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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-02-2016 Study Session Minutes�pW N OF 9k MARANA 7 ?izotA STUDY SESSION MINUTES 11555 W. Civic Center Drive, Marana, Arizona 85653 Council Chambers August 2, 2016, at or after 6:00 PM Ed I Ionea, Mayor or Jon Post, Vice Mayor David Bowen, Council Member Patti Comerford, Council Member Herb Kai, Council Member Carol McGorray, Council Member Roxanne Ziegler, Council Member STUDY SESSION CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL. Mayor Honea called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Town Clerk Branson called roll. Vice Mayor Post and Council Member Bowen were excused. There was a quorum present. PLEDGE OF ALLEOIANCEIINVOCATIONIMOMENT OF SILENCE. Dispensed with until the regular meeting. APPROVAL OF AGENDA. Motion to al-71)rove the agenda by Council Member I(crl, second 1)y Council .Member Ziegler. Passed 5-0. CALL TO THE PUBLIC. No speaker cards were presented. DISCUSSION/DIRECTION/POSSIBLE ACTION DI El Rio Open Space Concept Plan Presentation. Janine Spencer introduced the item, noting that the Town purchased the property in 2003. The site was previously an ADOT borrow pit, and it is in the floodway of the Santa Cruz River. The non -- engineered berm washed out during a heavy storm in September of 2014. The Council designated the property as a preserve under the Parrs and Recreation department in 2015. Since that time, a task force was created front members of the community and the neighborhood as well as several town departments to provide input for a plan for this area. To date, the Public works department has assisted in the removal of tons of trash that washed in during the big flood and have also temporarily refurbished the berm that was breached. August 2, 2016 Study Session Minutes The site has a lot of potential. The loop trail through Tucson will be extended on the south and west sides of El Rio Open Space and up to Avra valley Road. There's going to be a parking lot on the southwest corner that will be landscaped with a trailhead, and thus, will be more visible to the public. Funding from environmental mitigation fees from the outlet mall have been provided to move this project along for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. This will hopefully cover the master plan and design and possibly some of the phased construction. Funding is also being sought through other agencies and grants. Janine then introduced Alexandra Stoicof, a master's student from the school of Landscape Architecture and Planning at the University of Arizona, noting that Ms. Stoicof has developed a concept plan that incorporates many of the suggestions from the task force meetings. Ms. Stolcof noted that she has been working on this project since the beginning of the year. Ms. Stoicof s presentation included the site location with existing conditions. Her design included plans for a trail network, viewing platforms, primary and secondary trailheads, nodes for bird blinds, wildlife watching towers, ramadas and picnic areas, disk golf course, and ponds. The idea is to incorporate a balance providing for both human and ecological needs which will also rehabilitate a riparian landscape. Among the strengths of the concept are connections to the loop trail, adjacency to neighborhoods and parks, nodes for larger gatherings, educational stops for wildlife viewing and interpretive materials, the fact that minimally invasive structures can be incorporated to be visually aesthetic and functional, and via the arroyo landform and pond spaces, water catchment will be improved. She provided photos of existing landscaping throughout the property and then superimposed renderings of what the sites could look like with additional features such as seating elements, foot bridges and decorative elements to enhance the natural vegetation. The principal from Coyote Trail Elementary School enthusiastically responded to her outreach to various schools in the area regarding this project. Some of his feedback included providing amenities at the site that can't be provided on campus to justify the cost of field trips, incorporating historical, cultural and biologic curriculum into the interpretive centers that the students wouldn't necessarily be exposed to in the classroom, and incorporating elements f rom the University of Arizona water Festival at the site. The last topic was the Natural Resources Award, administered by the Arizona Parks & Recreation Association. Ms. Stoicof noted that this design addresses all of their criteria, so staff will be pursuing this award. At the conclusion of the presentation, Council Member Ziegler asked if Carolyn Campbell from the Coalition for the Sonoran Desert Protection has been involved in the conceptual design. Ms. Stoicof noted that Ms. Campbell was at the task force meeting on June 28, 2016, and the feedback from that meeting was incorporated into the plan presented to Council at tonight's meeting. Council Member Ziegler requested that Ms. Campbell be very involved in this project, because it seems like a great concept. Council Member Kai also thought it was a good concept. He does have a concern about safety on the trails should flooding occur. Ms. Stoicof said that discussions are occurring right now with food control and the town's hydrologist to stabilize the August 2, 2016 Study Session Minutes berm on the north side of the site with a 25- flood berm so that durin monsoon season there won't be an water comin onto the site. Ma Honea noted that he has hiked around this area and believes it could be a tremendous asset to the town as lon as there are safet measures in place to control the water. He also asked how water would g et onto the site durin low flow seasons. Ms. Stoicof said that the plan is to keep water on the site y ear around in the ponds and the arro which are now fed b the Santa Cruz River. But the hope is to eliminate that source. Storm water could also be a source as well as draina canals from adjacent nei The are also explorin alternatives for an additional water source and to keep water circulatin throu the site to prevent mos Council Member McGorra also asked how to keep children out of the water. Ms. Stoicof noted that the are tr to keep people awa from water and ponds as much as possible for safet reasons and because those areas are sensitive habitats, but further work needs to be done includin si maps and posted re g ulations. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT. Motion to ad at 6.26 p.m. b Council Member McGorra second b Council Member Kai. Passed unanimousl 5-0. CERTIFICATION I hereb certif that the fore are the true and correct minutes of the said session/presentation of the Marana. Town Council meetin held on Au 2, 2016. 1 further certif that a q uorum was present. Y o Bronson, Town Clerk 0, 11' 40 M RAN A r Au 2, 2016 Stud Session Minutes