. Cannon asked what issues Mr. Carroll would like to address with e-bikes. Mr.
Carroll listed e-bikes in the Foothills, sidewalks, and streets. He shared that Paris has
recently outlawed scooters for safety issues. Mr. Carroll said he can write the letter
himself, but if the PNUT Board is inclined to help address this issue. Ms. Cannon said
she would like to learn more as this is within her professional jurisdiction. She would
like to learn if this is an issue for Public Lands or enforcement.The Board continued to
discuss a working group for e-bikes.
Ms. Binnebose suggested this as a future agenda item to hear from the Transportation
perspective and Parks staff to help them understand current ordinance, enforcement,
and potential changes around the technological discussion.This could a June/July
discussion topic to give staff time to prepare.
Next meeting: May 4, 2023
Request for future agenda items.
Ms. Riker asked if Ms. Finch was going to present still. Ms. Binnebose said yes, and that
staff were going to present on the foundation with Ms. Finch to follow with a 501c3
update. Ms. Riker will not be present in May, so she requested staff presents in June.
Ms. Pehrson would like some GO Bond fund usage updates,the passage of the
Regional Glendale Park Plan, and for a future item pursuing a Jordan River Parkway
Subcommittee.
Mr. Whittaker asked how the Board will determine who the guest speaker will be for
e-bikes. Ms. Cannon said it depends on what the Board wants to learn more about
around e-bikes. Mr. Whittaker would like to learn how other urban areas are managing
e-bikes.The Board continued to discuss e-bikes.
Ms. Larsen said a Miller Park update from staff.
Mr.John would like more information on the process of removing the unsheltered
from parks and where those people go. Ms. Binnebose asked if he would like a guest
speaker from one of the City services to help the Board and Park Rangers better
understand where they should be directing the unhoused folks. Mr.John said yes.
12—Adjourn 7:15 PM
Mr. Carroll motioned to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Cannon seconded the motion. Board
unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting.