Meeting at Town Hall and Updates

Notes from meeting at Town Hall, September 3, 2008 with Tony Nielsen, Jack Jones, and Kelly McDonald.

To review our meeting on 9/3:

The PALS board will be working in October to get a budget approved by Town Council to pay the architect firm that will be designing the playground on the Wilson, Carmel, Ruff tracts.  Therefore, no actual blueprints will be designed until the town approves money for this piece of the project but it is expected to happen without a problem.  The architect firm’s name is Dunaway and Associates and the particular architect who will work on this project is Larry O’Flynn.  We would like to get some fundraising going to get the community involved in the project by donating money or committing to buy specific playground pieces.  We decided that we would probably get a better response from donors if we had some specifics about the playground to show them so I don’t know that we can do much fundraising until the design process has gotten a little more underway.

Tony said that a wooden playground could easily cost as much at $300,000 to build (although he had told me in a previous conversation that it could cost as much as $500,000 if we wanted something really exceptional).  I did not clarify if that is materials only or if that included labor costs to install it as well.  The town has not discussed a budget for the playground but any efforts we can make to raise money will only help the playground be bigger and better.  It was pointed out that if we demonstrate community excitement for the project by showing Town Council large donations from the community then that may help increase the budget that they approve.

There is a possibility that the playground budget approval may get pushed back for a while so that the town can put money towards expanding the pool areas at the new Community Activity Center first.

We asked about a way to allow donors to get a tax deduction for their donations.  I was told to contact John Thomas on the PALS board because he has been interested in having a “Park Foundation” for some time now and that he could probably give me some information about it.

Updates:

I have contacted John Thomas to ask about a park foundation.  There is not currently a park foundation in place and he said that the person he had in mind to help us with this will not be available to help.  He didn’t give me any more information or leads to work on.  I know nothing at all about foundations so I just spent some time this afternoon doing some quick searches online.  Wow, do I feel overwhelmed.  I read about all kinds of IRS stuff and tax forms, having a set of board members, etc.  I’m not sure where to go with this right now.  I’ve sent an email to John Thomas and Tony Nielsen with the PALS board to just see if there isn’t already some kind of foundation set up within the town that we could use.

I’ve sent emails to the parks departments of Highland Village and Coppell to try to get contact information for the organizers of their wooden playgrounds.  Rhoda with Highland Village responded but didn’t give me any specific info.  Instead she referred me to the city of Allen to find out what they did for a playground that they built.  I’d like to talk to someone who has already done this to see if they used a foundation for their donations and to see if they have any suggestions for us.

Linda Newkirk has worked hard with her girl scout troop to put on the first fundraising project for the playground.  They had a garage sale this weekend and raised $170 for the playground.  The girls will continue to work to raise money throughout their calendar year and hope to reach their goal of $1000 by next summer.  Awesome work, Linda!

PALS Board Meeting, August 14, 2008

Notes from the PALS Board Meeting Minutes, August 14, 2008:

Mike McCall said that the CDC met on Tuesday night the 12th and unanimously approved the Bakersfield Entryway, playground replacements for Northshore, Rustic Timbers, Jake’s Hilltop Park, Equestrian Trailhead at Dunham Road, Jake’s Hilltop Park Walkways, Wilkerson Park Parking Improvements, the Wilson and Carmel Tracts and the western portion of Bakersfield Park Design Phase I. He said there was a discussed change to the Entryway to the Bakersfield Complex and invited Jack to add to his comments.

There was a mention of a Spirit of Flower Mound Special Olympics team. I need to speak to someone there regarding accessiblity issues for the playground.  I would love to get input from special needs families as to what they would like to see in a playground.  Russ Higgins is the head of the delegation of the Special Olympics team and John Thomas said his daughter is a Special Olympics swim coach.  I will try to follow up on these leads to get some input from this group of families.

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for September 11, 2008.

PALS Board Meeting, July 10, 2008

Notes from the PALS Board Meeting Minutes, July 10, 2008:

Consider recommending approval to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Town Council acceptance of a proposed conceptual schematic master plan for the undeveloped park properties located within Gerault Park and Bakersfield Park including the land tracts formerly titled as Wilson, Carmel, Ruff, and Braden.

Larry O’Flinn and Michael Martin from Dunaway Associates, L.P. presented the conceptual schematic master plan for the undeveloped park properties. This presentation is on file at the Park Maintenance office.

Mike McCall opened the meeting up for public comment. Anyone that desires to make a comment, speak in favor or opposition will need to come forward to the front podium; please identify yourself and give your address. Speakers will be allowed 3 minutes.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Elizabeth Covington 2845 London Lane: The first thing I would like to say is the staff and the subcommittees have put in a tremendous amount of time and work on this. I have been at the meetings and I commend you. They want to preserve as much of nature as possible, the staff and subcommittee ask endless questions and spend enormous amounts of time walking, thinking and working on this. To the Parks Department I say ya’ll are great; Jack and his staff for putting up with some of us. To the original Parks Board, thank you for securing this wonderful piece of property. I am here to say this is a great work, I approve everything on it. Everyone knows of my obsession with the dog park, I want it badly, my dog wants it badly, our neighbors do; but this whole concept is something I think future generations will be so proud of and look back on these people and say thank you, I say thank you to our board and staff. Larry and Michael you have done a wonderful job; you have seen things that the rest of us walking that property couldn’t see, and now we can. I am very proud to say that I am from Flower Mound and that I know some of the best people around.

Amy Brown 921 Rosemary Drive: I live in Baker’s Branch my home backs up to the future Botanical Gardens. The biggest concern we have right now is the existing Park, Arts and Library Services Board Meeting Minutes farmhouse and outbuildings vacated by Mr. Wilson. I know there is money in budget and there is something on the calendar to get that bid out and cleaned up. Right now we have kids in the neighborhood that are back there messing around. We have heard there is a hazardous materials problem, the Fire Department trains back there and leaves their garbage behind and as a neighborhood we would like that cleaned up as soon as possible. We are concerned for the safety of our children as well as any health hazards that may exist. I also would like to see a greater buffer between our neighborhood and the botanical gardens; if we are not going to enclose it I would like to see something go up that is going to separate us from the foot traffic. You will be able to get into this park anywhere because there will not be an enclosure. I feel like there needs to be consideration for the families that live right there. I am very concerned that there will be a lot of foot traffic that will access to the back side of our fences into our homes; there is not going to be any policing of when people can be out there. I am very concerned. Thank you.

Kim Chance 740 Teakwood Drive: I would like to thank all involved in working on this proposal I think it will be a phenomenal addition to our town and something we will all be proud of when it finally comes to fruition. I am a member of the Greater Lewisville Early Childhood PTA which is part of the National PTA Organization that works with children birth to age 6. Our group is mostly Lewisville and Flower Mound residents. We make outings to the Dallas Arboretum and the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens because of their wonderful opportunities to provide nature and education to our young children. Our group as well as other Flower Mound residents will be thrilled to have something like this right here in our town. I am particularly interested in the proposed all inclusive playground area for children; this part of the proposal is an opportunity to go above and beyond and provide a truly exceptional playground that will help draw our children closer to nature. Many children today have what is termed a Nature Deficit Disorder; children just don’t spend as much time outdoors as they did when we were growing up. I think that by providing a really exceptional playground it would help to get some of the children outdoors. Highland Village and Coppell have fort-like playgrounds that include mazes and tunnels which have a more natural feel than the metal and plastic playgrounds we have in Flower Mound; these parks were built with volunteer efforts and sponsorships. I would like to see a park like this that is also handicapped accessible so all children can enjoy it; also I would like to see an educational focus towards nature in the playgrounds, this could include posters of local birds and a button they could press to hear the song. I have provided the Town of Flower Mound with a $5,000 dollar check from Pantene to specifically go towards putting up educational components in a local park to help children learn more about nature. In addition, I have obtained over 100 signature of citizens who support a park like this and feel the community would step up to make this happen with both financial contributions and time commitments. Flower Mound has an estimated 62,000 residents with 28% of those residents being under the age of 15. We need to look at what we can do as a community to get our children spending more time outdoors and connecting with nature.

Kathleen Craig-Silvia 901 Rosemary Drive: When I originally started coming to the meetings all I wanted was the natural land. I didn’t want the dog park, I didn’t want anyone to change anything; I have come a complete full circle. I cannot believe how well you guys have listened the sub-committee and staff; they truly listened to what we wanted back there. I was afraid that there would be lighted tennis courts so I came to every meeting. I am concerned as far as the security issue there is a lot of us who are not there all day long; it is very easy and in about 15 seconds you can climb the back of our fences. I wondered if the Town might be able to put up a fence against our fence or some kind of a deterrent. I am concerned about the wild life getting into the trash at the picnic areas; if you could address that I would appreciate it.

Jennifer Speer 817 Rosemary Drive: I would like to thank all of you have done such a great job; you have really listened to what we had to say. This will increase the value of our homes. I am concerned about the safety and the fact that someone could possibly hide in the trees; a fence that separates us would be greatly appreciated. I am also concerned about the hazardous materials still on the property. I am also concerned about people parking on our street and accessing the park.

Paul Stone 709 Lake Bluff: WOW, Mayor DeLuca council bought the land where Bakersfield Park is. I am very impressed with the inclusive nature of this facility. It is amazing to get to something that maybe adults will get to use. The thoughtfulness that went into the ideal of an inclusive playground, the dog park, I want to go on record that I support the dog park. This is a plan; failing to plan is planning to fail. This is a wonderful thing and you should be very proud of and I certainly support it.

Jack Jones addressed the questions asked in the public hearing.

John Thomas: This project is one of the most exciting things we have done. We are tying to very active areas together, Bakersfield and Gerault. I cannot think of any park in the area that will compare to this. When Spinks is complete this will be a major entry to town and what an entry that will be. We need to stay on top of the fire station planning and try to get more meeting space. I would like to see bat friendly bridges; that would add another feature to the area.

Angie Cox: Is there lighting? Is there fencing around the dog park? Will we have to hire additional staff for the gardens? Water rationing? I love the idea of a Kid’s Kastle type playground. Has the noise from the Amphitheater been addressed? I don’t think we need more concessions at Bakersfield. I would like to see more practice fields for soccer. Will the entry way to Bakersfield going to be changed?

Jack Jones addressed the questions asked by Angie Cox. This is just the first design phase; the details will be worked out at a later date.

Jim Emerich: I would like to thank the sub-committee for all the hard work they put in. I am glad Mayor DeLuca and Town Manager Van James had the foresight to purchase the land between the two parks.

Mike McCall closed the public meeting.

A motion to recommend approval to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Town Council acceptance of a proposed conceptual schematic master plan for the undeveloped park properties located within Gerault Park and the Bakersfield Park including the land tracts formerly titled as Wilson, Carmel, Ruff, and Braden was made by Wayne Farley and seconded by Jim Emerich.

FOR: Elizabeth Lumpkins, Norma Krueger, John Thomas, Annette Weir, Denis Toth, Angie Cox, Wayne Farley, Jim Emerich

AGAINST: NONE

ABSTAIN: NONE

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for August 14, 2008, but the Town Council has scheduled a special budget meeting in the Council Chambers. The alternate PALS Board meeting date is August 28, 2008, but the Town Council has scheduled another special budget meeting in the Council Chambers.

Comments: Hooray! PALS Board approved the conceptual plan! Next the Planning and Zoning commission must vote to approve it and then it moves to Town Council for approval.

Update

The following is a copy of an email I sent to everyone who signed my petition for the community built wooden playground:

You are receiving this email because you signed my petition to show support for building a wooden playground like Kid’s Kastle in Flower Mound. If you do not want to receive future emails about this subject then please just let me know.

 

I just wanted to give you all an update on this project. The Undeveloped Land Subcommittee (a subcommittee of the Parks, Arts, and Library Services Board) has been working on plans to develop a piece of land east of the new Community Activity Center on Gerault, west of Bakersfield Park, north of Spinks Road, and south of Baker’s Branch subdivision. They have had several meetings and public hearings over the last 6 months or so at which I’ve made presentations about the need for this playground as well as made comments on their developing plans along the way. This playground idea fit in beautifully with their overall plans for the land and the subcommittee has been supportive of the idea from the beginning. Therefore, the playground was integrated into the subcommittee’s concept drawings for the land early on. However, their concept drawings for the land had to be approved by the town’s PALS Board, Planning and Zoning Commission, and then finally Town Council before any plans could actually be finalized. I was able to attend the PALS Board and Town Council meetings in which I presented the need for this playground in our area and showed your support for the idea through the petition. I’m happy to say that the final step, Town Council’s approval, took place last week!! So if all goes as planned, Flower Mound will be getting an awesome new wooden all-inclusive playground in the future.

 

I’m very excited about the plans for this piece of land and wish that they could start construction tomorrow. However, it will take some time before we actually see it come to fruition. The land is completely undeveloped at this time. Completion of Spinks Road east to 121 and completion of Garden Ridge south to Spinks will need to be completed first. Then construction vehicles will have better access to the park land to begin their work. The town’s plan for this land is just incredible! They plan to create a new playground, botanical garden, amphitheater, duck pond, conservation area, and open play areas and picnic areas while also working with the land’s features, natural landscapes, and trees to maintain its natural state with minimal need to remove trees or impact its inherent beauty. Below is a link to one of the most recent concept drawings for the land:

http://www.flower-mound.com/parks/pix/drawingboard_060208/Wilson%20Ruff%20Carmel%20Master%20Plan%205.29.08.pdf 

What an awesome place to bring our children outdoors to play! If you have any questions about the plans, please let me know and I’ll explain it as best as I can. By the way, the dog park on this plan was not approved last week but that piece of the land will remain undeveloped for potential future development of a dog park.

 

Now that the concept drawing has been approved, the Undeveloped Land Subcommittee and architects will begin creating more detailed schematics of what the playground will actually look like. A wooden playground like what we’ve seen in surrounding communities will cost a lot of money and resources to build. Both Kid’s Kastle in Highland Village and Kid’s Country in Coppell were built with financial donations as well as volunteer hours from local individuals and businesses. I know that Flower Mound residents will be excited to hear about this addition to our town and I know we won’t have any problem bringing the community together to work on such an awesome project. But I need your help for this next important step. If you have any interest in working on the fundraising piece of this project to reach out to individuals and businesses to gain their support and contributions, please let me know. This is a huge project and I can’t do it alone. But together we can make this incredible dre am come true for the children in our area.

Conceptual Master Plan Has Been Approved!

Tonight I attended the Town Council meeting and I gave a presentation stating the need for the inclusive playground on the WCR tracts. I was pleased to get some very good feedback from a few of the council members who seemed excited about the idea of Flower Mound having their own Kids Kastle playground.

I'm excited to report that Town Council has approved the conceptual master plan with the inclusive playground!

Check out the link below to see the master plan that was approved:
Conceptual Master Plan for the Wilson, Carmel, Ruff tracts

Next we will have to see where it falls in priority in the Town Council's budget. I'd like to start working on fundraising but I'd like to have a few more details about the next step before I move forward on that piece.

The Importance of Play

Check out this article by Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd and the Committee on Communications and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, published in Pediatrics, January 1, 2007

The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds

Article in NeighborsGo newspaper

Article in the local NeighborsGo newspaper, July 12, 2008:

PALS Board Meeting, May 8, 2008

Notes from the PALS Board Meeting Minutes, May 8, 2008:

Peggie Kimberlin mentioned the resident who won $5,000 and wants to donate it to the parks system and thought that was very nice.

Jack Jones - Bakersfield Park South Entry is one of the projects that is high on the Town Council's priority list because the extension of Spinks Road has been designed going from Garden Ridge across Bakers Branch into the Service Center by Duncan Lane and they are working on the portion that goes into Bakersfield Park. So while this might not have been high on the list of the Board, it is a priority of the Council.

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for June 12, 2008.

Comments: I'm excited to hear that the Town Council considers the road extensions to be a priority because the actual work on the WCR master plan can not begin until the roads into the park, Garden Ridge and Spinks, are completed.

Minutes from CDC meeting, June 23, 2008

The following was taken from minutes of the Community Development Corporation meeting, June 23, 2008:

Wilson-Carmel Demo/Clean-up – Jack explained that it is hoped this project will
go forward in October. Our Facilities Division will work with us on the bid specs
for demolishing the three existing buildings on the property and the clean up of the
large amount of debris. The clean-up will cover all the property from Bakers
Branch west to the Community Activity Center.
John Parkinson asked for an update on the Old Settlers

Review the status of FY 2008-2009 4B park projects - Bart explained that the “3-
Year Project List” being presented was created approximately one year ago and is
not necessarily the list recommended by Staff. This is the list we started with. As
other additional projects come forward and we look at the 5-

Wilson-Carmel Design (Ph. 1)
Discussion was held of the various components (amphitheater, parking, entryway
w/duck pond, inclusive playground) shown on the Master Plan. The availability
of overflow parking areas (Gerault Park, the CAC, the proposed fire station,) for
the amphitheater was pointed out. Mayor Smith mentioned the idea of looking
into a partnership with Denton County for the development of the Botanical
Garden. All agreed that the Botanical Garden in Grapevine was a fine example of
such a facility. Jack Jones mentioned that the $5,000 prize money won by resident
Kim Chance in a contest sponsored by Pantene and donated to the Town has been
placed in the Park Development Fund for a future park project.

Bart Stevenson explained that by the time we meet again the PALS Board will
have reviewed the Park Master Plan. Based upon how our funding stream works
we can phase the project in or we can set money aside until we have enough to do
the entire project. We do hope to get enough money into next year’s budget to
begin the design work of Phase 1.
Bart added with as many amenities as we have represented in this design there
should be many grant opportunities available to us. This will be our first big
opportunity to leverage 4B money for grant money – the Park Master Plan is the
first step in the grant process.

PALS Board Meeting, April 10, 2008

Notes from the PALS Board Meeting Minutes, April 10, 2008:

Marsha Gavitt, 6501 Meadowcrest Lane, Director of Voters United to Preserve Flower Mound said she and several others over the past year have spent many hours walking, photographing, and proudly displaying the unique attributes that we have including the undeveloped park land Park, Arts and Library Services Board Meeting Minutes and our boundary with Grapevine Lake. She said that several of them shared a birds, wildlife and trails booth at the Environmental Fair last week and found that most visitors to their booth had no idea there were so many hidden treasures in Town. Next year they would like to have a bigger booth and create more interest in the natural outdoors. She brought some of the pictures which were displayed and said that Jan Thompson have some more pictures but she was at another environment event in Denton tonight. In addition to adding a welcome variety of outdoor leisure for our
own residents, she said she believes these areas will bring significant eco tourism dollars especially since we are close to a major airport and between two major cities. She said that bird watching alone in 2003 brought 1.2 billion dollars to Texas and that sport has grown considerably along with nature hike and biking. For almost a decade residents have encouraged the Town to join with the Corps to improve access to and hiking on our lakeshore and for about that same length of time equestrians have also been waiting for their expanded trails. The activities she has
mentioned, requires the least development expense but will serve a wide variety of people and ages, and hopes they receive priority from the Board.

Wayne Farley announced that Alton Bowman was awarded the O.P. Schnabel Award. Keep Flower Mound Beautiful nominated Alton Bowman for this award because his mission most closely matched the mission of Keep Texas Beautiful which is to educate and engage people in the improvement of their community and environment. His years of dedication to the Tree Board, ECC, the Mound Foundation and to the citizens of Flower Mound makes Alton deserving of this award and is to be congratulated.

John Thomas mentioned his trip to Tyler where he came across a park that was awe inspiring, the children’s park. It is about two acres, has no playground, there is a little waterfall running through it and the children loved it. It was on Good Friday, the weather was nice and the water had to be cold but the kids were out there wading. He was thinking, and passed it on to the lady who got the prize, that maybe she may want to go in another direction other than a playground with that money.

Consider approval of two new members to be added to the Undeveloped Park Land Master Planning Subcommittee responsible for master planning undeveloped park properties.
Wayne Farley nominated Norma Krueger and Elizabeth Lumpkins as the two PALS Board members to be added to the Undeveloped Park Land Master Planning Subcommittee and Karl Drescher seconded the nomination. The nominees accepted the nomination and there were no objections so the following motion was made. A motion to approve the following PALS Board members (1) Norma Krueger, (2) Elizabeth Lumpkins, to be added to the Undeveloped Park Land Master Planning Subcommittee responsible for master
planning undeveloped park properties was made by Peggie Kimberlin and seconded by Linda Thiebaud.

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for May 8, 2008.

Comments:

I need to contact Marsha Gavitt and Alton Bowman. It sounds like they both have a passion for nature and are familiar with the the birds, trees, and wildflowers that we have in town. I'd like to get their input on suggestions for the educational stations in the playground.

I would like to learn more about the Keep Flower Mound Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful organizations. They might be good resources for the educational piece in the playground.

John Thomas did contact me about the children's park that he saw. It sounds wonderful and I'd love to see that in the playground on WCR tracts. However, the $5,000 award from Pantene is intended to place educational components about nature and the environment in a playground in Flower Mound. I don't have any input on that. I believe that my only input might be regarding which park to place them in and what they might look like.

PALS Board Meeting, February 28, 2008

Notes from the PALS Board Meeting Minutes, February 28, 2008:

Jack Jones gave a presentation about the recommendations made by the Community Development Corporations (CDC) at their meeting on February 20, 2008. One of the items he mentioned was that they approved the demolition of the structures and clean-up of the Wilson and Carmel Tracts.

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for March 13, 2008.

PALS Board Meeting, February 7, 2008

Notes from the PALS Board meeting, February 7, 2008:

Karl Drescher said there will be an article published in the local newspaper on the proposed Amphitheater at the Wilson Tract.

John Thomas said he is very excited about the Wilson Tract.

Mike McCall said the 4B Board had their first meeting and Peggie Kimberlin is really excited about the Wilson tract.

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for February 28, 2008.

Role of the PALS Board

Meets the second Thursday of the month.

Advise the staff and town council and staff in policy matters regarding parks and recreation, arts and library: goals, objectives and programs.

Assist the staff and town council and staff in the planning process: parks and recreation, arts and library facilities and programs.

Promote parks and recreation, arts and library program participation.

Assist the staff and town council and staff in the recruitment of volunteers.

Advise the town council and staff regarding policies, services and programs provided or sponsored by the Community Services Department. This includes, but is not limited to: parks and recreation programming, senior citizen activities, cultural arts, art in public places, library programs, library collection development and fines, and fees for community services programs and activities.

Advise the town council and staff regarding revenues and expenditures from dedicated funding sources including the special activities fund, park and library development funds and any similar fund created to support the community services department.

Review and make final determination of any request for reconsideration for the removal of library materials.

Promote the benefits of community services' facilities, programs and activities, and when necessary, solicit public volunteer assistance.

Oversee and advise the town council and staff regarding any issues or updates to the recorded history of Flower Mound in the book Sweet Flower Mound Land.

Consider, investigate, make findings, report and recommend upon any special matter or question coming before the board within the scope of its duties and responsibilities or referred to it by the town council or town manager.

$5,000 Grant from Pantene!

I entered the Pantene Beautiful Wishes contest and won a $5,000 grant to go towards nature education for kids to be placed in a local park.  

I've had several conversations with the PR contacts for Pantene and even had a conference call between them at the Parks Development person for our town.  Exciting things are to come!