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HomeMy WebLinkAboutINS-13-086 - Victoria Park Equipment REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: October 21, 2013 SUBMITTED BY: Jim Witmer, Director of Operations (741-2600, ext. 4657) PREPARED BY: Greg Hummel, Manager Park Planning, Development and Operations, (741-2600, ext. 4598) WARD(S) INVOLVED: Ward 9 DATE OF REPORT: October 16, 2013 REPORT NO.: INS-13-086 SUBJECT: Victoria Park Equipment RECOMMENDATION: For Information. BACKGROUND: On August 26, 2013 a number of delegations came to Council to present their issues regarding the Victoria Park Maintenance Facility. Five delegates presented their concerns as well as a petition signed by residents of the neighbourhood to Council. Concerns presented dealt with the increased number of vehicles within the park, close proximity to residences, noise of the equipment, impact of vibration from the equipment on residents and the safety of park users. Direction was given to staff to meet with the area residents and to return with possible options to address the issue of the increase in City vehicles utilizing the Victoria Park Maintenance Facility. Further, direction was given to identify the number of vehicles travelling in the park that deliver services to the park and the downtown both before and after the KOF (Kitchener Operations Facility) was developed. The report will outline the cost and service level implications of all proposed solutions as well as look at the rationale of using satellite locations instead of the Kitchener Operations Facility. REPORT: Park Events and Activity Victoria Park is regarded as the ‘Crown Jewel ‘of the city. The park is well used with the large accessible playground, splash pad, picnic shelter and the many trails that meander through and around the park. The pavilion is rented 52 weekends a year with weddings and is booked two plus years in advance. Coupled with the bandstand on the island for outdoor ceremonies, Victoria Park is a wedding destination. The Boathouse remains active and with canoes back on the lake, skating in the commons, special events and informal gatherings for recreation and picnics, the park is active seven days a week. 4 - 1 City wide special events operate within the park every weekend through the summer months and the entire park including the commons and clock tower host large numbers of people. Whether it is for the special events or just using the outdoor skating rinks through the winter months, the park use continues to increase. Infrastructure Renewal Work in and around the park over the past five years has impacted the neighbours. In 2009/10 David, Dill and Schneider Street were reconstructed. In 2010/2011 the Victoria Park Lake was dredged and reconstructed. The fore bay and pedestrian bridge were completed in 2012 and this years impact was the new gas line being installed down David Street. The construction activity continues but with a defined end date. Daily Activity With the increased use of the park, maintenance activities have also increased. The booking of the pavilion and the washrooms being open twelve months of the year has increased the need for janitorial services, HVAC, plumbing and event set-up which has increased the number of city vehicles coming into the park. The daily maintenance of the splash pad required CSA inspection of the playground and the increased garbage can emptying three day a week has also brought more city vehicles into the park. Other maintenance activities such as street sweeping, catch basin cleaning and debris removal from the outlet grates are completed regularly and have an impact on the neighbours as large pieces of equipment are needed to complete the required work. With the increased use of the park comes increased city vehicle traffic for maintenance. When the vehicle volume issues were brought to the attention of the City, City staff was instructed not to come into the park unless specifically required to do so for maintenance activities. Staff within the park was reminded, that breaks and lunches were to take place on the job site and staff was not to be travelling back to the machine shop. This included the sidewalk sweeper as it travelled through the park. Reducing the number of trips to and from the machine shop during the day has already lessened the impact on the neighbours. Kitchener Operations Facility (KOF): In April of 2011, the Chandler Drive Parks Operations were moved to the Kitchener Operations Facility on Goodrich Drive followed by the Bramm Street Operations in June of 2011. It’s important to recognize that the Kitchener Operations Facility is about more than a building with walls and a roof. It is a huge opportunity to improve the work environment for our staff and to provide a higher level of service for our customers. The KOF offeredfor the first time, entire divisions like Fleet, Operations and Facilities Management, as well as support groups like the Stockrooms, under the same roof – which has lead to stronger teams. At the end of the day the new facility and the workplace culture has led to enhanced services to the public through faster response times, more efficient work processes and staff who are encouraged to go the extra mile to serve our residents. The services offered out of the KOF are generally the services our resident’s value and rely on most. The KOF provides a facility design that allows us to house first-response vehicles indoors; the KOF supports staff by giving them the tools, the building and the coordinated work processes they need to enhance the services they are already providing every day. 4 - 2 Use of Satellite Facilities: When the Chandler Parks Operation site was functioning, satellite facilities were a necessity to provide expected services efficiently and effectively. Victoria Park, Budd Park, Bridgeport Park, Wilson Park, Breithaupt Park, Woodside Park and Bramm Street housed equipment, fuel and staff to be able to cut grass, groom infields and line sports fields to meet the needs of the user. Bramm Street Operations housed three turf maintenance machines and the downtown sidewalk sweeper because of the proximity to the routes and the city core. The equipment at Bramm Street had access to a water service for cleaning, fuel and fleet services for on-going maintenance. With these consolidated resources being central to the location of each turf route or family of sports fields it eliminated staff having to drive back and forth from one end of the city to another to complete their work. When the KOF was built it was never the intent to consolidate all satellite sites. Park equipment within or near the park that the equipment services still provides the most efficient and effective level of service. The KOF combined three specific work locations (Bramm Street, Chandler Drive and Elmsdale Avenue) to create additional efficiencies and to provide increased level of services to our residents. There are four groupings of sports fields that operate out of satellite facilities. These groupings look after the premiere sports fields and are grouped as follows: Budd Park (Southwest Optimist Park and Lions Arena Site) Breithaupt Park (Wilson Park) Bridgeport Park (Kiwanis Park, Rosenberg Park) Woodside Park (Kaufman Park, Meinzinger Park, Peter Hallman ball Yard) McLennan Park also has a compound in the center of the park that houses equipment, fuel and staff for the purpose of maintaining the 38.5-hectare park as well as the maintenance of the Huron Natural Area. Victoria Park Machine Shop has housed parks staff for many years. The entire City’s parks department once operated out of Victoria Park. Today, there are a total of fourteen staff working out of the machine shop in the summer months from April through to November, and eight staff from December through to March. Prior to moving any additional pieces of equipment into Victoria Park, other satellite locations were explored as potential locations to minimize travel time. Joe Thompson Ball Yard in Bridgeport was reviewed. Sports fields have staff and some equipment in the park for maintaining the fields. This storage area is in the basement of the building that is used by the YWCA Bridgeport Day Care. The review looked at increasing the fenced compound for equipment storage. Some additional fencing could be installed but the site is limited in fuel storage and machine-washing capabilities. The washing off of grass clippings is an integral part of keeping the turf cutting machines working efficiently. Peter Hallman Ball Yards was reviewed since there was a fenced compound within the park. However, the problem with PHBY is that it is within the floodplain and is regularly under water during prolonged rainfall. Its' close proximity to the KOF did not make sense for a satellite location. 4 - 3 Constructing a satellite facility on other city properties was reviewed but the expense of creating an area for gravel parking, a fenced compound to protect the equipment, bunker for fuel storage and providing a water service to clean the equipment daily became quite expensive. The construction of a basic satellite yard would cost a minimum of $40,000. In reviewing the existing facility in Victoria Park, the only changes made to the machine shop were the clean up of the compound, the addition of a small salt supply for winter activities and the installation of the perimeter fencing. The cost for this work was less than $20,000. The available building space, fuel tanks, staff washroom facility, equipment wash station, parking and the proximity to work area more than meets the needs of the operation. By having the turf equipment at one location, fleet services could arrange to service all three at one time making the trip as efficient as possible. Looking at Efficiencies: Staff and equipment have been working out of the Victoria Park Machine Shop for many years. The maintenance of the park including turf care, horticulture bed maintenance, lake maintenance and other services has been better served with staff in the park. Over the past many years, horticulture bed maintenance for King Street, Queen’s Boulevard and areas close to Victoria Park have been the responsibility of the staff working out of the park. With the closure of Chandler Parks Operations and the Bramm Street yards, a few additional pieces of equipment have been added to the park inventory. A sidewalk sweeper was added to deal with both the sidewalk maintenance on King Street as well as the maintenance of the trails and hard surfaces within Victoria Park. Due to travel times, three turf maintenance machines begin their routes from Victoria Park. These routes cover Bridgeport, Forest Heights and the King Corridor. Bridgeport Route: This route starts at Raddatz and Cherry Park area. The route then moves northeast through the Guelph Street area, George Lippert Park, Lips Park, Riverbend Park and through Bridgeport. Forest Heights Route: This route runs through the Belmont area and up Queen Street through Lakeside Park, Lynnvalley Park, Greengable Park and through to the Forest Heights Community Centre. King Corridor Route: The corridor route covers the area that extends east/west from downtown Kitchener through Kaufman Park including Knollwood Park, Chandler Park, Meadowland Park, Trailview Park and Queensmount Park. Each of these routes starts close to Victoria Park and radiates out from there. The routes were created so that the turf could be cut in a two week to two and a half week cutting cycle. When leaving the park, staff starts their routes at approximately 7:15 am and return to the park at approximately 2:30 pm. Upon return to the machine shop, staff is required to wash grass clipping off the machines to keep them operating efficiently, refuel for the next work day and to complete work orders for the day’s activities. The travel speed of these machines is approximately 12-15 km/hour. The Kitchener Operations Facility is approximately 8.5 kilometers from Victoria Park and the start of staff’s routes. If these machines were housed at the KOF, it would take staff a minimum of thirty and as much as forty- five minutes depending on traffic to travel to the start of the route to begin their cutting cycle. At the end of the day, staff would have to start heading back with their machines to the KOF earlier to be able to clean and refuel the machines and complete required paperwork. 4 - 4 Winter sidewalk maintenance is done using the same turf machines but the cutting decks are replaced with plow blades and salt dispensing units are attached at the rear of the machine. Similar to turf maintenance, the winter routes start from Victoria Park and cover the Bridgeport, Victoria Hills and Fischer-Hallman areas. Staff responsible for all three routes starts clearing snow from Victoria Park and then head out on their routes. The routes through the winter are set so that they are cleared during a normal snowfall amount in eight hours. Travel Costs : Summer Cost Minimum Maximum $43,200 $ 64,800 Winter Cost $38,880 $ 51,840 Total Costs: $82,080 $116,640 Whether it is for summer or winter activities, the total cost of travel time from the KOF to routes starting near Victoria Park would range from $82,080 per year to as much as $116,640. Staffing and Equipment in Victoria Park: In Appendix A, attached, the seasonal activities within Victoria Park, including the staffing and equipment directly associated with each season are provided for information. Summer: The number of staff in the park varies depending on the time of year. Once all seasonal staff has started, there is typically 15 staff working out of the Victoria Park Machine Shop. Of the 15 staff, six staff is working specifically on Victoria Park activities, five are working downtown horticulture beds and on a route around Victoria Park, three are out on turf cutting routes and one staff is working the sidewalk sweeper that is used on King Street and on the park trails. In the early spring and fall seasons, the staff complement within the park totals six staff. Staff is present in the park seven days a week starting at 7:00 am and ending at 3:00 pm. Weekend coverage is typically four staff except when special events needs additional staff for major events such as the Multi-cultural Festival and Kidspark. Winter: During the winter months the total number of staff working out of the machine shop is eight. There are five staff looking after King Street, City Hall and the market. The downtown staff start and end at the Victoria Park Machine Shop but their snow removal equipment is stored at City Hall in the loading dock bays. There are three sidewalk routes running out of the machine shop (as noted above). The sidewalk machines start their day by clearing the trails in the park on their way out to the start of their routes. The winter crews cover seven days a week and work 5:00 am to 1:00 pm. The winter ice crew is comprised of three staff working a shift Wednesday – Sunday, 10:00 pm to 6:00 am as soon as the temperatures cooperate to make ice. This crew works out of the Front Garage by Richmond Street but they do use the washroom in the machine shop through the course of the shift. 4 - 5 ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: Quality of Life: Good government balances multiple perspectives, knowledge and lived experience. Equipment within Victoria Park is a necessary evil to meet the needs of the users and be an integral part of the community. Residents spoke up about the impact of the equipment and the review is being carried out. Environment: Lead by Example. The City of Kitchener can be a model of environmental stewardship and citizen engagement in that effort. Through the review of equipment in the park, utilizing the satellite model proved fuel savings and travel time reduction. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: No financial implications at this time. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Following the presentation that residents made to Council on August 26th 2013, Council directed staff to meet with the neighbourhood on the issues around equipment in the park. On th September 11 2013 staff met with the group that made presentations to Council and tried to ascertain the specific issues and options available to mitigate the residents’ concerns. CONCLUSION: Staff has responded to residents’ concerns by meeting with the group that made presentations to Council. The meeting helped to ascertain the specific issues and potential options to address the issue of the increase in City vehicles utilizing the Victoria Park Maintenance Facility. The staff review identified the number of vehicles travelling in the park that deliver services to the park and the downtown both before and after the KOF (Kitchener Operations Facility) was developed. The cost and service level implications have been outlined in this report as well as the rationale of using satellite locations instead of the Kitchener Operations Facility. It is of note that only four new pieces of equipment being stored at Victoria Park are not for servicing the park. Staff are not recommending moving the downtown equipment to another location such as the Kitchener Operations Facility because of increased travel time cost and because no other viable location is available. In addition, moving the downtown equipment to another location could result in shifting the concerns to another neighbourhood. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Pauline Houston, Deputy CAO, Infrastructure Services Department 4 - 6 Appendix A: Summer Activities: Victoria Park Specific: Hours: 7:00am – 3:00pm. Vehicle 269 One Ton Pick-up Truck Vehicle 734 Polaris Truckster Vehicle 252 Small Pick-up Truck Vehicle 781 Kawasaki Truckster Vehicle 740 Toro Groundmaster – Park Grass Mower JCB Loader (periodically needed within the park) Vehicles Starting/ending in Victoria Park: Vehicle 996415 Large Water Truck (Filled at the KOF for watering on King Street from 5:00am – 1:00pm, Refilled in park at 7:30am.) Downtown Horticulture: Vehicle 229 Small Puck-up Truck Vehicle 996363 One Ton Pick-up Truck stst Vehicle 12202 One Ton Water Truck (In Victoria Park from June 1 – September 1) Vehicle 986243 One Ton Pick-up Truck (Route C that covers Belmont/Westmount/Forest Heights) Turf Mowers – City Routes: Trackless Bridgeport Route TracklessForest Heights Route McLeanKing Street Corridor Route Sanitation Small Sidewalk Sweeper King Street/Victoria Park Pathways Winter Activities: 4 - 7 Downtown/Victoria Park Lots /Pathways: Two Crew Cabs Two Sidewalk Plows One Skid Steer Two Sweepers (Located in front garage off Water Street) Sidewalk Routes: One Crew Cab Truck Trackless Westmount Sidewalk Route Trackless Bridgeport Sidewalk Route Trackless Ira Needles Sidewalk Route Victoria Park Ice Rinks: One John Deere Sweeper (Located in front garage off Water Street) One Kuboda Tractor One Crew Cab Truck 4 - 8