Special meeting Tuesday April 7th!!!

[bettercounsel]

I believe that the most important thing we learned from the meeting was how the softball and runners defeated the nature conservancy group's efforts to seek to have all athletic fields (except golf) removed from Memorial park. The Soft ball and runner people organized petition drives, were professional and approached city council members. I am of the opinion that Disc Golf in Houston needs a series of petition drives. petitions by residents of Houston for more and better disc golf courses. Also, I believe that the disc golf clubs in Houston could circulate petitions to non-residents of Houston that says that those people would be more likely to travel to Houston to play disc golf (and spend their tourism dollars), if Houston had better disc golf courses. In essence, it is time for the disc golf community in Houston to get more politically organized. Unless we get politically organized and flex some political muscle, we will continue to be pushed around like 98 pound weaklings.

Here are the notes from the last meeting.

Parking lot renovation at TC Jester to start in September.

• Expect little impact on the park

The bayou erosion renovation to start in May and last 3-6 months.

• 40% of the course or 2-3 baskets may be affected
• Louis Moore is willing to set up a walk through to move the baskets temporarily out of the affected areas. Need volunteer
• Conrad will have to make a decision on whether to move the Mozola league or continue with the altered course.

Louis Moore is concerned about raising the awareness and profile of disc golf to the community and with HPARD

• Need to quantify popularity of disc golf. Provide statistics of park use and demographics.
  • Obtain info on how many out of town players came in for Texas States. Show tourism impact if any. (Conrad will look at registration and PDGA to see if that info is available)
• He is interested in any promotional material that has been done (volunteer needed for internet search and gathering material)
• Would like to see if there was a successful model of another disc golf city that could be immolated.
  • Could John Houck be a source?
  • Internet search.
• Wanted to see us offer instructional classes for kids, intermediate and adults
  • Research EDGE program
  • Incorporate with leagues?
  • Co-op with Disc Golf Consultants?
• Wants to increase disc golf promotion on the HPARD website and offer more content
  • updated maps
  • updated directions and descriptions
  • printable scorecard with hole lengths
  • updated picture gallery for each course
  • Wants web liaison to work with him. Eric Jubin?

Concrete tee pads

• Need proposal for Louis to set up a meeting with Mark Ross. David Stallman has already done some preliminary cost research for 5’ x 10’ tee pads. He is willing to create the proposal for Moffitt.
  • Show statistically the popularity of disc golf
  • Cost
  • How this would be a win-win for the disc golf community & HPARD
    • Safety issue
    • Erosion control
    • More cost effective than annually using filling material
  • Benefit to the community in general
• The current director, Joe Turner, may be open to concrete tee pads
• Possible private donor willing to fund MacGregor concrete tee pads
  • Alter Moffitt proposal for MacGregor proposal
• Fundraising for Moffitt tee pads may be required. Need to start considering options.
  • Tournament
  • Minis sales
  • T-shirts sales
  • Discs sales

New courses

• Need a proposal for Louis Moore to set up a meeting with the Parks board
• Political resistance will be intense if trying to enter Memorial Park and Hermann Park

Re-forestation of course

• Louis Moore would set up a meeting with the forestry department to determine and approve the correct tree to plant
• Must go through donation procedure
• Co-op with environmental groups? May find trees sold at discount to them?

Shipment container for Tom Bass Park

• Need to obtain bids for purchase and delivery
• Where would it be located?
• Size restriction?
• Is there a finite time this container will be allowed on the premise?
• Could we insure contents?
• Need to act ASAP on this