MUNICIPALITY OF ANCHORAGE

GIRDWOOD ROADS, FACILITIES,

PARKS & RECREATION

DATE:	1-11-17

TO:	Girdwood Board of Supervisors

FROM:	Kyle Kelley, Municipal Liaison & Margaret Tyler, Parks and Recreation

SUBJECT:	Parks and Rec 2016 Overview

Tennis Courts:
NovaCourt Surface installed June 2016, nets installed, signage produced and installed
Grand Opening July 2016

Backboards ordered and stored for winter.

Area cleaned, leaves blown out, doors locked for season in October.

2017: Wind Screens

Installation of backboards

Girdwood Park:

Summer long brush clearing to open sightlines and keep them open through the park.

Worked with volunteers to improve disk golf course.

2017:	Move some of the less-used bear proof trash cans to better locations.

Nissman Pavilion:

Summer long blowing out and cleanup.

Improvements to campground host site.

2017:	Replace BBQ Grill

Marlow Pavilion:

Managed rentals throughout the summer season

Summer long blowing out and cleanup

Total revenues of Marlow Rental & park permits in 2016: $6000.

Girdwood Campground:

Coordinated volunteer effort to add material to paths and tent sites early in the season.

Coordination with campground host regarding projects/campground visitors.

Total revenues of Girdwood Campground in 2016: $3,000.

2017:	Replace camp site numbers on site posts, finish improvements of tent sites.

Ball Field:

Added 2 mutt mitt dispensers outside ball field.

Occasional clean-up inside ball field

Invasive weed spray in ball field for boundary lines.

2017: Replace the outfield fence line as it’s the last section to be replaced and is falling apart.

Girdwood Playground:

Painted/stained all of perimeter fencing and most of play sets

Addition of sand to sandbox

Springtime cleanup of the grounds and fall leaf collection with occasional blow out of the area throughout the summer.

Graded and added Recycle Asphalt to the park parking area in front of the playground

2017:	Sift sand in sandbox & add more

Replace wood chips throughout playground

Improve picnic area

Repair rotten wood in sandbox area
Repair covers of chain climbing apparatus.

Add in new donor wood pickets to fence

Seal wood on all play structures

Girdwood Skate Park:

Assisted in startup of the Friends of the Skate Park

Summer long clean-up and blowing out of the area

Replaced top sheet on ramp

Repaired damage from sheet of skate light material, which was stolen from the park.

Surface work, including pothole repair and re-sealing entire skate park surface.

Assisting in local fundraising efforts

2017:	Friends of the Skate park Work Party in May

Help in planning and carrying out short and long term goals of FOSP

Apply for Anchorage Park Foundation Grant

Parking Area:

Coordinated rent-a-can and dumpster delivery/pickup

Construction in 2016 eliminated flower planter in the area

2017:	TBD planter/landscaping work associated with new Egloff road work and Little Bears Parking.

Soccer Field:

Assisted with Girdwood School students’ work on the soccer field trimming alders, raking grass in spring

2017:	Continue to consider how to organize the area for better parking & safer access
Move bear proof trash containers that are under-utilized to better locations.

Replace shed with more durable storage system.

Town Square Park:

Inside park:

Weeding of garden beds

weed whacking area not included in turf/trash contract on edge of park and pathways to park trimming/clipping plants that died off after planting.

Added 2 mutt mitt dispensers

Drafted interpretive signs for display

Perimeter of park:

Maintenance of planters around park

Removal of material, addition of weed guard, and placement of rocks under mtn ash trees

Weeding of iris beds.

2017:	Continue placing rocks under trees
Consider plan for garden beds that are overgrown with weeds

Add bear proof trash can at GVT bus stop

Add live tree to Town Square Park for Community Tree Lighting.

Beautification:

Coordinated community planting day in June
Watering, fertilizing, deadheading, weeding summer long, as possible with road construction

Divided perennials and transplanted to other locations.

Acquired perennials from other sources and moved them to add variety to existing perennial garden beds

2017:	Continue to acquire variety of plants for perennial beds

Purchase bulbs

Nina’s Wall:
Summer long maintenance of garden beds, staking tall plants, weeding
Scrubbed out fountain and replaced pump & water.

Community Center:

Purchase and place white lights for trees outside Community Center.

Established drip line plan & removed grass from area.

Seeded grass in area that intended plants were not growing.

Began adding gravel and rocks to make tidier entrance area.

2017:	Purchase bulbs to plant in garden bed.

Continue work on drip line project

Remove Cottonwoods from Southside of building as they present hazard to the building.

Community Room:

Handle rentals for public use of Community room

Minor repair of tables and cleanup after rentals.

Community Room Rental revenue was $8000.00 in 2016.

2017:	Maintenance call on the drop down screen and overhead projector in community room

Consider raising rates

Little Bears and Glacier City hall:

Removing unused junk from Glacier City Hall and making it functioning shop for both Park and Road Maintenance needs

Work with Little Bears to make sure their building is maintained, functional and safe for day care operations.

2017: Have both buildings painted by MOA paint crew.

Long Term: Replace these buildings

Trails Committee:

Coordination of Trails Committee projects, such as Adopt-A-Trail, SCA Work, Beaver Pond Trail, etc.

Work on Trails Committee Trails Plan document.

2017:	complete Trails Plan Document, work with SCA crew on three trail maintenance program

Community Meeting Attendance:

Girdwood Chamber of Commerce

Friends of the Girdwood Skate Park

Girdwood Public Safety Advisory Committee/Public Safety Task Force

Girdwood Tennis Committee

Girdwood Trails Committee

Girdwood Trails Plan Working Group

Girdwood Land Use Committee

Girdwood Board of Supervisors

New for 2017:

Girdwood Area plan committee

Girdwood Title 21, Chapter 9 rewrite committee

Hand Tram:
Replaced hand tram haul rope

Temporary fix of hand tram cart door

Unlocking/re-locking hand tram at season start and end.

Monthly inspections and repairs as needed.

Assist in getting annual inspection complete, work on items addressed in inspection.

2017:	Work on including Hand tram and other trails into GVSA. Fly the tram out for maintenance and repair for the coming summer.

Winter Grooming:

Assist in scheduling and support of winter grooming & training volunteers

Maintenance of snow machine and equipment

Grooming

Social Media & Websites:

Posting as appropriate on social media.

Keep GBOS website up to date.

Other Contracts:

Initiate annual re-establishment of contracts for window washing at community center, invasive weeding and turf/trash.

2017:	consider adding summer trash collection and mutt-mitt refilling to summer staff list.

Non profit Grants:

Coordinate GBOS grant applications, contracts, etc

Staff recommended to GBOS that a total budget for grants should be established.

Result was hard funding for FVCS @ $20,000 and other grant funds available @ $30,000.

Other Grants:

Grant programs worked on in 2016:

KMTA grant for Interpretive signs in Town Square park

Anchorage Parks foundation grant for Lower Iditarod Trail

Anchorage Parks Foundation grant for Tennis Courts

USFS RAC Grant for Hand Tram work

Grants applied for in 2016:
KMTA Grant for Trails Plan ($7,000 granted)

Recreational Trails Grant $50,000 (will know status this spring)

American Hiking Society (not granted)

Grants reviewed but not applied for in 2016:
Land and Water Conservation Fund

Federal Lands Access Program Grant

2017:	KMTA grant cycle in spring (focus project TBD)
Anchorage Parks Foundation grant cycle in spring (focus project: Skate park)

Rec Trails Grant in fall (Focus project TBD)

Land and Water conservation Grant (Focus project TBD)