MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE ANCHORAGE PARKS & RECREATION PRC # 09-52 a DATE: November 2, 2009 TO: FROM: Park and Recreation Commission Suzanne R. Little, Senior Park Planner SUBJECT: Valley of the Moon Park Improvements At the August PRC meeting, Commissioners received an introductory presentation about the plans for a park construction project at Valley of the Moon Park. This month, the Parks and Recreation Commission presentation is for the purpose of consideration and approval of the project design in preparation for submittal to Urban Design Commission on December 9 th. The projected schedule will put the project out to bid in January 2010 for construction during the 2010 summer season. Attached: Overall Park Upgrade Plan Project Budget Park Ownership Map Draft Parks and Recreation Commission Resolution Design Study Report Ralph Rentz, Landscape Architect, Project Management and Engineering Valley of the Moon - Process Overview The 10-person Valley of the Moon Park Citizen s Advisory Group met on 10 occasions to discuss improvements desired for the park. The Citizen s Advisory Group reserved the picnic shelter at Valley of the Moon (VOM) Park for a public gathering on June 24, 2009 - held for the purpose of gaining additional input from the neighborhood and users of the park regarding prioritization of park improvements. Approximately 60 people participated in the dot-mocracy prioritization exercise regarding park improvements at Valley of the Moon Park. Below is a list members of the Valley of the Moon Park Citizen s Advisory Group. Kathleen Weeks (SACC President) Ashley Kalli (SACC) Lanie Fleischer (SACC) Matt Johnson (NSCC President) Susan Miller (NSCC) Sharon Schlicht (NSCC) Tracy Fischbach (NSCC) Xavier Schlee (NSCC) Robert Shipley (Anch Waterways) Chone (Laotian Community) Mark Butler (FCC/NSCC) Valley of the Moon Park Improvements 1 of 2 11/3/2009
Park Overview Valley of the Moon Park is a 21.78 acre community-use park located within the Chester Creek Greenbelt bordering both the South Addition and North Star neighborhoods. The park is bordered by Chester Creek along the southern border on the western two thirds of the park while the northern border continues along 16 th & 17 th Avenues. The developed areas of the park are used for a variety of community events with upwards of 100,000 users each summer. Roughly half the park is undeveloped and heavily wooded with a birch, poplar, and spruce forest. There is a 5-acre in-holding in the park owned by the Greater Friendship Baptist Church and there is a community desire to investigate the possibility of a trade to eliminate this in-holding at Valley of the Moon Park. Improvement Overview Through extensive public input concerning desires at the park, the Taskforce prioritized potential improvements at the park that are included in this project. Of critical concern were desired improvements at the playground and an addition of a second picnic shelter for benefit of the current park users. Additionally a scoping study funded under this project is planned to investigate the method and cost of addressing the stream-bank degradation at this location. An adult fitness station is planned along with updated signage for the entrance and way-finding. Additionally new picnic tables and coal disposal bins will be installed as part of this project. Project Budget: The total Budget for the project is $590,694 with approximately $400,000 going directly to construction. The funds are derived from a 2008 Parks Bond and a Legislative appropriation. Valley of the Moon Park Improvements 2 of 2 11/3/2009
MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE ANCHORAGE PARKS & RECREATION RESOLUTION No. 2009- Valley of the Moon Park Project Design Approval WHEREAS, the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Commission serves in an advisory capacity to both the Mayor and the Assembly; and WHEREAS, the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Commission has the responsibility and duty to provide for the long term vision of our park system by ensuring that a balance of parks, natural resources, and recreation facilities provides for the health, welfare, and safety of all residents of the Anchorage Bowl; and WHEREAS the Valley of the Moon Park area of the South Addition and North Star Community Councils is one of the most loved and widely-used parks in the Municipality s park system, and WHEREAS, the South Addition and North Star Community Councils and their members have lobbied to achieve state legislative appropriation for improvements at Valley of the Moon Park; and WHEREAS, the South Addition and North Star Community Council have participated in extensive public involvement process and are supportive of the proposed improvements at Valley of the Moon Park. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Commission recommends the Municipality of Anchorage pursue proposed park improvements as described in the staff report dated 11-2-09.. PASSED AND APPROVED by the Anchorage Parks and Recreation Commission this 12th day of November, 2009. Kathleen Plunkett, Chair Parks and Recreation Commission ATTEST: John Rodda, Director Parks & Recreation Department PRC Resolution Valley of the Moon Park Improvements
VALLEY OF THE MOON PARK IMPROVEMENTS November 25, 2009 Introduction: Valley of the Moon Park is a 21.78 acre community-use park located within the Chester Creek Greenbelt bordering both the South Addition and North Star neighborhoods. The park is bordered by Chester Creek running along the southern border on the western two thirds of the park while the northern border zigzags along 16 th & 17 th Avenues. Arctic Boulevard borders the western end of the park and C Street borders the east. Roughly half the park is heavily wooded with a birch, poplar, and spruce forest and remains undeveloped. The developed areas of the park are used for a variety of community events with upwards of 100,000 users each summer. The park has developed through the years with picnic areas, a picnic shelter, both permanent and seasonal restrooms, playground, a ball field, and other various park amenities. There is a small parking lot located along 17 th Avenue and is often full in the summer months when events are scheduled at this very popular park. The park is very popular with both private daycare centers in the area and public school events. During these periods, overflow parking occurs along 17 th Avenue. There are community garden plots and a corresponding parking lot at the far eastern end of the park accessed by C Street. The park has excellent pedestrian access from surrounding neighborhoods including the Chester Creek Greenbelt Trail as well as north/south paved connections from the South Addition and North Star neighborhoods. Extensive public outreach has occurred by the Parks and Recreation Department the past several months to develop this plan with adjacent community councils, various user groups, and state legislators. Construction is scheduled for summer 2010. 1. Cost: Plant Material Budget: N/A Total Landscape Budget: N/A Construction Budget: $490,000 2. Feasibility: At the request of the Parks and Recreation Department, there will be no plant material added to the park as part of this phase. Typical ongoing landscape maintenance (lawn mowing, weeding, watering, etc.) at Valley of the Moon Park will be conducted by the Parks and Recreation Department, as is done at other park sites throughout Anchorage. Landscape maintenance items that require professional (tree trimming, plant replacement, etc.) will be done specifically by the Municipality s Horticulture section. 3: Planning and Design Criteria, including: a. the external impacts generated by the project on adjacent areas:
Valley of the Moon Park Improvements November 25, 2009 / Page 3 Improvements to the park include improved pedestrian access into the most heavily used section of the park from the sidewalk along W. 17 th Avenue. Views into the park will be improved with more organization to the elements constructed within the park including portable restroom screening. The improvements will provide a better park experience for the surrounding neighborhoods with increased facilities and better pedestrian circulation. b. the extent to which the landscaping elements complement, maintain, or improve the landscape quality of adjacent neighborhoods and areas: The project does not include landscaping elements see explanation above. c. The degrees to which the landscape elements contribute to on-site use of the project, including safe, efficient, and comfortable public use: A. EXISTING PLAYGROUND REHABILITATION: The existing playground, located at the western end of the park, consists of four separate play areas; each set at different elevations, and each bordered with concrete headers containing gravel and sand. The feature playground piece, a rocket ship, was last replaced in the late 1990 s when it was custom designed and installed. Other equipment includes a combination climbing /swing structure for tots that no longer meet CPSC guidelines; a jungle gym that underutilizes the existing footprint; and a worn stand alone swing set. Several spring toys have been randomly installed adjacent to the rocket; unwisely mixing age-appropriate equipment for tots with equipment designed for older children in such an active area. There are no signs indicating the intended user age groups. The concrete headers and retaining walls will be retained as part of the playground upgrades thereby retaining the basic design of the area including the accessible pathway from the parking lot. The Rocket will remain in place and with basic repairs, will continue to serve the community for years. The jungle gym, spring toys, and climbing/swing structure will be replaced with equipment meeting current safety standards and segregated by age appropriateness. The nicely detailed, original concrete headers and retaining walls, constructed 20+ years ago, are in good shape with minimal surface cracking still adequately contain the play equipment, and will be retained as part of this playground safety upgrade as a cost saving. The grassy areas between the concrete headers are worn, muddy in
Valley of the Moon Park Improvements November 25, 2009 / Page 4 wet weather, and overall make maneuvering between the different play areas difficult. The asphalt and grassy areas in and around the play areas will be replaced with paved surfaces allowing accessible pathways to each play area. Existing benches and trash receptacles will be repositioned and integrated into the new design. Grass and weeds have infiltrated the existing compacted sand in some of the play areas and what remains no longer a function as an adequate safety surface for play equipment. Although pea gravel is considered an adequate safety surface, it is not contained within the concrete headers and is kicked, spilled, and thrown onto the adjacent paving causing safety problems of its own. Pea gravel, safety surfacing, and sand in all four play areas will be replaced with a more appropriate impact-absorbing material. B. PICNIC SHELTER: Due to the popularity of this park, a second picnic shelter will be constructed to accommodate the need. Because the existing shelter tends to focus on the adjacent well-used lawn area and playground, and is popular with groups involving children, the proposed shelter, while visible to the playground, will be focused away from that area and towards an underutilized lawn area that would be redeveloped in a future phase. This picnic shelter would incorporate the same palette of materials as other elements in the park and will have an enlarged paved pad to accommodate spill over from larger groups. An accessible trail will lead to the shelter from the parking lot. C. VOLLEYBALL COURTS: At the request of the community, two sand volleyball courts will be added to the park. The courts will have concrete or timber headers and will each have nets. D. PEDESTRIAN ENTRANCE: While there are numerous pedestrian trails into Valley of the Moon Park from surrounding neighborhoods, many would consider the parking lot off W. 17 th Avenue the most used public and visible entrance to the park, and this entrance is currently designed toward arrival by vehicle. It appears that most of the foot traffic and public congregation near the entrance to the park occurs in the southwestern corner of the parking lot where existing asphalt trails lead you either to the picnic shelter to the south, or the heavily used playground to the west. Visually, a park user is met with two trash receptacles, lines of untidy leaning timber bollards, odiferous portable toilets in summer months, and on a busy day, two rows of parked vehicles. A pedestrian entering the park must traverse a worn dirt footpath through the remaining strip of trees on the west end of the parking or
Valley of the Moon Park Improvements November 25, 2009 / Page 5 enter by walking through the parking lot itself. Upgrades to the park entrance will include expanding and directing visual focus to a pedestrian node and the addition of an informational kiosk, both located at the southwest corner of the parking lot. E. ADULT FITNESS EQUIPMENT: The community has requested adult fitness equipment for outdoor adult recreation be constructed as part of the improvements in Valley of the Moon Park. The equipment will be grouped and located in close proximity to the Children s Forest (see item F below). The area and equipment will be constructed to meet accessibility requirements. F. CHILDREN S FOREST: A children s nature garden is proposed for a small section of the wooded area south of the existing ball field (see Attachment A) to promote natural play and environmental learning in an unstructured environment. An accessible unpaved pathway will be constructed with a gateway feature as well as interpretive signage. Tree thinning and tree limbing will open up views into the garden and a fence will be added to separate the garden from the surrounding forest. G. PORTABLE RESTROOM SCREENING: Many portable toilets are brought into various municipal parks each summer with no effective attempt to screen them and often these units are placed in locations where parks users complain of offensive odors. This design for Valley of the Moon Park includes suggestions for clustered placement for these portable toilets convenient yet somewhat removed from congregating points and developed activity areas. The portable toilets will have a 7 high privacy timber-framed fence with corrugated metal panels on both sides. The corrugated metal panels will be dark in color and the timber framing would be similarly finished with a solid body stain. d. the visual attractiveness of the landscaping: Not applicable. e. the landscaping elements enhancement of the architecture of the project, including the integration of internal and exterior architectural themes: Not applicable.