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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-18 PARC U �d r�\PE'ACE � � a x x 1865 OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK KAREEMAH FOWLER, CITY CLERK PARC COMMITTEE JUNE 25, 2018 4:00 P.M. Committee Members Present: Sharon L. McBride, Gavin Ferlic, Oliver Davis, John Voorde, Erin Patzkowsky (citizen member), John Mazurkiewicz (citizen member) Committee Members Absent: None Other Council Present: Regina Williams-Preston, Jake Teshka, Karen White, Jo M. Broden Other Council Absent: Tim Scott Others Present: Bianca Tirado, Graham Sparks, Bob Palmer, Casey Colvin, Gabriel Murei, David Boling, Elivet Navarro Presenters: Aaron Perri, Steve Sass Agenda: Update- Ecological Advocacy Committee (EAC), Aaron Perri and Steve Sass Update- Charles Black Center, Aaron Perri-Venues, Parks &Arts Committee Chair Sharon L. McBride called to order the PARC Committee meeting at 4:00 p.m. She introduced members of the Committee and proceed to give the floor to the presenters. Update-Ecological Advocacy Committee (EAC), Aaron Perri and Steve Sass Aaron Perri, Executive Director of Venues, Parks & Arts with offices at 321 E. Walter Street, stated, I wanted to start off today by introducing you all to the Chair of our Ecological Advocacy Committee, Steve Sass. Those of you that may remember,the EAC was formed in the fall of 2016 to help advise the Parks Department on matters that are of ecological stewardship. They are really the experts. One(1)thing they worked on right away was our Natural Resource Management Plan. I know I've distributed this electronically through the years. I do understand the irony in printing out a Natural Resource Management Plan but I just wanted to make sure you had a copy. He handed out a copy of the plan which is available in the City Clerk's Office. Mr. Perri continued, This was really one (1) of our first major initiatives along with establishing the Park Board. We adopted this last year and now they are onto more policy type things. One (1) of the first things Steve brought to the table was looking at the trees and shrubs.We feel it important to bring in front of you. INTEGRITY1 SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY JENNIFER M.COFFMAN BLANCA L.TIRADO JOSEPH R MOLNAR CHIEF DmTY/DawrOR OF OPERATIONS DEP=/DmE=R OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Blvd.I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.92211 f 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov CITY OF SOUTH BEND ( OFFICE OF THE CLERK Steve Sass, Chair of the Ecological Advocacy Committee with offices located at 321 E. Walter Street, stated, Aaron covered most of what the first slide (referencing a presentation which is available in the City Clerk's Office) talks about. We are in our second (2nd) full year now. We were formed via Park Resolution 004-2016 in August 2016 as an advisory council to the Park Board. So some of the requirements we have within our creating document includes us periodically reporting, not just to the Park Board but also to the PARC Committee. So that is one (1) of the reasons why I am here but I would also like to walk you through the process of how I got to be in front of you today. Mr. Sass continued, So the Natural Resource Management Plan, which you have in front of you, is what we work the most on. The objective we worked the most on lasts was working with the VPA staff in creating this document. The thing we brought to this document primarily was the bottom right hand corner and identified topics of concern. This was intended to be an outline of some of the concerns we have for ecology within the community and, specifically,within the VPA. We broke that down into the six (6) major categories. If we look specifically at the management of trees, there were are few things we outlined. One (1) was the species of the plant. We wanted to take a look at what sorts of things we were recommending to be planted and be ecologically responsible. This includes replanting and restoring native trees. Those are most important to our ecosystem that sustain our whole ecosystem. Plants are the basis for terrestrial food life. We also wanted to take a look at some of the things we had in terms of invasive tree species and what we are doing to curtail planting them. Mr. Sass went on, There were two (2) documents produced by Brent Thompson who is the City Forrester and they are pretty suitable for planting within the South Bend City limits. They were a spreadsheet and a companion PDF document that talks about the various tree species. So I enlisted the aid of a colleague of mine, Amanda Smith, who is from Hamilton County Parks because this is really something that is larger than just South Bend.I consider myself not just to be an ecological advocate for South Bend or St. Joseph County, but for the State as a whole. So we started looking through the lists of the trees which were being recommended to be planted within the City limits and just by looking at the lineage of some of these trees, we have no idea what it is because we weren't identifying it by the full taxonomic name. So we drilled through this and came up with a report. Aaron has a copy of it and I would be happy to send it to anybody that is interested in looking at it. It is a forty-seven (47) page report that assess the tree species that we are recommending be planted by citizens as well as City Planners within the City of South Bend. We really dug into the reasons why we were condoning certain trees and not others. Mr. Sass continued, We broke the trees down into five(5)different categories. The green category are the ones that are pure and native trees. Those are trees that have existed here in their natural forms since the last ice age. Those are the ones with the highest ecological benefit to the wildlife that lives here and the ones who really sustain the ecosystem. The yellow category represents trees that are native to North America and have been cultivated by the nursery industry. They have been bred for desirable shapes and colors as well as trees that were native to North America but not necessarily Indiana or South Bend. The orange grouping are trees that are completely exotic to North America and have been brought here from China, Japan or Eurasia and other temperate zones around the world. They are contributing none or very little to the ecosystem but are not necessarily causing problems, either. Then the pink category are the ones that are the non-native trees that we see signs of jumping cultivation. There are records of these not staying where they were planted. Then the red category represents trees that are actually on the Indiana invasive EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld 1 South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 1`574.235.9173 TM574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 2 I®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK species list as a do not plant and highly invasive tree. Fifty-seven percent(57%) of the species we were recommending be planted in South Bend are not native to North America. That is troubling from an ecological standpoint. Mr. Sass went on, This (referencing a slide in the presentation) is an example of one (1) of the ones in the red category. These are planted every time, it seems, a dollar store is constructed. They make a decent street tree as they have nice form and flowers, but the weakness of these trees is a big deal. These are Asian trees from China and Vietnam. They are very weak and could break during any storm. So the nursery industry decided to create stronger varieties. The original one (1) was considered a sterile tree so it wasn't making fruit or spreading. But when they starting tinkering around with creating new varieties of these it started getting out of control. It is so bad that the DNR has asked for these trees to stop being planted. It is not illegal but they are pleading people to stop planting them. We took our concerns to Brent Thompson,the City Forester, and we had a very nice meeting. Brent identified the fact that he is not planting these trees but they are still being planted through Public Works and other independent contractors. He had mentioned he spoke with people from Public Works to stop planting but it still continued. He cited a couple different ordinances. Ordinance 1913 and 1914 which are the prohibited tree and shrub species list. He mentioned that and that is where it gets tricky from an EAC standpoint. Mr. Sass continued, EAC is an advisory council to the Park Board but this is larger than the Park Board. The Park Board apparently has authority to administer this ordinance but it is on the Council, of course, to write and update these ordinances. So we actually made a formal recommendation and it was sent to the Park Board.I think,also,the PARC Committee should have gotten this letter and formal recommendation. There were three (3) major things. One (1) was to update Ordinances 1913 and 1914 to represent more contemporary means. The Park Board exercises their authority to administer the ordinance so,according to City Code,all of the tree lawn plantings are under the jurisdiction of Park Board. The third (3rd) recommendation was to initiate a public education program to inform people why we shouldn't be planting these things. Even though you can buy them at Lowe's, it is not a good idea to plant these trees. Mr. Sass went on,Specifically we are looking at these two(2)ordinances. Section 19-13 references the Prohibited Species of Trees. Really, looking at the list,the list is there primarily to keep trees which drop things away from sidewalks and things like that. Maples were planted very frequently along streets and sidewalks and they don't make particularly good street trees.They were put there because people didn't like them. They didn't like having nuts or fruits all over the place. But they weren't really done from an ecological standpoint. Some of these are actually native trees such as the soft maple. These trees were also incredibly vague. Willow would pertain to thirty different species of things in Indiana now. I think this Ordinance only pertains to tree and lawn area or along any street. I would ask for clarification on what they mean by tree and lawn area. That would be another reason to look at rewriting this Ordinance. Then 1914 is the Prohibited Species of Shrubs and that is really interesting. The only shrub prohibiting is barberry and the reason for that goes back to before many of us could remember. Those plants were an alternate host to wheat rust and that was a really big deal seventy-five (75) years ago. So much so that they thought to put it into ordinance. Rust-resistant wheat plants have been available since the 1950s so that is no longer an issue. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 227 W.Jefferson Bvld!South Bend,Indiana 466011p574.235.9221If574.235.91731 574.235.5567Iwww.southbendin.gov 3 CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Committee Chair McBride stated, One (1) of the reasons I asked you to come in is because there is some action needing to be taken on these ordinances to reflect the needs of the EAC and the Park Board. Mr. Sass continued, That brings me to my last slide. We are recommending the EAC works with the Council in any way they can to help rewrite these ordinances to figure out how we improve the system of our planting in our City. I also wanted to introduce myself and the EAC to the Council because we are required to do so by ordinance. Councilmember Davis stated, I will join anybody to cosponsor something to update this. Let's get together in the next few weeks. Committeemember Erin Patzkowsky asked, So this isn't just residential, this is all properties, correct? Councilmember Davis interjected, Yes, it is throughout the whole City. Mr. Sass replied, There is a really good opportunity to clarify a lot of this. It is decades old and, I tell Aaron all the time, South Bend is in a great situation to be a State-wide leader in advancing some of these ecological policies. We are a tree city but looking into that, they don't distinguish what kind of trees are required. Councilmember Davis left the meeting at 4:19 p.m. Councilmember Broden stated, So as we go forward, we often have petitioners who can't use perimeter landscaping trees. They ask because they can't do it to volunteer planting trees elsewhere. I would hope perhaps your Committee would look at that. If there is a one (1) to one (1) relationship and those kinds of things. If that property isn't hitting that mark, I want to make sure those plantings can be made. And then other than just trees in considering within the tree lawn,the Bowman Creek Initiative is actually promoting rain gardens. For some individuals,their tree lawn could actually be a place for a rain garden. So maybe rain gardens instead of trees because then you do have an ecological benefit. So there are some trade-offs in some situations for rain gardens or even natural landscaping might be allowed. Committee Chair McBride opened the floor to members of the public. Sue Kesim, 4022 Kennedy Drive, stated, I am a Purdue Master Gardener. I have over five hundred (500) people in Michiana gardeners. I've worked with Unity Gardens for years and one (1) of the suggestions I made to Aaron at one (1) of the Park Board meetings is that the Park Board license arborists. I've seen a lot of bad arboring done in the City and I would like, as part of the tree licensing procedure that happens annually, these petitioners should get updates on invasive trees. There is also a horrible thing called volcano mulching because it actually rots the base of the tree and kills it in about three (3) years. I see that a lot. Topping trees and banning trees in the middle of streets and things like that. I think since the City holds that licensing, I think it would be easy for them to hold a two (2) or three (3) hour seminar they are required to attend to get updates on things I've mentioned as well as best practices. I would be glad, as I am a Master Gardener and having over five hundred(500) people follow me as a gardener, to help with that. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 if574.235.9173 TTD574.235.55671www.southbendin.gov 4 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Councilmember Davis arrived back at the meeting at 4:23 p.m. Update- Charles Black Center, Aaron Perri-Venues, Parks & Arts Mr. Perri stated, I will be rather brief. It is a busy week for our Department. The crediting agency for the National Recreation and Parks Association is in town this week. We are hosting them.They will be in and out of our facilities and parks and we hope to be reaccredited. Less than two percent (2%)of agencies in the country achieve that accreditation.Just last week,also,there are few things that happened that I would like to update you all on. Last week the Park Board signed a renewal of the public-private partnership with the Potawatomi Zoological Society. That is a fifteen (15) year agreement starting January 1St, 2019 but we resigned that in advance of their reaccreditation so they wanted that paperwork in place. With that there will be more opportunities to explore capital investments and that will be discussed more during the budget season. I also invite you all to the National Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference. It is actually in Indianapolis this year. Close to 10,000 people from around the Country attend and it is nearby. It is usually somewhere pretty far away. Mr. Perri continued, The Council asked for some updates on the Charles Black Center. What you see (referencing a presentation available in the City Clerk's Office) here is the new logo. We got some input from some of the users and we talked about the different colors and style. We dropped the Sr. with permission from the family of Charles Black because it confused people thinking it was for seniors only. The general news is that we are on time and on budget. We are looking toward our September 2018 grand opening. I can't say an exact date yet but am saying September. The new exterior and grand entrance is here. The bike shop,music studio and computer room will be with four (4) different partners. The computer room will be helped by the St. Joseph County Library and the South Bend Code School. The gentleman will actually use the bike shop as his bike shop but will teach the kids how to repair and maintain the bikes. The studio will be partnered with the guitar center. Here are some new pictures of the ongoing construction. He then went through pictures on the slides of the presentation available in the City Clerk's Office. Mr. Perri went on, All of the walls and the bones are up. The gym will be twice as large. There will be three (3) basketball courts which will have equipment to have volleyball, pickle ball and other things. It will all be air conditioned. The gym floor will have a different logo. The kids made one (1) for the basketball court. The music studio will be really cool and will have sound proof glass. The storefront to the bike shop will open up right out to the front of the park. There are a lot of upgrades that you will probably never actually see. The entire electrical system is being upgraded to be much more energy efficient as well as safer. There will be new roof insulation as well as a new sign out front.Again,this will be on time and on budget but it brings a much overdue upgrade to that park. We should be able to get irrigation in this summer for the soccer fields in the park as well. We are just waiting on some final notes from the EPA on that. Committee Chair McBride stated, Aaron,that looks amazing. My heart is full because I was born and raised right across the street from LaSalle Park. That is where I learned to play basketball and everything else so I am very pleased to see it happening. Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston stated, I would like to know the changes in terms of programing. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455County-City Building 227W.Jefferson Bvld South Bend,Indiana 46601 p 574.235.9221 if574.235.9173 I TTD574.235.5567 lwww.southbendin.gov 5 ®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK Councilmember Karen White stated, That is my concern, too. I want to make sure there is clarity in regards to the level of programming and who is implementing the programming. Are there people that are actually part of the neighborhood that are a part of the grand opening?I know there is a lot of excitement and I want to make sure individuals have the opportunity to give insight to what that could look like. Mr. Perri replied, I'm not on that Committee myself. Cynthia is leading that and the groundbreaking was pretty inclusive of the neighborhood. So I think it will be the same. Councilmember Jo M. Broden stated, Scale of one (1) to ten (10), the transition of programming during this build out to Navarre. One (1)to ten(10) on the agreement and ease of proceeding with that and to the programming and the participation levels. Where do we stand? Mr. Perri replied, We started off at Navarre and Harrison and that is getting to be pretty tricky. Kids are crossing Western and some people don't know where the programs are. We nixed Harrison and just doubled down on Navarre. A number of people are involved. The number is actually higher than it was than when it was at the Center. So much so that the school doesn't want us to leave. Their concern is what is going to happen to all the kids and we hope they go over to the center. The principal really likes us there. On a scale of one (1) to ten (10) I would probably say nine (9)just because there are some hiccups but it has been positive. Senior programming has moved over to MLK and I think that part would get about a six (6). The two (2) groups don't mix sometimes and seniors are pretty stuck in their ways. Councilmember Broden followed up,And in terms of the budget process going forward,will there be an actual agreement with South Bend Schools for cross-use of facilities? Mr. Perri replied, We do have an existing Interlocal Agreement. The Mayor's Office has been working very closely with them on that. Councilmember Broden stated, I would like to get an actual formal Committee in place to push that conversation. Committeemember John Mazurkiewicz stated,As I did this morning I will be doing the rest of this week because the folks in my neighborhood are a little freaked out about what happened over the weekend over at the boat house. It was a random act. I will be down there fishing and you should come join me this week. I will be down there every morning this week just so that my neighbors know it is perfectly safe. It is safe,I feel safe and everybody should. Come down and come fishing with me. Committee Chair McBride then opened the floor to the public. Sue Kesim, 4022 Kennedy Drive, stated, I have been on the AARP Board for seven(7) years with seniors. As you know, I advocate for seniors quite frequently. I was concerned that seniors are being left out of the picture. So you have some idea, there is over 54,000 people over the age of fifty(50). It is not a small number. I called Jonathan and I gave him over thirty (30)programming ideas for seniors because just having playing cards on there is unacceptable to me. I'm sorry but you have to bring it up a little. I think maybe even thirty-five (35) suggestions for seniors. Once again, I'm advocating for seniors. EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.91731 TTD 574.235.5567 I www.southbendin.gov 6 CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK With no further business, Committee Chair McBride adjourned the PARC Committee meeting at 4:36 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, L—Aw �i(�t� Sharon McBride C�e Chair EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT 455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 -FM 574.235.5567;www.southbendin.gov 7