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MPR Newsletter December 2008DECEMBER 2008 a �a �� �a as ra oa ea wa na sa ra U�U�U'�U�4�U�QgU�U�UgU4U'� na SPARKS & o -a u U� 4U a RECREATION 4v u STAFF: u U Director - Steve Siddoway a U� UN Recreation Coordinators — Colin Moss &Allison Kaptein 9q Recreation Specialist- Greg 4q Farrow 4� �a 1% Parks Superintendent - Elroy Huff .a 4 .ft Maintenance Foreman - Mike ,4 .a Barton U� U� Qq Parks Staff— Spence Chivers, Brad ;q Day, Rick Heller, Debbie Miller, ha Dennis Summers, Terry Whipple, .a a & Dan White U Office Assistant — Janice Smith414 U1 Administrative Secretary — Rachel UU 414 Myers O a� uft 4% PARKS & OT �a u � RECREATION �a COMMISSION: a� IPresident - John Nesmith 4 0% vice President - Creg Steele qq ha Commissioners - Tom LeClaire, a.a w U Phillip Liddell, Bruce MacCoy, U J% Michael Martin, Ashley Williams ;% pft (Youth Advisory Representative), d� I& Steven Yearsley pa U� City Council Liaison David ,a 4 Zaremba 4 a � � a � o -a •a sa .a ma �a ea ra na oau INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 2005 HIGHLIGHTS 2 A YEAR FOR AWARDS 3 GRAND OPENING 4 CELEBRATIONS MERIDIAN'S 5 PATHWAYS - BUILDING CONNECTIVITY WATER 5 MANAGEMENT CAMP MER -IDA -MOO: 6 GIVING KIDS A WORLD OF GOOD �/rEN�IAN,- Department of Parks & Recreation Newsletter City of Meridian • 33 East Broadway Avenue, Suite 206, Meridian, ID 83642 Telephone: 888-3579 • Fax: 898-5501 CITE' OF MERIDIAN LIGHTS THE CHRISTMAS TREE! On December 5th, at Generations Plaza, in downtown Meridian, the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department hosted the 2008 Meridian Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration. Mayor Tammy de Weerd and Doug Petcash of KTVB News Channel 7 emceed the event, which started at 6:00 pm, with a special showing of the cartoon, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", on the same inflatable movie screen that's used for CableONE Movie Night in Meridian. The following ceremony included performances from three local school choirs, the announcing of the Holiday Essay Contest winners, and the arrival of Santa Claus! The turnout was fantastic for this year's event, as over 1,000 people showed up to witness the lighting of Meridian's tree. After the ceremony was over, kids had the opportunity to visit with Santa Claus (pictured left), and everyone was treated to free horse- drawn carriage rides. Free donuts from Krispy Kreme and free hot chocolate from The Library Coffeehouse were available as well. Also at the event was the Meridian Downtown Business Association, which had hot soup for sale, and the US Marine Corps with their Toys for Tots drop box. Thank you to all the businesses, organizations and individuals who helped make the 2008 Meridian Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration a great success! you to aff citizens interested in donatin� y a tree for our annual ' riestmT—kee Jn�itin9 'Ceremony. i a, predate -Vourene uV 111e ay and -our sincere aMpreciatkn, ''Meridian Ark, §' 6 eecreation -4taff 2008 HIGHLIGHTS CableONE Movie Night in Meridian: We had a very successful second season this year. CableONE Movie Night in Meridian runs every Friday night in Settlers Park during June, July, and August. Attendance this year was up, with 1,000-2,000 participants each night totaling 12 shows. It is a fantastic family event that kids of all ages enjoy. We are planning and implementing several improvements, including new lighting and concessions improvements. Adventure Island Playground: The new Sound Garden, Tree of Hope, and Little City of Rocks (pictured below) at Settlers Park opened this past summer to rave reviews by the public. Remaining improvements include shade structures. This area promises to be incredibly popular with children and - adults alike. We are working with Angela and Darin Lindig to prepare the donor recognition this winter in preparation for a Commemoration Ceremony planned for early next summer. Splash Pad Improvements: We installed a UV system for water treatment at the Settlers Park Splash Pad. Weekly super -chlorination, signage, and regular testing are also part of the solution. Staff worked hard to have everything installed and functioning last winter/spring prior to opening the Splash Pad on Memorial Day weekend. Seasonal Splash Pad Attendants were hired to be on site on a daily basis. PAGE 2 front of the old Branch Library with three new tree wells and four new tree wells at various locations around downtown. We are also working with Meridian Development Corporation to install new benches, trash receptacles, and other improvements in the downtown area. 4th of July Event: The City of Meridian teamed up with the Meridian Speedway for the first time to produce a spectacular event. The Meridian Speedway's annual fireworks show was bigger and better than previous years, plus a family -friendly alcohol - free event was hosted by the Meridian Parks & Recreation Department in Storey Park adjacent to the Speedway, which included bounce houses, a climbing all and a live band. Meridian residents (pictured above) flocked to both the Speedway and to Storey Park to enjoy the festivities. The Meridian Speedway and the City of Meridian plan to continue their partnership to bring a similar event to downtown Meridian in future years by making this an annual event. Expansion in Sports League Offerings: Meridian Parks & Recreation added several new sports leagues in 2008 in their continuous effort to provide a variety of recreational opportunities for all ages. New sports leagues include a Spring Girl's Fastpitch League, Fall Girl's Fastpitch League, a Women's Volleyball League, Adult Dodgeball League, and a Women's Basketball League. Field Usage Scheduling: As part of our turf management program, we are working on a new system for scheduling sports fields in the parks. In 2007, we experienced Settlers Village Square: Settlers Village Square is the overuse of several fields, especially in Settlers Park, next series of improvements to Meridian Settlers Park which resulted in damage to the turf, worn areas, and will be built in three phases. The first phase of and required rehabilitation. We are now requiring Settlers Village Square is currently under construction A scheduling of fields for both practices and games. and will include two tennis courts, horseshoe pits, two picnic shelters, and other related improvements. Phase one will be completed in the summer of 2009. Barn Sour Race: June 28 was the Barn Sour Race, which begins and ends in Settlers Park. This year's event included over 100 participants in three categories --a 1 -mile fun run, as well as 6K and 10K events. The race was followed by an awards ceremony and raffle with great prizes. The feedback received afterward was that it was a great event, well - organized, and one of the better race events in the Treasure Valley. Downtown Streetscape: Downtown streetscape improvement projects this year include a new streetscape in Arbor Day: We held an Arbor Day Celebration on April 24 at the Meridian Technical Charter High School on Locust Grove. We planted a tree for the school with the help of several students. The Mayor read a proclamation, and we honored the school for a recent volunteer effort to plant several trees in Heroes Park. Public Presentations: We have created a traveling presentation that highlights the parks, sports, and recreation programs that we offer. This past summer, we made several public presentations to organizations across the City, including Kiwanis Daybreakers, Leadership Meridian, Meridian Chamber of Commerce, and the Noon Kiwanis group. (continued on page 3) During this past summer, we received notification from Nickelodeon stating we have won a Parent's Picks Award. The awards went to Settlers Park/Adventure Island Playground for the best park/playground in the Boise area. We actually won two categories --best park for young children and best park for older children. Above: Children enjoy playing with the equipment at the Adventure Island Playground at Settlers Park. (photo courtesy ofAmerican Society of Landscape Architects) The Parks & Recreation Department was honored to receive three Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) Achievement Awards, which were presented at the June 2008 annual conference held in Boise. The first of the three prestigious awards was for CableONE Movie Night at Settlers Park offering a community gathering place every weekend over the summer months and providing a safe, family - friendly atmosphere. The Meridian Youth Baseball and Softball complex received recognition for meeting the demands of youth baseball in the Pacific Northwest. This facility is approximately worth $3.5 million and only cost the City under $2.1 million to build, thanks to our valuable Above (Top Row -Left to Right): Fire Chief Ron Anderson, Rural Fire Commissioner Rich Greene, City AttorneylHuman Resources Director Bill Nary, Parks & Recreation Director Steve Siddoway, City Council Member David Zaremba, & City Council Member Keith Bird. (Bottom Row -Left to Right): Twin Falls Mayor Lance Clow, Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd, & Council Member Charles Rountree. partnership with the Meridian Youth Baseball & Softball organization and Trace Leighton. The third award was for PAGE 3 the implementation of the updated Meridian Pathways Master Plan. The long-term vision of this plan is to expand and improve a bike/ pedestrian pathway system throughout the City, which remains a high priority for Meridian benefiting both residents and non-residents alike. On September 24, 2008, the Leighton Family Baseball Complex at Settlers Park was presented the "Outstanding Facility and Parks: Special Use" award at the Idaho Recreation and Parks Association (IRPA) Conference in Orofino. This award was presented in recognition of outstanding effort in the parks and recreation field statewide. We are honored to have this baseball/softball complex recognized as one of the best in the state and region. The new ballfields provide a place to play for over 1,400 children ages 5 to 15 in the Meridian Youth Baseball & Softball programs, plus additional leagues hosted by the Meridian Parks & Recreation Department. 2008 HIGHLIGHTS (continued from page 2) We are working hard to tell the story of Meridian Parks & Recreation throughout the community. If any groups would like a presentation made to their organization, please contact Rachel Myers, at 888-3579. Julius M. Kleiner Park: This park will be a jewel in our park system. It is planned to be developed and donated to the City of Meridian by the Julius M. Kleiner Park Land Trust. At 60 acres, it will be our largest park located adjacent to the proposed Lifestyle Development Shopping Center on the corner of Eagle Road and Fairview Avenue. The current property owners are selecting a design team to move forward with concept design and construction documents with the goal of breaking ground next year. The theme of this park will be dedicated to more traditional, passive park uses, instead of the sports facilities that dominate most of our other existing parks today. Heroes Park: We held a ceremony on August 6, 2008 for wonderful grand opening Heroes Park. Two Park Legacy Awards were presented as part of the ceremony --one to FarWest LLC, and one to Primeland Development Company for their donations of land and other resources to the park. At no cost to the City of Meridian, Farwest, LL.C. donated the 5.09 acres of land to assist in bringing Heroes Park to fruition. The total value of developer -provided acreage is $254,500. In addition, at no cost to the City of Meridian, Primeland Development Company donated 4.473 acres of land. A cash donation of $40,000 was contributed, and Primeland Development provided other improvements. The total value of the developer -provided contribution is $400,000. The City of Meridian owns Heroes Park and has a partnership with the Meridian Police Activities League (MPAL). MPAL will contribute $650,000 toward the construction of the park in return for priority use of the park during their soccer and inline hockey seasons, which are used exclusively to support youth games and practices. Other park users have full access to the park during non- scheduled times. The construction of Phase 1 of Heroes Park began in August of 2005, which included: underground utilities; a playing field — graded, seeded, and turf, a sprinkler irrigation system; a parking lot and pathways paved; and curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. The construction of Phase 2 began in May of 2008 with the landscaping, tree planting, and installation of the inline hockey court. Future improvements to Heroes Park (phase 3) are scheduled for 2008-09. They include: a restroom/ maintenance/ concessions building; a playground - swings, benches, and softfall; a paved pathway; additional landscaping and trees (north end); two picnic shelters; trash receptacles and signage; and a Ten Mile frontage upgrade. Many thanks go the companies that assisted with the construction: Haemker General Contracting; Boise Excavation, LLC; Stanley Consultants; Brooks Design Group; C & A Paving; and The Turf Corporation. Renaissance Park: The name Renaissance Park was approved by the City Council in January. Renaissance Park is the neighborhood park in Messina Meadows Subdivision and was built over the past year through Tuscany Development, Inc. At no Meridian, Tuscany Development, Inc grading, irrigation, landscaping and along with countless hours of project management to bring Renaissance Park to fruition. The total value of developer -provided improvements is $1.45 million. The name Renaissance Park was submitted for consideration by a resident in the subdivision, Dave Ozmon, and fits the Italianate theme of the subdivision. The Grand Opening Ceremony was held on June 6, 2008, including a nice ceremony and ribbon cutting. We would like to recognize Haemker General Contracting and Sterling Landscape Design and Construction for their involvement with the park construction. PAGE 4 a partnership with cost to the City of donated the land, other improvements Heritage Middle School Ballfields: The School District and City Council approved the agreement for use of the ballfields at Heritage Middle School in May. This is a valuable partnership and allows us to begin our new Girl's Fastpitch Softball league. The fields are also used by the Senior Wood Bat League and can be used in the future for tournaments. We held a Grand Opening Ceremony for the HMS ballfields on May 21, 2008. It was a small, but nice ceremony, with recognition of the valuable partnership between the Joint School District #2 and the City. Dr. Linda Clark through out the first pitch. The City of Meridian would like to thank retak Fy ,��' terns +3+o E. Fairview Avenue, McriJian Piro ne: 888-2+1-+ for decorating the City Hall Christmas Tree located in the foyer and Providing all of the decor! MERIDIAN'S PATHWAYS - BUILDING CONNECTIVITY Pictured Below (Left to Right): Meridian Parks & Recreation Commissioners Michael Martin, Vice President Creg Steele, and Phillip Liddell identifying and prioritizing pathway segments. The Parks & Recreation Commission has been working toward prioritizing pathway segments. The Pathways Master Plan divides future pathway segments into those that will be development driven and those that will need to be constructed by the City in built -out areas of town. First priority will be improving connections from the existing Bud Porter Pathway to the east connecting from Meridian Road to Fairview Avenue. The Parks & Recreation Department is working with the Interim Pathways Planner from the Planning Department in assisting us with pathway implementation, such as writing staff reports, inspecting new developments for required improvements, and helping us find creative funding solutions. The 8th Street Pedestrian Crossing Project will connect from the Bud Porter Pathway to 8th Street Park. A Floodplain No Rise Certification was approved this past spring, and we have been working over the summer months to secure M11104 0 011,40r RMOUM\ Having witnessed the effects of water shortages in many sections of the country during the past decade, we can appreciate the value and need for the conservation of water. Thus, since scientists forecast more extensive droughts throughout the next decade, we must become more conscious of water use. Only through careful management of our water resources can we now expect to have adequate water supplies for turf grass irrigation in the 21st Century. The City of Meridian is committed to water conservation, which, in turn, improves turf quality and field playability. Both of these effects are products of a properly designed and managed irrigation system. Simply installing an irrigation system to provide coverage to a sports field or common area does not constitute design. Climatic conditions, root zone properties, grass species, turf use, and water source must all be considered. In addition, pipe size, nozzle diameter, operating pressure, and sprinkler head spacing, and the rate and uniformity of application of water must also be considered. Efficient use �k6' Above (Left to Right): Commissioners Tom LeClaire, Phillip Liddell, Steven ly, arsley, PresidentTohn Nesmith, and Director Steve Siddoway at the Meridian Parks & Recreation Commission Pathways Workshop -August 2008. 7 PAGE 5 needed approvals from the Nampa Meridian Irrigation District (NMID), Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Water Resources. NMID approved the plans for a culvert crossing and pathway connection. This project will be built in two phases. During the first phase, a culvert will be installed. For the second phase, asphalt will be added with the anticipation of the overall project to be finished in the spring of 2009. of water will, in time, become the most important design consideration for an irrigation system. We conserve water by careful irrigation design, proper turf grass selection, and a system that monitors weather conditions and automatically adjust station run times or the number of days between watering to replace only the water our turf grass requires. The Parks & Recreation Department has formed a partnership with the Public Works Department. Together, we are working to utilize highly -treated reclaimed water in place of irrigation water on our parks and open spaces to help conserve and reuse our valued water resource. PAGE 6 MEET THE STAFF The Meridian Parks & Recreation Department received a new Director, Steve Siddoway, in January of 2008 after serving as Interim Director for five months. Prior to this, he has been employed by Parametrix, Inc. since 2006 as the Planning Division Manager. Steve was also employed by the City of Meridian from 1999 to 2006 in the Planning Department and was later appointed and served on the Planning and Zoning Commission in January 2007. Steve is a resident of Meridian, is an AICP certified planner, and holds a master's degree in Resource Recreation and Tourism. Rachel Myers is the newest staff member to the Department. She began employment with the City of Meridian in April 2008 Above (Top Row -Left to Right): Brad Day, Jeremy Aldrich, Dennis Summers, Dan White, Elroy Huff, Spence Chivers, and provides clerical Steve Siddoway, Terry Whipple, Rick Heller, & Greg Farrow. support to the team as Administrative Secretary. (Bottom Row -Left to Right): Mike Barton, Rachel Myers, Janice Smith, Colin Moss, Allison Kaptein, & Debbie Miller. Prior to her new role, she worked in the Nampa School District #131 for six years at various secondary schools, including East Valley Middle School, Columbia High School, and Skyview High School. Her job titles ranged from Administrative Assistant to Bookkeeper/ Secretary. She resides with her husband and three children in Nampa. Camp Mer -IDA -Moo is Meridian Parks & Recreation's traditional day camp for kids ages 6-11. The camp starts daily, at 7:30 a.m., ends at 5:30 p.m., and is non-stop fun in between! Camp Mer -IDA -Moo was started in the summer of 2003 and has grown by leaps and bounds. What was once a short week-long camp is now a full summer -long day camp, eight weeks in length, at two different sites in the City. Each site has a capacity for fifty kids throughout the day. In the summer of 2007, we averaged only 43 kids per week between the two sites. This past summer, we had an average of 62 kids per week! Parents registered their kids for week-long "sessions". Each weekly session has a theme. All activities, games, art projects, science projects, and the weekly field trip relate to the theme of the session. Summer 2009 will bring a few changes for Camp Mer -IDA -Moo. With the opening of the new Community Center, we will be able to make a few necessary and exciting updates. We will continue to have two camp sites, continue with the one location at Mary McPherson Elementary, and open a second location at the new Community Center. The Community Center site located at 201 E. Idaho (formerly the Boys & Girls Club building), will allow us to have a higher capacity for campers and will be able to have camp for the entire summer. The first week of camp at the Community Center will be the first full week that kids are out of school (2009), and the last week of camp will be the last week before school starts. The first week of camp at Mary McPherson Elementary School will be June 15, 2009. The last will be the week of August 3. The Mission of the Meridian Parks & Recreation Department is to enhance the community's quality of life by providing well-designed and properly maintained parks and recreational opportunities for all citizens. Visit onr website at: www.meridiancity.org/parks_ree