Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2024 09 11

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes August 14, 2024 Page 6of8 has been given -$1 million over their budget. LOSA is asking for transparency and accountability from the City. She gave an example that Wayfinding has been an open space priority (and was noted as the top priority in the last PROST) for 14 years and it is finally coming to fruition only this year. The City seems to keep finding money and giving it to Parks. There is an environmental degradation issue in open space that has been a priority yet not addressed or funded. It is difficult to understand how open space priorities that have been priorities for years seem to be deprioritized in favor of Parks projects. She mentioned that perhaps there is an opportunity to share grants or hire a project manager with open - space expertise. - She also mentioned that she appreciated and agreed with the OSAB CIP priorities for the capital improvement budget earlier this year. It was asked if the new open space manager will have responsibility for managing the open space budget. Ember answered that their responsibility will be mainly with operations and CIPs. General fund projects are out of scope. - Helen commented that they are simply looking for the general fund to be spent on BOTH parks and open space, not just parks. For example, -$200k was recently spent on golf course water rights. There is no balance, and an equal amount should be given to open space. - Jessamine suggested that we broaden the balance of effort to include more projects than just parks and open space as part of the LOSA proposal. This may be viewed as less adversarial, and the general fund allocation should be looked at holistically. - David commented that LOSA and OSAB may not agree with the list of priorities and that OSAB may be viewed as more balanced in their advocacy approach. There were several comments in response to this: o As citizens they are limited to 3-minute open government rule in OSAB meetings to share their advocacy o The dialogue between LOSA and OSAB should be open and it's okay that we may not have the same message. We all have a common interest, which is to advocate for open space projects and have them move forward. It would be helpful for the city to comply with city requirements when addressing open space projects. o Susan mentioned that LOSA could act as a citizen and send a letter to OSAB, and we could include it in our meeting minutes. Helen mentioned that the pace of City activity is very fast, and communication is sometimes lost or overlooked. Sending a letter may be too slow and result in a missed opportunity. o Bob: LOSA is not trying to be OSAB. Goals are likely to overlap. For example, trails are an important topic. To accomplish Open Space projects, attention is needed to understand how planning and the budget gets properly prioritized. o Ember: LOSA and OSAB have different angles that support collectively different topics. Ember appreciates both. o Matt: Parks and open space are now budgeted separately. Concern is that Parks keeps growing in budget and open space does not. One area that is neglected is trails. o Susan suggested that anyone who has time should attend the City finance meeting on Thurs Aug 15 at 4pm. This is relevant and informative to this discussion. City of Louisville Parks Division 749 Main Street Louisville CO 80027 303.335.4774 (phone) www.LouisvilleCO.gov 8