Agenda - 04-25-2006-1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Although the up front costs are higher, he said, it might be economical over the long term. Ms. Stuckey said that on a recent campus tour with her daughter she learned that American University has put down artificial turf on a heavily used, multi - purpose field, "Over use is a significant limitation for us" she said, "let's take a look at this." Ms. Spatz added that artificial turf extends the time when fields can be used, Mr. Hartkopf said that it is cheaper to maintain and so might from a programmatic perspective be a good investment. Mr. Hartkopf said that the basketball hoops have been taken off the poles at Hillsborough Elementary to discourage older kids from congregating on those courts. "I've been told that hoops lead to condoms and needles," he said. The proper response to this would be to reinstall the hoops and provide security for the courts by the Hillsborough Police Department, he said. "But someone has to be responsible for policing the area if it is going to be used," he said. Ms. Bedford said that the CHCCS Board of Education recently received a parks and recreation report. "We know that Carrboro is concerned about the hours that the schools are accessible for the community," she said. "We want to reach out and we want to plan together. We do not have the funds, but we have to plan." Ms. Bedford added that special populations and middle schoolers in the summer need more hours of programming. "School facilities might be able to assist," she said, "and it will be a long term process." Mr. Scroggs asked everyone to note that the demand for using school facilities is not only coming from local parks and recreation programs. goo organizations — including churches, the Greek Festival, private arts and crafts organizations, "improv" groups, a filming company and the Cary Ballet — used CHCCS facilities last year for over 9,00o hours. Ms. Murrell asked Mr. Scroggs if CHCCS gives priority to any of those users. He replied that school users come first, then public recreation programs, and then organized (as opposed to ad hoc) groups. "I don't think we have ever bumped parks and recreation for a private user," he said. Mr. Link said that taxpayers have spent about $300 million on schools over the last 15 years, and all together the three jurisdictions represent about a $500 million pool of community resources. "No doubt we can provide the security that is needed" to improve the community's access to school facilities. " He recalled the access to Duke University's basketball courts that he and his friends enjoyed in the 196o's while growing up in Durham. "We saw it as a right to use those courts. For our citizens it is a right, and we need to get back to that," Mr. Hartkopf said that he wants to see by the next Collaboration meeting an inventory of OCS facilities that the County Parks and Recreation Department wants access to, and "what it would take to make it so." The list should reflect the shared perspective across the district and department, he said. Mr. Jacobs asked if CHCCS and the Chapel Hill and Carrboro recreation departments could do the same sort of survey. The two groups could then report back to the Collaboration Group in the fall, he suggested. Mr. Hartkopf reiterated that the information County /Schools Collaboration Meeting (April 8, 2005)