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Public Comment Card CC - 06/18/2018 - PROVIDENCE PARK - SAWYER
Dawn Serff From: Sudie Gordon Sent: Friday, June 15, 2018 3:14 PM To: Dawn Serff Subject: Fwd: Link to Providence P k Proposed Master Plan �1 Begin forwarded message: From: Scott Sawyer <scotthsawer a,gmail.com> Date: June 15, 2018 at 2:43:03 PM EDT To: Sudie Gordon<Sudie.GordonLt�cityofmiltonga.us> Cc: Elected Officials<electedofticials(a�cityofmiltonga.us>, Jim Cregge <Jim.CreggeLa cityofmiltonga.us>, Shannon Ferguson <Shannon.Ferguson 2cityofmiltonga.us>, Steven Krokoff <Steven.Krokoffncityofmiltonga.us> Subject: Re: Link to Providence Park Proposed Master Plan Thank you. Upon reading the PP Final Master Plan there is no mention of a "donated" large 1 acre, 43,000 SF inclusive playground. The plan does change the PP playground description and size in the proposal over the past 6 months from a playground to a 10,000 SF accessible playground and then finally to a 13,000 SF All Inclusive Playground. The City Community Update and the recent information provided in the press must be incorrect. The City may want to issue a Community Update and state that the best location and requirements for a 1 acre donated inclusive playground are being considered by the City. It's seems better for the City to lead these communication efforts than external groups. Thanks for the quick response to the request for information. Scott Sawyer On Fri, Jun 15, 2018 at 9:56 AM Sudie Gordon<Sudie.Gordon(a�cityofmiltonga.us> wrote: Good Morning Mr. Sawyer: Thank you for your email. The Providence Park Master Plan can be located on our City's Website by clicking here. Email size limitations prevents attaching the plan to this email. Wishing you a wonderful Friday and fantastic weekend. All my best, Sudie Sudie AM Gordon, CMC City Clerk 2006 Heritaae Walk, Milton, GA 30004 678-242-2522 (0) www.cityofmiltonga.us DOME OF ' M. I LTON E STABLIS"LD 1006 ©T—*YouGEOM,, From: Scott Sawyer [mailto:scotthsawyer@gmail.comj Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2018 11:49 PM To: Shannon Ferguson <Shannon.Ferguson@cityofmiltonea.us>; Steven Krokoff <Steven.Krokoff@cityofmiltonga.us>; Joe Lockwood <Joe. Lockwood @cityofm iltonga. us>; Jim Cregge <Jim.Cregge@cityofmiltonga.us>; Laura Bentley<laura.bentley@cityofmiltonga.us>; Peyton Jamison <Peyton.iamison@cityofmiltonga.us>; Matt Kunz <Matt.Kunz@cityofmiIto nga.us>; Joe Longoria <Joe.Longoria@citvofmiltonga.us>; Rick Mohrig<Rick.Mohrig@cityofmiltonga.us>; Garrard@iarrard- davis.com; Sudie Gordon <Sudie.Gordon@citvofmiltonga.us>; Carter Lucas <Carter.Lucas @cityofmiltonga. us>; Scott Sawyer <scotthsawyer@gmail.com> Subject: Re: Providence Park Proposed Master Plan Mr. Krokoff, Mayor and City Council, Can I get a copy of the "Final" Providence Park Master Plan document which is being presented as a New Business item at the .lune 18 City Council Meeting - "Consideration of Resolution Adopting the Providence Park Master Plan" (Agenda Item 18-191). Like many citizens, I have participated in and followed the Providence Park planning process and would like to recommend that the Council defer a vote on the Providence Park Master Plan on June 18th until citizens have a chance to review the Master Plan document. To date all that has been shown or released for the "Master Plan" are Barge Consultant l Parks and Recreation1' 11 1 I have serious concerns about the final Providence Park PowerPoint Plan that was presented in the May 14th City Council Workgroup and that has now changed in the June 5th Milton Community Update. The concerns relate specifically to the "Playground" which is now being proposed for the park and is very different than what was presented by the Consultant and the Parks Director. Please consider the following background for this deferral request below: The City is now stating in the attached Community Update that it has already been decided that two sites are being considered for an "All Inclusive Playground" funded by Children's Charities (CC). These two sites are Providence Park and Milton Country Club. (See Myths link below). If this is accurate do you know who made this decision for only these two locations to be considered? Have other Milton Parks and Milton properties been considered based on a list of carefully identified requirements? Or is this Community Update in error? The CC All Inclusive funded Playground was never discussed or presented by the Providence Park Consultant; the Parks Department, or reviewed with the City Council during Work Groups or Meetings. Please let me know if I may have missed an update. In the recent consultant's final Providence Park Master Plan community presentation the inclusive playground funded by a CC wasn't discussed or included. I'm not sure if this understanding is included in the final plan that is being presented to the City Council for approval on June 18. For the City to state the Providence Park Playground is a "Myth" that needs to be confirmed or denied is confusing. The citizens who have participated in the Park Planning process haven't been aware of this decision for a donated playground until recently through City newspapers, websites and now the City's Community Update. Recent Milton Herald, AJC, and MDJ Online newspaper articles have stated this donated inclusive large playground will be the only such playground in Georgia, an acre in size and will be available to Metro area residents including "five" north metro cities: Milton, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Cumming and Canton. The size and scope of the revised playground is very different from what has been presented by the Consultant and the City and has morphed from a Providence Park "accessible" playground, to an "inclusive" playground and now a donated, large "inclusive" playground to serve the entire Metro Atlanta population. The Park Planning process has been complicated by these recent developments. Since this larger playground wasn't known or discussed with the Milton citizens there hasn't been a chance for the public to comment on this non-profit Playground donation to the Providence Park Master Plan. In addition the Milton Country Club planning hasn't even started, although it appears the city and the non-profit have already decided the Club is a prime location and is one of two finalist locations being considered as a central site for a donated playground (See Community update below). Before a decision is made to narrow the Inclusive playground installation to Providence Park or Milton Country Club, I wanted to propose the following expanded locations for consideration. These locations like any sites under review would need careful analysis based on detailed requirements including proposed playground size, parking, utilization, security, and access. Any school system playground location would require engagement with the Fulton County School System. There may be other Milton land near urban centers such as Deerfield and Crabapple that could be considered as well and acquired as part of the playground fundraising or City budget. Potential alternative inclusive playground locations for consideration: Friendship Park - Bell Memorial Park - Crabapple Crossing Elementary - Summit Hills Elementary - Birmingham Elementary - Crabapple or Deerfield property Some City Council members have stated that the City has no funding to purchase land for a park and playground and can't use or consider other existing parks. This isn't a valid response since the large playground requirements haven't been defined and all appropriate options been considered. The City shouldn't plan a park for a location just because they own this property. They also shouldn't change the size and scope of one of it's elements (playground) without informing the community and, giving them a chance to respond. Good governance requires transparency and Citizen engagement to ensure the city serves the needs of the community who are funding its' operation. Decisions made outside the community engagement process are contrary to open and representative government. Thank you for providing the Providence Park Master Plan and for considering this request for deferral. My goal is to provide citizen input as the City continues to build a first class Parks and Recreation program. Scott Sawyer 787 Quarterpath Lane Milton, Georgia 30004 See City Communications below from the link "Complete list of Myths": "playground [Correct: Providence Park is one of two city locations being considered for an all-inclusive playground for children of all physical abilities. This playground is funded by Children's Charities, Inc.; other than the city offering the physical location for playground, the nonprofit is funding this costs associated with the playground. While this is a less passive park element, the strategic placement of the playground provides additional opportunities for families of special needs children to take advantage of Providence Park. The city also plans to work with Children's Charities on the design of the playground equipment to ensure that the look and feel (design) of the playground aligns well with its natural surroundings". On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 4:30 PM, City of Milton News<shannon.fergusonkcityofmiltonga.us> wrote: COMMUNITY UPDATE This email provides important information about the proposed Providence Park Master Plan presented on May 14 and tentatively scheduled to go before the Milton City Council for a vote on June 18, 2018. e Providence Park Update The City of Milton was recently made aware of individual efforts in the community to share information and concerns regarding the proposed Providence Park (PP) Master Plan --a plan developed in partnership with the Milton community, city staff, and professional consultants from Barge Design Solutions. While we applaud these citizen -led efforts in terms of citizen engagement, we believe that the information being 6 shared with the public is incomplete and contains misinformation that could lead to unnecessary confusion for our residents. Watch the recorded presentation. First and foremost, we want to encourage residents to watch the May 14 City Council Work Session presentation to get a first-hand understanding of the proposed PP Master Plan that is tentatively scheduled to go before Council on June 18, 2018. That presentation video is available here. (Advance to 43:36 in the video to begin presentation which then concludes at 1:15 mark.) After watching the video and reading the update below, we encourage residents to attend the June 18 meeting to offer their public comments regarding the proposed master plan. Should you have questions before then, please don't hesitate to email us at info4cityofmiltonga us. Learn how the City engaged adjacent property owners and the community -at -large. Secondly, as part of this update, we would like to share additional details with residents regarding the community engagement process and how the City sought to specifically engage adjacent property owners and the Milton community overall. This information is available below under "Community Engagement." Read a list of community myths. Finally, we will address specific community misinformation and dispel any myths regarding the proposed PP Master Plan. (Read a complete list of myths here.) We recognize that this update is lengthy, but in order to adequately address any misinformation with residents who may or may not be fully aware of the extensive community planning process, we need to provide sufficient detail so as to prevent further confusion. Read below to fully understand the community engagement process for this community planning initiative and read the attached document for a complete list of community myths being shared. 7 Community Engagement Let's begin by outlining how the city engaged the adjacent residents to Providence Park and the community at -large in the planning process as it worked with consultants to develop a draft master plan for Providence Park. • On August 10, 2017, the City sent an initial letter via USPS to 38 residents who live either directly adjacent (i.e. their property line touches the Providence Park property line), or in a neighboring subdivision that includes lots that touch the property line for Providence Park. The letter advised residents of the August 24 stakeholder meeting and invited them to participate. A copy of that letter is available here. • On August 30, 2017, the City sent a follow-up letter via USPS to those residents who did not attend the August 24 meeting, inviting them to attend the first public input session for the overall Milton community scheduled for September 13. A copy of that letter is available here. • As you can see from the mail merge letters linked above, each mailing offered a designated contact at the City and requested email information from adjacent neighbors, so we could keep them abreast of the opportunities for public input. • Of the 38 recipients, our meeting sign -in sheets indicate that six (6) residents attended at least one public meeting over the course of the entire planning process (some attended 2-3 meetings). In addition to the dedicated adjacent property owner mailings above, the City engaged the overall community in a variety of ways for the community meetings held on *September 19, 2017 (rescheduled from September 13), January 9, 2018, and April 26, 2018. • August 2017 e -newsletter alerted the community to public input meetings for Providence Park (also shared on Facebook and Twitter) Full-page ad in the Milton Herald advertising the September 13, 2017 community kick-off meeting • City website calendar postings for all community meetings • Facebook events for community input meetings 111 • Live streaming video of all community input meetings, followed by posting the video recording on the City's website and via Facebook * There were issues related to the September 13 venue (Council Chambers). As such, the City communicated the rescheduled meeting date of September 19 by placing a printed notice on the doors at City Hall, updating the City's website calendar with the cancellation and rescheduled date, and sharing details via social media accounts. Between the September 19, 2017 meeting and the next scheduled public meeting for Providence Park on January 9, 2018, the consultants continued their work and residents continued to offer feedback. For those who may be unaware, the consultants were also simultaneously working on the overall Parks and Recreation Master Plan process, which included a statistically valid parks and recreation survey. Naturally, these overall planning efforts would also help inform, to some degree, the draft master plan for Providence Park. On January 9, 2018, the City held its next public input meeting to deliver preliminary findings and recommendations for Providence Park. In addition to posting on the City's website calendar and sharing on social media, the following email was sent to recipients of the City's e - newsletter on January 2 alerting them to the January 9 community meeting: https://conta.cc/2EEAs4S The feedback collected during this January meeting was then evaluated and incorporated in the final draft that would later be presented in a community meeting on April 26, 2018. Both the January 9 and April 26 meetings were recorded and posted to the City's website as well. The January 9 meeting is available here and the April 26 meeting is available here. We hope this information, including the comprehensive list of community myths, proves helpful to those who may not be familiar 9 0 0 with the proposed Providence Park Master Plan, as well as those who may have concerns or confusion regarding the proposed plan. As always, your city staff and City Council are here to assist you. Should you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@cityofmiltonga.us. Sincerely, Your Milton Communications Team City of Milton, Georgia, 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, GA 30004 SafeUnsubscribeTM scotthsawyer(&gmai1.com Forward this email I Update Profile I About our service provider 10 0 Scott Sent by 5hantLon.fqMusoULa it of ilton us 11