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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRB Minutes031010WUP Parks and Recreation Board MINUTES MARCH 10, 2010 6:30PM CITY HALL - CONFERENCE ROOM TYPE OF Monthly Meeting MEETING CHAIR Russ Schulze SECRETARY Mardi Turner ATTENDEES Russ Schulze, Janine Schueppert, Mardi Turner, Kathleen Colt, Leah Raigiel, Teresa Edmondson, John Cadena, Charles May, Tim O'Connor (staff) VISITORS -none- I. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:36 pm by Russ Schulze, Chair. II. Review and Approval of Minutes of the February 3, 2010 meeting: approved as submitted. III. Citizen Comments: None IV. Parkland Acquisition - Russ Schulze V Russ has exchanged emails with Mayor Kelly about parkland acquisition. He has asked the Mayor whether there would be support for any acquisition by City Council, given previously encountered difficulties with citizens objecting to specific properties. He feels that we should wait until Council indicates a willingness to support the process. Several members pointed out that property prices have come down in the last six months. Parks Board "Vision Exercise" - Teresa Teresa introduced the topic by suggesting that it might be useful to talk about what our vision and goals are for parks and recreation facilities. Our vision and goals will influence our decision making. As an example: What are the expectations of the Board vs the Parks and Recreation Department vs Friends? Russ provided some historical background. The Board has been around since the 70's. A parks study had just been done which cited problems similar to those pointed out in 2000 and 2005. He recalled that we recently had the task force exercise (2005) in the absence of a formal Parks and Rec Board. Then the Board was reconstituted in 2006. Russ said that we are an advisory board to City Council. We get our marching orders from Council, such as creating a subcommittee to evaluate properties to fulfill the 2006 bond issue requirement. Tim added the Fees Subcommittee and the Park and Facility Naming Rights Subcommittee to the list of charges from Council. Leah - Friends is the "half of the whole" that raises the money to buy and improve the parks. She said that we always need to be sensitive to the desires of our citizens. For that reason, some subcommittees include members of the (affected) community, e.g. the Huffington Park group. John - Reiterated that we are an advisory body; that we advise Council and Staff of what people want in existing and future parks. There will always be someone who isn't happy - but we try to bring it all together. We also serve as park ambassadors to make sure that all of the parks are kept up to snuff. Leah said that she had always heard that parks funds were cut from the budget a long time ago and that was what led to the creation of Friends. However, Friends charter is to buy fixed assets. Russ agreed. He said that back in the 70s and 80s, West University Elementary and the leagues were really struggling. So WULL and TriSports were launched initially as fund raising entities. Tim said that park management used to be under Public Works and that 25 years ago all the equipment and infrastructure was post WWII and out of compliance. The current Parks and Recreation Department didn't come into being until 1992. John asked about Teresa's "customer experience" topic. He said that we all need to be clear on appropriate code of conduct on both sides (customer and staff). Teresa agreed that staff should definitely manage that aspect; but she is concerned about where we might impinge on staff's prerogatives. Mardi explained the Park Ambassadors program, saying that each member of the Board is assigned to a specific park. It is their responsibility as the ambassador for that park to check on its condition at least once a month and take the opportunity to canvass the park patrons to find out what they like (and don't like) about the park. John indicated that the new board members need Parks Board shirts in addition to their badges to facilitate the canvassing effort. Leah said that "back in the day" Friends raised money and the Parks and Rec Department picked the equipment. Now when we renovate a park, we get a group of stakeholders together, including the park neighbors, users and one or more members of the Parks Board. She said that we need to start on Judson planning now since it will be the beneficiary of PLB 2011. Tim agrees that the renovation planning process as it is now is really working well. Staff brings in the experts. In response to a question from Teresa, he said that the group does not have a chairperson; decisions are reached by consensus. Leah said that bringing in park neighbors (almost) eliminates the "no one told me" attitude. Teresa asked where the Board's responsibility end and staff's begin. Tim said that he can't think of a better program than the Park Ambassadors: the majority give feedback on a regular basis. He has no problem with Board members asking questions about how and why. But, we do need to keep in mind that the Board is acting in an advisory capacity - we're here to serve the greater good of the community, not our own interests. Janine said that she is disappointed about how staff is managing the citizens' expectations about the Rec Center. She said that she had heard someone telling a patron that the Y had lots more equipment. Tim said that he is recommending that folks come in and experience the new facility before dropping their YMCA or other club membership. Janine said that our job is to encourage participation and promote community. Teresa summed up by saying that the Board is the eyes and ears of community and that we are responsible to report back to Council and staff. She suggested that we might want to set some tangible goals to be accomplished during our term; and that we need to identify ways to leverage the skills of some of the newer Board members who might feel underutilized. Leah thought that we might be able to systematize the methods we use to obtain public feedback when we are getting ready to renovate a park. Charles said that we've been working for the last several years on creating new community activities, such as Fathers and Flashlights, Classical Concerts and the tennis tournament John suggested a barbecue cook-off or a cooking "throw down" between the Board and the Fire Department. VI. New Recreational Facilities Update - Tim O'Connor Rec Center - He is expecting to get the keys on Monday, March 15. The pool is being certified on Thursday; and there will also be a tour for the Senior Board tomorrow. Staff is managing the installation of irrigation and lighting for ball fields. It will take 6-8 weeks to complete all of the installations, and then 90 days for the turf to mature. The equipment for the playground has been ordered - the playground should be ready in early to mid May. He and the staff know that there will be issues! There are 27 systems that staff needs to train on. But, all full time staff has been hired. The lifeguard staff is not set yet, but will be the focus after spring break. Colonial Park is 90% complete and Tim sees no problem meeting the Memorial Day opening date. A concession RFP will be going out shortly. They would like a multi faceted vendor that can do more than sno cones and hot dogs. Classes will transition to the Rec Center beginning April 5. The pool opens on April 12. VII. Friends Board - Leah Ragiel PLB went very well, with 450 people in attendance. The final revenue numbers are not in yet, but she is fairly certain that they made the $150,000 needed for the Rec Center playground equipment. Leah will send information to Tim about pavers for the Rec Center. He will distribute to the Board. Friends has brought on several new board members specifically for their expertise in fund raising, naming rights and access to corporations. A group met today that will be presenting funding alternatives to show Council in a workshop. What we have now are trees, park benches, and pavers. The question is what else can we do? Friends wants input from Council before they get too far down any specific path. Fathers and Flashlights is scheduled for October 23. VIII. Staff Reports - Tim O'Connor • The fence at Friends Park will be completely replaced by the vendor. The whole process will take 2-3 weeks, during which time a cyclone fence with no gates will be put in place. • Huffington - the turf under the "big kids" swings has been replaced. The turf under smaller kids swings will be replaced as well. • Colonial - the wooden swing is broken again, so they are investigating swing options. Janine suggested looking at teak. The volleyball court will be cleaned up after wiring work for Colonial Park is complete. Staff is working on a reforestation plan for the east end of the park. They want to put in some substantial (up to 100 gallons) trees to replace trees that have died. • Weir - The gate has been repaired, but the fence needs work. • Scout House - The fence here needs work as well. They have put in some jasmine trying to mitigate the root problem. • Judson - There is one broken gate, but it is brand new and still under warranty. Half of the security lights are out - will be inspected tomorrow. New fibar has been put down. • Whitt - New fibar has been applied. • Eggstravagnza will be held at the Scout House - 3/27 - 9:00 am IX. Board Reports • Park Ambassadors Reports o Charles - said that the doubles court at Judson has a surface problem. Tim says that they are looking at it - it may be a subsidence problem. • History Project - Tim has asked several people to provide information. X. New Business • None XI. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 pm. The next meeting is scheduled for April 7, 2010 @ 6:30 pm in the conference room at the Recreation Center. Note the change of venue!