Minutes - 10-30-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 Mayor Waldorf does not feel there can be a solution unless the equity issue is somehow addressed. She made reference to page 2 of the agenda packet where the three recommendations are offered and said that she would hope they could move forward on the recommendations. However, she feels that the equity issue needs to be resolved before moving forward. She said that the report was very clear, but that there was no statement about the prior investment of each entity in parks and recreation. John Link said that he thinks discussions of equity can be pursued and that it may be well to define equity on capital and operational sides. Mayor Johnson said that the solution was to look at the population and prepare for the growth. He said that there would be complaints no matter where a facility was built. Joal Broun suggested that when developing facilities the work group think about the different groups that will be served. She said that there are different groups with different recreational needs. Chair Carey said that he sees the County taking the lead role in the acquisition and development of large regional facilities. As requested by Commissioner Brown, David Stancil gave some background information on the Lands Legacy Program and what that would mean to park development and acquisition of land. Pat Evans asked what the difference was between the school park reserve fund and lands legacy. David Stancil said that the school park reserve fund was set up several years ago to specifically acquire land for school or park use. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to soccer and said that he hopes the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group will also talk about site based management because in theory it is working, but in practice it is difficult. When talking about the lands legacy program, one objective is to preserve open space through keeping agriculture alive, which also includes purchase of conservation easements. Also, the green tract is a 160-acre tract that the towns and the County own and which could serve all jurisdictions. Mark Sheridan said that one thing he has noticed in the last several years is that there has been an energy and focus put on park development and it seems like there is some catch up work that needs to be done with park development. He said that it has been very exciting to see that and he thinks the citizens will respond positively to this focus. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the County taking the lead and said that she feels it is important that we all coordinate and cooperate. If the County tries for a bond referendum for the fall of 2001, she would advocate that a bond package be developed that would be equitable. She is very pleased that there has been this forward movement toward cooperation. Joal Broun asked when the work group would give a recommendation for the bond to go forward. John Link said that the initial request for inclusion in the bond would need to be formulated for the Board of County Commissioners to consider by the end of January. The final decision needs to be made in May. Mayor Waldorf said that she feels it is important for the municipalities to communicate specific recommendations to both the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group and the County Commissioners. Jim Ward said that he would like for some type of soccer facilities to be considered for a bond issue. He also mentioned economy of scale and said that there should be some cooperation on the items that are purchased (i.e., lawnmowers, etc.).