WARD FOUR AND SEVEN NPA OVERSIGHT ON LEDDY PARK DEVELOPMENT
- Set aside, to be considered at a later date.
- Meeting Notes: " allow time for the Parks and Recreation Commission and Staff to advance the golf course development process without an additional layer of oversight. It was assumed that the best interests of the city and neighborhoods will be respected and protected by the existing system of oversight, i.e. the Parks and Recreation Commission and staff, City Council and Friends of Leddy Park organization." 9/18/08
Whereas the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department has allowed tree cutting by a private non-profit organization for the purposes of creating an 18 hole disk golf course with no prior public meeting;
Whereas the Parks and Recreation Commission allowed "preliminary approval" of such tree cutting without calling for a public meeting or requesting public comment;
Whereas the Director of Burlington Parks and Recreation admitted at a public meeting on September 3rd 2008 that he allowed the development of the disk golf course in Leddy Park without ever playing the game;
Whereas the Burlington City Ordinance § 3-203 states "... all public recreational activities hereafter sponsored by the city, shall be under the management, care and control of the city council..."
Whereas the Burlington City Ordinance § 3-207 states "...The city council shall have power to make and alter from time to time, all needful rules and regulations for the maintenance of order, safety, and decency in said parks and for said recreational program..."
Whereas the Burlington City Ordinance § 3-209 states "...No shade or ornamental trees growing in the streets and public grounds of said city, shall be destroyed or removed except by leave in writing, first obtained from the city council."
Whereas these ordinances were not followed during the decision process to construct a disk golf course in Leddy Park nor did any City officer or Councilor inform the Neighborhood Planning Assembly (NPA) of said proposed disk golf development; and
Whereas the Neighborhood Planning Assemblies were established by the City of Burlington to “help improve communication between the citizens of Burlington and City government”
Now therefore be it resolved that:
The Wards 4 and 7 NPA has lost confidence that City Officials will adequately represent our interests during discussions regarding the planning of Leddy Park,
and therefore the NPA hereby requests that the City Council, under its authority, appoint a special Task Force to investigate the impacts of a disk golf course in Leddy Park.
Be it further resolved that the Wards 4 and 7 NPA requests that this Task Force be made up of:
6 representatives from of the Ward 4 and 7 NPA (three from Ward 4 and three from Ward 7).
2 representatives from Burlington Parks and Recreation
2 representatives from the Btown Disk Golf Club
2 representatives from the Parks and Recreation Commission
2 City Councilors (one from Ward 4 and one from Ward 7)
The Task Force shall be charged with directing and otherwise being fully involved with an independent study conducted by a neutral third party that shall determine the environmental, social, recreational and fiscal impacts of a disk golf course in Leddy Park. The Task Force shall present the study’s findings to the public and the City Council. The City Council shall then determine if such a course is to be built. Until such time where the City Council will make this determination all work on the disk golf course in Leddy Park shall stop immediately.
