Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2023 10 11

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes September 13, 2023 Page 3 of 5 Weed Whackers: Susan reported that the summer season had been very successful. There were 11 regular Weed Whackers, and they performed 51 hours of work. There were also four boy scouts involved. They focused their work on Davidson Mesa and Harper Lake. She felt like the signs that Ginger produced were very helpful for getting the word out. Susan said she would love to host a pizza party for the Weed Whackers, and wondered if there was a budget for that. Ember replied that she could look into it current City Policy. Bee City: Susan said that the Bee City USA committee wrote an article for the recent City Newsletter. It announced the Bee City website. The website gives advice and recommendations about pollinator -friendly planting for Louisville gardeners. The group is hoping to begin a monthly speaker series, in collaboration with the Sustainability Board. Susan is helping to lead a workshop for children and adults on making paper infused with native seeds. She is hoping to do it at the Recreation Center in November. Helen added that there was recently a program about harvesting wild seeds sponsored by the library, who also has a seed catalog. She felt that Bee City USA and Open Space should co - advertise these events. She and the other Bee City USA committee members attended and recruited interested people at the event. They would like to exchange seeds and seedlings again in the spring. There are some examples of programs like this in nearby cities, such as Fort Collins. Jessamine said there is a group called Blooming Seniors who do a plant sale in the spring at the Recreation Center, and maybe they could coordinate with them. Helen added that the City could do a lot to help coordinate volunteering. The Bee City USA committee will have a booth at Ecotoberfest to talk about pollinators and pollinator -friendly planting. 8. Discussion Item: Parks Recreation and Open Space Master Plan. Presented by Adam Blackmore, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Open Space. Adam gave an overview of the next master planning process. The last department -wide master plan was written in 2012 and the last Open Space -specific master plan was written in 2004. He said that there have been a lot of changes since then and some things from the old plans have not been implemented. He said that he places a lot of stock in using a proper planning process to offset the impact of staff being asked to address "squeaky wheel" stakeholder requests. Master planning is on City Council's work plan as a high priority and is in the current budget. Adam provided the board a hardcopy of the projected timeline for implementation of the plan. Staff's plan is to seek feedback from advisory boards (RAB, PPLAB, OSAB, and the YAB) during meetings with staff and consultants. Brian Webber will be creating a survey (-Oct) for each board member to give feedback about an RFP that highlights their priorities in choosing consultants for this process. Brian will visit each board and deliver results of the survey (-Nov- Dec). Adam projected that actual work would begin around January 2025. He added that the city comprehensive master plan that will be starting around that time too, and will also include lots of public input. He cautioned that staff doesn't want to bury citizens in requests for feedback.