MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE

Transcription

1 MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE ANCHORAGE PARKS & RECREATION Memorandum PRC DATE: 2 October 2007 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Parks & Recreation Commission Jeff Dillon, Parks Director PRC Capital Improvement Program Attached is the Parks and Recreation Department Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and the 2008 capital project list. The development of the CIP is over a year long process with many opportunities for public to comment on specific projects. In general, here are the key milestones: Feb-March Each Department s project list is routed to community councils for comments. March-May - The P&R Dept. evaluates identified projects and develops a prioritized needs list. In June, P&R Dept. submits their draft CIP/CIB for distribution and review by other departments. In July-August the MOA Administration reviews the consolidated draft CIP/CIB and makes adjustments. In September-October the draft CIP is submitted to the Assembly. In Nov-Dec, following hearing on the budget, the Assembly approves the CIP. In February, the Assembly holds a public hearing and then approves the bond ballot propositions. In April, voters decide on bond propositions in a municipal election. The criteria for prioritizing park projects is established through a civic process of public workshops, surveys, park advisory groups, listening to Community Councils, user groups and single park advocates. Projects are added and/or deleted through a variety of sources: Parks and Recreation Department identified needs Community Council recommendations Calls from elected officials Suggestions from the public Municipal or state agency comments To aid the Department, we requested assistance from community councils in assessing the needs of parks and recreational facilities in May of this year. A letter, park map and Capital Projects Needs Ranking Survey were distributed in May 07 to each community council. We have received a response from 6 community councils to date Airport Heights, Mid-Hillside, Northeast, Rogers Park, Turnagain and University. These are included for your review. In addition to the Needs Survey, Park District Managers attend community councils on a frequent basis and receive input on project needs. We have assembled the information gathered from the community and compiled it with studies on park usage, current conditions of the park relating to life safety, ADA accessibility, and neighborhood and environmental concerns to prioritize future park projects. The following criteria were used to evaluate CIP projects: Health and Safety Issues priority given to those parks that have immediate safety issues or contribute to overall health of the system Visitor Use Data priority given to parks with high number of park visitors per day, per year

2 Environmental Issues priority given to those parks where water quality, air quality, storm water or flood control mitigation is needed to preserve the functionality of the park Economic Value parks that provide economic benefits Social/Community Values parks that provide community based activities, help to improve social, and community interaction. Summary of Capital Projects Taking Better Care of What We Have has been the most common theme that we have heard from the public over the past three years. The Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department has been working hard to take care of our aging infrastructure of parks, recreation facilities and trails, but we need your help. The 2008 General Obligation Bond package is for $5 million and will help leverage over $46 million including $32 million in state and $13 million in private requests to improve maintenance of existing facilities, replace or repair aging facilities and build new parks, trails and recreation facilities for all residents and visitors to enjoy. Below is a breakdown of the proposed municipal Park Bond by park and facility type that totals $5 million of investment in parks to improve critical life and safety needs. Areawide Park Upgrades - $1,300,000 Recreation Facility Safety Improvements - $750,000 Community Park Upgrades - $ 950,000 Neighborhood Park Safety Improvements - $500,000 Areawide Athletic Field Upgrades - $500,000 Greenbelt Trail Safety Rehabilitation - $1,000,000 Recommendation Staff recommends the Park Commission give their final recommendation of the CIB to the Mayor and the Assembly.

3 MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE ANCHORAGE PARKS & RECREATION April 10, 2007 Dear Community Council Member: The Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department requests your help in assessing the needs of parks and recreation facilities in your area, as well as identifying park projects that reflect the priorities of your community. The attached list includes all parks and recreation facilities within your community council area, community parks located in your park district and a list of special use parks that serve the whole of Anchorage. Please fill in the needs and/or projects that you and your neighbors would like to have developed in your parks and recreation facilities, and then prioritize them with a ranking of high, medium, or low. We encourage you to validate or provide corrections to the current projects listed as well as identify any parks that we may have inadvertently omitted from your community s inventory list. Park Priority Rankings Your assessment of park assets and their prioritization ranking will help your Park District Manager understand the desires of your community. The criteria for prioritizing park projects is established through a civic process of public workshops, surveys, park advisory groups, listening to Community Councils, user groups and single park advocates. Your Park District Manager and park planning staff will assemble the information gathered from your needs list and compile it with studies on park usage, current conditions of the park relating to life safety, ADA accessibility, and neighborhood and environmental concerns to prioritize future park projects. The following criteria will be used when ranking your community s projects: Health and Safety Issues priority given to those parks that have immediate safety issues or contribute to overall health of the system Visitor Use Data priority given to parks with high number of park visitors per day, per year Environmental Issues priority given to those parks where water quality, air quality, storm water or flood control mitigation is needed to preserve the functionality of the park Economic Value parks that provide economic benefits Social/Community Values parks that provide community based activities, help to improve social, and community interaction.

4 Thank you for taking the time to asses and identify park and recreation needs of your community. As your Park Director, I also invite you to help us in the ranking of the established capital projects that the Municipal Office of Management and Budget will be distributing soon to your community council. The list of projects you will receive is from the six-year funding plan for park capital projects. Again, thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration and please know your Park District Managers and Planners are happy to work with you to provide any information you may need. For more information, please contact Monique Anderson, Parks Superintendent at andersonms@muni.org. Sincerely, Jeff Dillon Director, Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department

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7 NECC Priorities for 2008 CIP Approved August 16, 2007 Parks & Recreation Projects Project Description/Comments Ranking High Moderate Low No North Patterson Street Park Dedicate as park land Patterson Street Right of Way from 6th Avenue to Debarr Road, less the land used for Wal-Mart's entrance 1 x Patterson Street vacation & bike path from DeBarr to 6th Ave Remove from official streets & highways map. Create bike path from Begich Middle School to Creekside Elementary. (Safety item) 2 x NE (Muldoon) Community Center Develop new center adjacent to Begich Middle School 3 x on Community Center property - may already be funded Skate Board Park by 2007 bond 4 x Bike trail from Centennial Park to Bicentennial Park (Benny Benson School) along Ft. Rich boundary Bike trail connect - Patterson to Russian Jack Park Ptarmigan School Walkway Creekside Park Valley Street Park (10th Street trail) Centennial Park/Pena Park Gas line right-of-way already runs along here. Connect to Muldoon School, "Muldoon" Park, Little Dipper Park and other access points to Benny Benson School. 5 x Including Cheney Lake. Provide bike trails & connectivity of existing trails in this area. 6 x Covered walkway from Staedem to Norman, trail from Geronimo Circle ramp to school winter maintenance and ADA compliant. 7 x Have about $10, legislative funding. Paint connex and upgrade fencing and landscaping 8 x Path & improvements along North Fork Chester Creek from Cherry to Valley/Muldoon 9 x general improvements to fields, picnic, camping, & sledding areas plus additional acreage acquisition 10 x Add handicap parking spaces & additional playground Turpin Park equipment & additional landscaping 11 x Cheney Lake Park Master plan development & construction of facilities 12 x Bartlett Pool Upgrades MOA determined need upgrades 13 x

8 NECC Priorities for 2008 CIP Approved August 16, 2007 Nunaka Valley Park North (tennis court area) Add nets and lighting 14 x Totem Elementary School site ball fields Design & construction of ball fields 15 x Additional playground equipment, BB hoop & pad, Windsong Park Improvements improved parking, rehab walkway & lower field 16 x Nunaka Valley Park South (ball fields) Building improvements and maintenance 17 x Ira Walker Park Additional picnic shelter 18 x Nunaka Valley Park West Lights on/by sledding hill/moose Hill area 19 x On land left over from Edward St project, create pocket Billik Inn Property pocket park park 20 x Acquisition of add'l parkland Construct "Muldoon" Park Standish Park JB Gottstein Park Arnold Muldoon Park (across N.Lts from NECC) South Patterson Street Park Community gardens, etc. New park at North Creekside Parkway on old MB Construction land 21 x East end of AK Greenhouse Property - resolution on books. Needs futher community involvement/design 22 x x x x x

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10 2007 Turnagain Community Council Ranking Recommendations on the Municipality of Anchorage s PARKS Capital Improvement Project List Approved June 7, MUNICIPAL PARK PROJECT RANKING: HIGH Lyn Ary Park Redesign trail for improved/safer access to Coastal Trail. Redesign sledding hill for safe use. Replace perimeter bollards with lower maintenance materials. Upgrade parking lot. Resurface tennis court. HIGH Coastal Trail Buffer/Greenbelt Acquisition Acquire undeveloped land as it becomes available west of Lyn Ary Park to Earthquake Park for protected Coastal Trail greenbelt designation. HIGH Tony Knowles Coastal Trail Rehabilitation Rehabilitate, through bio-engineering improvements, to address erosion/drainage and deterioration along the trail. HIGH Lloyd Steele & Balto Seppala Parks Construct footbridge over wetlands connecting the two parks. Construct multi-use trail that would surround and connect both parks, as per conceptual plan in park Master Plan from HIGH Earthquake Park Install low-level parking lot lighting and security cameras. Upgrade landscaping. HIGH Pt. Woronzof Park The only capital improvement needed for this area is park signage along the Coastal Trail and Pt. Woronzof Road identifying park boundaries, so the public knows it is parkland, not airport land. (Please don t confuse this with the Pt. Woronzof Overlook area.) HIGH Fish Creek Park Turnagain CC supports upgrades consistent with request by Spenard Community Council. TCC Requests that the following PARK Project be DELETED from the TCC CIP List: Huntington Park The Northwest District Park Advisory Committee has looked at this park and has not identified any need for any capital improvement projects. We request that this be deleted from the TCC CIP list.

11 -----Original Message----- From: Holmes, Bruce A. Sent: Thursday, May 10, :37 AM To: Dillon, Jeff Cc: Stanley-Harris, Elizabeth L. Subject: FW: University Area CC - Capital Parks Projects Ranking FYI. Bruce A Holmes Sr. Budget Analyst From: bbgarner@alaska.com [mailto:bbgarner@alaska.com] Sent: Thursday, May 10, :35 AM To: Holmes, Bruce A. Cc: Susan C. Klein Subject: University Area CC - Capital Parks Projects Ranking UNIVERSITY AREA Community Council Survey Capital Projects Needs Ranking Survey Community Council Ranking H=High, M=Moderate, L=Low, N=No N 418 NATURAL RESOURCE AREAS, HELEN LOUISE MCDOWELL SANCTUARY PARK Project is not located within the University Area CC. Y 167 NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, CASTLE HEIGHTS PARK N Y 113 NATURAL RESOURCE AREAS, EAST NORTHERN LIGHTS BUFFER Project is unknown to UACC. Where is it located? 172 NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, FOLKER PARK Y??? - UACC requests a neighborhood pocket park in the Burlwood Terrace area, at corner of Leslie Rd and Lynn Drive. An elongated green space leads to Checkmate on the west side. There is no close community park for residents of the many duplexes and apartment complexes in this area. A pocket park would give children a safe place to play. BY: Barbara Garner, Chair Parks and Recreation Standing Committee University Area Community Council