Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2022 12 14

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LC140 Louisville PARKS, RECREATION & OPEN SPACE Memorandum To: Open Space Advisory Board From: Ember Brignull, Open Space Superintendent Jessamine Fitzpatrick, Member, Open Space Advisory Board Date: December 14, 2022 Re: Discussion Item 8: Opportunities to Improve the Property Acquisition Ranking Process Purpose: Discuss opportunities and timeline for improving the open space property and trails acquisition ranking process. 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. The first step in the process is determining which properties to evaluate. Once this has been determined 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 "20XX OSAB Recommended Candidate Open Space 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 "20XX OSAB Recommended Candidate Open Space Properties" (the map). The map has alpha and numeric labels for each property and these labels are entered into the property I.D. column on the table to link the two documents. Once each OSAB member has completed the table, staff compiles and averages the resource, cultural, and total scores which are then entered into the "20XX OSAB Recommended Candidate Open Space Ranking Table" spreadsheet (the spreadsheet). The results are shared with OSAB and voted on. Once approved by OSAB, the spreadsheet (showing column totals only) is the final document that is shared with City Council and the City Manager's Office to illustrate OSAB's acquisition priorities and recommended acquisition strategies. The acquisition strategies are further defined in the "Strategies and Tools for Open Space Property Acquisition" document. Proposed Discussion Topics: 1. Clarify the intended purpose of the ranking process and the use of the resulting ranking list, particularly for the benefit of new OSAB members. Discuss what OSAB would like to communicate to Council through the ranking and how best to do so (e.g., individual property rankings, high/med/low or selected / not selected designations, maps, descriptions, etc.). Revisit the property ranking spreadsheet and decide whether or not it is fit for the purpose established in #1 and #2 above. W