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Meeting Convened. An Adjourned Meeting of the
York County Board of Supervisors was called to order at 6:01 p.m.,
Tuesday, September 10, 2002, in the East Room, York Hall, by Chairman
Donald E. Wiggins.
Attendance. The following members of the
Board of Supervisors were present: Walter C. Zaremba, Sheila S. Noll,
Donald E. Wiggins, and James S. Burgett.
Thomas G. Shepperd was absent.
Also in attendance were James O. McReynolds,
County Administrator; and James E. Barnett, County Attorney.
WORK SESSION
PARK FACILITIES PLANNING SERVICES.
Mr. McReynolds stated the staff briefing
would begin with discussion of an athletic field complex in the lower
county and then proceed to discussion about the possible acquisition of
the Cheatham Wilderness property. The last item to be discussed would be
the development of New Quarter Park.
Mrs. Anne B. Smith, Director of Community
Services, noted the staff had prepared a PowerPoint presentation which
will lead to some decision points for the Board members to consider. She
noted that Mr. Gould and Mr. Nash from the National Park Service were
present to help with discussions on the Cheatham Wilderness property.
Athletic Field Complex:
Ms. Cheryl Sonderman, Parks and Recreation
Manager, reviewed the athletic field needs for the County through the
year 2005 and the proposed 125-acre site which is part of the Newport
News Waterworks (NNWW). She stated the proposal has the full support of
the NNWW staff who will recommend the project to Newport News City
Council for approval. The proposed lease agreement will be for 50 years
with an option to renew and it will require approval of detailed
development plans by NNWW. Ms. Sonderman then reviewed the project site
design and environmental issues to be addressed, as well as the need for
a construction cost estimate and drawings. She stated the site is an
excellent location for lower county residents, and staff hopes to review
a draft lease within the next couple of weeks.
Mr. Zaremba asked if this was the initiative
discussed at an earlier time that would be a joint venture with Newport
News.
Ms. Sonderman indicated it was, yet the
Newport News involvement in this would be limited to the lease of the
property.
Mr. Zaremba asked if Newport News would be
approached to contribute any funding to the project.
Mrs. Smith stated she was not aware if
Newport News had been approached for funding, but the project was highly
unlikely to provide any benefit to Newport News residents. She noted
that the provision of 125 acres for the project is a significant
contribution to this inter-jurisdiction collaboration.
Chairman Wiggins noted that Newport News
just completed several athletic fields, and it was probably not in a
position at this time to consider any more fields.
Mr. McReynolds stated that at a previously
considered location for the project there was to have been a section
reserved for the City to build a community center, and the County would
have put in the infrastructure. The current location isn't as attractive
for the City's participation in developing the property to meet its
needs.
Mrs. Noll stated she felt the proposal was a
very good regional effort.
Discussion followed concerning City Council
approval of the proposal and the estimated cost of the project being
lower than the original proposal.
Mr. Burgett suggested the Board members
individually talk personally with the members of City Council.
Cheatham Wilderness:
Ms. Sonderman stated the staff was very
excited about the possible development of this property. It is
approximately 700 acres that sits next to New Quarter Park between
Cheatham Pond and Queens Creek. The property is owned by the National
Park Service and managed by the Navy, and the General Management Plan
contains an option for transferring the property to the County. She
spoke of the exceptional development potential for regional recreation
opportunities, and the fact that the location of the property could take
advantage of the local tourist market. She explained that a detailed
development plan would have to be developed to meet the requirements of
the National Park Service and the Navy in order for the property
transfer to take place.
Mr. Burgett asked if the County has the
capability to produce such a plan.
Mrs. Smith stated that outside expertise
would be needed for this development plan as well as the one for the
athletic field complex.
Ms. Sonderman further stated that the staff
feels the property has excellent development potential and will provide
the opportunity for a regional draw and benefits, and she reviewed some
of the possible recreational opportunities such as public boat ramps,
canoeing, botanical gardens, camping, and an amphitheater. Because the
property can be accessed by I-64 and Route 199, it is situated to take
advantage of the tourist market.
Discussion followed on the property's access
to Route 199 and the required detailed development plan.
Chairman Wiggins asked how the Parks and
Recreation Advisory Board felt about the project.
Mr. Douglas E. White, Chairman of the York
County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, indicated the Advisory Board
offered its complete endorsement. He stated the Advisory Board finds the
proposal to be very appealing and attractive, and the members encourage
the Board of Supervisors to move forward with haste.
New Quarter Park:
Ms. Sonderman noted that New Quarter was the
County's largest park. It is a 545-acre site with a one-mile access road
and many group amenities such as a 50-car parking lot, restroom
building, volleyball court, softball field, campfire circle, 125-seat
picnic shelter, 2 barbeque grills, and a floating pier on Queens Creek.
She noted that 285 acres out of the 545 are developable. She stated the
community has expressed interest in expanding the recreational
opportunities at New Quarter Park, yet traffic concerns have been
expressed by local residents and the National Park Service. The National
Park Service will not approve an access directly from the parkway to the
park because it is felt it will generate more traffic on the parkway.
Ms. Sonderman then addressed a list of potential amenities that could be
added to the park.
Mrs. Smith noted that the possibility of a
botanical gardens and the mountain bike trail could be provided with no
cost to the County. Groups have shown interest in providing plans for
these amenities and have indicated they would carry the cost for
construction. She stated all other possibilities were being suggested at
the County's expense.
Chairman Wiggins spoke of discussions he had
with Mayor Zeidler of Williamsburg and Chairman Kennedy of James City
County about entering into negotiations for making a regional park out
of New Quarter since it is located where it could serve their residents
as well as York County's. He asked if staff had heard anything from
either of the jurisdictions.
Mr. McReynolds indicated he had not heard
from Williamsburg, but had talked briefly with the County Administrator
from James City County. He stated James City County is open for
discussion, but given that it just purchased a tract of land on Route 5,
he was not sure there was truly a lot of interest in a regional park at
this time.
Chairman Wiggins asked the other Board
members how they felt about pursuing the possibility of a regional park
with Williamsburg and James City County.
Mr. Zaremba indicated he has interacted with
members of both the Williamsburg City Council and the James City County
Board of Supervisors and has always gotten a positive response. He
suggested this proposal might be something the Board should formally
request the Regional Issues Committee to look into.
Chairman Wiggins asked if the Board members
had any objections to asking Williamsburg and James City County formally
whether or not they would be interested in entering into a regional park
development with York County.
Mrs. Noll, Mr. Zaremba, and Mr. Burgett
indicated they had no objections.
Mr. Burgett noted that New Quarter Park has
been open to the public for three years now, and the Board still hasn't
done everything planned for it. He stated he understands the opportunity
for the 700-acre Cheatham Wilderness site, but everyone knows it is
going to take a long time to get it acquired. He stated he feels it is
good to proceed with acquiring the site, but as far as spending money,
he feels the Board should put available funds into New Quarter Park at
this time. Mr. Burgett stated he also liked the regional thoughts. He
stated he would like to get one of the County's parks made into a
first-class facility before the Board goes too far on others.
Mr. Zaremba spoke about a study that was
done 25 years ago, stating the issues today are very much the same as
they were then. He stated it is his hope that this Board finally gets
some forward movement on the New Quarter Park project.
Chairman Wiggins also noted that the staff
had brought a proposal to the Board several months ago for planning
services needed for New Quarter Park, but took no action because the
Board members couldn't decide if the County should pay for a study to
develop a plan.
Mr. McReynolds stated one of the major
issues that must be resolved with New Quarter Park is access. Cheatham
Wilderness is almost a mirror image, but it doesn't have the same access
problems. He stated if the Board wishes to develop some of the suggested
amenities, a better opportunity may be to develop them on the Cheatham
Wilderness, which would not mean the staff wouldn't continue to try and
resolve the access problems of New Quarter Park. Mr. McReynolds stated
the issues have been identified for years, but he is not sure staff will
be able to come up with an alternative access to the park.
Mr. Burgett noted the County has current
access to New Quarter Park and suggested the County might wish to
improve on the current access so it can move forward with further
development of the New Quarter Park property.
Discussion followed concerning the suggested
projects for New Quarter Park and their appropriateness for the
facility.
Ms. Sonderman reviewed some of the projects
that could be developed at New Quarter Park to include:
Picnic Shelter $8,000
Playground Area $30,000
Walking/Hiking Trails $15,000 (per mile)
Off-leash Dog Area $22,000
Parking Lot $83,000
Restroom/Security Bldg. $100/sq. ft.
She also noted that there were other
considerations such as the need for more staff for year-round operations
and more security staff because of expanded operations. There will also
be an increased level of maintenance because of added facilities.
Discussion followed concerning access to New
Quarter Park from Lakeshead Drive.
Mr. Alec Gould, Superintendent of the
Colonial National Historical Park, told the Board members if they
continued with development of New Quarter Park, they should not consider
improvements to Lakeshead Drive closer to toward the Parkway.
Ms. Sonderman addressed the maximum
development for New Quarter Park, stating staff would have to look at
having a more detailed master plan for the property as well as the
establishment of an alternative access to the park.
Mrs. Noll stated she could see some trails
and picnic areas, but she stated she didn't want to develop New Quarter
Park with much more because it is such a beautiful open area.
Mr. Zaremba stated most people go to the
park, look around and walk about to the water, and get back in their
cars and leave. Some people do some picnicking, but the security people
say they hear time and again that there is nothing in the park for the
visitors to do or use. He stated he did not feel that any of the
proposals for further development of New Quarter Park are going to upset
the natural balance of the park, and the Board needs to move slowly. Mr.
Zaremba stated that in the meantime he feels the Board should move as
quickly as possible on the Cheatham Wilderness issue because it could
take 25 years to acquire the property.
Further discussion took place on acquisition
of the Cheatham Wilderness property, the National Park Service support
for the acquisition, and access to the property from Route 199.
Mrs. Smith then outlined the decision points
the staff would like the Board to address and received the following
consensus from the Board:
Regional Athletic Field Complex: Consensus
for staff to get a draft lease agreement from the City of Newport News
to look over and work out the terms.
Cheatham Wilderness: Consensus to pursue
acquisition of the property, and direction to staff to meet with Navy
and Park Service personnel to determine extent of what needs to be done
to acquire the property.
New Quarter Park: Consensus to pursue
limited development as suggested by staff with the exception of the
Off-leash Dog Area.
Design Services: Consensus to pursue outside
design services for park properties.
CLOSED MEETING. At 7:40 p.m. Mr. Zaremba moved that the Board convene in
Closed Meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(a)(3) of the Code of
Virginia pertaining to the acquisition of real property for a public
purpose.
On roll call the vote was:
Yea: (4) Zaremba, Noll, Burgett, Wiggins
Nay: (0)
Meeting Reconvened. At 7:55 p.m. the meeting was reconvened in open
session by order of the Chair.
Mrs. Noll moved the adoption of proposed
Resolution SR-1 that reads:
A RESOLUTION TO CERTIFY COMPLIANCE WITH THE
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REGARDING MEETING IN CLOSED SESSION
WHEREAS, the York County Board of
Supervisors has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an
affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the
Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and
WHEREAS, Section 2.2-3711 of the Code of
Virginia requires a certification by the York County Board of
Supervisors that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with
Virginia law;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the York
County Board of Supervisors this the 10th day of September, 2002, hereby
certifies that, to the best of each member's knowledge, (1) only public
business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by
Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this
certification resolution applies, and (2) only such public business
matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting
were heard, discussed, or considered by the York County Board of
Supervisors.
On roll call the vote was:
Yea: (4) Noll, Burgett, Zaremba, Wiggins
Nay: (0)
Meeting Adjourned. At 7:59 p.m. Mr. Zaremba
moved that the meeting be adjourned sine die.
On roll call the vote was:
Yea: (4) Burgett, Zaremba, Noll, Wiggins
Nay: (0)
____________________________
__________________________
James O. McReynolds,
Clerk
Donald E. Wiggins, Chairman
York County Board of
Supervisors
York County Board of Supervisors
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