Laserfiche WebLink
Open Space Advisory Board <br />Minutes <br />July 13, 2022 <br />Page 5 of 7 <br />Jessamine felt that it would be wrong to use the broader open space tax fund for this <br />project without a larger discussion, but if there was funding available in the larger <br />pipeline project, then she would be in favor of doing it now. <br />Laura summarized that she thought she was hearing consensus that the board would <br />like staff to look into the project and the budget, but didn't want to be pressured into it. <br />Ember pointed out that Hecla Lake trails are slated for resurfacing this fall, and that there <br />might be a chance for this project at that time. <br />Charles thought this could be a good impetus to re -energize the trails tiger team. Helen <br />suggested the tiger team could focus on Hecla too, not just Warembourg. <br />9. Discussion Item: Opportunities to Improve Open Space and Trails <br />Acquisition Ranking Process. Presented by Jessamine Fitzpatrick, OSAB <br />Member. <br />Jessamine stated that this discussion item is in preparation for the board's land <br />acquisition process scheduled for summer, 2023. Ember gave some context for this <br />process and said that the main goals are to provide evaluation of land parcels for council <br />and for potential joint partnerships. Helen added that the board has directed staff to <br />create profiles for each property on the list and that those have been helpful. These <br />profiles included history, IGA, potential uses, and proposed strategies for acquisition or <br />conservation. <br />Jessamine asked about the current status of Boulder Counties' land evaluation criteria, <br />since the board's evaluation spreadsheet was originally derived from theirs. Ember didn't <br />know. Laura said she'd be curious to see Boulder County and Lafayette's current <br />version of this document and several board members agreed. <br />Charles asked what city council wanted from the board in this process. Ember said that <br />the feedback council has given over the years has indicated that they generally liked the <br />spreadsheet evaluation and map format. Many years ago, the council had a study <br />session about this process with the board. Helen felt that council wanted to see a <br />certain degree of rigor of the process, so the spreadsheet helps with this. Council often <br />asks if the board has looked at a particular parcel. Jessamine pointed out that it has <br />been several years since council gave feedback and wondered if the board should ask <br />the current council for recent feedback. She also wanted to know how the board <br />communicates this information to council, and if the process could be more proactive. <br />She asked if there could be another study session on this topic with council, but Ember <br />said she hadn't heard anything concrete about study sessions between council and the <br />boards for 2022. <br />Laura pointed out that while she is open to improving the process of ranking and <br />evaluating parcels, there is a power in a certain amount of continuity, as it shows <br />consistency when the board prioritizes parcels. <br />David's biggest concern is how accurately the list can convey how seriously the board <br />takes the ranking. He feels like feasibility and cost might need to be part of the process. <br />He added that when a property disappears from the list, it leads to public confusion. He <br />