Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-23-2017 PR MinutesCITY OF SEBASTIAN PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 23, 2017 1. Call to Order — Chairman Sims called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. 2. Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all. 3. Roll Call Present Mr. Matthew Sims Mr. Greg Paschall Ms. Rosemary Flescher Ms. JoAnn Webster Ms. JoAnne White Ms. Corrine Gilroy (A) Excused Absence Ms. Tammy Nelson (A) Also Present Mr. Joe Griffin, City Manager Ms. Margarita Hernandez, Parks Administrator Ms. Susan Mann, Recording Consultant 4. Agenda Modifications — None 5. Approval of Minutes Regular Meeting November 28, 2016 A motion to approve the November 28, 2016 minutes as presented was made by Ms. Flescher, seconded by Ms. Gilroy and passed unanimously by voice vote. 6. Unfinished Business Item A: Citywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan Status — Tindale Oliver Proposal of Professional Services Agreement/Parks Recreation Master Plan Ms. Hernandez stated that she had been in negotiations with Tindale Oliver and as reflected in their proposal the cost had been reduced to $50,000. She explained that a representative of the company was to be present this evening, but medical issues prevented it. Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Page 2 of 6 Minutes of Regular Meeting of January 23, 2017 Mr. Paschall asked for details on what was eliminated to lower the cost. Ms. Hernandez responded that the proposed inventory and amount of detailed analysis has been reduced. They are requesting the City provide more assistance than what was in the original quote. Mr. Paschall stated that he is in favor of the project and supports forwarding the proposal to City Council. Mr. Sims expressed concern that the reduction in price may impact the product the City receives. Mr. Griffin stated that he is concerned that Tindale Oliver will be relying more on City staffs input and should there be any deficiencies in the final product there could be a question of who was responsible. Ms. Hernandez explained that under the current proposal, Tindale Oliver would use information that the City can provide, as well as information from the Property Appraiser's office in order to produce the Inventory and Mapping portion. Tindale Oliver would not create an official Boundary Survey. Mr. Sims expressed concern that their using City data may result in questions as the project progresses. Mr. Griffin explained that due to the nature of Consulting Agreements it is more difficult to measure performance than in the case of a tangible item such as a structure. Ms. White stated that she is not concerned about using the information the City has for the creation of this master plan. She does support going forward with it so the City will have direction for the future. Mr. Paschall stated that he agrees with Mr. Griffin that this is not something that can be measured as would a structure, but he supports moving forward with the negotiations. He stressed that what is essential is that Tindale Oliver be instructed as to what the City wants the plan to include, i.e. current needs, trends and future needs of the community, etc.; if it does not, then do not proceed. Mr. Griffin responded that he believes that Item 3, Recommendations & Implementation Plan, addresses Mr. Paschall's concern about future planning. Ms. Flescher stated that she agrees with Mr. Paschall regarding the content of the plan provided. She asked if the City staff will be able to respond to the requests for information they are going to receive. Mr. Griffin responded that Ms. Hernandez handles all the administrative matters. That will mean that she will be tasked with going to the parks and counting the equipment. Mr. Griffin expressed concern that should there be an error in the count it may fall back on staff. Ms. Flescher stated that she supports forwarding the proposed plan to City Council. Mr. Griffin stated that if the Committee decides, he will present the proposal at the first meeting in February and requested that Committee Members be present. Ms. Gilroy asked what data the City will be providing and what liability the City will face by providing this information. Mr. Griffin responded that the City has a very good liability Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Page 3 of 6 Minutes of Regular Meeting of January 23, 2017 policy in place that would cover Ms. Gilroy's concern. He stated that he has confidence in Ms. Hernandez's ability to handle the administrative matters of the department. Ms. Webster stated that she is more concerned about the Recommendations & Implementation than she is the Inventory and Mapping. She asked if it would be possible for the Committee to assist with the inventorying of the park equipment. Ms. Hernandez thanked the Committee for their offer of help. She explained that she has been keeping an unofficial inventory of the parks and what equipment/facilities are at each one. Ms. White asked if there had been an inventory done in past years. Ms. Hernandez responded that she did find one, but it was much more general than the one she is keeping. Ms. White stated that she supports providing assistance if needed. Mr. Paschall asked if Tindale Oliver's not being present impacted the information available to the Committee. Mr. Griffin responded that in his opinion it did not. Mr. Sims reiterated his concern about the large difference between the original bid and the current one. He called for any further questions, hearing none he called for a motion. A motion that the Tindale Oliver Proposal be presented to City Council at their next meeting and the Parks and Rec Committee members be in attendance for a consensus panel to the Council was made by Mr. Paschall. The motion was seconded by Ms. White and passed unanimously by voice vote. Item t3: Donation and Relocation of Friendship Park Special Needs Playground Equipment. Special needs playground equipment and associated costs. Ms. Hernandez explained that the information provided to the Committee shows details on the cost of new ADA playground equipment both on the high end and the lower end. She stated that the total estimate for the equipment and the special foundation material required would make the cost approximately $80,000. Mr. Griffin reported that the donation of the existing ADA playground equipment to the United Methodist Church has been approved by Council and is in process. It should be completed by mid-February. He suggested presenting the Committee's recommendation concerning the purchase and installation of the new playground at the Council's second meeting in February. Ms. White asked about the funding and suggested possibly having the Disability Advisory Committee provide their thoughts on this ADA playground. Mr. Griffin responded that Committee has not met in approximately one year but he will check with the City Clerk regarding their status. Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Page 4 of 6 Minutes of Regular Meeting of January 23, 2017 Mr. Paschall stated that he feels there needs to be more information regarding community needs, future trends, ADA direction, etc. before he could make an informed decision. Mr. Griffin stated that the donation and removal of the existing ADA equipment is supported by Council and the question before the Committee is replacement. He explained that the existing equipment is not used a great deal and suggested that replacement be done on a smaller scale and possibly in phases determined by usage. Mr. Paschall supported Mr. Griffin's suggestion and stated that to his knowledge the only piece of the playground equipment that was ADA was the swing set, so possibly start by replacing that. Ms. White supported starting small and asked if there had been any input from residents in support of the proposed new one. Mr. Griffin responded he had received no input. Ms. Webster stated that she was not aware that the park was for special needs and suggested that possibly the residents are not aware that it is available. She supported having more ADA equipment for the special needs children to use. Ms. Flescher stated that she supports starting small, but would like to receive input from residents who would use the park as to what they view as most useful. Following discussion the consensus was to place a request for input on the Website, TV Station and advise the schools that the City is looking for input from parents as to what type of equipment would be most helpful for an ADA playground. Ms. Gilroy suggested doing research to determine the number of Special Needs children in the area and make the determination as to size and cost based on that information. Mr. Sims supported starting small, but stated that it would be good if the Committee could receive input on the needs of the Community before making the decision to move forward. Mr. Griffin stated that he supports involving the Disability Advisory Committee if possible. He stated he will contact their Chairman to determine the status of the Committee. This item will be placed on the Parks & Recreation Committee's next Agenda. Item C: Lifeless Tree in Dog Park — Status Ms. Hernandez reported that the tree was removed on January 18, 2017. Item D: Park Maps — Status Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Page 5 of 6 Minutes of Regular Meeting of January 23, 2017 Ms. Hernandez reported that Public Works has refilled the map receptacles and will refill periodically as needed. Item E: Blue Autism Light for Easy Street Park Fountain — Status Mr. Griffin reported that the blue Autism light should be on this evening. It was necessary to replace the pump and light receptacle, so the blue light was installed at the same time. He stated that we will verify that it is on this evening. New Business — None 8. Public Input Mr. John Tenerowicz, 310 South Wimbrow asked when the Clock Tower would be working again; he stated that something has to be done with the parking by the Splash Pad during big events; the shrubs planted at the dog park as buffering are still as small as they were when planted; there is a dead tree behind his house which is on City property; and he asked what the status of litter pick up by Public Works is. Mr. Griffin explained that due to the CavCorp project the electric to the lights and the Clock is inoperative. This would have been corrected sooner had it not been for the hurricane clean up and followed by the preparation for the Clambake. He provided details on the additional lighting that will be installed in the parking area and explained that all the electricity will be addressed at the same time. Mr. Ben Hocker, City of Sebastian, expressed his concern that there was no public input for the Master Plan or for the donation of the playground equipment. In regard to the lighting to be installed in the CavCorp parking area that it would reduce the amount of available boat parking. He stated that in regard to the mapping of the parks that much of that information can be found at the County's website and google used to view the properties. He stated he does not support the expense of a Parks Master Plan because the City is at build out and the population is comprised mostly of senior citizens. He suggested considering using another location, such as the area at the Golf Course or Airport, for the Art and Music Festival. He explained that those areas could better handle the large turnout and parking requirements. Mr. Jim Sunnycalb reported that the fountain at the Dog Park leaks and requested that it be repaired. He stated that there have been a couple trees die at the Dog Park which he believes is a result of the male dogs relieving themselves on the trees. He stated that he has requested the installation of fire hydrants or some other device in the park to reduce this problem. He suggested possibly installing a boxed in sandy area with some sort of device that would attract the dogs. This would help keep the waste centralized which would result in better clean up by the owners and would protect the trees. Following discussion about installing posts or some other device for the dogs, Mr. Griffin responded that could present a liability issue should someone trip over it. After Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Page 6 of 6 Minutes of Regular Meeting of January 23, 2017 additional discussion regarding fire hydrants, Mr. Griffin stated that one at the Airport had recently been damaged and replaced; he would look into securing that one and installing it in the Dog Park. Mr. Sunnycalb asked about the status of the plaque he had requested be reinstalled at Riverview Park. Mr. Griffin responded he would look into it. Mr. Sunnycalb urged the Committee to consider revamping more of the parks to be handicapped accessible by providing better sidewalks, installing tables with the extension that accommodates wheel chairs, improving the pavilions for wheel chair access. He expressed support for the suggestion to get input from people who know firsthand what would improve access to the parks. 9. Staff Matters — None 10. Board or Committee Member Matters — None 11. Items for Next Agenda and Date Mr. Sims stated that the next regularly scheduled meeting would be Monday, February 27, 2017. He urged the Committee Members make every effort to attend the next City Council meeting. 12. Adjourn Chairman Sims called for any further business, hearing none he adjourned the meeting at 7:12pm. By: �y I ll Mattew ims, Chairman Parks and Recreation Committee s/m Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting of Feb. 27, 2017 Agenda Item A Regular City Council & CRA Meeting February 8, 2017 Page Six Vice Mayor Coy said she supported Mr. Hill's statement, not to spend because it allows for fluctuations. She said Council is capable to argue with the Budget Committee on any items that are not necessary. She said by not budgeting any more ad valorem revenue, which is sort of obscurely setting the millage rate, implies they anticipate zero growth, or growth will pay for itself, and doesn't take into account contractual obligations such as pay raises for staff. The City Manager said there will be labor negotiations this year for wages but there is no automatic increase. Mr. Dodd asked when the last time the Budget Committee came back to Council not to increase the millage at least above the rolled -back rate; he would like to establish goals without saying they are going to the rolled -back rate. Mayor McPartlan said they should always stay within their means and asked if they were taking away the City Manager's ability to navigate through key projects. He is willing to go item by item in the budget. Mr. Dodd said they could pay back, the retirement loan tomorrow if they wanted to; at the end of the last budget cycle a $240K operational surplus was put into the R& R fund and yet taxes were raised without paying back the retirement loan—making it even more important to provide some goal setting. Mr. Dodd said one of the Budget Committee members mentioned they did not want to borrow from the reserve to pay an operational expense. He said there are some staffing 7:10 pm issues that the City Manager needs and they should concentrate on addressing that. MOTION by Vice Mayor Coy and SECOND by Mayor McPartlan to advise the Budget Review Committee that not one penny more than we have to—to maintain our quality of life- -will be budgeted, in the next budget. ROLL CALL: Mayor McPardan – Aye Vice Mayor Coy - Aye Mr. Dodd – Nay Mr. Hill –Aye Ms. Kinchen - Aye Motion carried 4-1. Consider Parks and Recreation Master Plan Proposal from Tindale Oliver 66111� the Amount of $50.000 and Authorize the City Manager to Execute Documents (Transmittal. Agreement) The City Manager stated Tindale Oliver has submitted an agreement for a master plan and staff recommended consideration. MOTION by Ms. Kinchen and SECOND by Mr. Hill to approve the Tindale Oliver master plan. Mr. Dodd asked if this could be done in-house or could they use the money to hire an employee to address this and some of their planning needs. The City Manager said this was brought forward at the request of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and didn't necessarily agree with it. Regular City Council & CRA Meeting February 8, 2017 Page Seven Mayor McPartlan cited the $10,000 charge for community outreach and recalled the unused plan developed for a new community center. At that time only two Council Members and four citizens provided input. Ms. Coy noted the agreement will provide the City a flyer to acquire the input instead of the consultant. She suggested it should be done in-house. Mr. Hill noted there is not enough staff at this time and to hire someone will be more than $50,000; if they didn't like the project, the project should be nixed but to be careful about adding professional staff. ROLL CALL: Vice Mayor Coy - Nay Mr. Dodd — Nay Mr. Hill —Aye Ms. Kinchen — Aye Mayor McPartlan - Nay Motion failed 3-2 to hire Tindale Oliver to develop a parks master plan. 15. CITY ATTORNEY MATTERS - None 16. CITY MANAGER MATTERS The City Manager asked to withdraw the proposal he brought forward at the last meeting except reconstructing the piers to their original length estimate for the Boudrot pier to the next meeting. 11. CITY CLERK MATTERS - None to reduce the fishing piers and docks that for the Boudrot pier. He recommended and offered to bring back a demolition 18. CITY COUNCIL MATTERS A. Mayor McPartlan Mayor McPartlan reported that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and requested that CASTLE be allowed to install a Memory Field in Riverview Park from April 19-28. There was no objection. He will advise Council of date for the ceremony. B. Vice Mayor Coy Vice Mayor Coy asked that Sebastian's participation in the Indian River Lagoon Coalition be placed on the next agenda. She noted the City Manager receives a lot of requests and she would like him to have unanimous support before he carries out a request. For example, the blue light was installed at the Easy Street pond based on two people; it should be clear where the City Manager's support is coming from. C. Council Member Dodd Mr. Dodd said he wasn't sure how the procedure for installing the blue light happened and Mr. Hill said it seemed like a maintenance decision. Vice Mayor Coy explained that people who live on road weren't consulted, the request came from Mr. Sunnycalb and a Parks and Recreation board member; it wasn't voted on and a decision was made. Mr. Hill noted the light is a management issue. Vice Mayor Coy said she wanted to reinforce that is okay for the Manager to say no and appreciates his decision to keep the light blue until April.