October 2014 Meeting

Hello folks, some notes from our last meeting. Officer Durbin was in attendance. He reiterated the information from last meeting that the arrests are way down this year and the reports are also down. I will scan in the graphs that he created that show the numbers of reports, calls, and arrests each year since 2009. This year is looking pretty great for the park. Some incidents of note. The large slide was damaged on the playground. It is apparently a $3000 slide. There were two reports of indecent exposure. One was a man at the skate park that was looking for a "light" for his weed. When none of the kids offered one he started yelling and apparently pulled his pants down and exposed his rear and genitals. He was arrested. The other was a man that apparently followed a woman around the park and showed his genitals. She went to the dollar store and then came back to the park where he apparently followed her again. He was not found based on her description. We asked about incidents around town. Officer Durbin said the phone fraud schemes are still taking place. This is where someone calls a number and says they are FBI, county sheriff, some other authority figure--tells you there is a warrant for your arrest or you have outstanding tickets or something and tells you to buy the prepaid cards from 7-11 and give the numbers over the phone. Yes, people apparently fall for this--please don't! There has been some mail theft in Cheshire recently. Not too much else. Steve Zimmerman responded to me regarding the bulletin board idea. No wood will be allowed to construct anything. All message boards must be metal--which may make it harder to make it a community project. I am still planning to follow up with some Eagle Scout contacts that Lee Williams sent me--but welding isn't really as much of a community project as lumber and nails can be, so we'll see. Steve was ok with the idea though. They will also start moving sewer and electrical lines soon in the park on the east side. We discussed the Homeless Shelter. Prior to the meeting, I received just a few emails stating interest in organizing an event. The suggestion was made to have a mini triathlon using the Mems pool. Most present at the meeting thought that might be ambitious to organize. Due to lack of other response, my thought going forward is to offer our services to any existing fundraising activities that the shelter has planned. If more folks indicate an interest in helping, it may be possible to organize something, but I would rather not attempt something with 6-7 people (who all have work and family). We did discuss maybe organizing some goods drives--blankets, toiletries, etc based on the needs of the shelter. That might be a more do-able level of commitment. Please send me your thoughts on any of these matters. I have not heard back from Mike O'Connor regarding road signs. My guess is he is busy with the upcoming streets proposition. I might go a different route and ask a city council member to find an answer for me. (As a reminder I asked Mike to direct me to relevant laws about speed limit signs and children playing signs in neighborhoods like ours). We picked November 19 as the date of our next meeting. Michele agreed to host at her house since the October meeting was held at the park. We discussed getting the word out again for our meetings--perhaps phone trees or something. Any thoughts are appreciated. Have a great autumn.

Results of the January 28 City Council Meeting

Hello all, I just returned from the city council meeting and the presentation of the Bushmaster Park Concept Plan to the mayor and council. Many many thanks to all who came and showed support and those who spoke in favor of the plan. All the spoken public comments were positive and I was told that most of the written ones were as well. Overall I think the council met the plan favorably with some concerns regarding cost of maintenance as well as involvement by the recreation department in planning more events. It seemed like the message was for Steve to go forward, but it also seemed like there needed to be an official vote at some future council meeting. Overall council members were supportive. Stay tuned for future developments. You can watch a recording of the meeting here http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/index.aspx?NID=1461

January Meeting Summary

We met at 6 pm in the Thomas School Music room.  Several new faces were present.

We started the meeting the members of the Arizona Department of Public Safety Gang & Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (GIITEM) making a presentation about gang activity in Flagstaff.  They passed out a pamphlet that highlighted ways to identify gang members, general information about gangs, and warning signs that young children may be getting involved.  The officer described a sheet that gets filled out when they make contact with a potential gang member.  It is like a gang score card.  All the information is voluntarily given. This information goes into a central database and if a particular individual has been identified as a gang member and then commits a crime, their sentence could be higher because of their involvement with gangs.  He listed two street-type gangs in Flagstaff--the East Side Bloods and --can't remember the name of the other--generally associated with the West Side.  There are also Hell's Angels here in Flagstaff and another biker gang called the Desert Riders.  The street gangs include mostly young men of all races.  Gang activity in Flagstaff has remained about the same in the past few years.  One problem is when gang members go to prison, they learn new and more serious gang activities--oftentimes bringing that new knowledge back to the gangs here in Flagstaff.  Greenlaw isn't a particularly hot spot for gangs--except Bushmaster.  All Officers reiterated that any time you are nervous about an individual or group in the park, to call Flagstaff PD.  If nothing else, they can fill out one of these gang scorecards and get more information. Early intervention with young children was stated as the best way to prevent kids from getting involved.  

Steve Zimmerman then presented a brief overview of the Bushmaster Park development plan (most of what he said has been made available from previous summaries).  The next step is to present the plan as an informational item at the January 28 city council meeting.  After that it will have to be put on an agenda as an action item and get voted on.  Right now, as far as Steve knows, we are the only project competing for the 1996 bond money.  It is really important to let city council members know that citizens are interested in the park.  Since the meeting, it has been suggested that anyone who can come to the City Council meeting wear a green shirt to show support of the plan (only a limited amount of time will be available for folks to speak). (Please note, the drawing above is my approximation of the plan.  To see the actual engineered plan, please contact Steve Zimmerman).

Officers Radford and Durbin then presented summary statistics for 2011-2013.  Overall crime is down (the exception being theft--mostly due to the bike bait program).  We hope to continue this trend.  We reminded everyone to call ANYTIME they feel unsafe or are worried about the safety of another individual.  There have been several hypothermia deaths in Flagstaff this year.  If you see a severely intoxicated individual asleep in the park in the evening, you are probably doing them a favor by making a call to the police.

November Meeting Minutes

We met at Satchmos! Yum!

Steve Zimmerman spoke about the park redesign plan.  The plan is still loosely as outlined at the last meeting.  He has a design firm working on a site plan that is due the first week in December.  It will probably look much like the concept plan with only Phase I items.  A couple of differences exist between the concept plan and the current plan.

1.  The new playground will not be covered as was specified in the concept plan.  

2.  I believe the term "amphitheater"  was used at some point in the concept plan--it is now just a large ramada.  He mentioned they may look into raising it above the surroundings.

3.  Not exactly in Phase I--but the current plan for the fitness court is to have a concrete surface rather than a special surface.  Steve has identified a potential source of funding that he mentioned to Sen. Begay for the project.

4.  ADA playground.  Steve says all playgrounds in the city park system have been certified to be ADA compliant.  The mostly likely surface for the new playground will be woodchips which he says are compliant.  He says the new equipment won't look like the existing playgrounds in the system--but they will be ADA compliant.

They are completely re-doing the horseshoe pit and probably the volleyball court in the next week or so.  The new dog park is finished -- and the existing bathrooms have been switched to unisex.  The plan is to leave them open all winter (between about 9 and dusk)

Apparently the parks and rec commission expressed concern that momentum for this issue had died (I have the same concern).  Steve thought the time maybe has come to try to get people to start writing to city council and the mayor about this issue.  He also talked about having another public meeting where he brought in some photos etc of what playground and fitness equipment they were considering as well as present the site plan.  He is going to get back to me on whether he decides to do that.  

Officer Durbin said that overall crime was down still.  The calls for this month include transient/alcoholics, fighting, and a transient bothering a young kid.  He also wanted folks to be aware that they have had issues with Skimmer devices in gas pumps around town.  These are devices that steal your credit card info.  The best defense is to use credit cards (which have fraud protection) instead of debit cards and to check your accounts often to make sure you don't have fraudulent charges on them.

So we decided to shoot for a holiday gathering at Bushmaster at 2 pm on Dec 15--maybe a Christmas Cookie exchange?

September Meeting Notes

Hi All,
Here is a belated update for the Sept Meeting.

First we had an update about the hermosa vida survey.    Below is a summary of responses by the date of the meeting.

Answer Options		Response Percent	Response Count
1. Move dog park to the center of the park. Include a small dog area and ramada		20.0%	21
2. The old dog park is revegetated and the old basketball slab removed		15.2%	16
3. New east side parking lot (paved) and bridge over the drainage ditch- accessed off Thomas St		32.4%	34
4. New west side parking lot (paved)- off of Elder St		13.3%	14
5. New south side parking lot (unpaved)		11.4%	12
6. Four new family ramadas- on the East side of the park		37.1%	39
7. New group ramanda/amphitheatre (northeast corner) with grassy area		56.2%	59
8. New wide sidewalks bordering grassy area around amphitheatre		19.0%	20
9. New covered playground (northeast side)		30.5%	32
10. New community garden		46.7%	49
11. New adult fitness area- outdoor weight lifting		15.2%	16
12. Expand existing restroom- unisex and open year round		22.9%	24
13. New bathroom on the east side		20.0%	21
14. Improved security road along north boundary line- Police will have access		38.1%	40
15. Fitness stations along the perimeter sidewalk		30.5%	32
16. New roller rink (paved)- for derby, hockey, etc		34.3%	36
Do Nothing		5.7%	6
Other (please specify)			16

Here are the additional comments

Number Response Date Other (please specify)
1 Aug 15, 2013 3:01 AM More police presence; ban drinking from the park; the permit process isn't working
2 Aug 14, 2013 9:25 PM We do not need any other police access. They can police on foot.
3 Aug 14, 2013 9:16 PM We live in a crowded apartment. We enjoy the openspace in the park. It's nice to get out and away from all the noise with our family. Need doors that work in the bathrooms.
4 Aug 14, 2013 7:22 PM Like the idea of fitness equipment, but worry about the intoxicated individuals that are there more than ever now. Would like to keep the park a quiet serene place to gather. A major improvement would be to outlaw public drunkenness and have the park be a Drug Free Zone (no illegal drugs, alcohol, marijuana or tobacco). Also it would be helpful to monitor children who are ditching school to use the skate park.
5 Aug 14, 2013 7:18 PM stiffer security/patrols!
6 Aug 14, 2013 4:57 PM more security, security, security.
7 Aug 14, 2013 4:32 PM Block access from Park Sante Fe Shopping Center
8 Aug 12, 2013 1:06 AM make east side like the west side with equal access
9 Aug 2, 2013 10:31 PM small dog area
10 Jul 27, 2013 11:48 PM please do not have access off Elder, would increase traffic and cause unhappy neighbors
11 Jul 25, 2013 7:48 PM better skate park
12 Jul 23, 2013 10:49 PM It might be nice if the new covered playground on the east side of the park was adaptive/handicap accessible. There are many disabled group homes in the surrounding neighborhoods and would also encourage more "legitimate" park users as well as responsible adult supervision.
13 Jul 22, 2013 4:10 PM Playground that my son can use with his wheel chair...
14 Jul 22, 2013 4:08 PM I would visit the park more if more 'spots' were available for family activities. Usually tghere is already somebody at all the remadas and no room for other families
15 Jul 19, 2013 9:05 PM Re: the bathrooms: the bathrooms at Foxglenn would be a good model for the Bushmaster bathrooms.
16 Jul 19, 2013 12:04 AM grass for the whole park

Here is a summary of the type of people that took the survey

Please tell us how often you use Bushmaster Park.
Answer Options		Response Percent	Response Count
Almost never		2.9%	3
Once a year or so		23.8%	25
About once a month		38.1%	40
At least weekly		35.2%	37
answered question			105
skipped question			1

We also had an update from Steve Zimmerman.  They divided the plan into 2 phases.  The first phase includes the large group ramada and grassy area, the east side parking, 1 small ramada, the ADA playground on the east side, and the new restrooms on the east side.  Phase 2 includes everything else.  Here is a recent email from Steve on the subject

"Good Afternoon Everyone, 
You are receiving this email in response to your request to be on the mailing list for updates on the Bushmaster Park concept plan. As we mentioned back in May we were going to start the administrative review process, which consisted of meeting with the Public Works Director and then the City Manager. During the meeting with Public Works Director there was more information requested to be researched before presenting to the City Manager. Finally, we were able to meet with the City Manager on September 16th. We presented the project as being phased, 2 phases. Staff estimates for the complete project is 1.6M with only 1.1M in funding available through the 1996 Recreation Bond Program. Phase 1 would meet the 1.1m target and phase two would be the difference. With the 1.1M target we provided how we would prioritize the project phasing. The City Manager was receptive to our proposal and gave us additional directions before presenting to the Budget Team and then City Council. 
So these are the directions given to us and some are completed. 
1) Ask the Parks & Recreation Commission approval for the project and their consensus for how staff prioritized the 1.1m – This was done on 9/18 

2) Get design costs - done 

3) Complete a final design – In progress 

4) Get engineers cost for complete project – In progress 

It was also decided that the Community Garden will be done according to past city models. Which is the city provides the site and Food Link will provide the resources as needed to establish the garden. It was also decided to go ahead now and relocate the bark park to the location identified by the concept plan because of Quality of Life issues with the nearby residents. There has also been ongoing discussions about the outdoor fitness area with Senator Carlyle Begay of District 7, Native Americans for Community Action and Hermosa Vida. This group met to discuss programming for the fitness area and available funding. Senator Begay has had a conversation with a possible donor for partial funding of the fitness area. I’m working on a scope of work for an engineering firm for pricing and have been having follow up discussions with Senator Begay on the fitness course donation. 
So there’s still work to do before we present to council and we’ll keep you updated with any new information. 

Thanks, 

Steve Zimmerman 
Parks Manager 
City of Flagstaff 
(928) 213-2192 
szimmerman@flagstaffaz.gov 

We spoke a bit on the conversations with Sen. Begay about the fitness center. His interest is providing a place to improve the health of citizens that is free and open. His specific interest is in the Native American population, but this would be open to all. NACA has agreed to provide instructors that will hold classes at the outdoor facility to teach folks how to use the equipment. There are several examples of the successful implementation of such a facility. Here is the organization that first caught Sen. Begay's eye http://nationalfitnesscampaign.com/. He wanted all of us to go to our respective communities and gauge interest. Write to him or just comment below if you have questions or concerns regarding such a facility in Bushmaster. Personally, as someone who can't currently afford a gym membership, I think it is a great idea--but only if it gets used. Sen. Begay is confident he can come up with funding to build the facility.

We also spoke with representatives from NACA about what their program offers. Despite the name, Native Americans for Community Action--their programs and offerings are NOT just for Native Americans. They have a clinic up in the Safeway Plaza on Cedar that is open to all (http://www.nacainc.org/subjects/programs...). Also their fitness facility (same plaza--different suite) can be used by anyone who has a doctor's "prescription" for fitness activities. Anyway, I encourage everyone to check out their website. They have a lot going on!

Officer Durbin gave a report on crime.  Most everything is down.  Not too much to report recently.  He did have the statistician compare Bushmaster with Thorpe and there were certainly a lot more calls for service at Bushmaster.  Keep calling in though what is important is that we all feel safe!

Next meeting is Thursday Oct 17.  Perhaps inside if the weather is cold.
Marguerite

Park Development Survey

Hi All,

Hermosa Vida is trying to get an idea for the priorities of folks who use Bushmaster in the event that the city does not give full funding to the park development plan.  Please help them out so they have information to give to City Council in the fall when this will likely come before them. 

Distribute this to as many users of the park as you can. 

Thanks a ton

 

Survey Link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/RR9QXW2<http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RR9QXW2>

Please help us gather information that will help inform the process and future developments at Bushmaster Park by Sharing/Posting/Emailing this survey to anyone and everyone! And be sure to tell people that by filling out this Short, Easy survey (literally 3 questions!) they are entered in a drawing for prizes!
 

May 15 City Meeting about Bushmaster Park Development Summary

Hi All, Here is what I have for a summary of the May 15 meeting held by the city to discuss next steps in the park development. Please comment as needed.

May 15 Bushmaster Park Meeting

Steve Zimmerman did a brief intro—Mike O’Connor was the main speaker.

Chuck Hammersley briefly went over changes that were made based on the last meeting—skating rink and adult fitness area moved. The draft was up on the website for 2 weeks. A fifth grade class made comments and one gentleman who wasn’t excited about the roller derby rink idea. He felt the reason that there weren’t many comments was because people were involved in the planning process.

Mike took over from here. He said Kevin Burke (city manager) said that the first group with a viable project would have the best chance at the bond money. He said tonight was the last time they envisioned a public meeting. He stated that there would be challenges on making everyone happy and with the money.

They got some rough estimates based on Steve’s experience with parks. He reiterated that some things go together—can’t have an amphitheatre without more parking for example. Some cost estimates
• Moving bark park -- $12,000
• East side parking lot $500,000
• West side parking lot $90,000
• Large group ramada (amphitheatre $100,000 for ramada + $45,000 for grassy area/sidewalks)
• Small playground $150,000
• Fitness area $40,000
• Total rough estimate $1.6 mill

Next step is to get the internal working group together to see if the suggestions from public and the draft plan address the issues of the park. For example does it address the Flag PD study and the Hermosa Vida study etc.

Then they will seek help from the engineering dept within the city to come up with more detailed engineer estimates. If they don’t have time, then they will need to hire a consultant. Also need to research ongoing maintenance—will need those cost estimates. Then they will post status for public—on parks and recreation sites—telling the community where things stand. They are targeting having this by the beginning of July.

Then they present this to the public works director. They will get guidance from him.

Then to the deputy city managers and the city managers. They will give feedback and probably give more homework—more research that is needed. After direction from them—they will post the status again. They also will likely know more about funding available.

Then to internal working group. At this point they will likely have to prioritize some of the proposed developments.

At the Parks and Rec Commission meeting, (early this evening), they voted to support this plan—putting the $1.1 mill to this plan. This is huge since there are other issues in the Parks dept (tennis bubble, aquatic center at NAU, new west side park, etc). They will still present to them after the city manager, but they technically already have the support.

Go to city council in early fall. Ultimately it is their decision to release bond money.

Questions:
One audience member asked about cost of the garden? $10,000 was the estimate for garden alone—but also need parking lot –another $10,000. There is support for this from the stormwater folks –so that gets a boost from that dept. This also doesn’t include ramada—each of those are $50,000

I asked about any precedent for having outside businesses support certain projects? Can this be done? Answr. Donations –cool (for example the Dr. Nate Avery family wants to donate money for a ramada somewhere). But for businesses –there needs to be a checklist and need to put it out for bid. C. Hammersley mentioned that in Cottonwood, the Roller Derby non-profit Assn provided all the money to build the facility—but the city provided the land. That would be considered a donation. (Transcribers note—it seems if a business who might be doing the work themselves eg a concrete company—then it must be put out for bid, but if it’s just a donation—then it’s ok). Naming rights always have to go through city council. So Foodlink also has a relationship with the city whereby they are a non-profit that can accept donations—but they have a contract with the city to build community gardens. Question about rebuilding Jay Lively—answr—no donations for that, it was all insurance money.

I then expressed my disappointment about getting the word out. They said over and over that they were going to get the word out, but so far they haven’t really come through. Mike acknowledged that this is a problem and that they will try to be better. So they will try harder in the future.

I also asked about prioritization. No public input into this? Mike said, he felt we already expressed our prioritization through this process. Basically, yes it would be internal. Officer Radford suggested having another meeting after the $$ was laid out better. I said I would be happy if even they made the prioritization process transparent—with justification so that everyone who was interested could find that out. Isaac reiterated that we won’t be able to support the process if we aren’t made to understand why decisions are being made. Mike mentioned the studies that had been done and hoping to follow those recommendations.

Audience member mentioned McKenzie’s recent thesis presentation and some of the ideas presented—including less expensive alternatives for innovative parks, etc. She recommended everyone try to get a hold of that.

A brief mention about the FLP work day and a joke about the police log (dog prints). Mike said over a 100 people showed up.

Chuck expressed his optimism that we could get this done in close to the $1.1 mill. He said it was important to keep momentum going.

I asked just a rough idea of best case scenario when we would expect ground to be broken. Mike mentioned that the city has been more about maintaining existing rather than building new—thought that would be a difficult hurdle. They thought absolutely best would be Spring of next year. Hopefully at least by summer.

More discussion of momentum. Chuck said the window of this bond was a great opportunity—such windows are not often seen. Mike mentioned that Coral Evans can’t make Wednesday meetings, but she is very supportive of this issue.

We then had a brief meeting about the safety issue. Ken mentioned that he was trying to do a comparison of crime rates this year versus last and comparing Bushmaster to other parks, but the numbers didn’t add up, --they are still waiting for the return of their stats person. We discussed some recent car and attempted house break-ins as well as the report on the “graffiti” from the FLP work day. The only other incident was an intoxicant who hit a kid in the face with a basketball. Our next meeting is June 19 in the small ramada of the park.

April 17 Park Watch Meeting Summary

Several hardy souls braved the cold to come out to the North Ramada last night--what dedication!

Meeting started by updating Officers Radford and Durbin and Lieutenant Roberts about the city Bushmaster development forums.  Some time was spent discussing roller derby and why that was a popular suggestion.  A few residents expressed excitement about the developments and the roller rink possibilities.  Citizens were encouraged to write to City Council members with their support of the park development.  Michele reported that she, Mary Walter, and I appeared briefly on the NAU news channel talking about the park development Monday night.  Again, draft concept plan is online on the city's website. 

Officer Durbin gave a quick rundown of park crime statistics.  Not too many reports this month (statistician was gone, so no "official" numbers).  Some drinking violations, the urinating in public violation that appeared in the daily sun, the report of the transient who said he was attacked in the park (also in the Daily Sun) but the hospital thought it looked more like he fell, and finally, a young man (18-19) was reported trying to sell a gun in the park with the serial numbers scratched off.  With this last report, the police department was originally given a bad description of the guy.  He (the alleged seller) apparently went to CVS.  He asked the clerk if the police were gone, went out and retrieved something from the trash, and took off.  Keep your eyes out for this activity.

Michele asked if the police could provide some comparison statistics with other parks.  Officer Durbin said yes, but Officer Radford said that other parks really don't see the same activity.  Homeless at Thorpe, but because of the lack of alcohol availability, not really an issue.

Citizens were reminded to keep car doors locked as there has been a rash of burglaries from unlocked vehicles all around the city. 

I asked if the officers could provide some kind of "cheat sheet" or key for when folks should call.  My rationale was that many people don't feel comfortable calling or feel they don't want to get involved.  If I had something to hand to folks from the police department saying, "here are some guidelines for when to call us" then they might feel more comfortable.  Officer Durbin said he would be worried about liability.  If something happened and a citizen said, "oh well I was just following this sheet" then that might be bad for the police department.  Officer Radford just reiterated that it is better to call on something innocuous then not to call on something that could lead to more serious issues.  Sometimes calling in is because we as citizens feel unsafe, but sometimes it is because we are concerned about the safety of the individual we are calling on.  So if someone looks like they are passed out--they can easily be a target for theft or attack.  I may make something up and put it on the blog--coming from me and not the police department.  I think it can be worded such that it doesn't incur liability.

A reminder was given about the park clean up day sponsored by the Flagstaff Leadership Program.  Lots of different tasks, lots of people expected, food, etc. 

At this point some separate discussions broke out and the group largely disbanded.

Bushmaster Park Draft Concept Plan

Hey folks, the city has posted the draft concept plan for our review. It is a large document, so it will take a while to load http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/41953.

You can post comments here http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/forms.aspx?FID=171

I encourage everyone to become a part of the process and make comments and suggestions.

City Park Forum this evening

Ok, Updates from the meeting.  

First I scanned the handouts (sorry for the extra pen marks, my daughter needed something to do during the meeting).  The first page is a legend for the map (second page).  The numbers on the legend correspond to points on the map where the proposed development will go.  The last pages are summaries from the first public input meeting.  Supposedly they are organized--but I can't quite figure out the system.

Here is the link to the pdf.

I also created a word document that summarized the discussion portion of the evening.  It was transcribed from a recording, so I tried to get most of what was said.

Here is the link to the word doc.

I was really excited about the ladies from the roller derby league.  I'm a little worried that they are going to get pushed back to "second tier" and I would encourage folks who support them to send in their thoughts to Steve Zimmerman at szimmerman@flagstaffaz.gov

C.A.N. (Hermosa Vida) Meeting Minutes and Good News

Here is a recent email from Michele Thomas of Hermosa Vida.  Some good news about the new Walgreens.

 

Dear C.A.N. Members and Friends,

I am happy to report that there are a lot of exciting things going on! My intention for this email is to highlight a recent success, recap our last meeting, and discuss our strategy moving forward with regards to Bushmaster Park. I know this email is long (also exciting!) but stick with me!

First of all, Marnie did an outstanding job speaking out against Walgreen’s proposed liquor license at the City Council meeting on Tuesday!! Walgreens agreed not to sell 40s or single bottles (they will still sell shooters) and has acknowledged a need to continue to work with the community on this issue! We can discuss this and future liquor policy initiatives further at our next C.A.N. meeting, but for now, Thank You Marnie!

At our last C.A.N. meeting we debriefed about the March 27 Bushmaster Park city meeting; the general consensus was disappointment in the overall process and a concern for potential for community participation moving forward. Specific concerns included not feeling that the moderators were skilled and/or accurately recording the information that is supposed to inform the new design, concerns about the facilitator’s general demeanor and interaction with participants, and accessibility to families and other major park users.

I think a lot of really great feedback and energy was generated that will help guide us through the next steps of this process!

At this meeting we also worked on a plan moving forward. This plan includes: (strategies in black, updates/where we are at in purple)

1) more extensive flyering that advertises services that address accessibility- including Spanish translation and Free childcare (both provided by HV)- to increase overall participation at the next meeting- flyer is attached. I will send the Spanish version when I can. PLEASE Reply All email to commit to flyering an area so we can maximize our impact and avoid redundancy. Susan has committed to Siler Homes, Marty to lower Greenlaw (specific streets?)… others please email asap. Thanks!

2) having C.A.N. members act as back-up moderators and note-takers to ensure accurate recording of information which will increase accountability- we have 5 volunteers (Marguerite, Issac, Marty, Susan, Michelle) lined up for this. Thank you.

3) asking the City to release their plan early so we have a chance to look at it before the meeting- the City has been contacted about releasing their plan early and we were told that since they plan on taking public comment up to the last minute this would likely not be possible…

4) gathering signatures of residents and others that cannot make the meeting to increase the power of the HV C.A.N. voice at the April 10 community meeting-

I have adjusted the statement I handed out to be more accessible.

The New parks policy statement (attached) basically thanks the city for gathering community input, mentions that as long as we are Increasing Access we support their efforts, but really emphasizes that community participation needs to continue after these meetings!

I think this is where we can really have an impact and I am asking all of you to PLEASE gather as many signatures as possible to this effect!

We also have a copy of the City’s policy on public participation requirements and are planning on bringing that, the signed parks policy statements, a copy of Dr. Hardy’s recent parks assessment (which demonstrates the need for community engagement), and I am going to come prepared to speak on this issue. I want to ask the City to ensure continued participation after these meetings through further design meetings (ex. for a community garden), or actual physical improvements in the park such as community construction days, public art, sign making, etc. To this effect I plan on speaking on behalf of C.A.N. and hope to have the support of all of you.

I think that is it for now. Thanks for sticking with me! If you need printed copies of either of these documents please let me know. Also, PLEASE work on flyering (let us know where) and getting signatures- I think both will really help show the City that we are speaking for more than just our own interests!

See you all on Wednesday April 10!

March 20, 2013 Neighborhood Meeting Summary

March 20, 2013

Bushmaster Park Neighborhood Meeting

               Meeting started with Ken Durbin providing a report on the crime statistics in the park.  Overall the numbers are down from this time last year.  The one concern was the sexual misconduct, but it seems that urinating in public was part of the problem and then one report didn’t actually happen in Bushmaster, but was at a residence next to Bushmaster.  Some discussion was made of the fact that park traffic will be increasing as the weather warms, so folks should continue to call in when they see something.

               The question was asked about when the bathrooms would be open and Steve Zimmerman replied that he would look into that.

               Next Steve Zimmerman, Parks Manager of the City of Flagstaff, gave us an update on the city’s outreach for Bushmaster Park.  It is designed to provide an opportunity for the community to be involved with deciding how to use the 1996 bond money to develop or improve the park.  The meetings will be next Wednesday 27 2013 and April 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Aquaplex.  The hope is that by developing the park and increasing usage, some of the crime issues will be mitigated.  He stated that several studies had been done to see where the crime was occurring.  They want to come up with a plan to get input from the neighbors.  Not everything will be possible.  Key things will be access, safety, and positive activities.  The April 10 meeting will be a follow up that will take ideas from the March 27 meeting and provide visual aids.  He said it was time for action—lots of information has been collected, now we need to do something. 

               One of the community members brought up efforts 16 years ago and whether the meetings would be a similar format.  Steve responded that yes it would be similar.  He also stated that no baseball fields would be put in (based on those previous efforts and the resistance from the public).  The city has no plans to pass out flyers, but Hermosa Vida will likely have a small effort to do so (as will Marguerite).  The flyer is on the city website and on our Bushmasterparkflagstaff.blogspot.com blog.  You can also comment through the city’s website if you can’t come to the meeting.  Or send an email directly to Steve. (His email is on the flyer).

               Next Mike O’Connor spoke about the Flagstaff Leadership Program’s efforts with regard to Bushmaster.  Mike works for the city in the public works dept., but was speaking on behalf of the leadership program (4 other members were also present).  They have adopted Bushmaster as their project (it was between Picture Canyon and Bushmaster).  So they came up with a list of maintenance items (like horseshoe pit, volleyball courts).  Mike took pictures of some of their ideas: bounce boards in tennis courts, railroad ties around bushes, murals, etc.  They will pick some projects that can be done in one day and hold a community work day.  Invite the public to participate and hope that this will create some ownership in the park.  They are trying to round up food and materials, but they need the community to come out.  They came to the meeting with the hopes of generating some support among our group.  A mini discussion evolved about murals (community generated) and how murals have often reduced the graffiti and “tagging” that occurs on public spaces. The date for the community day is April 27.  A mini discussion broke out about the bark park and improvements to the “equipment”. The question was posed whether these “work days” could be continued after the FLP program was done (if there was enough community support).  Steve Zimmerman responded that it would be possible and would be supported by the parks department.  The other question was where the funds come from and the response was the parks department paid for equipment and they provided the labor.  A question was posed about outreach to Siler Homes.  Other than Marguerite and Isaac passing out flyers, it did not seem that a focused effort was made.  The suggestion was that a concerted effort be made to outreach to that community in particular.   It was also noted that this is a totally separate thing than the city’s planning effort.  “Mural Joe” was also mentioned as a resident of the neighborhood that might help out if a mural was the project that was decided on.  Another comment was made that parking is always an issue.  Maybe if word got out that parking is available at Thomas school or a bus from the mall.  It should be noted that there is a Mountain Line bus that goes from the mall right to the park.  There will be a flyer distributed that is in the works.  Maybe out by Friday.  The plan is to go door to door.

               A mini discussion broke out about what makes something a special event vs a gathering of individuals.  Apparently the rules surround serving food, bringing in a vendor, requesting exclusive use, or gathering of more than 50 people.  Glorice is the parks events person.  There will be a lot more concerts in the park in Bushmaster this year.  There will also be a band at the Easter event. 

               Another mini discussion was made about the $1.1 million bond and how the first idea with support will likely get funded—so there is a press to get something going at Bushmaster.  It will be about $5-600,000 to build a good sized parking lot.  The thought is that they will try to get something off of Thomas—going over the drainage. 

               There was also a mini discussion about recent maintenance that has been done to the playground—this was intended to make the playground level and to get rid of railroad ties.  Arroyo park was brought up as a good example of a new park that was well done.   

               The last major topic was by Marguerite.  She was attempting to gauge any interest in forming a neighborhood association for the area around Bushmaster.  An association could be formed that might write grants to get specific projects done and have some pull or power with the city and would also build community.  Examples are the Sunnyside Association and the Southside Community Association.  There didn’t seem to be any interest (the term, “crickets” comes to mind).  Concerns were that groups are generally formed around specific goals and if there wasn’t a specific goal, there is no need for a group and that there needs to be “action groups” more than talking groups.  It seemed folks were more interested in letting other groups do their thing and supporting those efforts rather than doing anything for ourselves.  Comments were made that the newspaper is the problem—that their reporting gives Bushmaster the reputation of being dangerous.  The frustration was expressed that we are just letting the police department run these meetings when we should be running them as a community.  A FLP member present who lived in Doney Park brought up that they formed a group around a neighborhood watch—and that people decided not to make it negative—so they started bringing in speakers (which was an idea that I had mentioned).  The lack of feedback from folks on the email list was a frustration that was expressed.  Nextdoor.com—our web presence was brought up.  A mini discussion was started about that online community.  Another FLP member who lives in Timberline brought up that they had a “neighborhood watch” from the national program.  Another suggestion was made to have a table set up at the park work day—so folks can sign up to be a part of different groups. 

               Steve brought up another issue about the reclaimed water issue in the city and how the park will have to reduce the watering by 35%.  So Bushmaster will likely be a little less green this year.  Some comments were also made about the “natural” area and how they don’t cut it regularly for a reason—to allow the grasses and flowers to seed. 

               Gangs were discussed briefly.  Yes, there are gangs in Flagstaff.  They aren’t as organized.  Apparently the shooting was gang related—although all participants were from the same “gang”.  Most of the Flagstaff gangs are high school kids.  One participant mentioned that where he was from, the gangs started as the high school thing and quickly escalated to something more serious.  Lots of comments were made that the park is much better than it used to be from those who have lived here a long time. 

               The idea of having a staff member at the skate park in the summer—and having hours designated for different age groups was brought up.  Steve mentioned lack of sufficient staff and liability issues.  Also a security camera was brought up.  The security camera issue is really expensive.  Steve also suggested that some of these issues be brought up in the planning meetings.  Is the skate park just a perception problem or is it really a problem?  Ken wasn’t entirely sure the answer.  Steve mentioned that he approached some of the youth in the skate park and felt that there was just a perception issue.  He told them about the focus group meeting and some of the kids said they would show up. 

               Much of the rest of the meeting consisted of individual discussions (parking lots and community gardens).      

Change Action Network March 11 Meeting Minutes

This is straight from Michelle, the coordinator.

At our last meeting, March 11, there was a lot of momentum and positive energy around being involved and increasing/encouraging resident/community participation in the City sponsored Bushmaster Park meetings which are scheduled for March 27 and April 10 (5:30-7:30pm) at the Aquaplex.

As such there were a lot of questions about these meetings including, 1) format, 2) accessibility, and 3) promotion. I have a few answers for you, am still waiting on some information to answer the rest, and I also have a new idea to introduce to the group as a form of policy action.

First, format:
The two meetings are designed to build on each other and it is suggested that participants come to both meetings if at all possible. As far as we know the first meeting will be a focus group format to discuss options for Bushmaster Park. It is our understanding that the City will then take the information from the first meeting and compile Action Plan which will then be worked on/introduced/discussed in the second public meeting on April 10.

We, Hermosa Vida, will provide Spanish translation and as HV and HV policy coalition would like to encourage as much participation in these meetings as possible to demonstrate to the City that we are Involved and Paying Attention to what happens with Bushmaster Park.

As a Policy Coalition, at our last meeting, we also decided that it would be in best interest of the group and community members who attend the March 27 meeting to move our next C.A.N. meeting up to April 1 (5:30pm in the SNA Conference Room) as a way to follow-up on the first meeting as soon after as possible. It is our hope to harness any momentum that comes out of this first meeting to positively affect the second meeting as well as support our coalition members and encourage further participation.

Second, accessibility:
The Aquaplex will have childcare available during both public meetings. The fees are $2/hr/first kid and $1.50/hr/other kids for kids 6 months-11 yrs old. Kids aged 12-17 yrs can use the facility on their own for $4. Hermosa Vida can provide a scholarship fund for any residents/community members that need childcare. I am still waiting to hear back from the Aquaplex on whether they can/will have bilingual staff available that night.

Third, promotion:
I have not yet heard from the City as to what their strategy for promotion is or gotten any materials from them to help promote these meetings. For now, we should just move forward with rounding up as much resident/community participation as possible and I will send any new information on to the group as it comes my way.

PLEASE work hard to get people to these meetings, as this is our way of showing the city that we support community engagement in the planning process and that residents are invested and want to have real and meaningful input into any new developments pertaining to Bushmaster Park.

Thanks,
Michelle Thomas

Nextdoor.com

Hi neighbors!
I have recently been turned on to a site called Nextdoor.com that basically does what I've been trying to accomplish with this blog/forum.  It its a social networking site but its just for your neighborhood.  Check it out!  You can join the Bushmaster Park Neighbors group if you live in upper or lower greenlaw or the siler homes neighborhood. 

https://bushmasterparkneighbors.nextdoor.com/login/

January 30 Meeting Summary

Here is a summary of the January, 30, 2013 meeting.  I hesitate to call these minutes because I get distracted and forget to write everything down--but its a summary as best as I can recall.

1) Officer Durbin gave an overview of what these meetings are generally about ( I wasn't there for this so I don't know exactly what was said, but when I came in it seemed as though he was just giving a brief overview).

2) Lt. Roberts gave a briefing on the incident that happened at 1:30 pm that day (January 30).  Basically it started as a fist fight between two groups of people that had a history of fighting.  Some maintenance workers witnessed the fight and went over to try to break it up and two rounds were fired.  The thought was that they were just used to scare the other group, but the concern was that they were in the direction of the houses.  5 of the people were in custody as of the afternoon of January 30.  A couple of them live in the area.  There were surface wounds on at least 3 of them from a knife, but nothing serious.  No gunshot wounds.  Lt. Roberts wasn't able to say if this was gang related.  All individuals involved were between 18-21.  (A more detailed account has since been published in the daily sun).  The Flag PD arrived very quickly on the scene. 

3) I asked if there was any more information on the recently reported assault on a woman in the park and the officers responded that there was no new information than what had been reported in the paper.

4) Officer Durbin talked about the Bushmaster Park City Workgroup that was started by the City Manager last fall (on which he serves).  They have a bond leftover from 1998 worth 1.9 million that they want to use on parks.  They are not sure what exactly they will do, but they are interested in potentially doing something with the east (undeveloped) side of Bushmaster.  He gave a brief overview of the Hermosa Vida project which has been looking at how people use parks and the perceptions of safety in the park. There is also someone from the Sustainability division of the city who is doing a thesis relating parks and crime (or something like that).  The city would like to develop the east side.  Right now the thought is a community garden.  Several audience members discussed the fact that there is not enough sun for a garden and that trees would need to be cut down.  The other issue is parking something was mentioned about parking off of Mt. Elden (south side of the park).  At the next meeting on February 20, folks from the city will be there to take comments regarding park development.  There will likely be more public forums in April. 

5) Residents expressed their thoughts that more events should occur at Bushmaster.  Parking has always been the response in the past.  They hesitate to sponsor more events because of limited parking.  An idea was put forth to organize an event --maybe a fundraiser for another group -- that would bring people to the park.

6) One resident pointed out that she had a hard time reserving space in the park for kid-related activities, but yet it was so easy for folks to obtain a permit to drink in the park. She thought parks and rec should maybe save some spots for more family-oriented activities.

7) One resident mentioned organizing a winter event in the park like a snowboarding thing like the Dew Downtown.

8) A representative of the Flagstaff Leadership Program mentioned that this year's class had adopted Bushmaster as their project.  No information on what that entails. 

9) A few residents began to organize a meeting at the dog park after a discussion of how it was always empty. 

10) Private conversations with ideas of how to encourage park use continued after the meeting ended. 

Oct and Nov meeting summaries

I'm bringing these over from the forum.  I didn't start taking notes until the Oct meeting.

Bushmaster Park Community Meeting Minutes
October 17, 2012

Met in the Thomas School gymnasium.  Mediocre attendance—some new faces which is always good.  Officer Radford and Durbin were in attendance as was Mike O’Connor from the City Public Works Section, and Eric Betz from the Arizona Daily Sun.
1.  Officer Durbin gave a little background and history of the meetings—sparked by a rise in crime stats for the park.  Meetings have taken place monthly since April.
2.  Marguerite spoke about the blog/forum aided by laptop and projector to see it.  The purpose was to be more proactive about crime in the park rather than just calling the police after a crime had occurred.  Also looking to provide a place to post community events, local business advertising, etc.  She spoke of a recent discussion she has had with park user regarding the forum who thought it was a little too “big brother ish”.  Looking for feedback from the attendees regarding the presence of an online community and whether it was something others supported.
One comment/suggestion involved advertising the blog at the park.  Mr. O’Connor suggested that posting at the park wasn’t allowed and a further suggestion was made to post it in the City Scape.  Mr.  O’Connor made a note of the suggestion and reiterated that he would like to provide a link to it from the city’s website.  Marguerite invited further suggestions/criticisms either to her personally or directly on the blog.
3.  Officer Radford presented statistics about the park (see attached).  He responded to Isaac’s question from last meeting regarding the Siler Homes patrol.  The guys in the golf cart that you see in the park are employees of Siler Homes (therefore the city of flagstaff).  They log patrols with the PD.  Officer Radford was going to find out how many reports they made and possibly add that to the statistics.
4.  Mike O’Connor responded to questions from last month’s meeting regarding streets/lights etc. 
Speed bumps are not allowed in Flagstaff due to snow plows.  One attendee mentioned the temporary rubber ones used by CCC.  Apparently they are too labor intensive and compromise the road surface according to Mr. O’Connor.  The city is currently looking at the use of mini roundabouts to slow traffic. 
Additional street lights or reporting problems—situation with street lights is complicated.  The city pays for electricity and maintenance on all lights—even those belonging to ADOT.  The maintenance is contracted out—efficiency of response to issues is getting better, but one of the problems is that they aren’t allowed to go into the APS realm—so they may fix it on the city side, but need to wait for APS to get their part.  Some of the issues in the park have been addressed, but some are waiting on APS.  As far as new or additional lights in the Lower Greenlaw neighborhood, they are currently conducting a street light inventory, but the additional lights are tied to amount of traffic—and there is probably not enough traffic on these streets to warrant additional lighting, but a full traffic study would have to take place.
Similarly with sidewalks—a full traffic study would have to take place.  Mr. O’Connor wasn’t even sure the city had the right of way in the Greenlaw neighborhood because the neighborhood had been in place for so long. 
The same story with signs for special needs children (deaf, blind) a full traffic report apparently needs to take place.
Cutting of the grass in the park—apparently there is an effort to get native grasses growing on the east side of the park, so they have to wait to mow it until the natives have seeded.  It was pointed out that there are many non-native invasive grasses as well—they are attempting to address that issue.
Dangerous intersections of Burkhart and Schevene and Miller and Tindle were discussed briefly.  Likely that all that could be done is to ask the PD to monitor them more closely.
Officer Radford mentioned that any time speeding was a concern, citizens can call the PD and ask for a radar trailer to come and monitor traffic speed.
Alleys were discussed.  It is the homeowner’s responsibility to clean up alleys.  In Sunnyside there has been some coordination between a homeowner and the city.  The alleys are mowed and cleaned up and the trash taken to the end of the alley—city is called and they come and pick it up.  There was some interest by attendees in organizing such an effort in Lower Greenlaw.
After the meeting Marguerite asked Mr. O’Connor about drainage and Lockett.  He said he pushed really hard for that during the last bond issue session, but apparently the cost was outrageous.
5.  Mr O’Connor also discussed the Hermosa Vida Study conducted by North Country and a professor at NAU.  Julio had previously discussed this study at a meeting several months ago.  Apparently he has acquired a new job and it will take a little longer to get the report.  Here is the link to the project HYPERLINK "http://www.northcountryhealthcare.org/what/community-services/beautiful-life.php"http://www.northcountryhealthcare.org/what/community-services/beautiful-life.php or on facebook HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/HermosaVidaFLG"https://www.facebook.com/HermosaVidaFLG.  There will be a report at the next Parks and Rec Commission Meeting which will take place on November 14, 2012.  Mike encouraged all people interested in Bushmaster issues to attend to tell the city what we want to see at the park. 
6.  Miscellaneous topics.  Included
Skunk problems were mentioned and the suggestion was made that if there were severe issues , and Animal control officer could be called.
Halloween—the curfew will be the same as every other night
Mr. O’Connor suggested that folks take a look at Bond issues 405 and 406 in the upcoming election. HYPERLINK "http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40300"http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40300, HYPERLINK "http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40276"http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40276
Permits to hold larger events at Bushmaster (the suggestion was to have a large neighborhood picnic with egg and spoon races, balloon toss, etc—Glorice Pavey is the person to contact.
Next meeting will not be on the third Wednesday of November because that is the day before Thanksgiving, but will be on the 14th (same day as the Parks and Rec Commission meeting) probably at Thomas school again.
Gymnasium was empty at 7:30 pm.

Bushmaster Park Community Meeting Minutes November 14, 2012

Met in the Thomas School gymnasium. Only 2 couples, Officer Radford, and Lieutenant Roberts 1. Officer Radford gave the current stats for the park year to date compared to last year. Still looking like a slight improvement for the majority of categories.

2. Lt. Roberts brought to our attention a trend of concern at the park. Their crime analyst has put together 3 separate incidents that took place in early November. All 3 victims were intoxicated and unable to provide accurate descriptions, but all spoke of 7-8 men who attacked them claiming that they were invading their turf. The last victim said that they were all white men wearing red shirts, but Lt. Roberts reminded us that the victim was intoxicated and his description may or may not be accurate. The first man was stabbed and the last said the men tried to take his backpack wielding knives and he thought he heard a gunshot. All incidents took place after dark. Citizens are asked to pay special attention to groups of men that might fit this description and to take extra care when visiting the park. We discussed how perpetrators often start with easy “prey” and then with each success their confidence builds to the point where they may decide to attack a sober person. Please be careful.

3. We discussed the lighting issue again. Lt. Roberts stated that the Dark Sky Ordinance would likely keep any additional lights from being placed in the park. He was unsure if the same rules would apply to a motion sensing light or one on a timer.

4. We also discussed having some type of guest speaker at the meetings to try to increase attendance. Some suggestions were self-defense, first aid, gardening or rainwater harvesting. Officer Radford stated that he and Officer Durbin were going to brainstorm to come up with a list of ideas. Marguerite spoke with Tim Hillis at Arizona Elite Mixed Martial Arts Studio. He expressed an interest in providing a free seminar in how to “not be a victim” with subsequent full self defense courses to those interested. The follow-up courses would be $5/person/session—but the initial seminar is free with no requirements for subsequent enrollment.

We are going to postpone the next meeting until January due to the holiday season and associated festivities. The next meeting will be Wednesday January 16 at 6 pm.