Summary

• City Council Work Session:

  • Reviewed consultant’s plans for the pool.
  • Awaiting City Council’s decision on the next steps.
  • Three options are under review, with no recommendation yet from the Parks Department.

• Preparations for Opening:

  • Lifeguards are being hired.
  • Maintenance work is ongoing to ensure the pool is ready for Memorial Day weekend.

• Discussion on Pool Options:

  • The Board’s role includes supporting the process and encouraging public input.
  • Board does not have a direct vote on funding decisions.
  • Survey results indicated mixed opinions: 52 respondents wanted the pool to remain unchanged, while 411 supported changes.
  • Emphasis on the pool as a valuable community asset.
  • Discussions on ensuring continued public input and access to survey data.

• Financial Considerations:

  • Funding will ultimately come from Oak Ridge taxpayers.
  • Entry fees cover only a fraction of the pool’s operational costs.

Full Text

The April 11, 2024 Meeting of the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board was convened at 7:00 pm in the Oak Ridge Recreation Center Social Room with Chairman Jake Greear presiding.

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

Present: Jake Greear, Terri Daugherty, Ann Miller, Dan Robbins, Brittany Hensley, Doug Bataille, Chris Melhorn, Alissa Jones, Kelly Mccampbell

Absent: None

Also Present: Jon Hetrick, Recreation & Parks Director, staff liaison

Also Absent: Seth Rodgers, Recreation & Parks, Special Projects, staff liaison

3. Approval of April 11th Agenda

Agenda approved.

4. Approval of March 2024 Meeting Minutes

Approved as amended, added the word “Breakfast” in front of Rotary in section 10 of March minutes. Then approved (unanimous).

Note- minutes are included on the City website, under Agendas, then upcoming events, then Recreation and Parks.

5. Officer reports:

Nothing to report.

6. Committee Reports / Board Work Plan:

• Oak Ridge Pool
• Jon: City Council had a work session. They reviewed plans from consultant. Expect to see some action in the near future. Were better able to understand the options. In a bit of a holding pattern until City Council decides to make the next step. It was an all new construction in 1992-1993 when they rebuilt it. They found some old photos, to determine it was all new construction. Parks Dept. hasn’t made a recommendation of any of the three options. City Council is reviewing the pros and cons of all three options. The goal is to have a plan in place when it becomes necessary to do something.
• Busy hiring lifeguards and doing work on the pool to open Memorial Day weekend.
• Added new lights into indoor pool, passed health inspection.
• Doug C.: Inquiry re whether the Board will take a vote on advice/recommendations on the pool. Jake: understanding is that we are here to support the process, such as more public input sessions. With this particular item, just knowing the truth and dispelling rumors is a part of it. But ultimately, we don’t have a vote as far as how the money is going to be spent. Doug C. discussed the two City Council sessions, both are beneficial. They are recorded, and we can watch them online. Doug C. came away supporting the pool as a great community asset. Jake: waiting to see how things play out, if we can provide input that’s great, if we need to push a solution vs. letting the project fail, then we would likely be involved in recommending finding funding or grants or something like that. Doug B.: comes down to how much funding council wants to provide. Brittany: inquiry about public input. Jake: we had public input sessions, it’s been discussed that we would probably have more public input sessions after the consultants came up with options. Brittany: are there other options such as keeping it open longer. Jake: some people are concerned that the City is trying to take away the pool. Ann: do we have access to the survey responses. Jon: yes, it’s all on the website, and should be in the power point. Ann: would be interested to see the raw data. Jon: website has the survey, swimming pool audit. Will see about getting the website updated.
• 52 wanted it to stay the same, 411 wanted changes.
• Tax payers of Oak Ridge are ultimately going to bear the cost. Regardless of what the entry fee costs, it only covers a fraction of the cost.
• CIPs Review
• Recommendations of the Planning Commission were submitted to City Council, wasn’t much discussion. From here it just goes into the City Manager’s budget process.
• North Boundary Greenway
• City actively pursuing acquiring the ED-6 parcel from the DOE. There is an intent to maintain natural area and park area. But no details at this point, just very conceptual ideas.
• Greenway System
• Haw Ridge: City staff realized there was $140,000 in the CIP budget for this year to purchase the adjacent parcel from the Anderson County Board of Education. The City agreed to purchase for $350,000. Had to go back to City council to reallocate $210,000 from the general fund, to complete the sale. It’s in process.
• Parks & Rec Stewardship, Maintenance and Trail development
• Finally installed first new park sign at Milt Dickens Park, by the turnpike. Getting signs assembled in the shop.
• Maintenance: crews are busy doing general spring maintenance.
• Doug C.: Parks staff assisted with Arbor Day. New tree planted at Glenwood. One of the students had a poem that he read at the tree planting and at the City Council meeting.
• CVTA: Doug B.: Norris Dam State Park had first big workday there. Helped build some trails there. Haw Ridge Enduro race coming up next month.
• Secondary & Long-Term Objectives
• Facilitating community events.
• Next event: outdoor recreation festival. Had a meeting about a week ago from most participating organizations. Jon spoke to the folks at the golf course today, and they are interested in getting involved. They’ll let people come out and practice their swings. Will be multiple events around the City. June 22nd. Will start in the morning, then will encourage people to go patronize businesses, like Crafter’s Brew and the Green’s. Will give out complimentary pint glasses. Seems to be coming together. City Manager is enthusiastic about it. City communications person is working on a website. There will be an intro to disc golf. Pickle ball at Jackson Square. Kayaking at Melton Lake. Hiking at How Ridge with the Houndry. Biking at Haw Ridge with CVTA. Hoping to make this a yearly event. And if lots of people show up, then add more events and/or locations.
• Run under the Stars this Saturday night in Bissell Park.
• Summer Camp coming up soon.
• Easter Egg Hunt: had a good turn out. Weather held out.
• The following Saturday the YAB hosted an Art in the Park event.
• Rails to trails: they have accepted the plans. Before they will give us the notice to proceed for the right of way provision, they need an updated contract. Subcontractor that had been identified is no longer willing to do the work. So contractor is now looking for a new subcontractor.
• Doug C.: Greenways committee met last night. Clearly the Rails to Trails is the next big item or initiative for the community. How can our Greenways committee help move the process along. Every month during legislative session, legislators are here, and it’s a good opportunity to work with them on local or state wide issues. Should we ask legislators to be more engaged? Sounds like based on the information Jon gave, that the project is under control. Is there anything else the Greenways committee can do to help? Jake: defer to Jon, but sounds like the ball is in the City’s court. Once a subcontractor is chosen, then maybe some nudging to keep things moving forward would be helpful, but would defer to Jon. Jon: finally have a new TOOT contact. Met with them last week. Re-establishing new relationship. So now, it’s really about the consultant getting their subcontractor in place. We just need to make sure they get that done as quickly as possible.
• Advisory support for conference center design: moving along pretty well as far as infrastructure, conduit, HVAC, getting ready to hang sheetrock. Building is beginning to take shape on the interior and exterior. There’s an excavator outside, that is being used to bring in fire suppression to the new and old building. We have a lot of concrete walls that they have to bore holes through to add fire suppression system into. At this point, still plan to be done in November. Running a conference center is very different than running a rec center. Including staff. Looking at hiring one supervisor to oversee the facility and using existing staff. Will need to add janitorial services on site. Ann: will probably need someone to help with IT support. Jon: supervisor would ideally be the point person for that, and the IT department will help with that too. Will be organizing and working with vendors and rental companies.
• Plaza: one of the items on the agenda at city council meeting, was hiring a consultant for plaza. They are hiring Arcadis. Landscape architect. Will begin this fall. Need to identify some funding. Should be a good process, working with some very solidly experienced people on that. May need the Board’s assistance for public input. Dan: is the sculpture retired or going to be a part of the new plaza? Jon: right now it’s in storage. Determine that will be a part of the process.
• Support Melton Lake bridge preliminary design: Nothing new to report.
• Support continued development of the peace bell pavilion
• Scarboro 85 monument. City Council approved a design contract with Demian Wilbur Architects out of DC. The conceptual design is being considered. They have been hired by the City to do actual architectural & engineering work. Scarboro 85 committee has also hired them to design displays and lighting. They are providing matching amounts for the City contract, which is just short of $250,000. It’s going to be across the creek from the old bell structure. Between the little parking lot and the bridge. Location was voted on and recommended by the board a year and a half ago.
• Explore opportunities for the continued development of disc golf.
• Installing new baskets at the Yearwood course. Received $1,000 from disc golf club, Pluto’s in Knoxville donated $1,000, and City contributed the balance, over $1,900. Nice new baskets were delivered this week. Disc golf club picked them up today. They are going to install them. Also talking about building tee pads.
• Jake: question about improving parking at the Mounds, such as for cross country events. Adding gravel/grading. Jon: talked about gravelling the area. Biggest concern is bringing in school buses. Public works has been using a gravelly area as a lay down area. Jon has asked them to leave it as overflow back up parking. The cross country team doesn’t have a home course. The closest one they do is at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville. Those meets are a good revenue generator for the team. We do a lot of partnering with the schools for athletic teams, so it would just be another collaboration with the schools. The gravel is where you go out past Scarboro, on the left side is the mounds on the old golf course. When Kroger was built, they took a lot of materials over there and spread it on a parcel on the right side of the road. There is a large flat area now.
• Support Blueways initiatives
• They are continuing to meet monthly, next meeting is the 16th of April, think it’s a virtual meeting. They are working with planning with different municipalities. They are trying to organize regular monthly paddling trips this summer. They are working with the City on the June 22nd outdoor festival.

7. Unfinished business:

• Clark Center Park: will be on the Council agenda at the work session next week. Looking at what operational costs would look like. There has been a suggestion that it become a state park. Being looked at, but no major development now.
• Starting to plan out our annual work session to develop our work plan for next year. Maybe something outside, with a firepit. Something like the CVTA headquarters, or the Greens. To flesh out items we want to discuss next year and have on agenda items. Tentatively holding May 22 evening for work session.

8. New Business:

None.

9. Appearance of Citizens (Non-agenda Items)

Doug C. present.

10. Announcements

• Melton Lake clean up. 16 volunteers, 23 bags of trash.

Director’s report:

Nothing new.

Future agenda items:

• Maybe new info/ updates from City Council work session.

Next meeting: May 9, 2023.

11. Adjournment