Loading...
1989-26134-Minutes for Meeting September 27,1989 Recorded 10/6/1989PUBLIC HEARING FORMATION OF LAPINE PARR AND RECREATION DISTRICfr t cry DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS n m ;r September 27, 1989 ss- CM co LaPine Community Park Building -X', Chair Prante opened the public hearing, which was contin dclrom September 13, 1989, at 7:05 p.m. Board members in attendance were Dick Maudlin, Tom Throop and Lois Bristow Prante. Also present was Rick Isham, County Legal Counsel. Rick Isham stated that a petition with 593 signatures was received requesting the formation of a park and recreation district in LaPine on August 9, 1989. The first public hearing on Wednesday, September 13, 1989, was continued to September 27, 1989 by the Commission Chair. The Board had received into the record findings that the formation of the LaPine Park and Recreation District was in conformance with the Deschutes County Comprehensive Plan. This hearing was proceeding under ORS 198.805 which provided that at this hearing the Board might alter the boundaries of the proposed district if appropriate upon finding that an area should be excluded on the grounds that the area would not receive any benefit from inclusion in the district. At the second public hearing, the District would either be finally formed, or if 100 or more electors (registered voter within the district) requested an election, the Board of County Commissioners would not form the District but would refer the issue to the electors within the District for a vote at the next available election date. Chair Prante asked that people wishing to speak in support of the formation of the park district with the boundary submitted with the petition to testify first. Norman Hale, 16105 Jackpine Road, in LaPine, said a lot of people in the area wanted more park facilities that were owned and operated in LaPine. He said he drew up the boundaries corresponding to the fire district and ambulance boundaries. The Park District would benefit the people in the entire area with year-round activities for children, families, and seniors. He didn't like driving to Bend to picnic or participate in other recreational activities. He felt it was important that LaPine area people control their own taxes. Robert Robb, 53444 Bridge Drive, LaPine, said he was in total agreement with Norman Hale. Barbara Hanson, 15481 6th Street, LaPine, supported park district because of the long-term goal of a swimming pool. She passed petitions and got a lot of support from the seniors. PAGE 1 MINUTES: 9/27/89 9~ 1y7+9 Gordon Wanek, 50825 S. Huntington Rd., LaPine, said children needed a place to go with up-to-date ball fields and equipment. He felt tourists would use the parks and promote growth in the community. He wouldn't mind paying a little bit extra to have community parks available. Grace Toole, 16367 Leona Lane, LaPine, felt the parks were needed for the Frontier Days activities. Beverly Toney, 53245 Deepwoods, LaPine, member of the Chamber of Commerce and COED said she felt the parks would be used by people of all ages and would encourage investment in the area. Kathy O'Neil, 52476 Los Ponderosa, LaPine, said she passed petitions. She had a small child and said there was nothing in LaPine for children to do. She felt the community should stick together and improve the community facilities. Steve Hansen, 15481 6th Street, LaPine, works for Oregon State Parks. He said that recreation in Central Oregon was what people were here for, and that it was important to have control of the parks in the LaPine community not in Bend. Mark Brown, 16170 Lava Drive, LaPine, President of the Chamber of Commerce, said he spoke in general for the Chamber of Commerce. He said all of the board members and 99% of the members were in favor of the parks and recreation district. He said the Chamber of Commerce was willing to supply voluntary manpower to get the job done and keep the costs down. He said the facilities were available to them, they just had to make it work. Tom French, 15937 Jack Pine Road, LaPine, said he had four children and there were no activities for teenagers in the community. He felt if teenagers were not given positive activities to keep them busy, they would get into trouble. Families needed places to enjoy fitness together and have fun together. He said his mother enjoyed the senior activities in the area, and he would like to get a senior softball team in the area. Florence Peresick, 16215 Big Meadow Drive, said there were a number of people in LaPine with arthritis who had to go to Bend pools to get therapy, and that the parks would also be good places for the elderly people to walk. Herman Best, 53387 Eagle Lane, LaPine, said the older people needed a park, and some had to drive to Bend to play softball. Vern Walter, 51801 Dorrance Meadow Road, LaPine, said the parks could be used by everyone, and that the control would be in LaPine. PAGE 2 MINUTES: 9/27/89 ci; Patsy Butler, 52864 Rainbow Drive, LaPine, who was a 5th grade teacher, said there was not enough activities for any age group in LaPine. She felt the community should pull together and form the district. She helped write the proposal. Mildred Babcock, Wagon Trail Ranch, LaPine, said she was just outside the proposed park district, however, she would like to testify as a representative of the COCC Community Ed Center. She said by virtue of the college rules, they could not take anyone under 16 years old as students, however there were a number of young people who wanted to take Spanish, exercise classes, literature courses, etc. She would do all she could to help the district find teachers. Tim Strausbaugh, 15961 Burgess Rd. LaPine, said the park district was needed for the education of the young people. He felt the youth needed to learn about fellowship, sportsmanship, and trust in one another which could start in the community parks as well as the schools. Debbie Stumff, 53720 Bridge Drive, La Pine, said she wanted swings where she could take her kids, and would like to have a pool. She would feel safer to have the children use local facilities rather than drive to Bend. Robert Shotwell, 15120 Riverlane, LaPine, said he had all the advantages of good parks in his youth which left him with wonderful memories. He said he loved the LaPine area and wanted the area to have local control for their community activities. He said that if the district were formed, the district would get the community park building (where the meeting was being held), and the outside bathrooms, and that they would be petitioning to get the White School and the area around the White School. David West, 53366 Woodstock, LaPine, said he had three children who were involved in little league and soccer. He said those kinds of activities had a positive influence on the kids. He said he had seen children get off drugs when they had some structured activities. Commissioner Prante asked for a show of hand of those in the audience who were in support of the formation of the Park District. Approximately three-quarters of those attending raised their hands. Chair Prante read into the record a letter of support for the district that was submitted by Ruth Wahl who could not attend because of a county planning commission meeting. Chair Prante asked that those wishing to speak in opposition to the park district to come forward and testify. PAGE 3 MINUTES: 9/27/89 Roy Miller, 55457 Big River Drive, Oregon Water Wonderland #1, had an objection to the boundary line of the proposed district. He said he did not live in LaPine, and that Precinct 38 should be taken out of the proposed district. He said their children went to school in Sunriver or Bend not LaPine. He said just this year that they had set up elementary schools in Sunriver. David Kerr, athletic director of LaPine High School, said the line between the Bend and LaPine school districts (for grades 7-12) had traditionally been the Fall River Road. Tom Williams, 16995 Sharp Drive, Bend, representing the Deschutes Recreational Homesites of which he was vice president and which he said included Sundance Phase 1A, said the park district would be good for LaPine, but he didn't live in LaPine. He said there were already three parks in his area on which their community was already spending their money and effort. Lorena Schwenek, 15861 Elderberry Lane, said she did not have any objection to the boundaries of the park district but wanted to know if there were any specifics regarding what it might cost in the long run. Commissioner Prante said that a park board would be formed and that they were not currently considering levying taxes. The Park District was going to use the monies generated from user fees to operate the park and they had asked for regional strategy funds. She said that the LaPine Park and Recreation District would determine whether there would be a levy requested and, if so, all voters within the district would have an opportunity to vote on any such requests. She said the Park Directors would be elected by only the voters in the district. Rick Isham reported on the process for formation of the park district from the beginning. He said what the Board of Commissioners had to resolve from this first public hearing was first, whether or not a park and recreation district complied with the land use planning statues of Deschutes County and the State of Oregon. He said the Deschutes County Planning Director submitted a document indicating that all of those requirement had been complied with. The second issue was whether or not the boundaries of the park and recreation district were appropriate. In order for the petitioners to submit a petition, they had to propose a boundary. The Board of Commissioners could either adopt the boundary as proposed by the petitioners or modify the boundary. Then the Board would set a final hearing where the district would be finally formed, or it would be continued for an election. If 100 or more currently registered voters within the district boundary, as it was finally determined, made written request to the Board of County Commissioners at or before the final hearing requesting an election, there would be an election on (1) whether to form the district and (2) who would be elected as the first PAGE 4 MINUTES: 9/27/89 1991/ 11 Board of Directors. If less than 100 voters requested an election, there would be no election, and the district would be formed. The final order would require that notice be published for the first LaPine Park and Recreation District Board of Directors. Nothing in the process authorized the levy of any taxes. Any tax measure that would be submitted in the future would have to be submitted by the elected board of directors and would have to be voted on by the members of the district. It would take a majority of the registered voters who voted at the election to approve the tax measure. Gene Egnern, 18510 Green Forest Road, said tax dollars would be required to support the facilities that people were talking about. He was concerned about retired people in the area who lived on fixed incomes and did not have children. He felt the groups that would benefit were the business people of LaPine, and the people who had children. He said there were already priorities like schools that were having difficulty being funded. Joe Tremble, 52555 Deerfield Drive, LaPine, said there were lots of groups who wanted property tax money. He felt there should be a vote of the whole district. David Lay, 51745 Pine Loop Drive, said he was not opposed to parks, but he wouldn't personally use them. He said he couldn't even afford the $10 it took to spray for mosquitoes. Bill DePiazza, 50015 Collar Drive, LaPine said he was neutral about the formation of the park district, but he was sure there would be taxes, and he was tired of the high taxes. Commissioner Prante commented that the Regional Strategies Committee, of which she was chair, was looking favorably on the request from the proposed park district for some funding. Chair Prante closed the public hearing and announced the decision on the order determining the boundaries of the proposed park district would be made at the Board of Commissioners Work Session on Monday, October 2, 1989, at 10:00 a.m. DES TES COUNTY B OF COMMISSIONERS Lois Sri tow Prante, Chair ssioner Commissioner BOCC:alb PAGE 5 MINUTES: 9/27/89