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2015 Annual Parks and Rec Newsletter2015 Annual Newsletter ► / _T- 7 t �� �� Welcome Steve Siddoway Director Meridian Parks and Recreation Inside... Director's Message Staff Honors, Awards & Grants Department Achievements Meridian Parks & Recreation Commission Photo Gallery Volunteers and Partnerships Looking Toward the Future Parks & Recreation By the Numbers The Meridian Parks and Recreation Department has developed a solid reputation for providing clean, safe and fun park experiences to the public. While our core values remain the same, our department continues evolving to meet the needs of the future. During the past decade we've navigated unprecedented growth, thrived despite an uncertain economy, cultivated partnerships and philanthropic relationships that support our park system, introduced exciting new park amenities, and initiated processes to make it easier for you to spend quality time in your favorite parks. While we take great pride in our past accomplishments and our latest achievements — such as our new Settlers Park Tennis Complex and the extremely popular Storey Bark Park — we are far from content to rest on our laurels. 2015 was a year of intense planning for our department, as we worked to craft a new Master Plan which will guide our decision-making and action for the next decade. Development of this plan took place from December 2014 to December 2015, and included a public input process, services inventory and analysis, needs assessment, operational and maintenance analysis, and financial review. You can read more about our planning efforts on page 11 of this annual newsletter. I invite you all to discover, or rediscover, the world of Meridian Parks and Recreation. While some things may be familiar to you, I think you'll find that we are evolving into a better, brighter department that is more responsive, easier to navigate and continues to provide quality recreational opportunities for Meridian families. Parks and Recreation Staff M+ - "I'', w"MA City Leadership Mayor of Meridian: Tammy de Weerd Meridian City Council: Keith Bird*, Joe Borton, Luke Cavener, Genesis Milam, Charlie Rountree, David Zaremba * City Council Liaison to Parks and Recreation Department Meridian Parks & Recreation Commission: President: Matt Stoll Commissioners: Treg Bernt, Sharon Borton, William Fitzgerald, Kent Goldthorpe, Phillip Liddell, John Nesmith, 3 Sam . P�..nntabiljt, e �s The Meridian Way �y`E IDoAN Recreation Coordinator Garrett White (below) was named the City of Meridian's Supervisor of the Year for 2015. Parks Maintenance Foreman Roger Norberg was presented with a Meridian Way Gold Coin by Mayor Tammy de Weerd for his ongoing demonstration of the City's core values of Customer Service, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence. Supervisor of the Year Garrett White Year of Achievement 2015 was a banner year for the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department! On April 24, we hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and family tennis fair to celebrate the completion of our new tennis court complex in Settlers Park. Since its opening, the seven full-sized tennis courts and three mini courts, designed for dual use by both youth tennis and pickle ball players, have been in nearly constant use. Additional improvements in Settlers Park included a replacement of the safety surfacing at Adventure Island Playground, a new drinking fountain with a bottle filler, and security system upgrades. Other parks and public spaces received welcome enhancements during the year, as well. Kleiner Park received a much-needed shade structure to shield its concession stand from the heat of the summer sun, as well as additional pond fountains. Work was also done on its splash pad plumbing, amphitheater, and parking lot drains. The Parks and Recreation Commission is continuing to work with the Kleiner Park Trust to explore additional shade options for Kleiner Park — an important park amenity desired by many park patrons. Our 3rd Annual Gene Kleiner Day Celebration on June 13th included unveiling of a new bronze statue in the likeness of Gene Kleiner's grandson, Ben. It is located near the playground and splash pad. New charcoal grills for public use, purchased with proceeds from the Parks and Recreation Department's Disc Golf Fall Classic event in October 2014, were added to picnic shelters in Tully and Storey Parks. Closer to City Hall, the Parks crew installed sidewalk markers to identify significant stops along the new Historical Walking Tour route. Thanks to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, Idaho Avenue received a new stretch of sidewalk designed to enhance the safety of pedestrians and children walking to and from nearby schools and community centers. Several of Meridian's parks also have a new safety feature. As part of the City's HeartSafe Meridian intiative, 14 automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) have been placed in City parks and ball fields for use by citizens during medical emergencies. After successfully completing hand -on training provided by the Meridian Fire Department, every member of the Meridian Parks and Recreation Staff is now CPR and AED certified. The Heartsafe Meridian program is a long-term plan to increase the public's awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and promote early access to EMS, CPR, and defibrillation. While several additional City parks are in the early planning stages, one came to fruition during 2015 and has been welcoming an abundance of two- and four -legged park patrons. Storey Bark Park — Meridian's first dedicated dog park — celebrated its grand opening with a large leash -cutting celebration on August 12th. People and their pets enjoyed live music, prize drawings, vendor booths, goody bags, and the opportunity explore the park for the very first time. Among its most popular amenities are a collection of agility items donated to the park by Intermountain Pet Hospital, a local veterinary clinic and pet lodge. Pawsitively Award Winning In late November, Meridian's Storey Bark Park received the 2015 Outstanding Facility & Parks Award from the Idaho Recreation and Park Association. Since its opening, the dog park's popularity has continued to grow. On Halloween, the park hosted the Howl -O -Woof Pooch Parade & Costume Contest, attended by more than 75 costumed dogs and their owners. In December it is serving as the collection site for the Food for Furry Friends holiday pet food and supply drive. Items collected from the public will be distributed to Treasure Valley pet owners in need through local food banks and shelters. Storey Bark Park Grand Opening: August 12, 2015 OCORFI- BARk PARK Opening Soon Gr -„d Opening Celebration Wedn ,,s1,, August 12 -4:00 pm A Year of Achievements Pathways & Trails Pathways and trails, and the connectivity they provide, continue to be a top priority for Meridian residents, and an updated Pathway Network Map was adopted from amendments made to the Pathways Master Plan by City Council in May 2015. During the year, work continued to secure easements, agreements, permits and design documents to extend the portion of the proposed Five Mile Creek Pathway Segment H2 that will run between Badley and Fairview Avenues. We are also working with ACHD and the Meridian Development Corporation on a project to reconstruct Pine Avenue from Meridian Road to Locust Grove Road which will include sidewalk and pathway connections. The project is projected for construction in 2018. Opportunities are also being evaluated for full implementation of the Five Mile Creek Pathway from Interstate 84 to the Canyon County line. Funding was secured in FY16 to pursue easements to fill the gaps in the pathway from Black Cat to Eagle Roads. As part of the project, three sections of sidewalk adjacent to Linder, E. James Court and Pine will be widened to provide pedestrian access between existing pathway segments. To the north, we are taking steps to foster a partnership with the City of Eagle in pursuit of a pathway connection between the future Meridian park property adjacent to the Boise River, Eagle Island Park and the Boise River Greenbelt. As funding allows, we also wish to expand our comprehensive pathway network informational, directional and interpretive package to include signage, distance markings and a parks & pathways guide. We also continued to assist the City's Community Development and Public Works Department with implementation of the Meridian Rail -With -Trail Action Plan, with the ultimate goal of creating an east -west pathway connection using the existing rail corridor. Construction documents for the first half -mile segment of the pathway will be prepared in the coming year and a pair of federal grants will fund construction in FY18/19. We worked with the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) to install a HAWK signal on Meridian Road at East James Court for Bud Porter Pathway users to cross safely to connect to the Jackson Drain Pathway. Additional recommendations supporting the long-term vision for Meridian's pathway system are addressed in the Parks and Recreation Department's recent Master Planning efforts. Sports Meridian's adult sports programs continued to grow at an impressive rate during 2015, with full -capacity league play and tournaments in basketball, softball, flag football, and volleyball. In all, we ran 9 sports leagues with 531 teams comprised of 5,111 players. To accommodate this growing participation, the beginning and ending dates of several of the sports periods are being adjusted to allow for four seasons of league play rather than three, as previously provided. One of the program's ongoing challenges remains the need for additional outdoor playing fields and indoor gym space. Fortunately, we've been able to establish a use agreement for gym space with the Meridian Boys and Girls Club for when its new facility opens in 2016. We've also negotiated similar use agreements with Heritage Middle School and with the future Victory Middle School being constructed on Stoddard Road. In the meantime, the Parks and Recreation staff continues to take great care in grooming and maintaining the City's playing fields and sports venues during their period of heavy use. In the near future, the Harold Cox softball field at Storey Park will receive new lighting and a new Recreation Manager position will be filled by an individual who will supervise the department's functions involving sports programming, class offerings, and special events. A f i It Camp Mer -Ida -Moo Field Trip Classes, Camps & Activities Again during 2015 we offered a full slate of classes, camps, and activities designed to appeal to people of all ages and interests. Our camps were especially popular. The Camp Mer -Ida -Moo sessions at Prospect Elementary School were full every week and several participants had to be referred to Siena Elementary where space was still available. Our Outdoor Adventure camps filled up quickly, as well, and had a waiting list for nearly every week. We also added two new camps during the year — a Learn to Love Lacrosse camp and a Dairy Days Dancing Parade camp. Among the new classes we added this year were Beginning Boys Hip Hop, Chair Yoga, Gentle Movement Stretch, Let's Choreograph, Dance Fusion, Dance Fit, Boys Break Dance, and Foundations of Creations — Ancient World and Discovering Folklore. For the musically -inclined, we ran our fourth season of Outdoor Musical Theater programs in the Kleiner Park Band Shell. In addition to being used for musical theater camps and rehearsals, the band shell served as the venue for performances of Aladdin and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Seniors also took advantage of our Parks and Recreation programming, taking day trips with us to visit scenic Shoshone Falls and to enjoy an outdoor dinner -theater production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Starlight Mountain Theater in Garden Valley. We like to think that no one puts on better local events than the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department, and fortunately, Meridian residents are always up for a fun celebration! We kicked off our event season in April with Unplug & Be Outside Week which featured a variety of family activities in Meridian parks. For Arbor Day we held a tree planting with the students of Ponderosa Elementary School. CableOne Movie Night celebrated its 9th successful season without any cancellations due to weather. Our Gene Kleiner Day symphony concert was preceded by the unveiling of a new statue in Kleiner Park, and our Independence Day Celebration featured a fireworks display put on in partnership with Meridian Speedway. Our Kleiner Park Live Summer Concert Series drew satisfied audiences despite unusually high summer heat, and the successful Fall Classic Disc Golf tournament prompted us to consider setting up a 9 -hole winter disc golf course in Kleiner Park, joining those already in use in Settlers and Bear Creek Parks. Two of our traditional events underwent changes this year — the Community Block Party switched venues from Settlers Park to the more spacious Kleiner Park, and the Barn Sour Fun Run was moved from June to August, to a weekend with fewer competing events. And our first ever Howl -O-Woof Pooch Parade and Costume Contest attracted nearly 100 costumed dogs and their owners to Storey Bark Park on Halloween Day. By far our largest and most attended events were our Trunk or Treat & Dance to the Beat event, which we hosted in conjunction with the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council, and the Winter Lights Parade and other events that combined under the Christmas in Meridian banner. Several other events, coordinated by other organizations, took place in our parks, as well. In all, the City issued 54 Temporary Use Permits (TUPs) for events including car shows, cook -offs, charity walks, Easter egg hunts, church events, and other community gatherings. hL Our Volunteer The active participation of our many volunteers, community partners, and event sponsors helped make our accomplishments during 2015 possible. During the year, volunteers donated approximately 1,813 hours to Meridian Parks and Recreation Department projects, resulting in a cost savings of nearly $36,125 to the City. They painted shelters, wrapped trees, planted flowers, assembled picnic tables, hung holiday decorations, and kept the streets safe during parades and special events. In October, we hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Barbeque in Kleiner Park in order to thank the men and women who help keep our parks safe and welcoming by volunteering as part of our Park Ambassador Program. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the many schools, churches, scout troops, civic groups, businesses, and individuals who donated time or talent to us during the past year. Groups or individuals wishing to volunteer in our parks can call us directly or visit the new website www.justserve.org to find specific opportunities. Meridian Parks and Recreation Commission The Meridian Parks and Recreation Commission is a citizen advisory group that, along with our City Council Liaison, advises the department on park planning, capital improvements, policies, recreation programs, and budgeting issues. In addition to serving in this advisory role, they help plan and participate in a variety of community events designed to promote Meridian's parks, pathways, recreational offerings and special events. They generally meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Meridian City Hall. Their meetings are open to the public and agendas are available at the Parks and Recreation Office the Friday prior to each meeting. You can learn more about the Commission on the Parks and Recreation Department portion of the City of Meridian website at www.meridiancity.org/parks_rec. Throughout 2015, our staff has been moving through the multi -step process of updating the City's Parks and Recreation Master Plan — a document that will provide the framework which will allow us to most effectively respond to the needs of our growing community. As part of this process, we diligently gathered valuable public input via a number of methods, including focus groups, citizen surveys, stakeholder meetings, and through an interactive online opinion -sharing site. Using the feedback we gathered, coupled with the assistance of national experts from GreenPlay, LLC and our own observations and expertise, we assessed the current state of our parks and recreation programs and facilities, determined our communities needs for the coming decade, and charted out a plan for achieving our vision of the future. Documents relating to the new Master Plan can be accessed online on the Parks and Recreation portion of the City of Meridian website at www.meridiancity.org/parks—rec. We also began developing concept plans for several of our future parks, including the Borup property, our 77 acres in South Meridian, and the future Margaret Aldape Park along the Boise Rive. New neighborhood parks in development also received a great deal of our attention during the past year. These include the new parks in the Bainbridge Subdivision and the Bellano Creek Subdivision. Our search also continued for additional gym space, as we have filled our current facilities to capacity with our adult sports programs which continue to grow in popularity. Potential partnerships with the YMCA and the Boys and Girl Club are being explored, as well as other potential priority use agreements. In the coming year we will also welcome a new Recreation Manager position to the Parks and Recreation staff, in response to the consistent ' growth and increased workload associated with our department's recreation division. Master Plan Elements Department Mission, Vision, Values Park Classification System Existing Parks and Recreation Inventory Define Level of Service Goals Community Outreach and Public Participation Recommendations and Strategic Goals Strategic Action and Implementation Plan Staffing Plan and Department Organization Urban Forestry Management Strategy Pathways Plan Recommendations Park Concept Designs Draft and Final Plans, Presentations and Deliverables R +r OW - � _ f Cm This Annual Newsletter is published by the Meridian Parks and Receation Department 33 E. Broadway Avenue Meridian, ID 83642 (2089)888-3579 www. meridiancity. org/pa rks_rec Editor and Primary Photographer: Shelly Houston