Beer, bike fest on Rec board agenda | PalisadeTribune.com

Bill Hoffmann

The Palisade Park and Recreation Advisory Board at its January meeting decided to start planning for an annual beer festival, including a short-course bike race, to start in 2014.

In other discussion at the Jan. 24 meeting, the board members reviewed the board?s first Christmas family and children gift basket give-away. The board also heard about plans for an adult and collegiate rugby tournament planned at Peach Bowl Park in September. Also, the board proposed organizing a volunteer neighborhood and park watch program.

A beer festival would extend the tourist season for business in Palisade, Cody Butters, town board trustee and liaison to the park and recreation board, said at the meeting. Butters, who is a district manager for the AC Golden Brewing Company, also reported that her proposal for a beer festival went well at the town board meeting on Jan. 22. The town board agreed the town could sponsor the event and provide staff support.

Butters and the board agreed to schedule the event for the end of September or the first part of October. The beer festival would be held Saturday afternoon and a bike race held either Saturday morning or on Sunday.

The park and recreation board agreed to hold the beer fest at Memorial Park while the bike race would go through downtown. The board agreed to consult with residents in the planning. Butters said an entrance fee for the beer fest would be $25 to $30. The festival would attract a minimum of 1,500 people, she estimated. The bike event might be a Cruiser Ride or a Criterium, a bike race on a short course run on closed-off town streets.

Butters assigned ?homework? to board members to suggest good names to consider for the beer festival and the bike event.

Gift Baskets
Sarah Brooks, town recreation/events coordinator, reported that the board?s Christmas gift basket donations to families and children ?went very well.? Butters said baskets were donated to eight families with 23 children. Brooks noted that gifts for the baskets were received from park and recreation board members, the Palisade Police Department, and members of the community who dropped off books and toys they purchased.
Brooks said she and Butters shopped for items at Walmart, and that Walmart donated a $100 gift card to match. Brooks and Butters spent about $800 which included cash donations and gift cards.
Brooks reported that the gifts were delivered in boxes to Taylor Elementary School on Dec. 21. Contents included nonperishable foods, books, toys, coloring books, crayons, board games, stuffed animals, balls, and clothing.

?Palisade PD handed out boxes to the families dressed in uniform and told families they were available if they needed additional help, an ear for listening, or encouragement for the kids to stay active in school,? Brooks said in a report to the board.
?Mike Nordine (Palisade?s interim police chief) noted that after the most recent school shooting, Sandy Hook, the parents and school staff were happy to see the officers take active interest in Taylor students and safety,? Brooks reported.

Riverbend Park
Brooks described two projects underway at Riverbend Park. A wastewater diffuser is being installed in the river at the east end of the park, and a portion of the river bank is being rebuilt and stabilized at the west end of the park. The river bank was eroded during heavy spring runoff in 2011.

Brooks said the projects have required temporary closure of portions of a trail and area in the park. She hoped people would stay out of the project areas, but she hoped the closures would not last long.
Brooks also reported that a Palisade High School shop teacher, who is to retire, has budget funds that he can use ?to spend on students and give back to the community.? Brooks said the funds will be used to build foot bridges across the drainage ditch in Riverbend Park and to be used to build two composters in the Community Garden. In addition, the funds will be used to build a couple of additional raised garden boxes at the garden.
In other business, Brooks reported that the Colorado Forest Service invited Palisade to participate in a state-wide Arbor Day poster contest for children in grades 1 to 5. The park and recreation board will judge the posters on March 28. National Arbor Day is April 26.

Brook said the town also will hold a mini-Arbor Day event to display entries and announce winners in the grades and the overall winner. The event will conclude with the planting of a tree at the new fire station or at the Community Garden in honor of the overall winner.

Neighborhood Watch
The board took a step toward establishing a volunteer neighborhood watch program for parks and neighborhoods. Park board member Carolyn McKinley said kids have time in the summer and that some kids spend the time in wrong ways. McKinley proposed a volunteer program. Trustee Butters said it was, ?a good idea.? She suggested announcing the program in the spring town newsletter and in the press.
Brooks noted that Peach Bowl Park and the Skate Park experience the most vandalism. She suggested that volunteers could make their presence known between 7 and 9 p.m. during the week. Brooks also said volunteers could visit parks on weekends, 8 to 10 p.m.
Chair Rick Fox commented that there has been a lack in the past few years of ?community policing.? Fox said it is a powerful way for officers to interact with people informally.
Trustee Butters invited board members to attend the ?meet and greet? for the final candidates for the vacant Palisade police chief post. The event will be held Thursday, Jan. 31, at 5:30 p.m. at the Memorial Community Center.

Rugby tournament
Brooks reported that the Grand Junction Rugby Club has scheduled an adult and collegiate tournament in Peach Bowl Park on Sept. 28 and 29. Brooks said 300 to 400 people in the valley would come, and that visitors could watch for free. Colleges from around the state would participate. She said she hoped it would be an annual event.

Brooks said the town was asked about starting a Rookie Rugby Team. It would be the town?s first youth sport program, she noted.

In other discussion, Brooks said the Community Garden needs a lot of work, such as a straw bale wall, trees, and fencing. The town might seek smaller grants of $3,000 to $5,000 for the work, she said.

Brooks also said that she, Palisade Community Development Director Becky Levy; and Palisade Trustee Bennett Price are interested in obtaining outdoor fitness equipment for the parks.

They would seek grants of $3,000 to $5,000 to fund the first circuit of three pieces. Brooks said outdoor fitness equipment in parks is a newer concept nationwide in the past five to 10 years.
?We could be the first park in the valley to have these fitness stations,? she commented.
Board member Winslow Robertson asked if the town could seek grants for Riverbend Park improvements, such as for a performance stage. Brooks said funding could be sought.

Brooks also noted that the Division of Wildlife is interested in a partner to build a ?boulder park? at Riverbend Park that could be used during the annual Outdoor Heritage Days. Brooks said ?bouldering? involves climbing a wall without ropes, and that gym mats and shoes are used. Brooks said the town could offer bouldering camps in the summer.

Brooks announced a Bike Rodeo will be held on April 6 at the Memorial Park, 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Volunteers are needed to run stations, and adults and big kid bikers are needed to demonstrate bike safety, she said. Adults can bring their bikes to learn bike maintenance, including changing tires, she said.
Brooks showed board members one of the Trail Emergency Service Marker signs that the county will install along the Riverfront Trail between Palisade and Fruita.

Brooks said the signs will help people using the trail to explain their location in reporting an emergency.
Brooks said she wants to bring a 5K Run to Palisade, although not this year. It could be held in the fall or in the spring during the town Health Fair, she said.

Brooks said Board Member Rondo Buecheler asked the board to write to the BLM and ask to include Palisade?s bikes trails and trail development in its documents. The Palisade Rim Trail had not been included.

Source: http://palisadetribune.com/beer-bike-fest-on-rec-board-agenda/

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