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Minutes 01-18-06 STEERING COMMITTEE FOR CONGRESS AVENUE BOUNDLESS PARK AND PLAYGROUND BOYNTON BEACH LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM 208 S. SEACREST BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 18, 2006, 5:00 TO 6:00 P.M. Present: Steering Committee Members for Boundless Park and Playground: Chris Francois Patti Hammer Jeanne Heavilin Janelle Sloan Lori Wilkinson Local Entrepreneur & Member of Sister Cities (Recreation & Parks Board) (Community Redevelopment Agency Chair and Member of Sister Cities (Recreation & Parks Board) (Recreation & Parks Board) Also Present: Commissioner Bob Ensler Wally Majors, Recreation & Parks Director Jody Rivers, Parks Superintendent Angela Budano - Boynton Beach Arts Commission Member David Barth, Consultant with Glatting, Jackson, Kercher, Anglin, Lopez, Rinehart, Inc. (Glatting Jackson) Jody Rivers, Parks Superintendent, opened the meeting at 5: 13 P.M. She introduced Dave Barth, the consultant who had put together a team of professionals including architects, surveyors, publiC arts representatives, sign and graphic designers, environmentalists, and civil engineers to come up with a master plan for the Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground. On November 14, 2005 a one-day workshop/visioning meeting was held with all the agencies in Palm Beach County who offer services to people with special needs. There were specialists in sight impairments, hearing impairments, walking difficulties, spinal bifida, cerebral palsy and others. David Barth reviewed the results of the visioning workshop and asked for feedback and ideas when he had finished. Mr. Barth explained the timeline for the project. Interviews, workshops, and public input meetings were ongoing. It was hoped the feedback and discussion could lead to a development program with a definite list of uses for the park. The goal was to come up with a development program that enjoyed broad agreement among the various stakeholders. Another part of the work was an actual site analysis. At the moment, their ecologists were on the site, flagging edges of the wetlands and a civil engineer was analyzing traffic issues. At the start of February, Glatting Jackson would combine the information from the workshops and publiC meetings with the site analysis and start the master planning process in earnest. It Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 was hoped the final master plan and cost estimate could be completed by early April. After that, the design could be confirmed for the first phase of construction. Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 was hoped the final master plan and cost estimate could be completed by early April. After that, the design could be confirmed for the first phase of construction. Visionino WorkshoD Results Mr. Barth presented the following results from the visioning workshop held on December 14, 2005. First, the participants were taken to the site to become familiar with it. Following that, the participants were broken up into small groups for various exercises. The participants considered the initial list of uses that had been generated by the steering committee and others and then added their own ideas. The first exercise was to come up with other uses, activities, or enhancements for the Park. Some of the ideas that came out of this were: . Butterfly garden . Gymnastics area with forgivable surfaces . Fragrant garden . Shade structures with whimsical designs . Audio headsets for hearing impaired . Free-standing restroom building . Kitchen area . Community Garden · Educational exhibits - Water, Sister City, Environment, Wetlands, etc. . Interactive play water feature . Artwork space . Animals . Interesting topography . Accessible sporting equipment . Chinese Garden as Park theme . Pier/boardwalk to/through pond, wetlands . Performing area . Rails w/Braille, walkway surface "clues" for interpretive areas . Habitat elements . Accessible bus stop . Storage/Maintenance facility . Interesting rest areas between facilities . Audio-visual room . Larger clubhouse The participants thought of ways in which the entire Park could be made as enriching as possible for all who would visit it. 2 Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 Mr. Barth was interested in finding comparables, and asked the participants whether they knew of any parks that had these features. Ms. Angela Budano of the Boynton Beach Arts Commission mentioned the Cheyenne Botanical Gardens in Wyoming had similar features. The groups then participated in a ''billboard'' exercise in which they were asked to visualize a billboard on 1-9S advertising the Park. They were asked to come up with six to eight words that could describe what the Park was all about and come up with a visual representation of it. The first group said it could be called "Bamboo Park." They wanted to celebrate the relationship between Boynton Beach and its sister city in China. They also wanted to celebrate the idea of inclusiveness, something for everyone. The park was a learning experience, a sensory experience, and not just a Park. It was a total experiential environment. The next group had a similar theme, with the idea of imagination, discovery, exploration, and endless play together. People began to use the term boundless, endless, and horizon less. The next group focused on the idea of "journey." They wanted inclusiveness. They felt it was a place for beauty with purpose. The envisioned nature and the outdoors combined with families and those with special needs. The next group focused on the idea of "harmony." They used words such as: interact, relax, imagine, enjoy, explore, and called it "Harmony Park." The last group focused on a place where play meets nature, without boundaries. They called it "Horizon Park." The idea of limitless experience was foremost. It could be more than a regular community park with grass and trees. It could be more than a balanced playground - it could be a balanced park. The themes common to all groups were: . access to a II . endless pOSSibilities . inclusiveness . diversity of experience . boundless park The next exercise was to make COllages from pictures to depict a vision of the Park. Mr. Barth related an example of one of the collages. It showed ideas for public art with a bench in Paris made of library books; celebrating the sister city; whimsical things like fish heads coming up out of the pavement; interesting sculptures; site furnishings as art; a place to push little wooden boats around a pond with a stick; markers in the pavement; environmental and historical learning exhibits; and multi-purpose open spaces. So in addition to having highly detailed places, there were big areas of grass and walkways with areas for spontaneous play and performances. The park began to take on the feel of a garden area, and not just a place with grass, trees, and water. The park sounded like a whole series of garden areas with integrated areas of grass, trees, and water, and learning experiences. 3 Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 Some of the common ideas and themes were related to whimsy. Everywhere one turned there could be a different experience. It could be like a treasure hunt. There were paved trails that were easily accessible by wheelchair and others that could be covered in gravel that could be a little more difficult to access and have a "crunchy" sound. Integration of tactile and sensory experiences could be woven into all areas of the park. There could be artwork that could be climbed on and hills kids could roll down. There could be a pond with boats that could be controlled by a child in a wheelchair. The idea was to create a place where children could get out of the day-to-day world and explore and enjoy a totally different environment. The transitioning between spaces could convey the idea of a journey. There could be a bamboo- enclosed walkway coming out onto a grassy lawn, for example. There could be colors, textures, smells and sounds to create a journey for all ages. The groups were asked to translate their vision into conceptual plans. The groups had different ideas about how to orient the facilities in the Park. One scheme reflected the fact that the items that would be left in place were in a grid, such as the tennis courts, parking lots, and everything worked off that grid. The first group visualized the clubhouse as the heart of the park. The clubhouse may be a space for therapy, classes, public meetings, or classes for seniors to list a few. The clubhouse was planned to be approximately 2,000 square feet. The architect from Glatting Jackson was going to get together with Ms. Rivers and the Parks staff to try to better understand the programming and size of the clubhouse. The first group mentioned coordinating access to the pro shop. They also depicted a terrace leading to the existing pond on the other side of the clubhouse, going to a large lawn area and series of gardens around the site. One of the common themes from all groups was how to integrate the new part of the park with the existing parts of the park, so it would feel as if it were designed at one time. The idea of having more than one entrance to the park was discussed at length. Some felt it would be nice to have more of an enclave feeling, with one way in and one way out and others felt it would be easier to get in and out if there were more than one entrance, especially if it were ever necessary to get an ambulance into and out of the Park. The idea of having a turn lane on Congress Avenue was discussed. They also discussed a new access point from Congress with a drop-off and turnaround area. It was generally acknowledged that anything to do with the roadways would be extremely expensive. Mr. Barth would have the civil engineer investigate the feasibility of another entrance. Returning to the common conceptual themes from the work groups, almost all schemes showed buffer areas around the perimeter of the Park that would be left as natural as pOSSible with trails. The next group showed expansion into the tennis court. A strong connection was shown between the clubhouse and the pavilion or shade area sloping down to the pond. There could be a sculptural stage or floating dock where there could be performances such as puppet shows on a very small, intimate amphitheater. This could be nothing more than a grassy lawn with and space for chairs. 4 Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 Different types of garden areas were visualized including a century garden, a butterfly garden, an Asian garden, and many others. Some common themes from the work groups were having a central clubhouse in relationship to the pond with a drop-off area and views, and multiple access points. There could be areas with a lot of intensity and color and others that were cool and calming. The ideas of constructing a hill and having bridges across water were prominent in all group results. Extending the pond and having water areas throughout the Park was also discussed. Parking was another issue they would be looking at. There were 150 existing Parking spaces, including some additional ones at WXEL, if an agreement could be reached on mutual use. The idea of a circle came up many times - a circle of light, a journey closing back on itself, and a circle as a symbol of the Park used in all spaces. This concluded the results of the December 14, 2005 Visioning Workshop. Mr. Barth solicited the comments, suggestions, feedback and ideas of the meeting participants. Brainstorm Session with Steering Committee Ms. Lori Wilkinson commented about how important it was to have a turnaround that was large enough for buses to get in and out. The buses would have lifts for children to facilitate moving the wheelchairs on and off the buses. There was considerable support for having more than one entrance to the park. Ms. Rivers noted that regardless of what scheme was chosen for a turn lane or another entrance, it would be necessary to work with the County to make the light at the existing entrance longer than its current 30 seconds. Commissioner Ensler commented there was one left turn lane at the intersection of 20th Street and Congress Avenue, and a second left turn lane going north would be helpful. Mr. Majors will discuss the traffic and roadway issues with Jeff Livergood, Public Works Director for the City of Boynton Beach. The use of the amphitheater was clarified. It was not the kind of place where tickets would be sold for "performances." It would be a small area where kids could do little shows and plays. Commissioner Ensler commented the images of a typical clubhouse were not appropriate for this facility and a better term might be "Boundless Center." This idea met with considerable agreement. Mr. Majors commented the facility would have places to lie on the floor but chairs would be available. The bathrooms would have to be built to higher than normal ADA standards. A building was needed where after-school activities could be held for children with special needs. There were very few options in the area for such children now. 5 Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 Ms. Wilkinson stated chairs took up more room than people would realize. She added that the bathrooms would have to be quite a bit larger than the usual handicapped stalls one sees in other places. It would often be necessary for a caregiver to lift an individual out of a chair and place them on the toilet and then lift them back into the wheelchair. Two persons and a wheelchair take up quite a bit of room. Ms. Rivers noted some wheelchairs were much larger than the standard variety also. Ms. Patti Hammer asked if bathrooms would be located in other locations besides the clubhouse. Mr. Majors indicated an additional bathroom facility was in the plan. The idea of having a place where a guide dog for the blind could relieve himself was also mentioned. It was thought the bathrooms could be combined with the maintenance building. Several people commented on the need for shade and canopies throughout the Park, which would also function as rooms. Ms. Jeanne Heavilin spoke of the Sister City relationship and how she and Ms. Chris Francois envisioned a series of garden areas, each one reflecting a different population of Boynton Beach including the Sister City. They were thinking of a "global village" or "heritage gardens" with an African theme garden, a Chinese theme garden, a Caribbean theme garden, and others. Someone would have to look at the demographics. This would be something where the entire community could learn about and appreciate other cultures. Ms. Chris Francois liked the idea of having place markers in Braille for the garden areas and elsewhere. Ms. Rivers said for sight-impaired people they could also have descriptions of the gardens on tape. There could be changes in texture along the trail - when listening to the tape, there could be directions like: feel this, touch that, and smell this. Ms. Heavilin said there could be suitable music along with each cultural garden also. Ms. Rivers asked Ms. Heavilin if there were any landscape architects in Qufu, the Sister City to Boynton Beach, who might be willing to come here to help with the project. Commissioner Ensler asked Ms. Heavilin and/or Ms. Francois to relate their experiences in Qufu, China in regard to handicapped persons. Ms. Heavilin responded the Chinese had an incredibly strong program for people with disabilities starting at the national level and trickling down to the local. For example, on all sidewalks in major cities, there were textured, raised strips for the benefit of the blind. Exercise equipment was provided on the streets free of charge for all residents. They saw elderly people using the equipment at all hours of the day and night. They met with representatives from a Chinese Disabled Persons Federation from Beijing and Qufu, who had never made a playground. They were anxious to see what Boynton Beach was going to do. Ms. Hammer mentioned Ms. Angela Budano's presentation to the Recreation & Parks Board concerning some gardens in Quantum Park and she was excited about her ideas. Ms. Rivers indicated Ms. Budano's vision for Quantum Park was more of a teaching/learning experience in horticultural therapy for the elderly - working with plants as a therapeutic outlet. Ms. Budano remarked the Cheyenne Botanical Garden had excellent examples of everything that had been 6 Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 discussed. She also mentioned the Arts Commission was closely following this project and wanted to be kept involved. Mr. Barth believed it would be appropriate to do a call to artists when the design phase was begun. One or more artists should join the design team at that point to integrate public art into the design. Ideally they would explore site furnishings and related subjects. Ms. Wilkinson thought it would be great to do a mosaic that was outlined in black and white and have the special needs kids paint it. The artist would design the original drawing and the children could do the painting. Ms. Thomas thought the university system could invite a Chinese person interested in this type of endeavor to participate. There may not be an opportunity in Chinese universities for this type of project. Others suggested local universities might have someone that could help with the design. A visiting scholar from China who understood Chinese gardens would be ideal. Chinese gardens are developed along different lines than American gardens. Ms. Rivers said they could tap into the Chinese universities for design professionals. Ms. Budano believed there should be lots of artistic trash receptacles and plenty of them - no more plastic barrels. Someone mentioned the idea of having trashcans with animal's heads as lids. Ms. Heavilin liked the idea of having a bridge over water or a paVilion on the water. Water was the most soothing element available. Another comment was there should be as many ponds and water features as economically feasible. Ms. Heavilin mentioned the Zigzag Bridge in Shanghai that had a paVilion in the middle of a small lake reached by a bridge. It was quite a tourist attraction. Mr. Barth thought he might have a slide of a teahouse on the water. It was thought the Boundless Park might cost approximately $6M-$8M. Ms. Rivers indicated once the master planning process had been completed, Mr. Barth might prepare some nice graphics to be used to kick off a fundraising program. Anything in the park could be bought from benches to the clubhouse, with the donor's name being affixed to it. If donors did not step forward, they would pursue grants. The City had allocated $500K for this project in 2006 and $1.5M in 2007. The Park impact fees were another potential source of revenue for the program. State Representatives Gannon and Atwater were interested and would be bringing it up at the State level. It was envisioned the park could be in service by the middle of 2008. Ms. Francois asked if the utilities would be underground and Ms. Rivers responded affirmatively. A suggestion was made to have a low-key water feature that could trickle down onto a person from overhead, not drench them, so children in wheelchairs could experience the water first hand. 7 Meeting Minutes Steering Committee, Congress Avenue Boundless Park and Playground Boynton Beach, Florida January 18, 2006 Commissioner Ensler envisioned the trolley including the park on its route at some point in time. People could be brought to the Park from all over the City. All felt that would be a fun way to get to a fun destination. Mr. Majors indicated the City would have a handicapped accessible bus. Commissioner Ensler asked when the Commission would be getting an update on the project. Mr. Barth responded they would give an update at the City Commission meeting on February 21. They would be presenting a final list of uses and obtain the Commission's direction and blessing at that time. There would be another presentation to the Commission in April that would have money associated with it. By that time, they should know what Phase 1 would cost. There was quite a bit of agreement about referring to the project in future as the Boundless Park as opposed to the Playground, which had other connotations. Commissioner Ensler noted Mayor Taylor and City Manager Bressner were going to Tallahassee March 7-9 and would be talking to various Senators about the Boundless Park. He asked if they could be provided with promotional material so they could hand it out to the various Senators. Ms. Rivers offered to work with Mr. Barth to make up a nice package for them. A meeting for public input followed this one, but only one member of the public appeared, and Mr. Barth met with him individually. The meeting ended at 6:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~-~; Susan Collins Recording Secretary (011906) 8 1 2 (~;:rd'" /\I(;i ',....' hn-; i\r'lrlli-lls Ir':en::,slli1q Topoqr;lfdl)-' AC:Ct~SSlhif~ Sportll'q tqulprnenl Chll'cse Genden dS Park fherne PitT 6oim~v\:;-ilk ~o throuah POlid \j\.'cllrll!(~S PEorrrWlllI'g Arerl Rejils w' Grell! Walk~\ielY Surface Clues for In:crprell\/e Areas H;lbl[cE E:lerJlE'n:s Acu:sslble Bus Slup Siur;-iqe, rV1C1I1':encHlce ~clcllily IllleresllnCl RF:'sl Are;'1s In Bel-..",'oer-' r~dClilll% .' ,!\lIdlfJ-'-./ISUcll Room Ldr-qel Clubhouse Sl.di.1Cl' r-rilqr;-lIr CJdrC(-:r Sh;-l(!(~ SlnlCiL,re:, "". ',/\,'11" Df;SICI'S AlIdlc) Hf~rl(j:,C::, fur He'dll' 'J II :Pdlrf'" Fref;-sli",ndll'q f\(~s:I'O(JI1! 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SltCl elelllclils Trails wi different ter1i1ln curving forms Accesslhlllty (- Spaces for p,ay. spaces fUI contenlplatlon hili 10 lUll [lo\H' extenclnCj personal realm through model bOots lu' cxalllDlei Art Integratec' Into slgnllgc Shaded areas Transitional spaces. entry ways Different levels. eg slide between spaces Incorporate textures Sense of enclosure uSing bamboo Eye catching art work capture.. well fields (- TerrClln. unrlulatlng Sidewalk Chi1llenge users QUleL contemplative places Int8gl.ate elements throughout park - color. texture. fragrance etc Icons to create IIlIage. focus pOints Tactile. sensory elements to create ."markers" Art that you look ill. 1I1at you Ciln climb 011. that challenges VOU Walers c)dge. watel flOWing. touch Ill() water Colorful Interaction QUiet areas w' grilss look al clouds Drrectronal! WilY finding signs Surpllses.treasure hunt- portals Into spaces Bllds. nature ArL color Tranquil. water 8 9 10 11 Centra: clubhouse! 'A '/i(;V.,.'S. lerrClu;s cic Multiple pedestrian elml ''I' '/chlculal" entrances Spaces flm\ connecl frlHrl Ci!'t '0 anoUler Fire and w;:rer' Brrdges at e:ltrances Hili, amphitheater at :Clkc Strong aXial relatlons'"ps between eXisting, proposer: elements Sllade -ur; Raised rarnoed art:;,.lS 1f:'dc1lflCJ III to SIJaCeS ' (- Meimdorrno trail. educational hoardwalk system Maintenance bUilding Ivlaxlmlze expanded use of "Nater Make a positive feature from 'o/,;'elis Use eXisting parking spaces ,mke It Into a forest Repetition of c:rcle, sphere Sense of ontry Portals, rooms, sense of surprise Serres of expenenccs different lanclUClge Boynton Beach Congress Ave Community Park Schedule (_mont B) -, ...~--;~=:.--~ --.----"'" -"""..... ....'!II.,-.- - .....~ .,.~-~._---- _":'_ _'7_~~'--"-""""Ir"""T"tT"~,,;~;,,,,--.I~. ......----....., ........->:-- .' -- ----- . ""--......... ...-. -- ..........-...._' --~.....-- .~.,~. .-.j !::J- - --- --- ''11.,......- ,,'11',.- '"." 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