P&R Meeting with Northeast Community Council

Parks and Recreation Department Director John Rodda attended the Executive Committee Meeting of the Northeast Community Council (NECC) on January 6th 2011 to listen and respond to concerns about Russian Jack Springs Park. The Community Council President, Kevin Smestad opened the meeting to any person outside the Executive Committee who might wish to attend. Attendees expressed vehement concern about the safety clearing accomplished in the Summer of 2010 along the major paved trails in both North and South parts of the Park in which sight lines were created. Mr. Rodda responded that there were many calls received by his office from people who did not feel safe walking on the main trails in the park. NECC has previously and consistently expressed opposition to tree removal in the park and felt that the clearing was unwarranted and that no one was informed about the action. Additional concerns were expressed about the public process and the mail notification of surrounding residents in the public involvement process conducted to obtain input about needs and desires for improvements in the north part of Russian Jack Springs Park.

New document added: 1997 Planning & Zoning approval of master plan changes

We've posted the 1997 planning and zoning case to our 'related files' link. This includes the case materials that were reviewed by the commission, the meeting minutes, and the resolution of approval of the plan changes. It's also directly accessible via this link: http://goo.gl/XOw0i.

Thank you for your comments! Post 8

(A reminder that comments posted directly to this blog need to have an identified author. If you wish to remain anonymous, please leave a comment via our Comment Collector and request that your name be withheld from your comment.)

Thank you for those that have posted comments so far, whether on our blog or via the comment collector. To share the comments from the collector, we will be compiling them and posting them generally within a week of receipt. Remember that for posting comments to the collector, we do need a first and last name (you can always request that it not be listed when we post them). If you would like a direct response, please provide a valid email or phone number. Responses will also be posted here if we are unable to get a hold of you. Here are more comments we've received to date:

Interesting comment posted for the existing features at Russian Jack from the previous post ["More Student Input from Begich Middle School"], but it's not wise to discount future leaders in our community from bringing forth their ideas. Not a single student who imagined for a minute what RJSP might be is as stupid as you imply, shame on you. I happen to think that an obstacle course (ropes course?) through the woods or a simple set of swings might go a long way in providing outdoor recreation and 'play' opportunities in our parks. Maintenance - as always everywhere - is a challenge (as is safety) but the investment of young people in our parks by a simple brainstorming measure about what they might envision in a public space shouldn't be ridiculed so quickly but instead evaluated for merit and pondered about for creative inclusion. - name requested to be withheld

VIP Committee Update - Change of First Meeting

Due to several committee members’ unavailability for the first scheduled meeting on December 15th – we will be postponing the first meeting until January 19th at 6 PM at Williwaw Elementary.

For those people that have volunteered, reminders will be sent closer to the date.

For more information on the VIP committee, please go to this link: north RJSP VIP Committee. For a full description of roles and responsibilities, please review the PDF document at this link (VIP Roles and Responsibilities) or you can access this file through our "Related Files" link in the upper right of this blog page.

For questions about the VIP Committee and the 2011 North Russian Jack Springs Park projects, please feel free to contact Suzanne little at 343-4586 or e-mail at LittleSR@muni.org. 

More student input from Begich Middle School

It's great to hear that the students at Begich had enough momentum that they continued to talk about what might happen in the park, and they forwarded us more ideas:

Update to call for VIP Committee Members - University Area and Rogers Park

Dear University Area Community Council and Rogers Park Community Council (in addition to the previously identified community councils):

Russian Jack Springs Park, north has been officially approved by the Anchorage Parks & Recreation Department and the Anchorage Park Foundation with review by the Parks and Recreation Commission for a park upgrade during the 2011 construction season. 

Because the Parks & Recreation Department wishes the improvements and schedule to mesh with neighborhood desires, we ask the adjacent Community Councils nominate one representatives each (with an alternate so a representative can always attend) to serve on the north Russian Jack Springs Park VIP Committee.  The VIP Committee will be composed of 10 people to assist with decision-making and implementation of the park project.  The Very Important Park Committee will be composed of the following representatives:

• 4 park neighbors – parents with children ages 10 through 18 are encouraged
• One Community-wide Representative
• 1 representative from Russian Jack Community Council
• 1 representative from North East Community Council
• 1 representative from Mountain View Community Council
• 1 representative from Rogers Park Community Council
• 1 representative from University Area Community Council

The VIP Committee job responsibilities are listed below.  Some tasks to be accomplished in the upgrade will be volunteer-powered.  The Very Important Park Committee Member’s job is to:

• Review project information gathered to date and give fresh consideration to: what is special about the park; what are identified needs for the park; and, what are remedies for concerns at the park.  Assist in identifying areas for improvements, review design options, make priority choices, given a fixed budget and scope.  (about 3,  2-hour meetings) The first North Russian Jack Springs Park VIP meeting will be held at Williwaw Elementary on December 15th 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM with another meeting possible on Wednesday, January 19th.
• Inform your Community Council of VIP Committee work – make consistent reports to your Community Council on action taken by the Committee;
• Recruit neighborhood volunteers for the volunteer-powered part of the project and attend on the volunteer day; and

Join in the celebration of the completed park project.
Please let me know about your VIP committee nominees and their contact information by December 13th, 2010:

• Committee Member Name
• Committee Member Address
• Committee Member E-mail
• Committee Member Cell Phone # or best contact number if no cell phone

For questions about the VIP Committee and the 2011 North Russian Jack Springs Park projects, please feel free to contact Suzanne little at 343-4586 or e-mail at LittleSR@muni.org.

Begich Middle School Class Visits

On Wednesday, the first of December, Corvus Design and Brooks & Associates conducted in-class workshops with Michelle Barton’s, Ryan Blewett’s, and David Gilliam’s classes at Begich Middle School.  While Begich middle school is located further away from Russian Jack Springs Park than the previous schools we attended, many students claimed to be familiar with the park.  While a portion of the students were aware of the park, the overwhelming majority of those students only knew or frequented the southern half of Russian Jack Springs Park, with perhaps one or two students claiming to visit the northern section for sporting events.  One student who lived in the vicinity stated that her parents don’t allow her to visit that park which is in close proximity to her house, while they do allow her to visit a more populated park that is over twice the distance from home. 

While the brainstorming workshops were fairly similar for each class, subtle differences in process and methods allowed us to get different results and feedback from the classes at Begich Middle School in comparison to the previous schools we had visited.  The variation in collected feedback was also evident between the three different classes we visited at Begich Middle School.  While the wide scope of feedback was sought after, another positive finding was that there were dominating activities, and amenities that spanned between all schools, classes, ages, and walks of life.

For scans of their ideas and sketches, please click on these links: Class 1 (Barton), Class 2 (Blewett) and Class 3 (Gillam).

Michelle Barton’s Class

What are things you would like to see in your park?

• Play Castle
• Maze
• Lots of huge boulders to climb
• Half football field
• Seats for parents
• Large bridge
• Tunnels or things like tunnels
• Hill for sledding
• Small buildings or rooftops
• Rope ladders
• Color
• Wood instead of metal
• Paintball course
• Amusement park – thrill rides
• Very big hill for sledding
• Place to roller skate
• Tire swings
• Merry go round or carousel
• Place for parents and grandparents to hang out and watch children
• Basketball court
• Volleyball net
• More places to hide
• Monster truck tire swing
• Zip line
• Big wooden jet or helicopter
• Underground park
• Climbing net
• Trees to climb
• Balance beams
• Rocket
• Skate park
• Small water fountains
• Picnic tables
• Benches with covers

Ryan Blewett’s class

What elements would you like to see in the park?

• Five connected tire swings
• A palace or castle with connecting tubes
• A bridge between two tree houses
• Twenty foot tall fence
• Huge bunny jump
• Tarzan ropes
• Designated graffiti wall
• Rocket ship
• Monkey bars with a net underneath
• Super comfy heated seat
• Mile long tunnel
• Candy bar vending machine
• Water chairs
• Trampoline
• Sled shop – make your own sled
• Ice bar – get your own block of ice
• Smoothie / Hot coco bar
• Hammock
• Swings
• Petting zoo
• Benches
• Laser tag
• Roller coasters
• Porch swings for the elderly
• Pond
• Skate / bike park
• Bouncy room
• Giant slide
• Snack bar
• Mini bowling alley
• Bumper cars
• Ramp for sledding hill
• Wind tunnel
• Build a bear station
• Large pole
• Mountain with gigantic slide
• Gummy bear maker
• Ice rink
• Volleyball
• Super soft benches
• Gigantic sledding hill with ski lift
• Ice fort that never melts
• Tree / jungle fort
• 3D maze of ropes
• Twisting tunnel
• Picnic tables
• Trail around playground
• Rock wall
• Water boats
• Underground maze
• Snow sculpture station
• Maze with obstacles
• Steering wheel
• Shelter with picnic tables
• Winter park
• Snow ball fight area
• Track with bleachers
• Bushes outlining a big open field
• Mini golf course
• Snow ball launchers
• Water fountain
• Wobbly bridges
• See saws
• Bathrooms
• Bells
• Giant dominoes
• Communication tubes
• Jumping boxes
• Giant non-gravity dome
• Snow forts

David Gillam’s class

What elements would create a dynamic park?

• People
• Trees and Plants
• Planeterium or viewing area on concrete pad with inlays
• Nice benches
• Beautiful gardens
• Pond
• Trash cans
• Swings
• Hang-out spot
• Volleyball court
• Capture the flag forest
• Chalk drawing area
• Jungle gym
• Arcade
• Little tykes bike trail
• Coloring area
• Roller coaster
• Giant swings
• Obstacle course
• Hippo chair
• Big hammock
• Basketball court
• Badminton court
• Open field
• Outdoor hockey rink (flood basketball court)
• Small water park
• Giant shapes
• Skate park with introductory areas
• Giant map
• Camping area
• Rock climbing wall
• A giant shoe that you can go in like a house
• Exotic trees
• Lake or pond
• Big eating area
• Fire pit
• More picnic places
• Smooth paths
• Good scenery
• Open space for Frisbee, family and church gatherings
• Good sliding hills
• Ice cream
• Food court
• Rocket
• Dog park
• Wishing fountains
• Gardens
• Statues
• Bird watching center
• Warming hut
• Covered areas
• Bowling alley
• Spa
• Sandbox
• Roller skating rink
• Tunnels / tubes
• Maze
• Rope bridge
• Swirly slides
• Fitness center
• Pet rabbits
• Aviary
• Improve existing soccer fields
• Lagoon with paddle boats and stuff
• Bigger playground area
• Keep it clean
• Theme park
• Super-mega playground
• Yoga class
• Movie theatre
• Giant letters that people could go through and play on
• Igloos
• Zip lines
• Gigantic skateboard
• Extreme bench
• Shops
• Hot dog stand every day
• Tug of war rope
• Security guards at every station to prevent vandalism