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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016_11_03 OSTB Reg Minutes_S MINUTES OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS BOARD REGULAR SESSION Nov. 3, 2016 Snowmass Village Town Hall 130 Kearns Road, Snowmass Village OSTB Present: Graeme Means Howie Mallory Hawk Greenway Tim McFlynn Wayne Ives Dist. 1 Dist. 2 Dist. 3 Dist. 4 Dist. 5 Absent i Chair OST Staff Present: Gary Tennenbaum, John Armstrong, Fran Soroka, Janet Urquhart Town of Snowmass Village Staff Present: Clint Kinney, Andy Worline, Starr Jamison Hawk Greenway called the meeting to order at 9:07 a.m. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comment APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Howie Mallory moved to approve the minutes of Oct. 20, 2016 as amended. Wayne Ives seconded. Motion passed(4-0). Town of Snowmass Village Parks, Open Space, Trails and Recreation Plan Gary Tennenbaum said OST and the Town of Snowmass Village have a successful partnership that will be furthered by the town's recent adoption of a Parks, Open Space, Trails and Recreation Plan. He introduced Snowmass Town Manager Clint Kinney, Parks and Recreation Director Andy Worline and Starr Jamison, parks and trails manager. Andy Worline gave an overview of the POSTR Plan, which was adopted by the Snowmass Village Town Council on Oct. 10. It is the first such plan for the town and includes everything the town might want to do in parks, open space, trails and recreating planning in the coming years. Worline explained the public input that went into the plan. Hawk Greenway asked if citizen input included requests to leave property untouched by recreation. Yes, Worline responded. The focus of the planning began with addressing what Snowmass Village visitors would want, but shifted to address what the local populace feels is important, Kinney said. Public input led to establishing priorities, such as a bike park,but specifics such as location and funding for such a project are not addressed, Worline said. Residents also chose redesigning the Rodeo Grounds and finishing Town Park as priorities, he noted. Dale Will entered the meeting at 9:30 a.m. McFlynn asked how implementation of the plan will be funded. The town has a real estate transfer tax that helps fund parks, recreation and trails,but some capital improvements may need voter approval, Worline responded. Now that the town has a plan, it can budget for projects. The 11/03/2016 OSTB Regular Session Minutes Page 1 of 3 RETT generates about $1 million a year for parks and recreation, he said. The adoption of the plan gives OST greater opportunities to partner with the town on future priorities, said Gary Tennenbaum. Trails were a hot topic, according to Worline, but the town's Trails Committee stressed maintaining what already exists before building new trails. Some town open spaces are included within the Sky Mountain Park Management Plan and will be addressed when the plan is updated. Tennenbaum said. Dale Will noted both the county and city of Aspen put permanent restrictions on development of open space and asked about similar protection for Snowmass Village open spaces to ensure they aren't converted to some other use at some point in the future. The permanence of open space is necessary in order for OST to help fund projects on Snowmass Village open space, McFlynn said. A conservation easement held by a third party can accomplish that goal, Will added. The POSTR plan also addressed recreation programming, looks at the economic impact of recreation and funding strategies for pursuing goals within the plan. Tim McFlynn said philanthropy should be included as a funding strategy,but said permanently protecting open space will be key to securing donor contributions. On the topic of trails, Kinney said conflicts/safety on trails will be a big issue for the town. Multi-use trails deserve a broader discussion, Mallory said. Tim McFlynn suggested some bike- free trails in the county would be appropriate. Tennenbaum suggested it may be time for OST and Snowmass Village rangers to have joint jurisdiction on some properties or trails. John Armstrong also urged an intergovernmental agreement to allow OST and Snowmass Village rangers to enforce the rules outside their respective jurisdictions where it is appropriate. Tennenbaum said such an agreement is on his task for the coming winter. There is concern in the town that OST ranger enforcement within Snowmass Village will be too broad, he acknowledged. John Ely entered the meeting at 10:20 a.m. Matt Adeletti entered the meeting at 10:24 a.m. Howie Mallory said he was encouraged to see Snowmass Village becoming less "insular,"but said he would like to see the town embrace recreational connectivity not only within the town limits, but with the county, the city of Aspen and the Snowmass Creek Valley. Evolving electric bike technology could be a game changer that all jurisdictions will need to address, he predicted. Mallory also said he wanted to seek more in the plan regarding protection of wildlife habitat. There is a section addressing what the town does now to protect habitat, Worline responded. Board members generally praised the planning effort and urged formal protection of Snowmass Village open spaces so that future conversion is not an issue. Hawk Greenway commended the town for recognizing the economic impact of recreational amenities. BOARD COMMENTS Howie Mallory thanked Gary Tennenbaum for his patience in explaining the 2017 budget. Tim McFlynn thanked all who have volunteered their time to the reauthorization campaign. McFlynn also expressed concern that the management planning for the city of Aspen's Cozy Point Ranch 11/03/2016 OSTB Regular Session Minutes Page 2 of 3 was not a regional enough effort to ensure uses go where they can best be accommodated. He said he is concerned that some uses would be sacrificed if the potential within the greater assemblage of open spaces aren't considered in the planning. McFlynn suggested OST take the lead in regional planning. Finally, he asked that OST brainstorm on ways to incorporate use of the latest technology to facilitate board meetings and allow broader participation on the board. Board meetings will be a discussion topic at the OSTB's Nov. 17 meeting, Tennenbaum said. EXECUTIVE SESSION The OSTB moved to enter into executive session in accordance with CRS 24-6-402(4) (a) and (e) for the purpose of discussing acquisitions and negotiations, at 10:52 a.m. The OSTB adjourned executive session at approximately 12:12 p.m. REGULAR SESSION The OSTB reconvened in regular session at 12:12 p.m. BOARD ACTION Rolland and Mamie acquisition Tim McFlynn moved to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners acquire the Rolland and Mamie inholding in the upper Hunter Creek Valley, which is the last known developable parcel in the valley above the national forest boundary,for$1.3 million plus a TDR to be issued to the seller, or for$1.5 million with no TDR. Howie Mallory seconded. Motion passed(4-0). Discussion Tim McFlynn acknowledged a$100,000 anonymous contribution to the Rolland and Mamie purchase and said the acquisition was an example of patience and perseverance that culminates 40-plus years of community efforts to preserve the Hunter Creek Valley from development. He noted there was, at one time, a proposal to put 1,400 homes in the valley, leading the community to battle for its inclusion in the national forest. Securing access to the valley involved yet another community effort, he added. ADJOURN The OSTB regular and executive sessions of Nov. 3, 2016 were adjourned at approximately 12:21 p.m. Approved: Attest: Hawk Greenway, Chair Janet rquhart Pitkin County Open Space rails Board 9WStewardship and Outreach Coordinator 11/03/2016 OSTB Regular Session Minutes Page 3 of 3