Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2022 05 11

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Open Space Advisory Board Minutes April 13, 2022 Page 4 of 5 Deb asked if fire considerations are now part of all building standards. Ember answered that they are working with Planning on standards, but current direction is to "re -build to existing". There will be more debris removal events as needed. Davidson Mesa was opened on March 251", and trail re -construction work there is beginning. There will be some sections where they re -design drainage. Staff are also working with an engineering firm called OTACK to do some project management for these projects, since staff is so busy. Deb asked if Boulder County was helping with Davidson Mesa work. Ember said that this would disqualify them from FEMA support. She said that the County is replacing some of its agricultural fencing (barbed wire). Staff are also working hard on FEMA tracking and documentation. Ember said they were able to use knowledge and expertise they gained after the 2013 flood. Staff will monitor the fire's impact on native vegetation. She called the board's attention to Steve Roel's memo in the packet. There was an herbicide treatment on the CSU cheatgrass study done in March. They are going to see how the plants respond to the fire and herbicide treatments. They are anticipating knapweed and mullein to respond vigorously to the fire. Ember cautioned that a lot of this work would be wait -and -see. Jessamine thought the public might be interested in Steve's memo, especially as it explains why Davidson Mesa might be slower to green up than smooth brome-dominated sites. Susan and Helen agreed. Ember thought that was helpful feedback. They are trying to be sensitive about word choice and public outreach. David suggested sharing some fire response ecology at the volunteer clean up events. Ember said they had a script for the staff to use on this topic, but were leaving it to the comfort -level of staff. Jessamine suggested the board would like to see those scripts, as they would be useful for board members when they get approached by citizens about these issues. 10. Discussion Item: OSAB Recommendations for 2023-2024 Operational Budget & Staffing Adjustments. Presented by Ember Brignull, Acting Deputy Director for Parks and Open Space and David Blankinship, OSAB Chair. Ember presented the five subprograms of the Operational Budget. She asked the board to recommend things that OSAB sees as important to change. Maintenance and Management (the biggest pool of money). Helen commented that the proposed project manager position might be very useful and Peter and Jessamine agreed. Ember asked if they thought it should be a division -level position or just departmental. Peter thought it was needed, though he didn't know whether it needed to be dedicated to open space. Ember said that currently the division has a single project manager for the golf course, parks, and open space. David said that Redtail Ridge, if it passes, would place a large demand on this position. He added that there are a lot of great ideas in documents like the Transportation Master Plan, but he's afraid these plans don't get executed on. David added that many citizen complaints have to do with maintenance issues, which suggests that the Maintenance Specialist position is needed too. Other board members agreed. Helen commented that the challenge has been to retain staff. She asked Deb whether the city is looking into ways to improve pay or benefits to retain workers. Deb and Ember said they were looking for ways to improve both pay and advancement. Ember asked the board how they felt about the operational part of this document. The board thought it was fine as it was, though suggested it was hard to anticipate some of these needs after the fire.