Loading...
Approval of Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park Concept PlansCity of Dubuque City Council Meeting ITEM TITLE SUMMARY: SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: ATTACHMENTS: Description MVM Memo Staff Memo Copyrighted February 5, 2024 Action Items # 03. Approval of Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park Concept Plans City Manager recommending City Council approval of the Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park concept plans. Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve Westbrook Concept and Boundary Step 2 Engagement Survey Westbrook Eagle Valley Concept and Boundary Step 2 Engagement Survey Eagle Valley Step 1 Engagement Summary Type Staff Memo Supporting Documentation Supporting Documentation Supporting Documentation Supporting Documentation Supporting Documentation Supporting Documentation THE C Dubuque DUj!BQTE WAWca 914 Masterpiece on the Mississippi YP pp aoo�•o 13 zai7*20*�oi9 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Approval of Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park Concept Plans DATE: February 1, 2024 Leisure Services Director Marie Ware is recommending City Council approval of the Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park concept plans. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. v Mic ael C. Van Milligen MCVM:sv Attachment CC' Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager Marie Ware, Leisure Services Director Steve Fehsal, Park Division Manager Jared Charland, Project and Facilities Manager Dubuque THE CF D�Uj__B E *AWn CKY ; x Master iece on the Mississippi' � pp 2 017* 2'2013 zi�•zoig TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Marie L. Ware, Leisure Services Director SUBJECT: Approval of Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park Concept Plans DATE: January 30, 2024 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this memo is to recommend approval of the Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park concept plans. DISCUSSION WHKS & Co. with subcontractors Lovely City Consulting and Ritland+Kuiper were engaged to prepare the design and conceptual plans through construction management services for three mini parks. The first step of the design process was community input. Neighborhood residents and the broader community were invited to participate in the planning process in three ways: • Online — a reflection and image based online survey was provided from November 1-18, 2023. 207 neighborhood residents and 17 community members participated. • By mail — Residents were provided with the option to request a paper survey by phone. One household chose this method of participation. • In -person — An in -person event was held at each park site on two consecutive Saturdays in November with 48 attendees. Light refreshments, a site tour, and activities like those provided in the online survey were completed with attendees. Opportunities for community -wide engagement were offered and promoted through a press release and social media postings. Postcards were mailed to 372 addresses in the neighborhood 10-14 days prior to the in -person events. Westbrook and English Ridge neighborhoods also shared the events on their Facebook pages. A summary of this first engagement step is attached to this action item. The consultants along with assistance of Leisure Services staff then worked to put together a concept plan that addressed the common themes and highest selected choices of the neighborhood. Common in our parks planning is that not all wishes and desires of those that participated can be met, especially within the specific budgets available. Care was used to take the themes and highest selected choices and incorporate them into the design of the concept plans that could fit the budget. Not all the highest choices could be accommodated due to budget constraints. During the step 1 engagement, it was shared that the concept plans would be released for further engagement on the concept as well as selecting more specifics of the concept that would be used in putting together the bid documents. Those specifics were items like the play equipment option, colors of the play equipment, specific play panels, specific climbing options, and/or park shelter style and colors. The choices were relative to the specific park and concept design. During the step 2 community engagement feedback there was positive comments and input for the concepts provided for Westbrook and Eagle Valley Parks and strong engagement on specifics of the park concepts. Feedback for English Ridge Park's concept was not as positive with a majority requested a concept more like Westbrook or Eagle Valley's concepts. A unique natural playscape concept was presented for English Ridge however this was not well received. A more traditional playscape with a natural look is preferred according to the combined step 1 and step 2 input received. The consultants will be working on a concept with a more traditional playscape, a natural look, and rubberized surfacing. This feedback led us to determine that we should only bring to Council at this time the Eagle Valley and Westbrook concepts for approval. Eagle Valley will be presented as soon as possible to keep the project moving. We shared with the community the timeframe for the three parks was to have them constructed in 2024. After approval of these two concepts, the consultants will work on design documents for the two while further development of the concept for English Ridge Park happens. At this time, we believe we can achieve construction in 2024 with the schedule being very tight for this to happen. In a worst -case scenario, English Ridge Park might have to be bid separate and potentially started but not be completed in 2024. We are committed to doing our best to do all three at once. Engagement is important to both the city and the community, thus extra time is needed. The ARPA funding source requires the funding to be committed by December 31, 2024. This means we need to have a construction contract fully in place and executed by that time. BUDGETIMPACT The total project budget for all consultant services, construction, and project costs is $705,730. $277,730 (Eagle Valley — Project # 3043000027) - ARPA $214,000 (Westbrook - Project # 3043000028) - ARPA $214,000 (English Ridge — Project # 3043000029) - APRA ACTION REQUESTED I respectfully request approval of the Westbrook Park and Eagle Valley Park concept plans. cc: Steve Fehsal, Park Division Manager Jared Charland, Project and Facilities Manager 3 OPark Sign O2 Split Rail Fence O3 Aspen Tree on Lawn Mound 4\ Pour -in -Place Safety Surfacing O5 Play Equipment © Play Panels \ ADA-Accessible Picnic Table \ Flowering Perennials & Grasses OSwing Bench 10 Shade Tree (Typical) 11 Ornamental Tree or Large Shrub (Typical) 12 Potential Future Community Garden Space 13 6' Wide Sidewalk 14 Mowed Lawn 15 Bike Rack 16 Trash Receptacle i. 15 -- 16 12 2 IN 0 11 TDuB E Westbrook Park Conceptual Plan Masterpiece on the Mississippi Dubuque, Iowa 9 whks engineers + planners + land surveyors 2 RITLAN DAU I PER Qfjovelyci LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS ', 0 L I I NORTH 20 S C A L E I N F E E T 3: RL q Vilb 1IL4 R rf I 4 DuB E Westbrook Park BoundaryMa p Masterpiece on the Mississippi Dubuque, Iowa VV i WESTBROOK PARK DEVELOPMENT WESTBROOK PARK BOUNDARY WhkS RITLANDAUIPER %'JovelyCity engineers+planners+land surveyors LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS°s 41 L I I N t; Westbrook Park Step 2 The community and neighborhood were engaged to give input to the "Plan your Park" process for Westbrook Park. Input was received online, through a survey, by mail, as well as in -person at the park site. Post cards were sent inviting the neighbors to participate this way. Press releases and social media were also used to promote "Plan Your Park". The overarching themes for Westbrook Park were safety, connection and access for everyone. The landscaping preference was for trees of which the plan identifies a number and variety of trees. A landscape area would be designed because of public input with bird and pollinator habitat and sensory plants in the next phase of planning. Swings were also identified. Due to the small space swing benches are included to overlook the natural park area. Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more Westbrook Park Boundary Map W" f,. Westbrook Park Boundary Map Ulf ks RITLAND ; KurPER --- Dubuque. Iowa �I rtitlal:irt 10 Westbrook Park Conceptual Plans 1)I= IilJ :l Vvestbrook Park Conceptual Plan whks RISIAND-i-KUIPER , We need your input again! Input shared a desire for slides and climbing structures on a traditional play equipment style. Play Equipment: Please select the play equipment you like from the options below. NJ Westprook Play Equipment Option 1 Age Rance 2-12 Flay C.-pw.y: 15 Westbnxk Play Fquipmant Option 2. Age Range-2-12 Play Capacity, 17 O option 1: O option 2: IM Input shared the desire to have play equipment with bright colors. Play Structure Color Palette: Please select your preferred play structure color palette from the options below. Poured -in place play surfacing under the equipment will be chosen later based on the color palette selected for the play equipment. "A"alk Palette A: Green, Blue, White C Palette C: Green Tones � ■ E 010 B Palette B: Yellow, Orange, Navy D Palette D: Yellow, Red, Silver/Gray OM 0 Palette E: Navy, Blue, White Play Panels: CHOOSE ONLY THREE The play area has space for THREE play panels. Please select the THREE panels you would like to see on the play structure. The colors of the play panels will match the color palettes selected by the voting process. Option 4: Counter and Calculator Option 1: Gear shift and tube L Option 5: Facial Expressions Option b: Door and Bubble Option 3: Turn Disk & Sound Creator Option 2: Tic Tac Toe Chavenelle Trail Connection As with any project there is a budget and we can never do everything we want. One item the Westbrook neighborhood desires is connectivity to Chavenelle Trail. With the funding available, the focus was on the main park area. After the park is developed, if neighbors want to work with Leisure Services to research and investigate options for connections we would welcome the conversation. This would require planning and additional funding. What is the next step you ask? This park concept is presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission for their review and recommendation to the City Council. Then our consultant team will begin putting together bid specifications to be able to bid the construction. We are still on a schedule to build the park in 2024. Stay tuned!! Please provide to us any comments you would like to share about the Westbrook Park -Step 2. Your answer Submit Never submit passwords through Google Forms. This form was created inside of Lovely City. Report Abuse Google Forms Clear form IM �) a ► • / J ^11 , Aw. LJ i l 1O Entrance Sign $ I O2 Split Rail Fence I 1 OADA-Accessible Sidewalk O Pour -in -Place Safety Surfacing �; ' I 1 OPlay Equipment ` OO Flowering Perennials &Grasses O7 Swing Bench _ F Og Mowed Lawn for Open Play 90 Picnic Shelter (12' x 20') 10 Low Maintenance No -Mow Area- 11 Shade Tree (Typical) I + ' 12 Ornamental Tree (Typical) THE CITY OF 0 70 177 7. r - 4 E u ti OD A_ V.-i DUB E Eagle Valley Park Conceptual Plan whks Masterpiece on the Mississippi RITLAN D+KU I PER lLovelyCitv rP PP Dubuque, Iowa engineers + planners + land surveyors LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS C 0 N S U L 0 — 10 20 SCALE IN FEET 111111111111116 0— i .a �,.��. PARK ACCESS EAGLE VALLEY PARK BOUNDARY EAGLE VALLEY PARK DEVELOPMENT PARK ACCESS a PARK ACCESS Ta m t gnrolgm f r. # Am r TDUB E Eagle Valley Park Boundary Map Masterpiece on the Mississippi Dubuque, Iowa DETENTION BASIN WhkS RITLANDAUIPER 41-mvel-Wity engineers+planners+land surveyors LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTSc 0 N1; U L 1 r Eagle Valley Park Step 2 The community and neighborhood were engaged to give input to the "Plan your Park" process for Eagle Valley Park. Input was received online, through a survey, by mail, as well as in -person at the park site. Postcards were sent inviting the neighbors to participate this way. Press releases and social media were also used to promote "Plan Your Park". The overarching themes for Eagle Valley Park were safety, connection, and access for everyone. Access to the park will be improved by raising the area at the entrance between the two houses and creating an accessible sidewalk that slowly slopes into the park. A swing bench overlooks the play equipment area with the sidewalk ending at a picnic shelter that can be used for gathering events or family picnic. Landscape and trees will add to the natural look of the park area. Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more OM Eagle Valley Park Boundary PAA&ACGESS FAME VALL6j PAINS R 6 111 � r% IrPOPME -, 3 RACCESS :' 1 DETENTION BASIN Fi F A PARK ACel-55 r71. i,l!tiX Eagle Valley Park Boundary Map "kS NItuA�uD+HUIPUH Eagle Valley Conceptual Plan 00 We need your input again! Input shared the desire to have climbing structures and play equipment that had a natural aesthetic. Climbing Play Equipment: Please select from the options below, which climbing play equipment you like. kagkr WE" 11y kquipmwA Updw IA W. 'r .1 fNVCIL.. r. ' OOption 1: Linear Climbing Course with three activity stations Fagle Valley Play F.gn13Hnen1 Option 18 Age P-*: ! 5-0 Flan cap c*: 14 OOption 2: Climbing Tower with three sides of activity stations IM Input shared the desire for slides and shade on the young child play equipment. Young Child Play Equipment: Please select from the options below which play equipment you prefer. The roof color will be determined later in the planning. F ar11e VAII-V 49ay M A'F Par"--7'. 11. y CaP�c ky: 12 Option 1: Four accessible activities Oincluding: slide, elevated covered play, play panels and balance beam/bench seat Eagle Wlley Noy Fyuipuit-W Opfiun 2B M,z Panq - 7- i Play C armory: 1R Option 2: Four accessible activities Oincluding: slide, elevated covered play, play panels and small climbing wall 0M The number one preference shared was for a shaded gathering space. Park Shelter: Please select the look of the park shelter you like best from the options below. The colors below are NOT the proposed colors. You will be given color options in the next question. 1� Gable Roof Structure (two-sided roof) onoslo 3 Monoslope Roof Structure (one side of the roof is sightly higher than the other) Ing Hip End Hip End Roof Structure (four-sided roof) Park Shelter Color Palette: Please select your preferred park shelter color palette from the options below. Roo rCoIor Post Color OPalette A: Patrician Bronze Roof + Bronze Posts Roof Color Past Color Palette C: Medium Bronze Roof + O Dark Green Posts Shiras Trail Connection Roof Color Post Cc)Io,, Palette B: Hartford Green Roof + Green Posts Roof Color Post Color Palette D: Sandstone Roof + Beige Posts As with any project there is a budget, and we can never do everything we want. One item the Eagle Valley neighborhood desires is connectivity to Shiras Avenue. With the funding available the focus of this project was on the main park area. After the park is developed if neighbors want to work with Leisure Services to research this connectivity, we welcome the conversation. We have met with the Engineering Department as they control what can and can't be done with a detention basin. They felt it might be possible to make this connection, however it would require further planning and additional funding. What is the next step you ask? This park concept is presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission for their review and recommendation to the City Council. Then our consultant team will begin putting together bid specifications to be able to bid the construction. We are still on a schedule to build the park in 2024. Stay tuned!! Please provide to us any comments you would like to share about the Eagle Valley Park -Step 2. Your answer Submit Never submit passwords through Google Forms. This form was created inside of Lovely City. Report Abuse Google Forms Clear form IM jqt;kGoW Plan YOUR Park Engagement Results The three neighborhood parks will be developed to serve as social and recreational focal points for the neighborhoods, providing opportunities to connect with nature and each other. The goals for the engagement process were to: • Understand preferred high-level uses for the site • Determine and prioritize key site elements • Determine preferred equipment styles and landscaping aesthetics • Utilize symbol and activity -based engagement and multiple platforms (in -person, online). Neighborhood residents and the broader community were invited to participate in the planning process in three ways: Online A reflection- and image -based online survey was provided from November 1-18, 2023. 207 neighborhood residents and 17 members of the community participated. By Mail Residents were provided the option to request a paper survey by phone. One household chose this method of participation. In -Person An in -person event was held at each park site on two consecutive Saturdays in November with 48 attendees. Light refreshments, a site tour and activities similar to those provided in the online survey were completed with the attendees. Attendees were also asked how they traveled to the event; 99% came on foot. MMj 4ft" :, Community -Wide Communication Opportunities for community -wide engagement were offered promoted through a press release and social media postings Neighborhood Communication Postcards were mailed to the 372 add 10-14 days prior to the in -person ever Ridge neighborhoods also shared the Facebook pages. waa� M �rw�aa�`�a-f'J31 �i �ram�w[ �.ri .,ww'itM ,f.... Yw3r��'ti� r��yp i.• and Q]LovelyCity Community and Neighborhood Communication and Engagement C 0 N S U L T I N G Provided by LovelyCity, LLC. Eagle Valley Neighborhood Engagement Summary At the in -person event, participants were encouraged to find and mark their house on the neighborhood map. In the online survey, participants noted which street they live on to help understand whether responses were coming from the neighborhood or the broader community. The majority of the survey results were from residents of the immediate neighborhood with all streets represented through the online survey or in -person event. FK41 V+wxrt*oR 7 r� In -Person Event 12 residents Online Survey 26 households, 50 residents 2 community responses Greatest Hopes for the Site Participants were asked to share their greatest hope for the site. The overarching themes were safety, connection, and access for everyone. safe place to play connecting with neighbors activities for all ages and abilities trail connection to Shiras Ave open space pet -friendly I General Comments and Concerns The following comments were collected from neighbors in the free comment section of the survey and during the in -person workshop: • Access to the park is a concern as space between houses is narrow and steep • Connection to Shiras Ave: Neighborhood feels disconnected from neighborhood amenities: Eagle Point Park, river, trail network • Desire for visually pleasing main entrance with plants that help manage storm water • Homeowners close to the park cited privacy concerns • One homeowner mentioned concern of disturbance of snakes in the storm water detention area Space Usage and Equipment Needs Residents were asked to imagine their ideal day at this new park. Would they have a picnic? Fly a kite? Toss a ball or frisbee? Climb on equipment? Play tag? Meet up with friends? Once they had a clear picture of their ideal day's activities, they were asked to select up to three images that depicted what type of space or equipment they needed to achieve their ideal day at the park. The results are below. ��_ _ I Shade Structure Individual Swings Walking/Hiking Paths Climbing Structures Slides There were 30 votes for a shade structure or pavilion/covered gathering space. Walking/hiking paths received 28 votes while slides received 27. There were 25 votes for individual swings and 24 for climbing structures. While it did not receive as many votes, open space and multi -use field were frequently listed in introductory comments. Residents were also given the ability to type in an idea that was not listed. The most commonly entered ideas were related to basketball, pickelball, and soccer. Equipment Style Preference Residents were asked how they would like the park equipment to look, whether that be playground equipment, seating or a covered area. A natural aesthetic received the most support at 50%. Natural Landscaping Preferences Residents were asked to select up to two preferred landscaping themes. A sensory garden was the most popular landscaping theme. Turf, edible landscaping, educational with arboretum -style labels, and prairie all had similar levels of support. Turf VA AN Edible Landscaping .. Educational: Arboretum Prairie Westbrook Neighborhood Engagement Summary At the in -person event, participants were encouraged to find and mark their house on the neighborhood map. in the online survey, participants noted which street they live on to help understand whether responses were coming from the neighborhood or the broader community. The majority of the survey results were from residents of the immediate neighborhood with all streets represented through the online survey or in -person event. ? FMVP In -Person Event 14 residents 46 Online Survey 27 households, 47 residents 7 community responses - 7 WESTBROOK PART{ Pip/ { Greatest Hopes for the Site Participants were asked to share their greatest hope for the site. The overarching themes were safety, connection, and access for everyone. mare and tun welcoming community space incLusive and accessibie activities for all ages and abilities connection to Chavenelle trail IIdLUfdl SFJdCC pm -friendly General Comments and Concerns The following comments were collected from neighbors in the free comment section of the survey and during the in -person workshop: Connection: Neighborhood feels disconnected from existing amenities: Bergfeld Pond, Chavenelle Trail, DICW employers Homeowners close to the park cited privacy concerns and desire for clear park boundary to keep park users out of adjacent yards Two homeowners mentioned concerns about presence of beavers in wetland area Space Usage and Equipment Needs Residents were asked to imagine their ideal day at this new park. Would they have a picnic? Fly a Kite? Toss a ball or frisbee? Climb on equipment? Play tag? Meet up with friends? Once they had a clear picture of their ideal day's activities, they were asked to select up to three images that depicted what type of space or equipment they needed to achieve their ideal day at the park. The results are below. x t Slides Shade Structure Individual Swings There were 42 votes for slides. Shade structure received 35 votes, climbing structures 34 and walking/hiking paths received 33 votes. There were 28 votes for individual swings. Climbing Structures Walking/Hiking Paths Equipment Style Preference Residents were asked how they would like the park equipment to look, whether that be playground equipment, seating or a covered area. A bright and traditional aesthetic received the most support at 49%. Bright and Traditional Landscaping Preferences Residents were asked to select up to two preferred landscaping themes. A sensory garden was the most popular landscaping theme. Turf, community garden, and pollinator plantings all had similar levels of support. A desire for trees and other landscaping options that provide shade was noted in the survey comments. Plantings that are not toxic to dogs and other pets were discussed at the in -person event. Sensory Garden Turf IJL aw Bird or Pollinator Habitat Community Garden Beds