Portland Parks Commission Prioritizes Capital Projects and Discusses Upgrades

[0:53] Speaker A (unidentified): Yeah. That sucks. We're recording. We can't do that. It's got all the right names on it. We can't do that. [0:59] Speaker B (unidentified): I printed out one. Old fashioned. [1:05] Speaker C (unidentified): I know. This one sucks. Yeah. You know what? It's probably the best way to do it. [1:09] Speaker D (unidentified): That's awesome. It's using oil. Yeah. Right now. Yeah. That's so good. You're good. You got it. Woo. Is this one here? Good? This one. [2:40] Speaker E (unidentified): you. Yeah. Yeah. [2:44] Speaker B (unidentified): And that's important. They have a very tough job. Oh, yeah. It's very, just a reminder [2:58] Speaker E (unidentified): to everyone when you're directly there. [3:05] Speaker A (unidentified): That's the that's the mic that we got right [3:08] Speaker C (unidentified): there yeah like 25 grand for the microphones in this room so we're like well we'll just ask you [3:14] Speaker F (unidentified): to give myself the money to renovate this room or is it different room in the budget there was [3:20] Speaker C (unidentified): a request to get funded so they did an adjustment of all the rooms that need it yeah so it like [3:29] Speaker E (unidentified): works perfectly for all the services this is what i'm wondering people can always hear [3:37] Speaker C (unidentified): during those. Same with women. Right? Maybe it's something to do with soon. We're using Google Meet for that, so, yeah. [3:43] Speaker A (unidentified): Google Meet, maybe. [3:45] Speaker E (unidentified): Maybe that's a difference. Maybe we would go. And then it's not for my spouse, it's in you. Right. Sarah. That's [4:08] Speaker D (unidentified): women. Flexes. Flexes. Yeah. Yeah. Is she going to fight? [4:18] Speaker E (unidentified): No. I'm going to. I'm happy to kick us off and turn it over [4:23] Speaker C (unidentified): our facility yeah everybody you guys your vice chair yeah let's do it get going keep all the [4:29] Speaker E (unidentified): timing good afternoon evening everyone following the october first meeting of parks commission disorder do we have a citizen comment no nope none in email not an email okay all right agenda items first agenda item is acceptance of meetings from august 6. yes once we have a motion to approve we have a second question who's seconded robert fifth any discussion all those in favor bye give me a disclosure of stan okay motion carries meeting minutes cast okay now we had two questions for that one important one do we want to skip to item c so we can do some parks vision report and please take some updates prior to going to skype in model four that's all we'll do when we have agreement [5:36] Speaker C (unidentified): In great, let's go to our parks division report. Ethan, you're up. I'm here. Everybody, I know many of you, I don't know all of you, but I'm Ethan Hibble. I'm the director of apartment parks rec facilities. Alex is at a conference with the national parks and rec conference asleep with a couple of other of our staff Philadelphia, so filling in for him so this meeting can continue. You, I am just here. I mean, I'm familiar with all the stuff in the report and so you have any questions? I'm here to answer them. But let's do it for itself, yeah. [6:16] Speaker D (unidentified): Any questions for the report? [6:20] Speaker E (unidentified): You people want a moment to look at the report? They have it. Okay, Land Bay Commission. [6:33] Speaker B (unidentified): I don't have any material about this last meeting. [6:40] Speaker C (unidentified): You did a great job trying to slow those down. I have to. [6:45] Speaker B (unidentified): I thought of that. [6:47] Speaker D (unidentified): I literally did. [6:49] Speaker E (unidentified): I have a question to say, and that was 15 minutes late, so that's why I really didn't take it. Okay. Well, so as a reminder around the CIP, this is our opportunity to represent the public to provide input to prioritization of the capital improvement projects for the Parks Department. You likely have in front of you a list of projects. We did go through them at the last meeting or a couple of meetings prior. However, there is some time that we have to ask any questions about projects. There is, if both saw, there is a timeline in case people have questions, but basically this is the last step for us with the Commission as part of our CIP process. The CIP process for us today, the task is to each prioritize and order priority three projects that we believe should be considered for funding this year. Obviously there are many more than that. So this is just a quick look into our department finalization of the process. So typically what we ask folks to do when we have time to be, we ask people to state in order of priorities. Number one, my first priority is this length. You can add like one to two sentences of why if you want it to be on record. You can also say like first priority, already, third priority and move on. But that's, that's the gist of this process. However, first I'm going to open up because we can ask Ethan or Jeff, does anybody want any clarifications on any of the projects that were shown on the timeline in order to make their vote? [8:44] Speaker B (unidentified): Question? Yeah, was there a discussion about a flat possible use? And whether that's the city's responsibility? Or I [8:54] Speaker C (unidentified): Guess you're going to take that off of this list. I think it might have been printed in an earlier version, but after discussing that internally, that's we're going to find another way upon that, likely through continuing trying to contact the ascendants. In a lot of family cemetery maintenance is an interesting piece, and when we build these mausoleums, there's usually a trust involved with those that we draw from and take them off for maintenance. Some of them, for whatever reason, we're a staff we're allowed to build out trusts, and so then when there's issues, it's like a big headache question mark of how to deal with it. But I don't think CFP is the right way. We have so many priorities and things that the taxpayers should be funding, and but funding a private monument to an individual is probably not how we want to spend our taxpayer dollars. So we pull that off of our list and we're not even going to propose it, and we're going to seek other funding. I don't care what's that one part of it is family. It's the basically there's water intrusion into it, so the walls, the roof, you know, just so people know. So anytime we sell a burial lot in the cemeteries, half of that revenue gets counted towards, so let's say it's $2,000 for a burial lot, just for purposes of explanation. After that gets counted towards our current year revenue, this is part of our operating budget. So if we sell 100 lots, that's $100,000 in revenue. The other half of that goes into a perpetual care fund that has been around for 100 plus lots of years and is invested and earns interest with some stocks and bonds and conservative investments but earns a fair return, especially recently. And that is used to we draw off of the interest earnings of that every year, not the principal but the interest, as like you know, a percentage approved by finance, and that helps underwrite the cost of running the cemeteries all the staff. So but so they would have paid into that, so there's a portion of that could be covered by the professional care fund, but we try to have family the typical practices families maintain them because it's above and beyond what people do. So thank you. [11:31] Speaker G (unidentified): I had another question related to Evergreen. I noticed that the repaving of the roads wasn't completed until fiscal year 28, and I was curious like what goes into that decision and also why that's a capital improvement project rather than just maintenance. I drive those girls a lot to get [11:49] Speaker C (unidentified): to the trail but they have a lot of problems horrible so it's just this whole document that you're looking at is a tricky puzzle everything's a priority you know all of these things if we could if we had enough money and project managers to do them in the current year we 'd love to but it's you have to prioritize and so basically that project has been placed much further out and then every year that goes by it moves up so it was five to six years out into the future where we probably put it on There, and now it's getting closer where it's next year, not this year. So that's yeah, and we just try to balance things are scheduled so that we our allocation stays, like the total allocation for all projects stays similar year to year, but you will see bumps. There's some big years coming up where we're seeing big expenses related to pools and other things, but yeah, but that's why we are planning on fixing the roads. One thing we worry about when we fix them is we're going to get a lot of complaints about speeding in the cemetery. Right now, it's pretty hard, Steve. And so it's kind of natural traffic calming through neglect. But, yeah. But, yeah. [13:07] Speaker E (unidentified): It's a real topic for education. Yeah. [13:10] Speaker C (unidentified): I mean, we've checked the box in the traffic calming, and no goss. But, no, they are bad. You know, down to ponds and stuff. That's what it does to you there. And we have done periodically over time. I don't like the potholes, the gravel roads, those are pretty easy to fix. You can break in gravel and regrade them on occasion, but some of the paved roads, it does that. Yeah. Yeah. [13:40] Speaker F (unidentified): I was gonna ask about that 13 million, next year being at 13 million, which is significantly higher than other years. Yep. And you said, you just alluded to it, schools and such, but are there specific big ticket items that are lining up for next year that next. [14:04] Speaker C (unidentified): Fiscal year? Yeah, and that number may need to change. Yes, clearly that isn't going to get funded. That's the need. Yeah, every year our department for parks projects as well as anything we need in our recreation division, auditorium, you know, the ice arena, golf course, so parks plus all those things, it usually amounts to in between two and four million depending on the year. There's different amounts of what we end up with. The request is usually much greater than that because that's what the need is, and. then we kind of help you know through the process we the projects get prioritized and this just started that process we'll go through other committees and groups as well but next year a big one is a third turf field third artificial turf field that we're starting to plan so we have patrick memorial those are used non-stop and there's and because the addition of the parts of time we've lost capacity of those and so they're definitely need for a third field so that's a large one east end school Playground will be expensive. We have the biggest one on the list is that we're putting planning money in this year to start planning the building of Cutter Street in Eastern Palm. So that would be the street, the sidewalks, and the parking lots. That's a big project. So that's close to three million or four. That's just a very rudimentary number in there right now because we haven't done the planning yet. But in this CIP that we're doing, we want to do the planning for that production of public works. Those sidewalks, it's kind of like an Evergreen Cemetery situation. That road is heavily used by a lot of heavy trucks. All the large traffic going out to the islands. It's bad. The sidewalks are not 88 compliant. Client parking lots could be they're not efficient, but we have a high parking demand there for boats, food trucks, island traffic, etc. So we think we can squeeze some more parking out of what we've got by the designing them. So those are the big ones that we still got number up, and I hope whether it be some federal funding or other funding sources, but right now that's, that's what we'll, yeah, that's what we'll project to date. [16:30] Speaker F (unidentified): Yeah. Related, the staircase and park electrification, would that want to happen before, because that's for this year? Yeah. But could that happen before the parking lot redo? Is it going to be unrelated? The wire that you're going to run isn't going to, I guess, yes, thinking of sequence. Yeah. [16:54] Speaker C (unidentified): Part of that will, the power will come down, and we would have to work around it when redoing the parking lot after that's a few years away after that. [17:07] Speaker F (unidentified): I didn't do my homework, so I have a couple questions about what the projects are. City Hall, Fossett Design Engineering, I see it's underway, right? [17:19] Speaker C (unidentified): Or is this something else happening right now? Part of it is that one's a little bit of a frankenstein so there's the sidewalks we're going to get a spot fix this season like so the tip-ups and the ramps the ada ramps were to get replaced and that's a public works project and then while they were doing that they're going to expand some tree wells for us we requested that they open up some tree wells so the trees that we plant there higher success rate they always die and it looks pretty bad you know the design at city halls have trees in front of it look at new york city hall which were designed after it's got this canopy of trees in front of city hall so we have some but they're not that successful so public works started that work they got into it and they realized they had enough funding to do the entire right-of-way so basically the entire sidewalk up to the building that leaves so which is wonderful we have work we didn't think was going to get done and it just literally within the past month we discovered could get done so there remains the sections within the kind of the arms of the building that come out the little plaza has granite work in it that would still need to get redone but it would be probably a smaller project than what's visioned in here because a lot of it's getting done right now by public works so our department's responsible for that just through our public buildings it's [18:52] Speaker F (unidentified): like the super large granite slabs those just get pulled up and then set back yeah we're not proposing any yeah just [18:59] Speaker C (unidentified): radical redesign just you know the concrete you know just makes the upgrading materials [19:08] Speaker D (unidentified): So, you're saying what's going to be the funding for [19:19] Speaker C (unidentified): the project itself? Wes, I'm just looking at what's in here. Jamie, were you looking at 2027? [19:31] Speaker F (unidentified): I was looking at the 27 and then I, yeah. Seeing [19:39] Speaker C (unidentified): where we have that. Oh, and then the reconstruction is next. [19:43] Speaker F (unidentified): is yeah so it's like the third construction park instructor city hall closet reconstruction is for 28 at a million yeah this year it's the hundred thousand just today yeah i guess it's already underway so that's other money that's already been allocated no that's [20:03] Speaker C (unidentified): the money we are seeking to do the design and kid work for doing this but it will likely be less than this amount because a lot of that work within the past few weeks was able to get they had surplus funding to get a lot of it done and they thought they were killed too so it's a smaller area [20:30] Speaker E (unidentified): have you get gone through of identifying the department's top priority just to remind us [20:38] Speaker C (unidentified): Like what? You guys, yeah, we do that when we submit it to the city manager. We have not yet done that, and so we kind of... we don't want to want to reach influence, right? I guess in the past. [20:51] Speaker E (unidentified): Alex has been like, "This is something we really are interested in. This is something, you know, things just to help organize our own votes because sometimes you know, you expect a lot of things, but you guys have your own sort of internal thinking, yeah." But maybe that's not the... yeah, so. [21:12] Speaker C (unidentified): When we... I mean, this is to get the commission's input. I mean, they're all important. I mean, some will get ranked higher than others because that's how priorities work. I mean, we're really looking for your input, and then we take that, and that helps guide our... you know, we try to have it line up. We're not going to have radically different priorities, but all these are. [21:36] Speaker F (unidentified): Important. I mean, I mean, I mean, they're all in anything that's in the 27 category. Is a... is you know what you put there, so it's priority. And then it's four million four point seven. So you're probably not gonna get that. We said sometimes between two and four, so a good number of these would get funded. So it would be a matter of weeding out, figuring out what's... what's going of fall off. Maybe it's a quarter of the projects, yeah. [22:04] Speaker C (unidentified): I mean, they're... I'm... I don't know if I was prepared to talk about like what my... what I personally recommend. I mean, they're all important to us, so yeah. I think I'll just leave it at that. You have to decide what's important to you. I mean, that's kind of the purpose of this, is to get that community input, that then helps us in our reputation. I. [22:35] Speaker E (unidentified): want to ask a question about the ocean gate to have a catering kitchen yeah and it's done at 2029 my understanding is that if there was a functional catering kitchen there that would be a very desirable place to have Because it isn't, you know, it's like this source of revenue that's going, you see, I mean, it's a fabulous, absolute fabulous area. Yeah. But it seems underutilized. And I would think that bringing that catering kitchen into, you know, as quickly as 2007 would be... the 2027, excuse me. And I wasn't sure of $250,000 to do. Right. [23:26] Speaker C (unidentified): Well, when a project is that far out, we haven't got the firm estimate. We're just, our project managers are literally just, you know, we're giving it our best. Yes. And it could be a very different number, but we actually plan it out. And we usually do that as we get closer to preparing our CID submission for that year. But it's of all parts. It gets you with, right? Yeah, it gets you. yeah so we do weddings there currently it's it's difficult like caterers maybe they can even wash a dish there's not a freebie yeah so they have to bring everything in bring everything out it's it's it's it makes it the catering costs it's it's very expensive for people it would be much i think they could get better rates we actually have a kitchen there and then we would do more weddings sure so that's the city one quick procedural reminder [24:21] Speaker E (unidentified): Anything that is related to recreation facilities going down that would not serve you up the question. It's great to ask, but we can't. We can't prioritize those. So it's got to be related. Everything's kind of caught up. Thank you. [24:36] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah, I remember there being Alex mentioned there is construction work taking place, maybe traffic lights. So if you're in the most baseball, it might be like a matter of efficiency and donating time. [24:57] Speaker C (unidentified): To save money on the road. Yep, is that accurate? Yes, so that's a sewer separation project. So and Public Works is funding that. Is water resources, as you know, it's one of their big sewer separation that they do every year. And this will be a big one that's scheduled for next year. And I believe is already funded, but don't quote me on that. It's either already funded or very likely to be funded. And that's going to come across from Fitz, you know, Padlock Fitzpatrick through Steering Oaks. It'll literally. Dip up the, you know, through the park underneath tennis court road and go straight through the baseball diamond in and out to State Street extension beyond to get where it's going to O'Ton station. So this is the time, you know. So if that is a priority, I mean for that reason it makes sense to do that. We have to do work on that field anyway, so because everything's ripped up, it's much more efficient to do it while it's ripped up. And we continue putting it back together. We did this a couple years ago. We try to keep tabs on what their project schedule is, and we need regularly so we can do this kind of thing. So when we did, when they were doing backhoe south, so the big store, the four million gallon storage tank of any soccer field of that code that everybody thought was going to be apartments or a hotel or something, we were able to put money into our CIP the year they were putting it all back together again so we could upgrade the field at the fitness course because they were a lot they had. Money in their project budget to kind of replace things in time, but there were improvements we wanted, and so we were able to do that and did it at the same time through their contractor, and we just attributed the money we got done so it's a very efficient way to do it. So that's, yeah, an important one. Thank you, yeah. That would be a ship grant, that's a Small Harbor Improvement Program, so it's a three hundred thousand dollar project, hundred, and we're seeking 150,000 from CIB so the ship grant. Requires a match, so this is something, this is the recreational program, so this is where people can pull in their, you know, recreational boats, but there's also small, also small scale commercial fishermen use that boat ramp. The city uses it for going out to the islands, I mean it's used every day all day throughout the summer season, and it's a really horrible condition. It's basically these concrete planks that are laid down create like a little bed into the water, and they're all eroded. There's. Exposed rebar, safety hazards. They've been filled in the asphalt over the years so it's kind of patchwork, but it definitely needs, it's in fourth shape going from that. And he's got, oh, for instance, annually, or yes, yeah, it's available annually, but we're seeking that, we're seeking that funding now in anticipation of CIP funding so we can leverage them against each other so. [28:25] Speaker F (unidentified): Some of our criteria right is things that need to match or that can leverage other monies, yeah, safety, revenue generating items, right. [28:42] Speaker E (unidentified): These are part of the criteria of the parks department so folks, so you could either decide like actually there's funding so that we should move forward. The other thing is it's opportunity to advocate for smaller projects that might not. [28:58] Speaker F (unidentified): On the boat ramp, the vinyl plant, like do they pay usage fees all the time, I mean they're like. [29:07] Speaker C (unidentified): Most have definitely the predominant user. Yeah, there's two ramps. There's the commercial ramp that they use primarily. Yeah, that was rebuilt a few years ago. Okay, so this is the recreational one. Kind of okay, sorry. You know, facing kind of the new Brew Institute. Yeah, so the commercial one was rebuilt, and they do have an arrangement with the city where they... the, yeah, their fees are waived in return for them providing free transportation. Definitely because we need almost daily transportation out there. For trucks and materials. So I... [29:48] Speaker E (unidentified): Was just wondering about the foot forges of composting toilets. What do they... [29:55] Speaker C (unidentified): Use now? Nothing. People don't go. Well, if people go to the bath, I will say people don't go to the bathroom there if they don't. Yeah, there's no bathroom currently there. I was just wondering. It's about to 2020, 2032. Yep, basically you limit your visit to an hour and then you leave. Sometimes larger boats that come there have a bathroom on the boat. On the boat, but yeah, people come prepared to get in and get out before they have to go to the bathroom. [30:32] Speaker E (unidentified): And all the trips out there, they warn everybody that, yeah, take care of business before you get on this. Quote, yeah, it's looking through the list which is going for 29.7. It looks like there's a lot higher concentration of items recommended for districts one or two. Maybe should we prioritize those? For consider their criteria for what we're going for those items that are recommended and followed into the other districts. Like I see because I'm Scott the grounds district. [31:12] Speaker C (unidentified): Yeah, you are correct. There is a higher concentration just because of timing of other projects and grants. And some of these maybe are a little misleading. Like if you look at the fencing line, that's not just going in district one. We probably shouldn't have district one there because it's misleading. It's about the all districts likely. Those are like smaller projects and what they are for a lot. So but yeah, in terms of our department priorities, Janie started to go through those but they're printed. on this sheet if you took the packet, these are kind of how we try to prioritize things and how we hope you will prioritize things because it's art. It's like there's a lot of things that need to get done. How do you choose what needs to get done? So you know, things legal obligations like with Title Nine, you know, equity in sports, aba, those types of things. You know, service to the public, so you know, building a school, playground is always going to be a high priority for us. We could try to do, you know... one of those every year or every other year, you know. And then also spreading things recordably around the city, two different districts is important. So yeah, that's definitely something to keep in mind as you're prioritizing things. Question... [32:51] Speaker F (unidentified): about Dory Field bike path improvements with three asterisks. What are the asterisks and I... [33:04] Speaker C (unidentified): think the asterisks or an old symbol we used on here to note something that was suggested by a neighborhood or friend's group that we added to the list. Okay. And I think that was added a few years ago and I think important trails ask that be prioritized so we add that product to the list. Okay... [33:32] Speaker F (unidentified): yeah and I see that it's not, it's quite a ways out. That might be... [33:38] Speaker C (unidentified): yeah it needs a lot of people living there... [33:42] Speaker F (unidentified): a lot of investment right to have the new houses there, all the park improvements, playground and it's a P3 right... [34:05] Speaker C (unidentified): Yeah, our city acres, which is the athletic field on Peek's Island, where the ball field is. That's something that Peek's Island Council has weighed in on separately as a priority there had... [34:32] Speaker E (unidentified): been some discussion about it being located at the school which it was a long conversation. Yeah, I think for the suggested place, yeah, there's a playroom... [34:47] Speaker C (unidentified): yeah people haven't been there in Peace Island out in the middle of the eye, the heart of the island, kind of as far away from the water as you can get. There's just a hidden ball field and then horses grazing on it sometimes. It's invented, yeah. I think we've got a little horse in the great thing about it that's happened but it's a neat, it's a neat place and it's used. The league is on there with the Island League... [35:14] Speaker E (unidentified): and if the Peaks Island Council recommended it, trust me, it's been vetted off-campus. [Speaker D (unidentified): Oh, shoot.] Alexis, do you want to suggest a priority vote? Sure. Does anyone else have any suggestions? If I have moved to vote for the vote. Yeah, you just like, okay... [35:46] Speaker A (unidentified): very well, everyone getting their conference post. [35:48] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you for hitting the share bar. Would everyone like to vote for their top three places for the CIP process? Jessica will be taking notes. Amazing. [36:02] Speaker D (unidentified): And print it off the spreadsheet. Wonderful. [36:05] Speaker E (unidentified): Do you have to go in outside of the border? [36:06] Speaker A (unidentified): I have Alexis first, but you guys can go in any border, just if you want to start over [36:12] Speaker E (unidentified): there. I think first, it's just one question. one question are we optimizing the items that are slated for 2027 or for any item that's on this [36:23] Speaker B (unidentified): list what do we question yeah so in the past we've asked that commissioners kind of look at [36:30] Speaker C (unidentified): what is on the schedule for this coming year for this coming year and saying of these what are the highest priorities that we should be focusing on and setting to the city manager i mean you know, you're free to say something else, but it's going to have less. I mean, if we're not considering proposing a project for this year, it's going to have less impact if you're prioritizing a project that's in a different year. And just a note on the process, too, just for folks who are new to the commission. I know some people have heard this a million times. This is the first of many steps of prioritizing these projects. It's an important step that we've established a long time ago, but it influences our department's recommendation to the city manager, and we share these recommendations with the city manager and finance director. Our department recommendation would then go to city hall for consideration. There's a new committee that was established last year that now we've made up of our equity and inclusion director the two city assistant city managers finance director and sustainability they review projects and score them give that to across all departments not just parks writing facilities they give a prioritized list to the city manager who then turns her own list that then goes to the finance committee who reviews it sometimes makes changes sometimes it just goes through and then i'm actually that ability to see council so a gauntlet of prioritization but this is kind of the first step and why we're doing that to help guide our department recommendations all right [38:22] Speaker E (unidentified): i guess i'll go first so my selections are the dairy oaks ravine waiting pool rehab have, Western Prong, Valley Street Trail, and Stoner Caney Wall, phase two. And,, playground design. Can you go next? ISU, which the waiting for rehab, the awesome part of our city, should be kept in great order. Two, prioritization of the playground equipment placements, that's the impact for us. Which one is that one? Did you repeat that the playground equipment replacement various locations? Okay, and last park walkway ADA paving various locations. I just want to note the work that was done this last year, and during that's just really pleasing, and I'm more parts get ADA facility. [39:28] Speaker A (unidentified): Is that just park? Can you read the third one more time? First park walkway ADA paving various locations. [39:37] Speaker B (unidentified): So my selections are the Gearing Oaks Base Hall and Greenfield Reconstruction, Historical Cemetery Restorations, and also the Park Blockway ADA Paving at various locations. [39:57] Speaker E (unidentified): My choices are Gearing Oaks Ravine Waiting Pool Rehab ADA, VA, Western Prom, Valley Street, and Stone Retaining Mall Phase II, and then Playground Equipment Replacement in various locations. All. [40:20] Speaker G (unidentified): Right. My selections would be, I'm going to find exactly where I saw it, the Fencing Replacement across the city, various locations, and also the Eastern Prom Boat Ramp Reconstruction. I love the idea of leveraging the grant to match, and also the Deering Oaks Baseball Field. [40:45] Speaker A (unidentified): Deering Oaks Baseball Field. Yeah. Great. Yeah. [40:55] Speaker F (unidentified): I'm going to advocate for the Doherty Field bike path improvements. And even if they, if it isn't shovel ready, moving it up from five years away, whatever it is, because safety issue, because Congress Street out there is pretty hairy. So you can fix with Vision Zero and also compliment all the other amazing work that's happened with Corey Fields. So, and the pool, I know it's all, it seems like it's the last step in some ways. And I think it would be good bang for the buck in District 3. And then the East End boat ramp. Because of the match. And the staircase and electrification I use them from because The food trucks seem to be Doing well, and they seem to be that's the you know There was some question about whether they would live there forever and seems to be going well probably part of and they're still running generators. [Speaker C (unidentified): So seems like.] Get that and I would be in ahead of the planned Cotter Street stuff too. So it makes sense time and class. [42:22] Speaker D (unidentified): I'm also going to say the vote would absolutely be to get to the matching funds. [42:48] Speaker E (unidentified): And I'm going to do three things in your notes, the ravine wading pool rehab, the ADA issue, and then the road circle entrance because again it's an ADA issue, and then the road circle entrance because again it's an ADA issue, and then the road circle entrance because again it's an ADA issue. An issue and the tennis court said something else. There were being conned, the bros like the roads video notes road difference that was the second one. Yeah, yes, yeah, and what was? [43:13] Speaker C (unidentified): Your third one? Maybe a tennis court. I got that. You see that is professional, so we... that's tennis court. Road is currently funded; we're just yes, you can choose another project, so that so we did the sidewalks along Tennis Court Road this summer, and we have funding to do also to the road itself. We were gonna, you know, the road work that's been done at Deering Avenue, so that was a state project to Deering Avenue, or the funding came from the state, and we were trying to get their contractor for that. Project to do Hearing Oaks while they were there. Sure, you've got the improvement. Yeah, it was like just make a right-hand turn. It was going to be yeah, it was going to be great. We were going down that road, and then at the last minute like a couple weeks ago they said, oh by the way, the Tennis Court Road has to be up with the same standards instruction, and that was like yeah, that would triple the cost of the project. I don't know, but not necessary for that too, so we have to pull the plug on that. We're currently seeking another contractor. We have someone fine, so it should get done this year. We're trying to get it approved through this year, 2026. This year, yeah, this fall, yeah, we can get it done before the asphalt plans close. If not, it'll get done in the spring, but that's funded, so yeah. I said question about what you said about who decides made that call, that the roadie to be up to the state, because it was their funding and they are contractor and because we were going to use their contractor. Or the road needed to be the same, it's just not necessary. It was necessary for them, it's not necessary for us. Like a park road is, you know, that gets a fraction of the traffic and struck traffic and whatever, it doesn't need to be. I mean, it'll be to a good standard, but it doesn't need to be here. You haven't had a standard, you can call it. Yeah, it would have been very expensive. [45:26] Speaker E (unidentified): It, yeah, does Maria have one more? Yeah, then I will do back post stabilization guard rail. That's bringing it up from 2028. That would be bringing that up from 2028 as a recommendation. Oh, it's 2027. [45:57] Speaker F (unidentified): I noticed there were no trails in 27, so I don't think it's. [46:12] Speaker E (unidentified): Oh, you're going to use the small bird. [46:17] Speaker A (unidentified): Oh, I have one. [46:18] Speaker E (unidentified): Does anyone else have the small one that has in the parks? So we should be using this. [46:26] Speaker A (unidentified): I would use the big one. Oh, okay. Sorry. No problem. I didn't realize it was in there. You already put it. No. Okay. [46:40] Speaker D (unidentified): No pressure. No. Good catch. I. [46:56] Speaker E (unidentified): Think those are the only two of them. Although we did, we did vote for one that was out of the year. So it seems like it's out of the precedent. [47:17] Speaker F (unidentified): You can still have that can be your recommendation that third one, yeah, you know, because yeah, also took one another year and advocated that it be moved forward. [47:28] Speaker E (unidentified): Came about five years back so. [47:29] Speaker F (unidentified): So that's what I'm going to do. Whatever is simplest. [47:34] Speaker E (unidentified): So we said, like, this is becoming simple. [47:36] Speaker G (unidentified): Oh, I background there. Yeah, also. Yep,. All right. [47:44] Speaker D (unidentified): Oh, did you cover the different committee reports? [47:51] Speaker E (unidentified): That's not what's in here, but it is something that we just had. [47:54] Speaker A (unidentified): Pre-annuation and updates. I just think maybe after we had the meeting, we just said we were going to do the CIT, but it could be covered in communication. [48:09] Speaker E (unidentified): It's not listed, but is it worth our company now? [48:16] Speaker G (unidentified): I was hoping you're helping. I missed out. [48:19] Speaker E (unidentified): We can update on the workshop that we had last month. For those who weren't here, we weren't already part of a committee. People were self-segregated and selected, and we're hoping that today there was enough work there to proceed to any work that's been completed in the past month. I guess I can go first. My mom brings it up and I can speak for the interpretive side of it. So that was Zach myself. Jamie wasn't there, but it's part of the group. And we discussed during that time different avenues of research, people we could contact. We're hoping to get out to the park and actually identify locations for the typical signage. I think what we settle on is attending the October 11th tour, planned tour. And as you know, it's going to cover a number of the aspects like potential signage themes, mainly the battle itself, as well as other so we're gonna go for that. I think Zach was going to be researching was playing to the search different Wabanaki natural historical things and subjects that could potentially be integrated into science. David was going to work on looking into the former homestead and sort of history of that sense of the farm. I reached out to Jeff Charlie and to see if there had been any reports past reports on the trees themselves he sent me a number of resources I haven't gotten all those yet and then so those were some of the work that we did during that should I pass it [50:32] Speaker D (unidentified): on to the reports. [50:38] Speaker F (unidentified): Yeah, paper for it, Rob. [50:40] Speaker B (unidentified): You did loads of drafting, but we have a new cover that I created with the help of AI. So everyone is welcome to look in the shared drive to see if they like it. The images are actual photographs from AI 10, so that's nice. And then you can use this tab [51:02] Speaker E (unidentified): yeah so we have a draft and it's this is for the annual court piece so we're feeling like it's at a good place and that may be a good next step for chair vice chair you know to take a look at it especially the parts that talk about priorities prioritization so there is content there if you react to but i think it's yours time to lead and drive and add new or replace you know what's there but we feel pretty good about the other components of it which sort of you know recap you know participation it's that prioritization piece so it is in our shared [51:46] Speaker B (unidentified): drive so maybe the next meeting we can we discuss priorities and accordingly would it be helpful [51:55] Speaker E (unidentified): hope for us to renew that prior to the workshop which is scheduled for next month and then at that time be able to discuss any changes generally i think [52:11] Speaker F (unidentified): it's an option that's like a google doc [52:14] Speaker E (unidentified): that we could comment on and yeah we so i think procedurally such that we are not all supposed to be we can offer comments into a document as inputs can be both but working synchronously on the document together technically violates the public meeting room so like you could send so we could send it out. And then the individuals can take a look and then add comments and send them back to you. But we can't have like just a general document that commissioners are building together. It's a demo. But just comments only. And if you have comments to send them back, kind of like you can throw them in but send only we get back to something as typical. [53:08] Speaker D (unidentified): Or we could independently review the current state, [53:13] Speaker E (unidentified): and then bring it to the workshop to discuss. [53:15] Speaker D (unidentified): Yes. But you can't talk to one another? [53:18] Speaker E (unidentified): No, more than two people are allowed to communicate about something at one time. Otherwise, we could hold a meeting to do it together. But outside of that, we can't. Works that way. Actually, can I ask a question, even? So if a number of the parks commissioners were to attend this scheduled Your history walk. Yeah, history walk. Do we need to notice that I [53:51] Speaker C (unidentified): think attending prescheduled events would help? That could happen all the city council meeting or going to any event in a park or something? So I think it's if you're in the same place and time discussing parks commission business that would be considered a meeting, but if you're just attending another pre-scheduled event, I'm not corporation council for the city, but I think I'll be taking a little far, so yeah, great. And if you do want to have a gathering of three or more people, you can do it; you just need to post it and let just know and say you're meeting and we're going to be at this spot and the public could theoretically show up to it and you know in a public location, so can't do it your house, yeah, unless you want to follow up in your house. [54:51] Speaker E (unidentified): Then there, I think you want to speak a little bit about the communication group. I know Steve also sent an email with some notes, but yeah, sometimes he did send it today. [55:18] Speaker A (unidentified): I did notice that, you know, they go out to the whole commission. But Steve is brand new. So we can explain that if someone can help. [55:46] Speaker E (unidentified): Yeah, I can tell them, do you want me to read the letter? [Speaker D (unidentified): He said,] at our last meeting, he's speaking with our person about himself, Steve Campbell, and Counselor Sarah says discuss past efforts and potential future efforts to promote the Parks Department and Parks Connection work. We also reviewed the chart of community organizations. And then I also had to get more detail about past efforts, the goals of the subcommittee to transform potential efforts to 2027. One potential project that we discussed could be an event where the Parks Commission and neighbors would work on a specific project that would generate visibility and collaboration with others. Perhaps with a technical project in a park that doesn't get a lot of attention, but that needs some extra love. Here we could make a difference what happens. You can also build in fun elements into the event to attract neighbors and visitors. This is just the seed of an idea at this point. We'll also begin reviewing, updating, and possibly expanding the fall with collaborators and funders. More to come. And thank you for that committee. And with my service on the Conservancy Board, I would say the Conservancy Board now has like a volunteer coordinator, so it might be worthwhile trying to partner because they're doing actually like every third Thursday; it's like a Thursday situation, so it might be more trying to coordinate with Leila. You did actually reach out to me. Yeah, there's already like a lot of capacity there, so it might be a good plan. Just a question. Is the conservative person working in this facility? [57:48] Speaker C (unidentified): Yep. We have about two offices. Interesting. [57:54] Speaker E (unidentified): Yeah. Interesting. And then I guess I wanted to note that for those who weren't there last month and wanted to sign up for one of the subcommittees, you are welcome. So I think everyone would appreciate the support if you haven't made a selection yet. So there will be opportunity next month to work again on the selection. So think about what you'd like to participate in. So that was my update for that. [58:31] Speaker F (unidentified): Any other agenda items? [58:32] Speaker B (unidentified): It's like 10 minutes or more. [58:34] Speaker E (unidentified): Yeah, next one. [58:36] Speaker F (unidentified): Okay, I'm just curious if there's been any other discussions about Land Bank Park Commission roles. Mental merging? That was sort of a discussion for a little bit. I think at the city level, I'd be curious, you know, from the climate perspective. So maybe next time, maybe an update on that if it's not on the table. That can be the update, but you know, it has been a topic of discussion. So if there was a [59:12] Speaker E (unidentified): discussion, this one, I think there's an openness to pursuing it. The conversation was done with me when I was a terrible John. The share both openness. I think it's on the city now, and the city's lawyers still look at the charter and figure out how to like work them. We have done some work to like articulate that, do things worth like bubbling back up, but it's very much something that I think the challenge has been there's been a lot of work on the plate of that team, and so it just hasn't been priority. Okay, thanks for the [59:53] Speaker F (unidentified): update. And if there is any further updates next time, so be it. If not, then sounds like it's kind of in process. So believe it's very, it's been like, there is a process. Yeah, we've been discussing it. [1:00:06] Speaker C (unidentified): for a long time, yeah, when you were chair of the parks commission, but yeah, it is on the city's plate right now, and we're literally waiting for court counsel to basically come up with a draft for discussion to write to each of the commissions, so we'll keep pushing on that, and yeah, to get some traction, it would help the efficiency of commissioner recruitment, and you know, kind of fill the table, and actually, yeah, just make it a little bit better, their bubble. Nice. Yeah. You're wrong. [1:00:52] Speaker E (unidentified): That we sort of discussed in the meeting was possibly an update of parks and forestry plan that's happening now. And, other guests have [1:01:13] Speaker A (unidentified): have a bit him have jack comment fb yeah that's [1:01:23] Speaker E (unidentified): the speaker that was dave that comes to request for them, thank you, anyone else have any other suggestions, i'll [1:01:37] Speaker C (unidentified): make a quick comment on your theory, oaks interpretive signage, just great, i'm so happy you're working on that because we want more, we're putting more interpretive signage in parts, we're replacing existing interpretive signage, like the casco bay estuary partnership signage at bell louis park, where that's getting replaced and upgraded because you're going to read it was basically faded, who's not going to read it, so i'm a big fan of it, i love that you're working on it, talk to if she's not on your list already, talk to libby biscoff at the kosher map library at usm, i just attended a great presentation by her up changing coastline and waterfront of Portland, and she has access to maps and history. She's a history professor there and teaches Portland history and Maine history. So she should definitely be on your list. [1:02:27] Speaker E (unidentified): Well, i'll reach out. We gave you an action map with a different librarian that came to our library. Oh, good. It was incredible. They're all amazing. Yeah, Eric's the one who just worked with us last month. We went through some of the maps that were spread out. But you can definitely contact Libby because that's great to have more control. [1:02:48] Speaker C (unidentified): She will give you way more information that you'll ever that you'll ever be able to fit on these signs, but we want to have the best information, she's got maps, so yeah, that's great, i [1:03:04] Speaker B (unidentified): have one note regarding material signage, my friend who i think was partially responsible for the pole sign being removed was able to recover the photograph he took of the sign that was up, and i have uploaded that to the we share and drive for anyone who'd like to see it as background material. [1:03:28] Speaker C (unidentified): Which sign was removed? [1:03:30] Speaker B (unidentified): I think it was, I think it was 2011. There was an interpretive sign. [1:03:35] Speaker D (unidentified): I can forward you that too. Yeah, that'd be great. [1:03:38] Speaker B (unidentified): It was like, I think at the entrance of the hearing app. Oh, okay. [1:03:42] Speaker C (unidentified): And there, I think the history was okay, [1:03:45] Speaker B (unidentified): but the imagery was, let's say offensive. Yeah, [1:03:52] Speaker C (unidentified): as you know, there's some interpretive signage in Deering Oaks that is very specific to one element, like the rose garden or the very black hawk, so yeah, having an overarching history would be a missed piece, so. [1:04:07] Speaker B (unidentified): I think that this sign was all about the battle. Yeah. Okay. [1:04:12] Speaker D (unidentified): Good sense. Okay. Who was it first? [1:04:18] Speaker E (unidentified): Who do you think it was? [1:04:19] Speaker B (unidentified): I think it was directly across the board. No. Was it around you, Dan? [1:04:27] Speaker F (unidentified): I think pretty much right off the top. [1:04:30] Speaker B (unidentified): I've never seen it with my own eyes, [1:04:32] Speaker C (unidentified): but I'd rather think [1:04:34] Speaker D (unidentified): that it was the people in the bottom. If there's nothing, yeah, [1:04:49] Speaker E (unidentified): if there's no other items, I guess we can the journey so sorry first like months obviously the week you have a bta opening [1:04:57] Speaker C (unidentified): yeah it'll we're going to do a soft opening this fall so meaning it'll be open to the public princess will be removed i don't have a date yet it's like we're making great progress at foreign concrete last week this week walkways food truck court everything's coming in so people will be able to use it and be in it later this fall probably in october november we're thinking a grand opening will make more sense in the spring just it'll be nicer weather and we can do it in conjunction with the installation of the new sculpture that Gabriel Frey is working on opening my church and it's all in the spring so i'll be just like a big celebration but it'll be open later this fall so no date yet it's very exciting part of it open you know the bike path back open you know so that he's just been trying to like we don't have to prioritize getting that done it's a busy kind of computer down there with all the ships coming and going but yeah the rest of it's in progress mom's schedule though and so far budget so don't keep us out of the way. Real wood, right? Yeah. [1:06:15] Speaker E (unidentified): Oh, so you don't need a vote. You can say motion to adjourn. And then.. [1:06:23] Speaker D (unidentified): Motion to adjourn? [1:06:26] Speaker A (unidentified): Laura. For a second. Excuse me? If someone's like, no. [1:06:31] Speaker D (unidentified): Thanks, everybody. Well, whatever.