The Rouss Review
The Rouss Review
Neighborhood Design Districts and Blue Ridge United
Hello and welcome to another edition of the Raps Review. I'm city manager Dan Hoffman and with me is Sarah Fry, the public information officer.
Sarah Frey:Hi Dan.
Dan Hoffman:Hello. Uh, Apple Blossom has passed us. We are now in technically still spring, I guess.
Sarah Frey:The rain outside from this week makes me feel like it's spring.
Dan Hoffman:Yes. We're getting regular little showers, spring rain, which is great. Um, we need it. We always need the water in our, in our aquifers, so, uh, enjoy it now. It's starting to get warmer, which is great, um, and school's almost over, which is great for some of us.
Sarah Frey:My kids are going to be spending all summer at Jim Burnett Park in the wonderful, capable hands of the child care team.
Dan Hoffman:Over at the Hive.
Sarah Frey:Oh, it's going to be great.
Dan Hoffman:Very nice, very nice. So, um, today we've got a full show for everybody. We're going to talk about, uh, the neighborhood design districts, which, uh, you should be interested in if you live in the city, because it's definitely one of the larger planning efforts the city's undertaken in quite some time. Uh, so we'll talk about that with Mike Ruddy and Jeff Bittner in a moment. Uh, also after that, Steve Slaughter, President of Blue Ridge United is coming in, and he is going to talk about the new fields over at, uh, Jim Barnett Park, the Preston Field Sports Complex, the two new turf fields. Uh, but for now, I'm going to tell you what's happening at Council tomorrow night, and that is the budget. That's pretty much it. That's it, that's everything? I don't think we have any, there are no public hearings that I'm aware of. Uh, there are Uh, three items on the agenda. I think, well, I think we got a couple, like an item on consent and, you know, some other, maybe one other small item, but all three are the budget. The council, uh, has approved on a 6 3 vote, increasing the meals tax by a half a percent. Um, that means at this point, you know, the city's budget is done. Pretty close. We have two more meetings before we have to approve the budget Uh, this meeting is not the public hearing meeting. So a lot of first readings. I'm sure we'll Staff will get some additional questions from counselors Uh, you know at this point they'll have to we are getting close to the finish line So they will have to work among themselves to if they want to make changes at this point But we are almost we're almost there it's a And I'll say It's a good budget, you know, we initially, I did bring council a budget scenario that include no increases, but you know, there were, uh, there were needs, particularly, you know, school system requests as well that, you know, needed to, uh, that needed to be funded and council, you know, decided that that was how they wanted to fund it. Um, and, uh, you know, I think as people will see in the presentation to, you know, this half, half a percent of the meals taxes. is not something that, you know, we, we relish doing. It's not, you know, I, we get no benefit. I get no personal benefit from this increasing. In fact, it creates more work because we have to field a lot of questions and concerns. Um, but I will say this is, of the different levers, financial levers that council could have used. This was one that they have not touched in a decade. Um, and this is one that, you know, that half, that half percent increase, if you're wondering what it really means to you, when you go out to eat, if you go out to a fast food restaurant and it's a 10, a 10 bill, it's a nickel. If you go to, you know, A nicer restaurant on the walking mall and you got a hundred dollar tab. That's 50 cents. So putting it in that regard, uh, you know, again, no one likes increases of fees or taxes, but this is a way to fund some needs, uh, that, you know, needed to be met. So that was council's decision. We're moving forward with it. And uh, yeah, May, um, you know, by the end of this month, we will have a, have a budget. So let's go ahead and move on to B block.
Sarah Frey:Okay. What am I
Dan Hoffman:missing though?
Sarah Frey:I mean, it's budget.
Dan Hoffman:It's just budget.
Sarah Frey:It's just budget. It's May. All we're talking about is budget.
Dan Hoffman:It's May. It's the budget. Um, but let's go ahead and take a quick break and then we'll move into B block with what's coming up.
Sarah Frey:What's coming up in Winchester. Well, right now it's all parks and rec all the time. Because it's almost summer.
Dan Hoffman:It is, it's warm outside.
Sarah Frey:And is there any better place to be than at a park in the summer?
Dan Hoffman:Um.
Sarah Frey:Other than like a beach.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah, in the city of Winchester, there is no better place to be during the summer than Jim Barnett Park.
Sarah Frey:There we go. And that means By now, every single person in the 22601 zip code should have received a summer activity guide from Parks and Rec. Should have been in your mailbox.
Dan Hoffman:We still print and mail it out, folks, so make use of it.
Sarah Frey:We do. And that tells you everything that's going on this summer at our parks. So many classes, so many camps. Go out, find a new hobby. Um, if you didn't receive a guide, you can always see everything that's available by visiting www. winchesterva. gov. All right, speaking of summer, did you know the outdoor pool opens on May 25th?
Dan Hoffman:We're at
Sarah Frey:at Jim Burnett Park.
Dan Hoffman:Yes, of course.
Sarah Frey:So just in time for Memorial Day weekend, we can't wait to see out there splashing around having a good time with family. There we go. And finally, Parks and Rec really just doesn't take a break this time of year at all. We have the Preston Sports Complex. Official ribbon cutting.
Dan Hoffman:Where's that at?
Sarah Frey:Shockingly enough at Jim Barnett Park.
Dan Hoffman:There we go.
Sarah Frey:At Preston Field. So that is May 29th at 5 30 p. m. That's a Wednesday. There's going to be all kinds of cool stuff going on including, you might even get to see some kids out there playing soccer on the field.
Dan Hoffman:Absolutely. Go out, run around on it.
Sarah Frey:Feel how it feels. It's
Dan Hoffman:weird. Feel how it feels. It's very cool.
Sarah Frey:Yeah, weird's probably not the right word. Weird for a very unathletic person.
Dan Hoffman:It's weird and then it's It's, it feels like grass, but it's not grass.
Sarah Frey:Yeah.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah. It's, it, it's always, it's, it's fun. It puts a little extra spring in your step when you run on it. Yeah, it
Sarah Frey:does. So come check out all the cool, amazing things that are going on at Parks and Rec this summer. Because that's They're just chock full of them. So if you're not at Jim Burnett Park or any of our neighborhood parks this summer, you're missing out.
Dan Hoffman:Welcome Mike and Jeff here to talk about planning the neighborhood design districts. Um, Mike Ruddy, who has been on the show before, is our Director of Community Development here in the city, which oversees all the planning functions, inspections, code enforcement. I have recently had to clarify with some people that just because it's in city code, Doesn't mean it's the responsibility of code enforcement. We get a lot of calls. Like I need to talk to Mike, this city code is being violated. Building codes, y'all building codes. He does not respond to, uh, things. The police department would respond to, uh, parking issues. What else, what else do we get? Um, Yeah, it's, he covers, yes, building codes. That's his area. Uh, and then we have new to the show, um, and kind of new to the city at this point. Well, it's hard to say Jeff Bittner's new to the city. Jeff Bittner is a known commodity in the city and has been for, you've been, I mean, you've been Been here your whole life pretty much, right?
Jeff Buettner:Since seven, since I was seven. Since
Dan Hoffman:you were seven. Now, Winchester people will still say you're not from here. Oh, I'm
Jeff Buettner:visiting.
Dan Hoffman:You're still visiting per Winchester code, uh, the informal Winchester code. Uh, and, but Bittner Tire, city council, the ED, created the EDA. What am I missing there? That's good.
Jeff Buettner:That's a lot of it.
Dan Hoffman:That's a lot of it. Pretty much. I think that's enough, actually. That's enough.
Jeff Buettner:Winchester Service Authority. Yeah. Winchester County Service Authority. Oh, and Jiu Jitsu. Jiu
Dan Hoffman:Jitsu. You can speak, Mike. Mike's doing like Jiu Jitsu moves. I thought he was just mad at me.
Sarah Frey:I was like. I
Dan Hoffman:thought he was telling me to cut it off. Don't talk. I was like. I think you need to go find out from Jeff what Jiu Jitsu is because I don't think there's a lot of karate chops in Jiu Jitsu. But, uh, yes. Um, and that's what just Winchester Jiu
Jeff Buettner:Jitsu Academy.
Dan Hoffman:Exactly. So he is a Renaissance man, uh, who is now also our, uh, executive director of the economic development authority. So, and has been for, are we on a year now?
Jeff Buettner:Over a year in March. Yeah.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah. And now permanent. It was interim now permanent. And, uh, I gotta say, you know, the, the Mike, Jeff, Dan combo has been very busy the last, uh, year plus with some, uh, some stuff that I, you know, I think is going to have, uh, a real positive impact in the city for many, many years. Uh, you know. We can talk about wards Plaza. We can talk about a few other things, but really what we're here to talk about today is the neighborhood design districts. Uh, we'll talk about what exactly those are in a 2nd, but Mike start off by talking about the current planning process and some of the challenges with solely relying on planned unit development or as a lot of people know them as, uh, the challenges of of that process, and then we'll talk about what the NDDs do.
Mike Ruddy:Yeah, excellent. The Neighborhood Design Districts are pretty exciting. Um, it comes on the back of evaluating a lot of plan unit developments. Those PUDs look at property specific applications. So it gives the property owner the ability Speak into the mic, Mike, not to me.
Sarah Frey:Turn. Get
Mike Ruddy:closer. It gives the individual property owners or developers the ability to, you know, redevelop their property as a plan unit development, but it only looks at that one specific property. Doesn't necessarily look at the whole area, the whole neighborhood. So what might be good for one particular property, you know, may have impacts around, uh, the others. And it also, you know, kind of has a lot of, um, unknowns that go with it. We try to look at the PUDs as an opportunity to implement, incentivize good things, good, good development. Good plans, open spaces, affordable housing, transit opportunities, all that kind of stuff. But again, it's difficult to do on a parcel by parcel basis. That's why the PUDs, while some may be good, some may not be perfect in certain areas, um, it was time for a new approach. And that neighborhood design district is in essence a big PUD for a whole neighborhood where you can look at things a little bit more holistically.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah. Yeah, the PUDs often leave. Uh, staff and city council in a, a reactive position, uh, you know, we, we can't tell an applicant, the people that actually build it. And that's another thing to remind everybody about the city doesn't build these projects. We get a lot of questions. Why is the city building this? Why is the city's not building them? These are developers that are coming to us with an application and we really can't tell them what to put in their application. Just as we can't. We cannot ask for proffers we cannot ask for certain things. So we're stuck in a um, kind of looking fairly myopically at one particular development. One particular parcel, one particular parcel and just hoping someone provides the right thing that fits into the. The neighborhood. Yeah. And the Andd
Mike Ruddy:shift that Yeah. And the comprehensive plan gives some guidance, but the neighborhood design district is in essence a comprehensive plan for these areas. And these areas are, have long been identified as being areas that we want to see change, positive change happening in.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah. And we'll be doing, we've got, uh, one, two of them that are in flight right now. Uh, one around the area of Warts Plaza, which is called the Cedar Valley District, and then one, uh, up in the north side where. National fruit is and that one we are calling cider hill Those names were picked by the residents of winchester, by the way Um, so the cider hill district the cedar valley district. Those are the ones we're currently working on Eventually, we'll do one Over on berryville avenue. Eventually, there'll be one in federal mogul We'll probably do one for the downtown district at some point just so we can more comprehensively plan these areas proactively. Now, a lot of questions we get from residents are how are we going to pay for this? Well, part of it, this is to effectively plan out, make sure the infrastructure is there when the development comes online and we're going to pay through it. through something, something that's fairly common in Virginia, but is very new to Winchester. It's called tax increment financing. And Jeff, talk a little bit about what tax increment financing is.
Jeff Buettner:Sure. Um, as you said, TIFs are used throughout the country. They're used throughout the state. Winchester's never used one. Um, the idea is within this design district, our TIF district will overlap with the neighborhood design district. So we know where development's gonna happen. Very We can plan for it as opposed to the PUD process. We have them popping up all over the city. So we can look at roads, we can look at stormwater management, um, and really get ahead of that development and pay for it through the development as opposed to paying for it through the taxes that people who may or may not directly benefit from it.
Dan Hoffman:Exactly.
Jeff Buettner:So we'll look at Within that district, what is the current tax rate? And that amount stays in the general fund.
Sarah Frey:Correct.
Jeff Buettner:We don't touch that. We look at what the new development's going to generate, and the difference between what's currently there and what is created by new development will be used to pay for the bonds that we'll issue to do the planning. in the infrastructure concurrently or hopefully ahead of the actual development. So we're creating a district, we're creating the infrastructure to support the growth that we want to see within that district, and then we're paying for it through the development in the district. So it's basically paying for itself. Exactly. Absolutely. And then at the end of the bonds, all of that money goes into the general fund.
Dan Hoffman:Which hopefully will be a substantial amount of money and we can keep our rates, uh, reasonable. But these are 20 year plans. I mean, these are things that some of the developments might happen quickly. You know, uh, Ward's plaza approved, ready to go. Uh, you know, I think we'll see fingers crossed, uh, some demolition happening sometime this year. Uh, we've got a up at the Cider Hill district. We've got one that's still moving forward. It was actually already approved before this. So we've been planning around it to a degree, but you hopefully residents will see some progress in both those districts this year that all of those, all the feedback for the plans for these districts, it's coming from the residents really. We have a committee, uh, for each district that consists of, um, representatives from the EDA who are residents, volunteer residents serving in the EDA board, the planning commission, same, residents volunteering for the planning commission, two city councillors, uh, for that, whatever the appropriate ward is, um, and, uh, of course, a handful of residents, so some residents were also selected to be on these committees to really help shape and guide what they look like, um, For that particular ward and it just kind of happened conveniently that the, that the neighborhood design districts fell one fell into each of the wards. Now when we do downtown it'll straddle probably awards one and two but for now, it's all been very ward based, but these are really going to be transformative areas for all of them because it's where we want to incentivize development to occur.
Mike Ruddy:And the neighbors in that area participated on the committees, but also in the Wards Plaza, Cedar Valley neighborhood design district, we had a community meeting, which was great, well attended, and the old building with all its intricacies and nuances and no electricity.
Dan Hoffman:Folks got to see it. See it before it gets torn down,
Mike Ruddy:but that was a great experience. Well participated and a lot of positive feedback and we've received more, more since then through the, through the website. And we'll be looking to do a similar thing up in the side of hill district in the next month or two.
Dan Hoffman:Absolutely. So obviously planning for the future and Mike, I'm going to have you talk about where, uh, uh, an approach like this fits into best practices for planning. Uh, and then I want to talk about the economic development side of it, which is really, you know, at the end of the day, creating housing, uh, that's affordable, creating housing that is, you know, market rate for the people that want market rate. That's very important. Uh, making sure there are parks and roads, all important. But a big reason why we're doing this is to raise our tax base up. So it's not all born by our current residents. Mike, talk a little bit about why this is a planning best practice.
Mike Ruddy:It's a best practice in a way because it's creating a great place. It's a great part of the community and under So anytime you can do, you can create great places through the planning process, uh, that's a real positive. These have long been identified as areas where we want to do that within the city of Winchester. Um, but this planning effort gives us the ability to tie it all together. to include new urbanist practices, parks, open space, a lot of pedestrian activity, a lot of places where people can get together and, um, you know, and live and have a good, a good time. So all of those best practices kind of lead us to creating these new places. Cedar Valley, Cider Hill, who knows what the future names of the others will be, but I think when that all rolls together, the best planning practices create a good community. And that's what this is intended to do.
Dan Hoffman:Absolutely. In raising your tax base, of course, very important. People pay the taxes. More people, more money. means it spreads it out a little bit more. So when a, an apartment building goes up in one of these design districts, more people pay into the tax base, which means it's not all born on the people who are already here or have been here for many generations. So good smart development in certain areas is important in large part because it is also economic development. Jeff, talk a little bit about what this will do, you know, particularly in, you know, the, the Cedar Valley district and the future Berryville district, where there's gonna be a lot of commercial activity. What can this do to spur economic development?
Jeff Buettner:So how we design these districts, we picked areas that were, underutilized, um, older development areas. So coming in and doing a fresh new development, bringing in more retailers, more restaurants, um, creates positive tax generation that they're not currently producing. Um, also by creating these Places to go these pulses, you'll bring people from outside the area to come in and spend money. So you're creating Meals tax dollars sales tax dollars without the associated costs that come with that. So it's a win win
Dan Hoffman:absolutely, and as everyone knows More restaurants means more meals tax Which I just got an interesting statistic the other day of where the meals tax revenue comes from. We were able to actually get some credit card data that showed for people with a 22601 area code for their credit card how much, and it's convenient, it actually works for us because 22601 is basically Winchester, right? I think we have a tiny part that's like 02, but we're all 22601. In restaurants and fast food places, in those credit card categories, 20 percent of restaurant sales comes from inside the city. Which means 20 percent of the meals tax is borne by city residents. 80 percent of our meals tax revenue is paid for by people outside of the city. So, more meals tax means more people. More revenue for the city and it's, you know, the people that are coming and using our services also contribute, which is great. So, uh, more restaurants, more economic development, and particularly on the Berryville one. I'm pretty excited. We haven't even started it yet, so I don't want to prejudge anything, but there's a huge potential over there. I 81. That interchange is very valuable to the city and to Jeff's point, it's underused right now. You know, I don't think anybody can look at it and say, yeah, that's the highest and best use of our incredibly valuable I 81, you know, exit property. So I'm really excited about that one. Uh, and of course, Ward's Plaza, we've been talking about for a generation. So a lot of, a lot of stuff, a lot of positive stuff's happening.
Mike Ruddy:Yeah, the Cider Hill one is going to be front and center here over the next couple of months and some exciting things in there with a project that hopefully will get going. But also the re imagining, if you will, of Commercial Street and some of the businesses in that area.
Dan Hoffman:So if you want to find out more about these design districts, go to winchesterva. gov. I think we have a specific page up there just for the design districts.
Sarah Frey:Slash NDD.
Dan Hoffman:Yep. winchesterva. gov slash NDD. All the information, uh, about the current districts we're working on are up there. These will also go, these, uh, plans will also go through Planning Commission and City Council, so there'll be plenty of times for you to participate. But if you're interested in learning more, You want to reach out and talk to us winchesterva. gov black backslash NDD Uh to find out more and there will be an open house for the cider hill district. He's probably in the june time frame. So Excellent. Thank you guys for coming in Hello and welcome to the show my friend steve slaughter. Hello steve Hello. Thanks for having me. That's Steve's radio voice. Thank you for having me, Steve. Uh, for those of you who don't know him, and if you are a long time Winchester resident, uh, and you don't know Steve, then you need to get out more because Steve does many things around town. First off, uh, we're here to talk to him today in his capacity as president of Blue Ridge United, which is our local youth. Although you guys do, Adult stuff too. We do some yes, and we're gonna expand that. Adult and youth soccer programs You also might know him from Frederick Block and Stone Is that, is that, that's what it's called? Block. It's close
Steve Slaughter:enough. Block, block, brick, and stone. Block, block, brick,
Dan Hoffman:and stone. Oh, I left out bricks. Don't forget guys, they also sell bricks. Um, block, brick, and stone. Or is it brick, block, and stone?
Steve Slaughter:We'll take either one. Okay, good. That's good.
Dan Hoffman:All your, uh, im For all the earth Uh, rocks and stuff that make your look. Yeah, this is not. Your hardscaping
Sarah Frey:needs.
Dan Hoffman:Hardscaping needs. Thank you so much. Hey, can you
Sarah Frey:tell that I worked for Steve for many years? He was one of my first bosses.
Dan Hoffman:That's right. That's right.
Steve Slaughter:That's
Dan Hoffman:what
Steve Slaughter:a
Dan Hoffman:small world
Steve Slaughter:this
Dan Hoffman:is. Exactly. See. Winchester man. And that's Winchester. Um, yes. For all of your hardscape needs, you might've run into Steve, uh, for those types of things. But Steve, you're on like other boards and stuff. Like you're. Amy's on the Amy, his wife, is on the PTO, I believe. United Way, some different things. United Way, a bunch of different stuff. So, if you don't know Steve, we, we could be having Steve on just as a general community spotlight. If we wanted to. Former
Sarah Frey:planning commission?
Dan Hoffman:That's right, you were on the planning commission. You weren't on council though, right? I was not. You're not on council. You dodged that bullet. Um, no, so you, you were on our planning commission, which honestly is probably just as big a bullet. Um,
Steve Slaughter:I want to stay married. So. Um, and you're being far too kind.
Dan Hoffman:No, not at all. Um, so Steve, we're talking, we're here to talk to Steve today though about, uh, Blue Ridge United, but really specifically the beautiful new field out at Jim Burnett Park, Preston Field Sports Complex. Um, again, if you have not seen it yet, You should get out a little bit more. It's impossible to miss over at Jim Barnett park.
Sarah Frey:It's the new, it's the new, I don't want to say diamond because there's baseballs, but Ruby, it's, it's another
Dan Hoffman:jewel in the crown. Yes, it's another jewel in our Jim Barnett crown. Uh, so that's what we're here to talk about today. So, uh, Steve start off, tell us a little bit about, uh, Blue Ridge United. Um, specifically. Programs a little bit about the club and uh, and then we'll get into press and field.
Steve Slaughter:This probably of all the different things that have been involved with in the community This is probably one of the most exciting things that that i've ever been involved with and very thankful for the partnership with the city Blue Ridge united serves our community and when I say our community not just winchester But frederick county clark county warren county shenandoah county Parts of the western Uh, Eastern Panhandle, West Virginia, for youth programming in soccer. And we have around 1, 800 participants, 1, 200 of those are in the recreational program, and around 600 are in the more competitive travel programming. And we have been around for many decades, uh, the club has continued to grow, and Essentially, we take care of those needs for, um, predominantly Winchester and Frederick County Parks and Rec, um, to provide, you know, a youth soccer experience that is centered around the player. Um, we try to make sure that decisions and programming and so forth are based around, um, the youth. What's best for the player and the youth and the family. Um, and we're very excited about how we've grown and what we're able to offer the kids. A lot of people participate.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah. And if you want to see a lot of people participating, go out on a nice day out to Jim Barnett park and look at the fields. I mean, people. loaded with kids. I mean, at any given time, I was leaving there just two days ago and it was, it was pretty nice day. And I mean, I think there must have been 50 60 kids on different parts, spread out across the field doing drills and practicing. Um, I mean, I've seen as many easily 80 to 100 kids out there just playing. playing and goofing around and, you know, going through practice, parents on the sidelines, parents in the sidelines, not
Sarah Frey:just even at Jim Barnett, you've got them at Whittier. You've got them over at harvest. They're all over the place.
Steve Slaughter:We try to, at, at some of the youngest age groups, we try to keep the programming local in the neighborhoods. As they get older, it's more difficult to do that. Um, and. And that's why Jim Barnett Park has become such a fantastic, centrally located place for access for, for players and so forth. Um, but yes, I mean, it's, there are, there's such a need for field space in this area and it has been decades since any new field spaces come online in both Frederick County and Winchester and this project, you know, we, we were working on for, for quite a long time. So, you know, when we were able to work with the city on this, this was a big deal. Yeah.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah, it was, it was a huge project and, uh, Blue Ridge contributed to that project, which was fantastic, uh, and it really helped make it happen, you know, uh, the city, these projects are always much better when they're driven by our, our partners in the community. And that's the way this, this one worked, really. So now the, the field is up. Kids are using it, um, the lighting is in? Is that right?
Sarah Frey:And
Steve Slaughter:functional. And functional, tested, and we are practicing at night now. Woohoo!
Dan Hoffman:Yes, there we go. So, it is full system, uh, All systems go right now, so But we're doing a ribbon cutting for it even though it's kind of used we ribbon will cut the ribbon You know ceremonially we had a soft
Steve Slaughter:opening and
Dan Hoffman:now we're gonna yeah, it's our
Sarah Frey:formal opening
Dan Hoffman:It seems like just yesterday. We did the groundbreaking for it when we're out there putting a shovel in the dirt I mean I think from then to now Um, now was when we start last fall, right?
Steve Slaughter:Yeah. I mean, the project went quickly, efficiently, smoothly, um, and having been involved in that world in different ways, there are always hiccups and, uh, you know, other than a few little minor ones that you would expect, you know, it, it got done very timely and really fast
Dan Hoffman:in government timescales. It was pretty good. Not bad. Yeah. So, uh, but now it's being used and we're going to do the ceremonial ribbon cutting on May 29th,
Sarah Frey:5 30
Dan Hoffman:PM, 5 30 PM. at Jim Barnett Park on the field.
Sarah Frey:Yeah. And we're going to start gathering in the concourse between Hinkle Harris and Preston.
Steve Slaughter:Yeah. Yeah. And incidentally, we'll, we will have tryouts going on for some of our older age groups during that timeframe too. So it's a nice time to be able to do that. And, and you'll, you know, community members that come out, we'll be able to see players on the field and that'll be great.
Dan Hoffman:Yeah, absolutely. Fantastic. Yeah. And we are, you'll also notice when you. Folks, when you come out, the area right next to it, you'll see nice new hardscaping. You'll see, you know, they're making it all look nice. You know, our goal is to, you know, eventually put a press box in there, get bathrooms and all that good stuff. You know, of course, funding, funding available, uh, pending funding. Uh, but those are things you'll, the residents will continue to see a lot of nice improvements, uh, out there at Jim Barnett as we continue to polish the crown jewel there, but also in our neighborhood parks, of course. pending budget allocations You'll see fields getting resurfaced or reconditioned and you know, we just finished one up on Douglas Park up in the north end
Sarah Frey:and Winchester Frederick County youth football uses that and loves that as a new practice space
Dan Hoffman:Absolutely. So that was a pretty much unusable field before Rocks and boulders to get out of the field. Um, so it, that, that is a new field. So it, there really have been a lot of investment we're making in these parks. Um, tell us a little bit about tryouts. You also have a new executive director coming on board.
Steve Slaughter:We do. So our executive director that has been with us now for, for many, many years, Dustin Butcher, um, has an opportunity to move on and do something that he's been considering for a while with his family's business. And, you know, I just can't thank him enough. And, and. His leadership and, and what he's been able to accomplish. He was obviously an integral part of the field project along with a number of other things. Um, but he, you know, was transitioning out. Um, and Farad has now, um, been hired and is, what's his name? Farad. Farad. Not Fard No, no, no, no. Not first heard. No, no. Farad is hired. Great gentleman. We're really excited about him. Um, we think he's going to be able to build off of, um, what has been done previously and, uh, bring some different insights, some different experiences. Um, he is excited about expanding it. Some of the adult program in which we have done a little bit of, but we have not, uh, been able to do that because of field space and now with the lights and the turf, you know, that's something that we're hoping we can serve the community a little bit better with. So we're very excited about that. We're in a great place with the club.
Dan Hoffman:Awesome. Now, for, for those of you out here who are wondering, how do I get to use the fields? When do I get to use the fields? The, these are turf fields, as we discussed. Um, there is some controls. We got to make sure that, You know, the field, it can get damaged, it can, uh, be torn, right? There's things we gotta be very careful of. You, certain shoes you shouldn't be wearing. No gum. No gum. I mean, goodness, gum alone, people. No gum. Um, so we, we gotta, we're gonna maintain, we're gonna take care of what we got. So, uh, there will be kind of open play times that will be scheduled. So people can use the field, just general members of the public, in a manner that, you know, it's a little bit controlled and we can kind of generally keep an eye on things. Um, but really, you know, a lot of it's going to be for games and practices. It's going to be a lot of reserved by different groups to use for a variety of purposes. Um, so if you want to, if you do have a group that wants to use it, you know, you can contact the city and, and reserve it. Um, but if you want to get your kid out playing soccer, Contact one of these organizations, uh, well, really Blue Ridge United. You guys are the name of the organization, Blue Ridge United, um, to get your kid involved. I mean, that's the best way. If you want to use these fields, that's the best way. Uh, get a group. And if you're an adult and you know, you got kids. There are adult programs available and that will be expanded as well,
Steve Slaughter:and we want to see kids participate So even if if they are looking for just recreational opportunities exercise We know the value we all know the value of playing Yeah And being active not just as a kid but through adults and these fields allow us to be able to have that field inventory to Be able to do that.
Dan Hoffman:Absolutely. Absolutely Thank you very much for coming in Steve I'm very excited about the 29th. The field looks beautiful and um, I think everybody, I've heard only positive things. I'll end with one little anecdote. I was in the gym, uh, actually working out at Jim Barnett Park. Wow. I know, it's pretty impressive, you wouldn't know it. But the um, I was standing there and out the window of the gym, You can see the field very well and one of one of the city employees was in there also happened to be working out and I recognized him as one of our maintenance staff and uh, he was just looking out the window watching and he turned to me and he's, and I said, yeah, isn't it great to see the kids out there? And he goes, This makes me proud to work for the city. He's like, we build stuff like this. This is cool. It's so great to see the kids watching it. So beyond, uh, obviously all the benefits of provides the community and the kids participating, it's a source of pride for city employees as well. Uh, because we do build great stuff here in the city and, uh, we look forward to building more. Thanks for coming in, Steve. Absolutely. Thank you. Okay. That's our show for today. Thanks for listening to us. Uh, next time we're gonna talk about roadway safety with, uh, some familiar voices. Perry Eisenach, Amanda Behan. The superintendent, Jason Van Heukelum, uh, all of them are gonna be here. All have been on the show before, I believe.
Sarah Frey:Yes, I believe Perry will actually demand a five timers jacket. Yeah,
Dan Hoffman:we gotta do a jacket for him. Um, so, no, and no, we're not actually buying a five timers jacket for Perry with city money. Uh, it's a joke, people. But, uh, but I might buy one. I might buy him one with my own money. Uh, Perry Eisner, friend of the show, uh, will be on along with Chief Beehan. and Superintendent Van Hoekelum, and they're going to talk about roadway safety. We're also going to do a little Juneteenth preview, and then what else we got? We got something else?
Sarah Frey:That's I think it.
Dan Hoffman:You know, and the typical stuff. So, uh, join us next time, and until then, we'll see you around City Hall.