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Home My WebLink About2025-05-06 Agenda NEW HANOVER COUNTY PARKS & GARDENS 896 Airlie Road · Wilmington, NC 28403 (910) 798-7620 · (910) 798-7621 FAX · www.nhcgov.com PARKS ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA May 6, 2025 8:30 A.M. SMITH CREEK PARK 633 SHENANDOAH DR, WILMINGTON NC 28411 1. Call to Order Ryan Bisplinghoff, Chair 2. Approval of Minutes Ryan Bisplinghoff 3. Top of Mind Topics All 4. Director/Staff Q&A Tara/Andy 5. Adjournment NEXT MEETING: JUNE 3, 2025 NEW HANOVER COUNTY PARKS ADVISORY BOARD PAGE 2 REGULAR MEETING APRIL 1, 2025 ASSEMBLY The Parks Advisory Board held its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at the Airlie Cottage. Present: Carol Hunter, Caleb Rash, Ryan Bisplinghoff, Jordan Nason, Mary Ellen Lavoie, Judy Justice Excused: Gayle Tabor Staff: Andy Johnson, Latashia Smith, Tara Duckworth, and Tanya Gurganious WELCOME AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES The meeting was called to order by Ryan Bisplinghoff. Ryan asked if everyone had a chance to review the minutes and if there were any changes. Hearing no changes, the following motion was presented: MOTION: Ryan Bisplinghoff MOVED; SECONDED Carol Hunter, that the minutes of the meeting be approved. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 1. Top of Mind Topics. Tara presented the upcoming fiscal year budget. Budget Overview: Tara presented the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Salaries and Benefits: $5,991,596 (increased from previous year) Operating Budget: $2,030,034 (slightly decreased) Total Operating Budget Request: $12,220,966 approximately $300,000 less than the previous year. New Budget Requests: The request for LED lighting at Roland Grise Baseball Field was removed from the budget. Staff proposed a software lease to track park usage data. Facility Repair Requests: Long Leaf Park Playground surfacing repair: $65,000 Riverside Park Building demolition: $40,000 Ogden, River Road, and Arrowhead Parks Restroom floor epoxy: $18,500 Echo Farms Pool leak consultant: $33,000 NEW HANOVER COUNTY PARKS ADVISORY BOARD PAGE 3 REGULAR MEETING APRIL 1, 2025 Smith Creek Park Erosion mitigation: $10,000 Senior Center Trail bridge repair: Removed from proposed budget New Staffing Requests: Landscape Technician (Airlie): $59,243, fully funded by Airlie Foundation Two Grounds Workers (Northern District): Removed from the proposed budget Evening/Weekend Crew Leader: $61,705 2. Staff Updates: Mary Ellen shared that she attended a meeting where misinformation was being circulated regarding Smith Creek Park. She addressed the inaccuracies during the meeting. Judy Justice, who lives near the park, expressed interest in learning more. In response, Tara provided background information on the park. Smith Creek Park was acquired in 2011 and consists of two parcels: one of 92 acres and another of 85 acres, totaling 177 acres. That same year, staff submitted an application for a PARTF grant to develop the 85-acre parcel but were not selected. As part of the application, a conceptual plan was submitted, which emphasized a nature-based design and included equestrian trails, scout camping areas, a community garden, and an environmental education building. During the development of the 2017 master plan and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, staff received feedback indicating the public's preference for simple access to walking trails. This led to a revision of the original plan, resulting in the removal of the proposed building and most of the earlier design elements. Over the years, funding for the development of Smith Creek Park was consistently reallocated to other projects. As a result, staff prioritized the development of older park properties, delaying progress on Smith Creek. Currently, only 10% of the 85-acre parcel will be developed. Phase II consists of the construction of a roadway and a parking lot slightly smaller than the existing one, with 43 parking spaces. This phase will impact approximately eight acres and will also include a shelter, a restroom facility, and a one-mile paved perimeter trail. The NEW HANOVER COUNTY PARKS ADVISORY BOARD PAGE 4 REGULAR MEETING APRIL 1, 2025 Jordan Nason inquired about the Trails End Agreement between the county and the Wildlife Resources Commission. Tara clarified that the agreement had been in place since 2008, prior to her joining the county in 2010. She shared the agreement with Jordan and the board for their review. 3. Tara further explained that she and Andy met with Ryan McRae, Deputy Director of Operations at the Wildlife Resources Commission, to discuss opportunities for the park. One topic discussed was dredging. There is a grant for dredging, but the Wildlife Commission is ineligible for the grant, the county would need to apply. Tara agreed to explore potential funding through the Shallow Draft Navigation Channel Dredging Fund, while Ryan planned to conduct a hydrographic survey. The allowable dredging depths are a maximum of 3 feet at low tide and 5 feet at mean tide. There was also discussion about the inability to expand impervious surface as the park. 4. Next Meeting. The next board meeting will take place at Smith Creek Park on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. There was discussion about the June meeting at Trails End Park. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:46 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Latashia N. Smith Ώ Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Parks Advisory Board meeting.