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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-24-2017 PR MinutesCITY OF SEBASTIAN PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING JULY 24, 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. JoAnn Webster Ms. Corrine Gilroy Mr. Jim Sunnycalb (a) Not Present Ms. JoAnne White — Excused Also Present Ms. Margarita Hernandez, Parks Administrator Ms. Susan Mann, Recording Consultant 4. Agenda Modifications — None Mr. Sims welcomed Mr. Sunnycalb to the Board. 5. Approval of Minutes — Regular Meeting June 26, 2017 A motion to approve the June 26, 2017 minutes as written was made by Ms. Webster, seconded by Mr. Paschall and passed unanimously by voice vote. 6. Unfinished Business Item A: Friendship Park Special Needs Playground Update Ms. Hernandez reported that because of the current projects the City is committed to, staff has decided to postpone the Special Needs Playground until Fiscal Year 2018/2019 at which time it will be given the highest priority. Ms. Webster stated that she supported the decision. Item B: Playground Inspections Update Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Page 2 Minutes of Regular Meeting of July 24, 2017 Ms. Hernandez stated that staff is working diligently to correct the problems identified in the Inspection Report as quickly as possible. She stated that this report will be used in the five year Capital Improvement Plan that the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council is assisting the City with. Mr. Paschall referred to the ranking of most serious to least serious and asked if photographs were provided to assist staff in knowing exactly what the problem is. Ms. Hernandez responded that the report does include photos and is very detailed. Mr. Paschall asked how it will be determined if a repair is sufficient or if the entire piece of equipment needs to be replaced due to age or the nature of the problem. Ms. Hernandez responded that based on the age of the equipment it is possible to order replacement parts which she has done in the past. She stated that she is researching the equipment and the availability of parts which Public Works can install; if the equipment is too old and parts are not available any longer purchasing new equipment will have to be considered. Ms. Gilroy asked who assigned the priority to the corrective action necessary. Ms. Hernandez responded the Inspector determined the priority and assigned the appropriate number. Mr. Sims called for public input on the Friendship Park Special Needs Playground and the Playground Inspections. Mr. Ben Hocker, City of Sebastian, stated that he had asked that research be done to determine if there may be a better location for the park. He urged the Board to take advantage of this delay to reach out to the residents and get their input. Mr. Paschall responded that the City has still not received any input from the citizens regarding the park's location. He urged those watching to contact the City and voice their opinion. He suggested that when the City Council or City Manager have the opportunity to speak at functions they could incorporate information about the park location and ask that anyone interested contact the City. Ms. Hernandez stated that when there was no response to the information placed on Chanel 25, the notice was removed. She stated that since the project is delayed she could have it put back on the TV channel. The consensus was to place the advertisement on Chanel 25 seeking public input. If there is no input then the playground will be located at Friendship Park as previously approved. Mr. Sims called for any further public input; hearing none he closed the meeting and continued with the agenda. 7. New Business — None Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Minutes of Regular Meeting of July 24, 2017 8. Public Input Page 3 Mr. Sims requested anyone from the public wishing to speak to come forward at this time. Mr. John Tenerowicz, 310 South Wimbrow, stated that Christmas in July at Riverview Park was quite a success, raising approximately $4,000. He reported that the Easy Street lights are still not working. Regarding the Dog Park, there is room for two additional Handicapped spaces on the grass next to the two existing spaces; the parking stops have still not been reset and pose a danger; the parking lot needs to be repaved; the dead shrubs and trees behind his house are still there. Mr. Sims called for anyone else wishing to speak; hearing none he closed the meeting to the public and continued with the agenda. 9. Staff Matters — None 10. Board or Committee Member Matters Mr. Sunnycalb stated that placing the handicapped parking as suggested by Mr. Tenerowicz could be dangerous because there is a sidewalk next to that area. He stated that people are going to the dog park while it is still dark, as a result a person tripped over the fire hydrant and removed it from the park. Another problem this early use causes is the dogs barking and making noise which is disturbing to the residents who live near the park. He suggested looking into changing the times of use to help prevent this problem. Ms. Webster stated that she is impressed that there were so few priority 1's on the playground report. Ms. Gilroy commended the Lions Club and Kim Ellis for their efforts that made the 4`h of July festivities the great success it was. Mr. Paschall asked for details on the missing fire hydrant. Mr. Sunnycalb explained that it was a small one purchased for use in the small dog section of the dog park. Mr. Paschall stressed that if the identity of the individual who removed the fire hydrant is known every effort should be made to have it returned and if the identity is not known care should be taken to not rely on rumors. Mr. Paschall stated that because of the time changes throughout the year, he supports using the dawn to dusk rule. Mr. Sunnycalb responded that he was suggesting using the 7am opening time to coincide with the City's Noise Ordinance, not the open to closed rule. This would prevent the barking and noise that disturbs the neighbors. Ms. Gilroy stated that she has visited the dog park 6 times and has not seen any problem with parking, regular or handicapped and the park has been very quiet. She Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Page 4 Minutes of Regular Meeting of July 24, 2017 explained that the fire hydrant being discussed is very small and not an official hydrant the City is responsible for. Mr. Sims asked Ms. Hernandez about the fire hydrant, to which Ms. Hernandez responded that the 2 fire hydrants had been purchased by the City and only 1 remained at the park because the other one had been taken. He also asked if the Parks Department would be the department to evaluate the need for additional handicapped parking. Ms. Hernandez reported that the City Engineer recently performed an ADA evaluation of the dog park for parking, restrooms, etc. and found it to be ADA compliant. Mr. Sunnycalb suggested installing a sign or a barrier that prohibits parking on the grass next to the handicapped spaces to prevent accidents when backing out. 11. Items for Next Agenda and Date Ms. Hernandez explained that she will be attending a conference the week of August 28th which would be the next scheduled meeting. She asked if the Committee would prefer to reschedule the meeting or cancel it. The consensus was to cancel the August meeting; the next regular meeting would be on September 25, 2017. 12. Adjourn Chairman Sims called for any further business, hearing none he adjourned the meeting at 6:30 pm. By:��_�� Matthew Sims, Chairman Parks and Recreation Committee s/m