Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2019 05 08

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Cityof Om Louisville PARKS & RECREATION Memorandum To: Open Space Advisory Board From: Ember Brignull, Open Space Superintendent Date: May 8, 2019 Re: Open Space and Trail Candidate Parcel Field Tour: Opportunities for Preserving Open Space and Improving Trail Connectivity Purpose: The purpose of this field tour is to evaluate parcels that have been recommended by councilmembers, board members, or staff as potential Open Space and trail parcels of interest for preserving Open Space and improving trail connectivity. The parcels to be evaluated are identified on the Candidate Open Space Properties 2019 Map, excluding "Considered but not selected for Acquisition" parcels. Board members will view and rank the parcels based on resource and cultural values. Rankings will be submitted to staff at the completion of the field tour. Background: Since 2007, the Open Space Advisory Board (OSAB) has participated in evaluating parcels for potential City acquisition for the purpose of Open Space land or trail corridors. This OSAB duty is identified in the Home Rule Charter and is an important function of the board. The recommendations for parcels to be evaluated are generated by OSAB members, City Council members, and City Staff. Once parcels have been identified for evaluation, OSAB periodically participates in a driving tour to view and rank the parcels based on resource and cultural values; this data is then recorded on the "Acquisition Ranking Table" (the table). The values and the ranking criteria for the table are identified in the attached "City of Louisville Candidate Open Space Category Definitions". The table is always partnered with a property location map which identifies the parcels to be evaluated and is labeled as the "Candidate Open Space Properties 2019" (the map). The map has alpha labels for each property and the alpha labels are entered into the property I.D. column on the table to link the two documents. In 2019, new parcels for consideration have been given a numeric I.D.'s and are indicated in red and brown. Once each OSAB member has completed the table, staff compiles and averages the resource, cultural, and total scores which are then entered into the "Opportunities for Preserving Open Space & Improving Trail Connectivity" spreadsheet (the spreadsheet). The spreadsheet is the final document that is shared with City Council and the City Managers Office to illustrated OSAB's acquisition priorities and recommended acquisition strategies. The acquisition strategies are further defined in the "Strategies and Tools for Open Space Property Acquisition" 3