Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee

Meeting date: 
Thursday, January 5, 2023
Prospect Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee 
Meeting Minutes
January 5, 2023, 2:00 pm

 

Members Present:  Tina Beavin, Ron Cundiff, Carolyn Embry, John Evans, Doug Farnsley, Lynn Granger, David Holmes, Stuart Miles, Linda Wardell

Members Absent: Sallie Schneider

Others Present: Don Gibson, Anne Shelby, John Shelby, Herb Shulhafer, Lee Tucci

The meeting was called to order at 2 pm.

  • Minutes from the November 14th meeting were approved as written.
  • Former Mayor now Council Member John Evans has joined the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee, and Stuart Miles has rejoined the committee.
  • Mayor Farnsley stated that he is happy to be working with the committee and that he loves and supports the parks.
  • Parks Update:
    • Little Hunting Creek Park Playground
      • The wall behind the playground has been rebuilt to facilitate better drainage of the area and provide more clearance between the playground equipment and the wall.
      • Now that the retaining wall is complete, Public Works Director Ron Cundiff will work with the playground company to schedule the work required to prepare for and install the rubber surface to finish the project.
    • Little Hunting Creek Park Pavilion
      • John Evans has been communicating with various local groups to find out if they are interested in performing there.  Several organizations have indicated their interest including Shakespeare in the Park, Louisville Orchestra, Louisville Chorus, community concert bands, swing bands, and more.
      • City Clerk John Carter has received calls from individuals interested in renting the pavilion for private events.  The Parks & Recreation committee will work with city personnel to determine appropriate usage fees, deposits, and regulations.
    • Parks & Recreation Children’s Program—the event scheduled to take place in the Prospect Library in January will be rescheduled.  Once a new date has been determined, the program will be publicized.
    • Harrods Creek Bridge Project
      • As the bids for this project greatly exceeded the proposed budget, no action was taken to award a contract.  The thought is to wait until mid-summer and re-bid the project.  Herb Shulhafer commented that he does not think prices will come down much in that timeframe.
      • John Evans mentioned that Rob Keeling of Bornstein General Contractors (builders of the Little Hunting Creek pavilion) said he thought that with some design changes, the project cost could be significantly reduced.  The committee and Mayor Farnsley asked that Linda arrange a meeting with Rob Keeling and Steve Emly, our consultant for the project, to discuss his ideas.
    • Putney Pond Boardwalk Project (between City Hall and The Landings)
      • We have been informed by the KY Heritage Land Conservation Fund (KHLCF) that this project in concept does not violate the terms of the conservation easement on the property.  However, to secure approval for the project from KHLCF, we must provide more specific information, such as the route of the boardwalk, timeline, construction materials and methods, etc.  We have entered into a contract with OHM Advisors to develop preliminary design plans to meet this requirement.
    • Trail Maintenance
      • The stream crossing on the Blue Trail of Harrods Creek Park (between the Montero Drive trailhead and the parking lot) has been rebuilt to better withstand heavy rain events.  The stream crossing consists of steps and handrails down the slopes on either side of the stream, and steppingstones in the stream bed.
      • Other maintenance to be done in the spring includes work on the Putney Pond & Woodlands gravel trail from the parking circle to the trailhead and fixing the approach to the new scout bridge on the PP&W woodland trail so that it is less steep.
      • Linda and Ron will find a day to walk the PP&W trails to determine what directional signs are needed to replace the old hand made signs. 
  • Scout Update:
    • One eagle project is in the planning stage in Harrods Creek Park.  Gravel will be installed on the Orange Trail near the parking lot where the trail goes up the slope to connect to the Blue Trail near the swinging bench.  The current trail is quite eroded.  This will probably be done March or April.
    • Linda mentioned that a future eagle project could be to install an information kiosk in Little Hunting Creek park near the pavilion.  This could be used to announce upcoming events as well as park rules.

The meeting was adjourned at 3 pm.  The next committee meeting will take place on Monday February 13, at 5 PM in the Prospect Library of City Hall