Minutes
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Rosewood Neighborhood Contact Team
Special Meeting on Downs Field Project
August 27, 2007, 6:30 p.m.
Jane & Gilbert's House

Present
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Michael Emery; Jenna Neal, CoA Parks & Rec; Laura Patlove, CoA; 
Gilbert Rivera; Jane Rivera; Lonny Stern; Marty Stump, CoA Parks & Rec

Neighborhood Enhancement Funds
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Spent $1,000 on lighting by Boggy Creek Greenbelt behind 
Conley-Guerrero

Fees for starting our 501(c)3

$1,500 for RFPs for artwork at Downs Field

CoA improvements, including paving, screens, lighting & trees at 
Downs Field

Improvements to hike and bike trails

Projects for Future Consideration
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Downs Field historic monument & improvement of lockerroom facility

Interest in pursuing improvements to fencing around Rosewood Park pool

Interest in basketball court construction in Boggy Creek Greenbelt 
parkland space

Downs Field Project
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Coach Moore of Huston-Tillotson:
    provided suggestions for improvements
    provided historical background about the field

Field suffers from floodplain:
    PARD was planning to build a french drain
    funding may not be available
    Rosewood is interested in helping raise funds for flood mitigation

Lockeroom facility is in total disrepair:
    facility should be relocated to be near dugouts (West side of 
    property)
    $300K to fund restroom/lockerroom repairs

Potential Funding Sources
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Developer Alice Glasgow has confirmed a $2,000 grant to park projects

East Austin banks have not been helpful in providing funding

Hargrave Development (Jason Reese) wants the VMU funds earmarked 
towards Downs-Mabson

East End Flats (Richard Weiss) wants the VMU funds earmarked towards 
Downs-Mabson

Keep Austin Beautiful

Arts in Public Places

PeopleFund?

African-American Historic Preservation

Huston-Tillotson

Youth activities 

City Health & Human Services (Justine Chapman):
    local group
    have agreed to do field maintenance		

Is it possible for increased facility usage to create capital?
    improvement would result in increased property values
    Does Huston-Tillotson have exclusive use of the fields?
    PARD uses it for mens league play
    Huston-Tillotson pays for landscape maintenance
    add picnic facilities, child playscape, BBQ,
    historical display, solar footlights?
    lighting may not be appropriate b/c of 10pm curfew

Cap Metro Rails-to-Trails
    study has been completed
    improvements for flood or trail creation are not clear 
    at this time
    not a dependable way to conserve funding for flood improvements

Prioriities
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Why is bathroom facility first ticket? 
    highest ticket item
    other items could be easily provided (user amenities)
    health hazard
    teams have no place to go to bathroom or change
    public blight
    haven for drugs/prostitution

Bleachers are in good condition

Completed early priorities
    parking lot
    field lighting & skirting
    landscaping

Bathroom could potential be built as cabana house--similar to Deep 
Eddy with no ceiling and elelvated walls--could lower costs and make 
more flood resistant

Funding				
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Austin Parks Foundation
    can hire a contractor directly, rather than going through COA 
    bidding process
    end-product becomes property of COA
    COA does project oversight
    concrete block bathroom facility - Pease Park - $100K

CoA 
    could provide you with 4 - 5 preferred vendors
    playscapes, pavilions, tables, etc.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF District)
    potential to capture increased tax revenue for parks/flood 
    improvements

Need to tie in historical, artistic, youth amenities to make
bathrooms more fundable

Field Utility
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Huston-Tillotson has men's league baseball season Feb-Sept at Downs

Could develop a youth program on off-days or off-seasons
    this could help provide additional avenues for funding
    perhaps American Youthworks or Austin Can Academy

PARD will need to provide info on how much the fields are being used
    how much additional league activity could these fields handle?
    when a project is more than $100K, state will have to review for
    ADA compliance
    could present hidden costs

Downs Field (adult league)

Mabson Field (little league)

*meeting adjourned*