Examples of Educational Stations

Here are some pictures that I've taken on various trips to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. There is a boardwalk there that is a real delight to walk. It is filled with educational stations about animals, birds, and plant life. These are exactly what I envision the town using the $5,000 grant money on for the playground on the WCR tract. They are colorful and interactive and a great way for kids to learn about their environment.

This station has buttons that you can press to hear a bird's song. Try to guess the bird and then lift the flap to find the answer!



This station defines an insect then shows picture of various insects, spiders, and worms. You guess whether the picture is of an insect and lift the flap to see if you are correct.



This station has flaps with pictures of an animals track. You lift the flap to learn the name and see a picture of that animal.



This station is flap with a picture of a bird nest and a sample egg underneath the picure. The person tries to guess what type of bird the nest and egg belongs to. The answer is under the flap and consists of the name of the bird but also a picture.



The Log Hotel has cut outs in a manufactured tree. Children can peek into the holes and see various critters that might live in an old tree stump.

PALS Board Meeting, January 8, 2009

Notes from the PALS Board Meeting Minutes, January 8, 2009:

Review and discuss the PALS Board Priority List of Goals and Projects approved at the May 8, 2008, PALS Board meeting.

Sue Compton provided a spreadsheet created by the PALS Board at the May meeting. During the May meeting the PALS Board members ranked each item by priority. Sue’s spreadsheet gave a status of where the PALS Board are with their projects. She also had a list of projects to recommend sending to the Town Council at their annual retreat that says these are the priorities the PALS Board would like the Council’s support on. She said the first item that was not on the original list was the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan update.

Jack Jones explained the Comprehensive Parks Master Plan was a staff goal. The Parks and Recreation Master Plan had not been updated since 2000. Parks and Recreation should have a comprehensive plan updated every five to seven years in order to apply for grants. A consultant would have to be paid to come in and sit with staff and evaluate what the PALS Board has. There may be the need for community meetings, focus groups and work sessions with the PALS Board to review what the Parks and Recreation will need in addition to what they have now. He said with the PALS Board recommendation it could go to the Town Council for their retreat. The Town Council would be informed that the Master Plan is a priority so they can give direction to the PALS Board to act on it quickly.

Sue Compton said the list that was given to the PALS Board had items that fell under different categories. One was the Parks Master Plan. The other was related to the Arts in Flower Mound where the Arts Policy was already accomplished. The third one was related to the Historical Preservation in Flower Mound. Connie Vickers had addressed the PALS Board on some of the projects. The fourth category that Sue wanted to send to Town Council was the 20th anniversary of the trails system. There were a couple of other projects that are on the list that Sue, Jack or some of the Board members have been working on. Sue also provided a second attachment which was a list that she and Jack recommended to provide to the Town Council at the retreat. Sue wanted to make sure that the right priorities were given to the Town Council.

Wayne Farley did not see the Botanical Gardens or the Historical Museum he wanted on the list. Jack said anything that has already been master planned like the Wilson Tract that has the Botanical Gardens would be under the current existing plan. When it is presented publically it will be in the plan and it could have possible timelines, funding and recommendations from a consultant.

Jack Jones added an inclusive playground to the Parks Master Plan list. Item “I” was amended to say “construct an all inclusive playground similar to Kid’s Castle in Highland Village” with a note saying there has been $5000.00 in a special Parks and Recreation fund donated for that project. Jack said it can also be part of the Parks Master Plan.

Sue Compton verified that she had all the corrections or additions discussed added to her list.

The next PALS Board meeting is scheduled for February 12, 2009.

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.