KIRKWOOD PARK BOARD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 KIRKWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER 111 S. GEYER ROAD, ROOM 202 MEETING MINUTES

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1 KIRKWOOD PARK BOARD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 KIRKWOOD COMMUNITY CENTER 111 S. GEYER ROAD, ROOM 202 MEETING MINUTES In attendance: Alan Hopefl, Amy Wagenknecht, Lisa Balbes, Carl Eklund, Kirk Hutchison, John Baker, Jim Davis, Carol Gilster Staff: Murray Pounds Curt Carron Excused: Rick Bagy The Park Board meeting convened at 7:00 p.m., chaired by Alan Hopefl. I. CITIZEN COMMENTS None II. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 15, 2011 MEETING MINUTES Motion made by Kirk Hutchison to approve the August 15, 2011 Park Board minutes as amended, seconded by Carl Eklund. Motion passed 7 0. Amy Wagenknecht Abstained III. COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Implementation Committee Murray Pounds: The Walker Lake Project is closed out. Murray reported the Parks & Recreation Department is going to receive a significant donation from an individual who would like to have a tree/bench in memory of his wife. A plan is being considered that would add a tree and tree bench with a plaque in a plaza are of the Walker Lake path. b) Community Interest Survey Committee Murray Pounds: The Survey Committee has not met. Murray reported he had talked to Ken Warren and he has received 115 surveys back as of today. Not all of the 2000 surveys went out on the same day. Our goal is responses. Ken Warren will follow up with phone calls or post cards to those who were sent surveys if not enough are returned.

2 c) Land Use Planning Process Committee The committee has not met. A copy of the recommendations for the evaluation form and definition of change in land use is included in the Park Board packet and will be presented to the Board for endorsement under New Business. IV. OLD BUSINESS a) Avery Drive Park Planning Process Murray Pounds presented a slide show for the benefit of those who were not able to attend the public input session held at North Kirkwood Middle School on September 8, Included on the agenda for the meeting was the Project Overview, a summary from Public Workshop #1, Plan Overview and Questions and Comments. Murray said there was quite a turnout for the September 8 th meeting and no significant negative feedback. Jim Davis questioned the playground for smaller children. Amy Wagenknecht said that most toddlers go to the older children s playground and she felt like it was a waste of money and space. Curt Carron reminded the Board of the liability aspect if we don t provide playground equipment for toddlers. Amy Wagenknecht said she would like to see more tables at the park. Carl Eklund said they would talk with the design team about some of the items discussed at the Park Board meeting. John Baker asked about the grant for this project. Murray said we cannot be flexible when applying for the grant for Avery Park. Avery Park will be discussed at the October 17 Park Board meeting. The grant paperwork has to be turned in by October 28, V. NEW BUSINESS a) Approval of Land Use Planning Form and Definition A motion was made by John Baker and seconded by Kirk Hutchison to table this issue until the October 17 th Park Board meeting since the Board did not have the full version of the Kirwood Parks & Recreation Land Use Planning Form and Evaluation For Internal Use. b) One Ton Dump Truck Purchase Approval A motion was made by John Baker to approve the purchase of the bid of Lou Fusz for a Ford F-450 with a Kranz body for $41,474 to be charged to account , Project PK1204, seconded by Lisa Balbes. c) Picnic Table Purchase Motion made by Amy Wagenknecht to purchase 50 galvanized steel table frames from Jamestown Advanced Products Corporation for $9,690 to be charged to account , Project PK1206, seconded by Carl Eklund. The remaining money in the $12,000 allocation for the project will be used to purchase the lumber that is attached to the steel frames.

3 d) Maintenance Report Curt Carron s Monthly Report for August 2011 was included in the park packet for period August 15 through September 24, A slide of the Sugarberry tree with the fencing was presented to the Park Board. All in attendance agreed the split rail fence looks very good around the Sugarberry Tree. Some of the topics that were covered in Curt s report: Tree Removals and Deadwooding: The annual tree removal process and pre-festival dead wooding was completed. In all, 20 trees were removed including some hazard trees located between Marshall Road and the JFL field. Dead wooding was less than usual due to our annual program to remove limbs. Of note was the cleanup and deadwood removal of all the trees around #1 Park pump station and water tower, located next to the park operations center. Split Rail Fence: A cedar split rail fence system that encircles the Sugarberry Tree on Site 13 was installed. A single entry/exit point was left so those who are interested in taking a closer look would be able to do so, yet the opening is narrow enough that a picnic table can t be brought in. Accompanying the fencing is a placard which gives a brief history and specifics of the tree, and a safety statement about the 80 diameter fence. Quarry Park Lot Landscaping The youth of Greentree Community Church in Kirkwood planned a Saturday planting detail at Koestering Park with Pete Laufersweiler, the department horticulturist s help. Pete picked up the shrubs and native plants, and a group of 15 from the church s youth group showed up to perform the planting. It took them a morning and the result has beautified the entry bordering the lot. Their volunteerism is appreciated. Tailgate Lift on 7521: The lift appropriated in this year s budget was installed. The 1000# capacity tailgate lift has earned its keep early with the onset of the festival. It enables one person to load everyday objects or equipment which normally takes 2 or more persons to load safely. The lift is made available to other departments should they have a need for it. Non-Greentree Related Special Events: The annual Operation Cleanstream was held and quartered out of Greentree Park again this year. The event is organized by the Open Space Council and attended by hundreds of participants. The St. Louis Dirtburners held their final 3 day racing event on the same weekend as the river cleanup. Racers from many states and few from other countries were in attendance. Greentree Festival Prep & Setup: The festival prep actually began with our annual dead wooding program and grounds repair. The preceding Monday the Parks Department went into high gear for setup and the grounds were quickly transformed. Crews worked hour days Mon-Weds, and hours increase to over 12 for Thurs-Friday. The event opened on time Friday evening, Saturday was comfortable and cloudy and some preparations for Sundays forecasted rains were made. Sunday did feature a deluge or two and decisions were made throughout the day about the event. Many fair goers did show on Sunday despite the foul weather. The day closed two hours earlier than scheduled and crews were able to leave a couple hours earlier than normal. Aeration & Seeding: After Greentree the fall seeding and aeration of the grounds begins. The crew begins to slit and core aerate. The entire park will be treated and most of the highly affected areas will be seeded.

4 e) Other Matters VI. DIRECTOR S REPORT Murray Pounds: The Greentree Festival wrap up meeting will be this week, September 28 th. The Festival went well. On Sunday it was shut down about two hours earlier due to the rain. Friday and Saturday were well attended. The Kirkwood High School cross country team district meet will be on October 15, The honeysuckle removal event is scheduled for October 22. There are a couple large groups that are going to participate. 221 Avery is vacated. Plans for demolition will be started soon. The interpretive signs at Quinette were viewed by the Park Board and everyone agreed they look great. The 50 Trees for 50 Years is coming back. The tree planting will be on October 29 th. Trees will be planted from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and then the group will have a BBQ in the park. It is anticipated that a couple of trees from this event will be planted in Kirkwood Park. Adventure Event This Saturday (10/1) our department will be a host location for the St. Louis Adventure Challenge Race. One stop will hosted at Kirkwood Park near the horse shoe pits from 9-4 pm. The second stop in Kirkwood will be at Dee Koestering Park. Staff from Missouri Department of Conservation will be doing a deer count at Powder Valley only. Powder is going to have a managed deer hunt (bows) on November 5, 6 & 7. Five hunters have been selected. This will be repeated in January. A copy of the balance sheet through the end of fiscal year March 31 is included in the Park Board packet. Murray went over the balance sheet. Overall the Park Fund grew slightly during the previous fiscal year. Murray stated the Park Fund is in good condition. VII. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND REPORTS Carol Gilster talked about the Historical Society and the African American event at the Jefferson Memorial. Kirk Hutchison said that Murray Pounds and Curt Carron and the Park crew did an excellent job with Greentree. Everyone in attendance complimented them on the Greentree Festival. Murray reminded the board the next Park Board meeting will be on October 17, VIII. CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS REAL ESTATE MATTERS Motion made by Kirk Hutchison to adjourn to closed session and seconded by Lisa Balbes at 8:05 p.m.

5 Roll call as follows: Alan Hopefl yea Amy Wagenknecht yea Lisa Balbes yea Carl Eklund yea Kirk Hutchison yea John Baker yea Jim Davis yea Carol Gilster yea Motion passed 8-0. Motion made by John Baker to return to open session at 8:19 p.m. and seconded by Kirk Hutchison. Alan Hopefl yea Amy Wagenknecht yea Lisa Balbes yea Carl Eklund yea Kirk Hutchison yea John Baker yea Jim Davis yea Carol Gilster yea Motion passed 8-0. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Alan Hopefl adjourned the Park Board meeting at 8:20 p.m.