I Absolutely Find This Useful and Appreciate Your Communication on This Issue

Hello we live close to the park. An outdoor gym would be great. Basketball would be nice as well. We would love some off leash time in the morning and evening so we could walk the trail or play fetch with our dog. Ex. Before 10a.m. And after 6 or 7 p.m. A few more trash cans/doggy poo bag stations are needed. One at the bottom of the 2 left trails. People are leaving there trash, beer cans, cigarettes on the grass on a regular basis. I like that you can't rent picnic spaces as the park thrives with life and that would be formal. The picnic tables now are useless because of there location. That would be a great basketball spot. Thank you Jenn Vining

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We have a rather large group of volleyball people in the Treasure Valley but there are not parks that have multiple sand volleyball courts. I think it would be great if Camelsback could redo there old one and possible put in multiple courts for all the people that play.

Just an idea….

Jason Weaver

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I cannot make the meeting so I wanted to send in my suggestion. How about an outdoor recreational and competitive pool? This is probably a bit much but would be a great addition to the park. More modestly, of the three possible improvements that are listed I would vote for the "covered picnic shelter."

John

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I absolutely find this useful and appreciate your communication on this issue...

I apologize for my obvious frustration in my correspondence. I had assumed there was nowhere (other then dispatch...) to turn on these issues and was obviously mistaken - thanks again!

If you need anything from me just let me know - it is becoming obvious that I owe you one!
Regards,

Eric Holstine

On Jun 23, 2014, at 5:09 PM, "Toby Norton" <> wrote:

Eric,

I alerted the reservation staff to your concerns and they indicated that reservations in Camel’s Back Park are limited to 50 people at one time with no amplified sound. Because you provided the date and time of the complaint, the reservation staff has placed a flag in the reservation system so if the same person or group makes another reservation these past concerns will be displayed. In addition to calling the police on the non-emergency number, feel free to contact the reservation team at 608-7644 and provide the date and time that a group is being too loud, etc. and they can flag the reservation. You can also reach the on-call special services staff who will make a site visit at 631-1459 or 631-1461.

We will be working with ACHD on what improvements may be incorporated into the crossings at the park as part of their project to improve Heron Street. This should also help with parking.

I hope you find this information useful.

Toby

From: Eric Holstine
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 6:07 PM
To: Toby Norton
Cc: Thomas Governale; Chloe Ross; MayorBieter
Subject: RE: tennis courts

FYI – dispatch stopped by…didn’t anything about the music/PA system (they were told it would be “winding down”…) and told me I was just luck that I don’t live by Hyde Park…

I brought up the possible idea of basketball courts and the office could be believe this was even being considered…in his words “I guess they don’t spend much time down here…”.

Regards,

Eric Holstine

From: Eric Holstine
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 5:35 PM
To: 'Toby Norton'
Cc: Thomas Governale; Chloe Ross;
Subject: RE: tennis courts

Toby –

Thank you for the detailed reply.

· I write this as 200 + people play loud music and party at the picnic area. I am able to close the windows for the sound system but finally called police dispatch when the drumming started. I always wonder when folks show up with a sound system if they get any warning about music when they reserve the area…??

· Yes – I absolutely agree calling in complaints is the way to police this area…it is the only thing that keeps it livable when you live this close…

· Attached are some pics of the no cross walk on Heron/13th – I realize this is ACHD but someone really needs to look at safety for this park…I also included a pic of Heron/12th– you walk out blind and have to navigate around a car…into the parking lot…

· Oh & a pic of the party just for fun…

Your professional responses give me faith in the system…but my message is that while new courts are sexy (ok – not sexy but I could not think of anything other way to describe…) but in my opinion some money needs to be put into the infrastructure of the park – it is a gem of the community and a money maker when it comes to the street fair…

Again – I appreciate the opportunity to provide input other than to the police…as I piss of 200 + folks…

Regards,

Eric Holstine

From: Toby Norton [mailto:
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2014 5:30 PM
To: Eric Holstine
Cc: Thomas Governale; Chloe Ross
Subject: RE: tennis courts

Eric,

Thank you for your comments on Camel’s Back Park. These will be added to the other comments received for the public meeting. I can add your email to the list and disseminate follow up information from the public meeting. Information will also be located on the park web page:

I am working on getting available information on calls or citations at Camel’s Back since the volleyball court was installed in 2008. We do consult with the Police Department on some park designs. We do not typically consult them when adding amenities to parks, however, we can consult with them on the addition of these amenities to vet these concerns.

You took the right course of action by calling the Police for your concerns of loud music. It is our experience that enforcement will help discourage these actions.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Toby

From: Eric Holstine
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2014 6:10 PM
To: Toby Norton
Cc: MayorBieter; BPDGeneralContact
Subject: RE: tennis courts

Toby –

They say timing is everything…I just called in another noise complaint to Boise City dispatch – volley ball court – folks park/crank music/party.

I have a couple of more questions –

· Is the Boise City Police involved in the decisions about future park plans?

· Is there any data on how many calls have been placed to dispatch or citations with the addition of the volley ball court?

Thanks again for providing this venue for discourse.

Regards,

Eric Holstine

From: Eric Holstine
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2014 3:11 PM
To: ''
Cc: ''
Subject: tennis courts

Toby –

This is in regard to the Camel’s Back Park Master Planning Meeting.

My wife and I will we will be out of town for the meeting. Below is what we feel needs to be addressed before any improvements are considered.

It is my opinion that no additional activities should be added to the park - Until some safety and overcrowding concerns are addressed -

Feedback -

· Sidewalks - sidewalks need to be installed along Heron side of the park. People crossing the street have to weave thru cars and are hard to see as they cross. The park also needs a way for people to enter the park without having to walk thru the parking from the Heron side of the park.

· Parking - the park does not have adequate parking for current level of use. In fact the recent addition of the volleyball court has made the parking situation much worse than it was before it was installed – with people illegally next to the court with no enforcement from police to keep them from illegally parking.

· Current Picnic Area - the congested parking makes it dangerous as people speed thru our alley - this happens often in the summer especially as folks who use the current picnic areas look for close parking from drop off food/bbqs.

· Crosswalks –

o Crosswalk at 12th is dangerous!

o A Crosswalk at 13th needs to be installed – the fact that it is not there is crazy!

o A crosswalk desperately needs to be installed for crossing the parking lot entrance.

o Crosswalks need to be installed at all the Heron streets and they need to be higher visibility then paint and sidewalks…they need blinking lights on the street or some way of dealing with the congestion and limited visibility cause of congested parking and lack of sidewalks on the Heron side of the street.

· Use after dark – additional enforcement presence is necessary. I have called the police 3 times this spring and one officer said they have seen increased calls to the park when compared to previous years.

· Dog off leash/waste – when the park officers were eliminated a noticeable increase in off leash dogs have been observed and dog poop. I would like to see this program brought back.

· Restroom – these are disgusting and should be addressed as a possibly place to improve visitors park experience.

· Tennis – back boards – several neighbors have said these could be installed to help with neighborhood kids who use the courts for practice.

Thank you for the post card and I really appreciate the opportunity to provide this feedback.

Any chance I could get the minutes from the meeting?

Regards,

Eric Holstine

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I read the article about potential improvements to Camels Back and while that sounds interesting I was wondering about the Boise Hills Park that is framed by Crestline and Claremont. Camels Back Park is a great park and mature in it's offering today. It is logical to me to complete and unfinished park in the same area before working on adding new amentities to an existing park. is there a priority and special arrangement on the Boise Hills park?

Thanks!
Jason Carney

PS, I live above the Boise Hills Park and would love to see it become more broadly used.

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We got the yellow postcard. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

The park is fine, just as it is. It is busy all the time, with all sorts of users. It does not need a gym; it does not need a shelter; it most surely does not need a basketball court, with all the noise that comes with it,
You have a busy park, much-loved and regularly used. We suggest you maintain it, keep it in good repair, manage it for the many good uses now in play. If you have some extra money, build a park in some part of town that needs one.
Regards,
Steve Rinehart
Sharon Lidz

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I am unable to make the June 25th Camel's Back Park Master Plan Meeting. I wanted to let you know that I do not think adding a basketball court is a good idea. Boise is warming up rapidly year after year. We should not pave any more green space and make the ground even hotter. An outdoor gym does seem like a good idea however.

Thanks,
Michael Adams

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Please keep as much open space grass area as possible in Camel's Back Park. Camel's Back is a wonderful park, but it is small. It gets lots of use (it is probably overused as it is), and I am concerned about adding more amenities. I am a big basketball player myself, and relied on free open courts when I was young. I advocate putting them in parks that have the space for them.

As a nearly 20-year resident of Boise, I have many fond memories of Camel's Back Park. Perhaps my fondest is of throwing the ball and the frisbee for my dog Belle. I know it's "illegal" to do, but I was always very respectful of others and made sure not to get in their way. Never once did an officer approach me.

I also remember just laying in the grass looking up at the hill, talking with friends.

More than anything, I advocate as many off-leash areas for dogs as possible. Dog users get tons of use out of parks.

Thanks,

Don May

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Hi. I won’t be able to attend the meeting on proposed amenities for Camels Back park. I would like to submit my opinion that an outdoor basketball court would be a fantastic addition to the park.

Thanks for your time.

Timothy R. Gammill, CR

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Hi, how about putting in some courts of the fasting growing SPORT in the USA , PICKLEBALL. This is a sport for all ages 8 to 80 and older. You can go to the web and put in usapa and check it out. Boise area pickleball association has a web site you can check it out. I think B.A.P.A. has over 100 members in the club. One tennis court 60x 120 will make 4 pickleball courts. If you have any question please give me a call. Thanks, Rodell Hill

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Thank you for the interest in improving Camel's Back. We would support adding a basketball court and an outdoor gym. That would be wonderful!
Thank you,
Lori

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I will be unable to attend the June 25th meeting to discuss the Camel's Back Park Master Plan. As a neighbor and frequent user of the park, however, I would like to express my support for enhanced maintenance of the trails to prevent further erosion.

The possible improvements identified to include a covered picnic shelter and a basketball court merit further consideration. Still, careful planning should ensure that the open space is not unduly compromised. It appears that it is this aspect of the park, along with the trails, most enjoyed by users.

The possibility of an outdoor gym was also suggested to which I have strong reservations. I fear it would detract from the open space, equipment would not be well maintained or cleaned, and over time not used. There are many affordable options for indoor gyms that people make use of and exercising outdoors is an alternative.

Thank you for your efforts and any consideration given to the above.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Troje

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I'm emailing regarding impovements at Camel's Back. I love Camel's Back & use it and lower Hull's Gultch trails to walk my dog at least 2-3 times a week, year round. Lately, I've started taking a large canvas bag with me on Sunday mornings, just to take some of the many, many, water bottles/ aluminum cans & other recyleables that are discarded into the regular trash cans around the playground, so I can recyle them from my home.
Camel's Back is a major party/picnic/ bicycling/hiking spot and it is just wrong that much of the aftermath of these activities goes into the trash & landfill, when so much of this stuff, with a small effort, is recyclable. I'm an optimist, but I believe if there were 1-2 large green recycling dumpsters close to the picnic area, tennis court or play ground, most people would use them. If it's a cost issue, even just having recycle dumpster(s) available from April through October would address most of this problem.
Also, this could a be considered part of a broader effort to educate the public about the importance of recycling, to make Boise "greener" & as a model for children, youth & othes not familiar with the practice. It would give recycling more public visiblity.
This is probably not the type of improvement suggestion you are receiving from others, but to me, it is so very important. It doesn't seem like it would be that costly and I would consider it a major, innovative improvement to Camel's Back.
I will try to attend the the meeting at NJH on the 25th.
Thank you for considerng this idea.
Chris Rudeen

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Per our discussion, please add the following street improvements to the comments for CB Park.

Thanks,

Scott
------Forwarded message ------
From: scott beecham
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Subject: neighborhood/street enhancement

Hi Don and Matt,

I am a neighbor concerned with access and pedestrian/biker safety along Heron in front of Camel's Back (specifically at the trail connection points). Parking is obviously limited in the lot and, as cars spill over on to Heron, visibility is reduced by the on street parking.

Has NENA looked at options for street improvements to help formalize on street parking and establish safer access points? It looks like a great opportunity for "bulb-outs" at the north terminus of 10th and 11th streets (see attached). Is there any grant money/city money/ACHD money available for this sort of improvement? I am happy to help get the conversation going with the City and ACHD if that is helpful.

Matt - Perhaps you have already looked into this; can you provide any insight?

Thanks for your consideration.

Scott

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I live on 16th and Heron and got a post card in the mail about proposed changes to Camel's back park. I can't attend the meeting next week so I wanted to share my comments with you.
1) I don't see the need to add basketball courts. There are already courts at North Jr High and Elm Grove Park that I don't see being used very much. The one thing that is used a ton at CB Park is the open space, so I don't think it would be a good idea to take away any of that.
2) A covered picnic shelter is a good idea, as is the outdoor gym. Although I'm curious what an outdoor gym is.
3) What the park needs more than anything is a sun shade over the playground area, especially since the equipment is dark colors and gets very hot in the sun. In fact, two years ago my 2 years old daughter simply leaned against the slide and got blisters from the burns she received, and the temps was below 80 that day!
Thanks
Richard Wensel