HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRB160048_DRB160048 Narrative_1456184880.pdf TOWN OF VAIL '
Memorandum
To: Vail Town Council
From: Department of Public Works
Date: March 16, 2016
Subject: Booth Creek Park— DRB Submittal
Introduction
Booth Creek Park is an existing 3 acre community park site located at 2900 Manns Ranch
Road. The property was deeded to the Town of Vail by Vail Associates in the 1970's as a
developed tennis court facility. The existing playground was added to the site in the 1980's.
The remaining tennis court is unusable and the playground is out of date to current safety
standards and community expectations. The Booth Creek Park Redevelopment Project is a
complete redevelopment of the existing park facility. The Town Council has established a
project budget in the 2016 Real Estate Transfer Tax Capital Budget in the amount of$2.4M.
Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2016.
Background
This presentation is the culmination of a 2 year public process initiated in January 2014 to
prepare for the redevelopment of Booth Creek Park. The process has included multiple public
meetings, email communications, presentation of multiple design options and Council
discussions. On August 4, 2015, Council approved the Final Design Concept for Booth Creek
Park and directed staff to proceed to final design and board approvals.
Design Development Process
Design development is the extended refinement of the Final Design Concept plan for the park.
This phase of the process involves working out the details of park layout, grading and
landscaping and the design of park buildings and playground features. Throughout design
development the site plan has remained very close to the Final Design Concept. There are two
noteworthy modifications to point out. The location of the accessible parking area has moved
from the northwest corner of the site to a location in closer proximity to the picnic shelter,
playground and restroom. This move reduced site disturbance and allowed the elimination of
retaining walls and steps on the north side of the tennis courts. The location of the restroom
has moved to the opposite side of the path from the playground. This move increases safety by
improving the visibility of the restroom doors from the playground while reducing the visibility of
the building from the residential areas. An image of the Design Development Site Plan for
Booth Creek Park is included in the attached presentation.
Site Plan
Consistent with the Final Design Concept, the removal of existing trees has been minimized and
considerable new landscaping has been included. Site furnishings are included on the plan in
the form of picnic tables, benches, Adirondack style chairs, barbeque grill, bicycle racks and
trash/recycle containers. Site lighting will be the bollard style fixture used in other park areas
throughout town. The site plan includes 9 light fixtures located at key intersections and points in
the park to provide a minimal level of safety lighting while avoiding lighting impacts to the
neighborhood. A drinking fountain/water bottle station has been included at the restroom.
Park Buildings
Restroom and picnic pavilion designs have been developed. Both are simple, rustic structures
that reflect the history of the area through the old cabin on the Vail Mountain School campus.
The restroom will be a 3-season building with a men's and women's side and utility and janitorial
space. The building is split in two sections with steep gable roofs with standing seam metal
roofing. The two sections are connected with a flat, living roof section creating a "front porch"
area for weather protection. The picnic shelter is an open air design with wood, matching the
restroom, as the predominate material. It will also have a steep pitch, standing seam metal roof.
The shelter holds 3 picnic tables and a prep counter near the barbeque grill just outside the
shelter. Images of the restroom and picnic pavilion are included in the attached presentation.
Playground
Design of the playground and playground elements is an Art in Public Places (AIPP) project.
Approval of the playground design and playground elements will be requested from the AIPP
Board. It is presented here as contextual information to the DRB. Prior to initiation of the
playground design, staff solicited proposals from qualified artist and presented them to the Art in
Public Places Board. Andy Dufford, Chevo Studios, was selected as the artist to participate in
the design of the playground features. The design of the playground originated with a
community/children's workshop held on December 2, 2015. Approximately 40 participants
utilized markers, crayons, sticks, rocks, clay, and other materials to draw or model their ideas
for the Booth Creek Park playground. The participants provided the design team with valuable
input on how children play and many great ideas on the types of features that would
accommodate that play. Play activities included climbing, swinging, sliding, crawling, and
socialization as well as quiet places to "just chill" for awhile. The overarching theme was for
natural materials arranged to create connections between the play features. Features included
tipi type structures, climbing boulders, bridges, tunnels, swings and slides.
The design team utilized these ideas to create the proposed playground design. The design
team also felt it was important to reflect and interpret the history of the area in the design of the
playground features and through placement of some modest plaques with a brief contextual
narrative of the history of the area. There are 4 primary features that make up the playground.
These are as follows.
Split Canyon Boulder
This feature is a reference to the geological history of the region. It consists of 2 large
granite boulders arranged as though they had been split from one enormous boulder to
form a tunnel between them. Connected together by a climbing net and carved with
hand holds and patterns to accentuate the folds and seams in the stone created by the
intense heat and pressures of the geological processes. This element of the playground
has been approved by the AIPP Board.
Tipi Structure
The Tipi Structure concept is direct outcome of the childrens' workshop and
acknowledges the Ute Indian bands who summered in the Valley. The stylized tipi
includes an 8' high deck with multiple climbers, slides and places to hang out. It is
connected to the Spilt Canyon Boulder with a 20-foot rope bridge and an intermediate 5-
foot high deck which also creates the required accessible route within the playground.
Settler's Cabin
This feature picks up on the architecture of the park buildings and acknowledges the
early ranching families who settled in the Valley. Designed for the younger child, it
includes a 3 foot high deck inside the cabin, a curved slide, crawl tunnel through the
stone "chimney" and peep holes to peak through from inside and out of the structure.
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Swings
From the very beginning of the public process for the redevelopment of Booth Creek
Park, community members have asked us to keep the swings. Booth Creek Park has
the best swings in town, they say. To that end, the playground includes a double-bay
swing frame with 2 strap swings and 2 bucket swings. Though the playground feature is
a standard swing frame, the narrative in this part of the playground will reference the
development of Vail Mountain and the thriving community of Vail and suggest the reader
look to the future, and themselves, for the next chapter in Vail's history.
Additional ground level play elements such as spinners, balance beams and activity
panels provide additional connections, play value and fulfill accessibility requirements.
The surface of the playground will be the engineered wood fiber used in most other Vail
playgrounds. Benches, chairs and picnic tables are located around the playground area.
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