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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015.05.07 OSTB Reg Minutes_S MINUTES OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS BOARD REGULAR SESSION May 7, 2015 Plaza One meeting room 530 E. Main St.,Aspen OSTB Present: Graeme Means Howie Mallory Hawk Greenway Tim McFlynn Tai Jacober Dist. 1 Dist. 2 Dist. 3 Dist. 4 Dist. 5 Chair Absent Staff Present: Dale Will, Gary Tennenbaum, Lindsey Utter, Paul Holsinger, Janet Urquhart BOCC Present: Michael Owsley Others Present: Holly McLain, Leslie Thomas, Terry Murray, Suzy Karlinski Graeme Means called the regular session to order at 9:02 a.m. OSTB chair and vice chair Dale Will noted the board's bylaws call for the appointment of a new chair and vice chair at the first meeting in May. Both positions rotate annually by commissioner district, making it Howie Mallory's turn to chair the board, while Hawk Greenway will serve as vice chair. The role of the board chair will be a retreat topic, Will noted. Greenway commended board member Graeme Means for his performance as chairman during his just-completed term at the helm. PUBLIC COMMENT Leslie Thomas urged the board and staff to come up with a plan for horse trailer parking, or at least temporary parking, at Glassier Open Space this summer. She asked that a planned site visit to explore parking options take place. She also said neighbors of Glassier Open Space drowned out other voices during the steering committee process that led to the management plan for the open space. Holly McLain said having the site visit as soon as possible is important. Terry Murray, noting she was not an equestrian any longer, said the open space program was being unresponsive to community needs by failing to address the equestrians' call for parking. She chided the program for failing to follow through with its promise of a site visit. Gary Tennenbaum responded that it was key to get the Carricarte property—which will serve as a parking lot for Glassier recreational users—under contract before discussing parking at Glassier for equestrians. That process took longer than expected, he said. Tennenbaum said a site visit to explore equestrian parking will be set in the next two to three weeks. The Glassier Open Space Management Plan contains no provision for temporary parking, he noted. Dale will explained that the board will be asked later in the meeting to recommend the Board of County Commissioners approve a purchase contract for the Carricarte parcel. A 90-day process to subdivide the parking parcel will then be necessary in Eagle County, he said. The hope is to close on the purchase in September. He also noted that it was Pitkin County's willingness to "go 2015.05.07 OSTB Regular Session Minutes Page 1 of 4 out on a limb" and buy property(Glassier Open Space) in Eagle County that led to the opportunity for new recreational access to the Crown and the discussion about parking. Graeme Means added that the county isn't providing parking for any other recreational users of Glassier this year and urged patience with the slow pace of government. Hawk Greenway commended the Roaring Fork Valley Horse Council for getting involved in discussions about better accommodating equestrians. He asked if the undeveloped parking area at the Carricarte property could be used for parking this summer. Tai Jacober entered the meeting at 9:28 a.m. Leslie Thomas, Holly McLain, Terry Murray and Suzy Karlinski departed the meeting at 9:30 a.m. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Hawk Greenway moved to approve the OSTB regular and executive session minutes of April 23, 2015. Tai Jacober seconded. Motion passed(4-0). Rio Grande Trail Management Plan Lindsey Utter presented the final Rio Grande Trail Management Plan, which she said had seen few changes as a result of the public comment period on the plan. There was support for improved signage on the trail, as well as nodes with amenities like benches and restroom facilities, she said. The plan does not include dirt, single-track"bridle trails,"though a 1999 Roaring Fork Railroad Holding Authority plan for the trail corridor envisioned them. Graeme Means asked for an update on continued rail banking of the Rio Grande Trail corridor. In Pitkin County, that effort affects the trail between Woody Creek Road and Emma, Dale Will said. The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority and some lower-valley governments are at a standoff regarding the continued efforts necessary to ensure the trail qualifies as "banked" for potential future use as a rail corridor, Will said. Language in the Rio Grande Trail Management Plan acknowledges that work within the rail corridor won't hinder its future use for rail, Utter said. Howie Mallory asked if road striping would help with access to the Rio Grande Trail via Gerbaz Way and asked if a "social trail"between the Rio Grande Trail and Woody Creek Tavern should be addressed. The steep social trail should be blocked off, Gary Tennenbaum said. Mallory and Graeme Means commented on the range of uses the trail receives; Utter said the goal is accommodating all uses of the multi-use Rio Grande. Means said he would like to see single- track trail in the corridor where possible, in addition to the hard- and soft-surface elements. He also said he'd like to encourage users of the trail to get to it under their own power, as most do now, and not build too much trailhead parking. Hawk Greenway noted action items in the plan will require a lot of staff work and said he wants to know how that work will be incorporated into the staffs work plan. He also asked how and if new properties that are acquired along the trail would be incorporated into the plan and suggested the maps be updated to reflect such changes. Mallory called for adding the ongoing monitoring of trail use as an action item to the plan. Rio Grande Trail construction Gary Tennenbaum updated the board on Source Gas work that will require a detour of Rio Grande Trail users between Woody Creek Road and the Woody Creek Post Office. The schedule 2015.05.07 OSTB Regular Session Minutes Page 2 of 4 calls for the trail to reopen by Memorial Day. In addition, there will be resurfacing and patch work on the Rio Grande between Upper River Road and Gerbaz Way, he said. Elk Park Phase I Lindsey Utter said staff is moving ahead to seek CDOT approval of the second-low bidder for Phase I of Elk Park, after the low bidder was rejected. The contractor now under consideration, Hudspeth&Associates, has offices in Rifle and elsewhere, she said. Graeme Means said the program has gone too far on the project to stop,but he questioned how park facilities fit within the Open Space and Trails mission. Dale said reimbursement will be sought for some of the cost of Elk Park from the county's Park Fund. The total cost to the county for Phase I will be about $204,000, Lindsey said. She asked the board to recommend that the BOCC approve a$125,547 budget supplemental so that staff can move quickly to get BOCC approval and expedite the project if CDOT approves Hudspeth as the contractor. Ranger Position Change Gary Tennenbaum asked the board to approve an allocation that will create a second full-time ranger for Open Space and Trails. The department wants to make an individual who worked as a wintertime seasonal ranger and is now working as a summer seasonal ranger a full-time employee, as Open Space and Trails needs a second full-time ranger and the individual is working enough hours that health benefits are required, he said. The total cost of the full-time position, including salary and benefits, is about$80,000. Most of the additional cost of$25,000 is related to benefits, Tennenbaum said. BOARD COMMENT Hawk Greenway asked if a camera should be placed on Smuggler Mountain Road so that "public shaming" can be a strategy in dealing with the dog poop problem there. Or,photos of dogs could be made public, he said. He asked if many comments to the draft North Star Management Plan were coming in and passed around a photograph of a pedestrian/bike bridge he saw on the Gunnison River outside of Bridgeport, Colo. that he thought would be a good design for a potential bridge across the Roaring Fork River at Lazy Glen. Graeme Means expressed amazement over the condition of the underside of Stein Bridge; there will be repairs this fall, Lindsey Utter responded. Howie Mallory asked if the Healthy Rivers and Streams Board has commented on the draft North Star Management Plan. Gary Tennenbaum said he received comments from one individual member of the board. BOARD ACTION Board chair and vice chair Hawk Greenway moved to appoint Howie Mallory as chairman of the Open Space and Trails Board with Greenway to serve as vice chair. Mallory seconded. Motion passed(3-0). Rio Grande Trail Management Plan Graeme Means moved to adopt the Rio Grande Trail Management Plan. Hawk Greenway seconded. Motion passed(3-0). Tai Jacober voiced his support for the plan, but was not present when the vote was taken. 2015.05.07 OSTB Regular Session Minutes Page 3 of 4 Elk Park Phase I Hawk moved to recommend the BOCC approve a supplemental budget request for Elk Park Phase I of$125,547 with the intent to seek some amount of reimbursement from the county's Park Fund. Tai Jacober seconded. Motion passed(4-0). Ranger Position Change Tai Jacober moved to create a new full-time ranger position within Open Space and Trails. Hawk Greenway seconded. Motion passed(4-0). EXECUTIVE SESSION The OSTB moved to enter executive session in accordance with CRS 24-6-402(4) (a), (e) and (f) for the purpose of discussing acquisitions, negotiations and personnel at 10:36 a.m. The OSTB adjourned executive session at 1:31 p.m. Howie Mallory departed the meeting at 1:03 p.m. REGULAR SESSION The OSTB reconvened in regular session at 1:31 p.m. ADDITIONAL BOARD ACTION Carricarte Property Purchase Graeme Means moved to recommend the Board of County Commissioners place the Carricarte property under contract for$75,000. Tai Jacober seconded. Motion passed(3-0). Howie Mallory expressed his support for the purchase before he departed. Deer Creek Ranch Purchase Tai Jacober moved to recommend the Board of County Commissioners place Deer Creek Ranch under contract for $2.5 million. Graeme Means seconded. Motion passed(3-0). Howie Mallory expressed his support for the purchase before he departed. ADJOURN The OSTB regular and executive sessions of May 7, 2015 were adjourned at approximately 1:33 p.m. Approved: Attest: *A %l4u9 �1• Howie Mallory, Chair (Janet Urquhart / Pitkin County Open Spa & Trails Board Pitkin County Open Space &Trails Stewardship Outreach Coordinator 2015.05.07 OSTB Regular Session Minutes Page 4 of 4