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10-11-88 Parks Comm Minutes• [1 n PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING October 11, 1988 COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT: Noel Furlong Jim Atkinson Gary Nystul Wayne Saverud Roger Hopkins Mike Baker, Parks Director Mayor Ed Kennedy Dr. David Downey and Richard Kohl, Friends of Lawrence Park Chairman Furlong declared the meeting open at 6:30 P.M. AGENDA ITEM ill: FRIENDS OF LAWRENCE PARK Chairman Furlong turned the floor over to Dick Kuhl. Kuhl gave a history of the Friends of Lawrence Parks' basic proposal which he said had been proposed last December with the Chamber of Commerce acting as mediator, but there was no serious negotiating until after the holiciays, in January, then the proposal had been put on hold since last June while the KGA lease was negotiated. Kuhl said he had just found out about the new proposal for the golf course expansion two weeks ago. Kuhl stated that with the KGA's new proposal there was no access from North Main and all of the City -owned property would revert to the golf course. There was further discussion regarding the Friend of Lawrence Park's proposal. Lorraine Bundrock, Susanna Casey, Bunny Wilder and Alana Ober all spoke in favor of the Friends' proposal. Chairman Furlong stated that at the Council meeting on October 17 he would offer a substitute motion to send the issue back for negotiations between the KGA and the Friends of Lawrence Park. He said the KGA wants a decision by October 25. It was decided that the Friends of Lawrence Park and the KGA would try to reach an agreement by February 1. Bunny Wilder said that two years ago the Council had made a resolution stating that they endorsed the Friends' plan and it was in the minutes of August 8, so they have been through the process. Mike baker said he had been involved with negotiations with the Chamber and he said he thought there were some misconceptions here, this was not a proposal. He said it was basically a bubble conception of a combination of wishes between Friends of Lawrence Park and the KGA. He said it was never meant to be a proposal at all, either on the Friend's part, the KGA's part, or the sub -committee that Lee Carruthers chaired. -1- One other clarification he made was that he had talked to Gretchen • Olheiser and that the grant for Lawrence Park would be re -written. The original grant application was for $19,000. He said it was prioritized as No. 11, and due to the lack of fund money, they're only going to fund $3,000. he said that Gretchen Olheiser said the way the grant was written right now we would never get the money from the Land K Water Conservation fund and he requested they send the grant back, so he could rewrite it and get a higher priority. Baker said the land south of the gravel pit only goes to the border of where the old townsite and the Wilken property come together, which is a flat area. He said the City only owns that portion of the property within Lawrence Park, the other part is Wilken property, which is about 40 acres. Kuhl said the City land not only encompasses the filled in area, it encompasses a lot of swampland. Atkinson asked the Friends of Lawrence Park and Nick Herron if they honestly believed that some agreement could be made between themselves and KGA by February 1? Kuhl said that depended on the progress. The Mayor asked if the addition of the Wilken property etc. was important to the Friends' concept? Kuhl said he thought it would be a benefit to the City and they could do a lot of things with it. He said we should ask the Parks Director what he sees in long term goals and needs of the City parks and recreation. • Baker said in his conversation with the Wilken property owner, it was indicated to him that without a compromise with the Golf Course that land woula not be available. He said he felt that the Wilken property and the townsite are a very valuable contribution to the park. He said as far as the other parcel goes, the Corps of Engineers was pretty strict on that and that there is only one use, which is parkland. bunny Wilder asked if there is only one use for that land, and if it is made available as a park, what use will it have? Baker said it will be sterile, nothing will be happening to it, it will exist as a swamp. He said it was impossible to develop. He said it was a very good area to have some trails through. Bunny Wilder said the wetlanas are impossible to walk through, they are about B to 12 feet deep and impossible to develop. C. Hopkins said he would still like the City Council to act on the motion that was made, because otherwise he didn't think the KGA will negotiate any further unless they get some kind of indication from the City how we react to the proposal. C. 5averud said one of the reasons why he would oppose the motion as stated is that if it's going to be a a gunfight at O.K. Corral, then every councilman ought to be there, and he will not be here on • October 17th, he had a commitment out of town. He said he didn't -2- want to miss that and he wanted to stand up and be counted. He said • he didn't think we ought to be backed into a corner just because of somebody's late announced time frame. He said this process has been going on for years with a lot of progress then all of a sudden there was no progress because of one side pulling back, and he thought we should exert whatever pressure we can to get both sides back to the table. At that point, we should make a policy statment that that decision will be made on a night when there is a full attendance of the Council. At that time C. Nystul suggested they move on to item number two on the agenda. Chairman Furlong concurred and thanked the Friends of Lawrence Park for attending and assured them that on October 17 a decision will be made. AGENDA ITEM #2: FLATHEAD TENNIS ASSOCIATION Lil Laidlaw from the Flathead Tennis Association addressed the committee stating that earlier this year they had met with the City Parks Director and gave him their plans for developing an 8-court complex. She said at that time the Parks Director requested the results of their meeting with the KGA, and that the KGA had welcomed them enthusiastically and they have accepted their proposal; however, they have not made a commitment to them with the 8-court complex. She said they are very much interested in it, they see that tennis and golf are compatible, they are interested in further discussion, but their final commitment was related to their expansion. She stated the tennis association is satisfied with their discussions with the KGA, they are in favor of their expansion because it also means a place for them; however, they are also interested in seeing that a good complex be developed here and that the wishes of the Friends of Lawrence Park and the KGA and the Flathead Tennis Association be taken into account. She said they have not met formally with any of the groups and requested that they now meet formally with the Parks Committee if further negotiations and discussions are to be made. Chairman Furlong advised her that the motion he will make encompasses the Flathead Tennis Association. There being no further discussion the meeting adjourned at 7:40 P.M. Shirley Hughes, Recording Secretary -3-