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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-2018 PR MinutesCITY OF SEBASTIAN PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING JUNE 25, 2018 1. Call to Order -- Chairman Sims called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Pledae of Allegiance was recited by all. 3. Roll Call Present: Mr. Matthew Sims Ms. JoAnn Webster Mr. Greg Paschall Mr. Jim Sunnycalb (a) Not Present: Ms. JoAnne White -- Excused Mr. Jay McKinniss Excused Also Present: Ms. Margarita Hernandez, Parks Administrator Ms. Janet Graham, Technical Writer 4. Announcements and/or Aaenda Modifications 5. Approval of Minutes -- Regular Meeting of March 26, 2018 A motion to approve the March 26, 2018 Minutes as written was made by Ms. Webster and seconded by Mr. Sunnycalb and passed unanimously by voice vote. 6. Unfinished Business A. Pickle Ball Courts Update Ms. Hernandez described the activity relating to the pickle ball courts since the Committee's last meeting in March. There was a mandatory pre -bid meeting on April 6, and the actual bid opening was on April 27. There was only one bid received which came in significantly higher than what the City had budgeted. Staff met with the one bidder —Hellas Construction —in an attempt to help the City with the value engineer and PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 25, 2018 design/build these courts. The City has not heard back from them in over a month. Because their bid was significantly higher than what was budgeted for, the project is on hold and will have to undergo the budget process all over again. Mr. Sunnycalb inquired as to how much time the budget process will take. Ms. Hernandez stated the budget is still being worked on by the Finance Department, and this is supposed to be one of the items to be presented to City Council for their approval. The new budget will begin October 1. Ms. Webster asked if staff knows what the budget will be for this project. Ms. Hernandez stated that is as yet unknown. Mr. Paschall asked regarding the single bid if there was any item that stood out as driving the cost, such as concrete, etc. at the present site vs. going back to Schumann with the project. Ms. Hernandez stated she couldn't answer that question, but she is aware that the price of concrete is at present significantly higher than previously. Mr. Paschall asked if the bidder was a local company, and Ms. Hernandez stated they are out of Austin, Texas. Mr. Paschall asked how long the project was advertised for bid. Ms. Hernandez stated she was not completely certain, but she will find out. Mr. Paschall asked if the City is permitted to repost the bid so as to get some bids from local companies as opposed to going through the budget process again. Ms. Hernandez stated she would get back to the Committee on that question. She stated that at the pre -bid meeting there were a lot of contractors present, but she is not certain why there was only one bid. Mr. Paschall requested that staff investigate what the options are going forward, and Ms. Hernandez stated she will do that and report back next month. Mr. Sims stated he had the same opinions and questions as Mr. Paschall. 7. Public Input • Tim Jobe, Westport Drive, Sebastian. He is a pickle ball player and thanked the Committee for their interest and work concerning getting this project completed. He is requesting the Committee consider taking one of the tennis courts at Schumann Drive and turning it into a dedicated pickle ball court, as there are currently several people playing pickle ball at that location. He stated pickle ball is very popular. He presented an article to the Committee on another group that has taken an existing court and turned it into a dedicated pickle ball court. SEE ATTACHED. He mentioned that Vero Beach did the same thing at one of their parks, and this might be a viable option at a lower cost. Mr. Paschall asked Mr. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 25, 2018 Jobe if one tennis court can be converted to three pickle ball courts. Mr. Jobe stated it would be two tennis courts converted to three pickle ball courts. • Pete Antonelli, Fisher Lake Island, Sebastian. He inquired as to the process for publishing bids on projects such as this. Mr. Sims stated the City staff handles the entire process. Mr. Paschall added that bids go out to a public forum for a certain period of time, and contractors submit their bids. The City looks at the bids and selects the bidder. Mr. Antonelli mentioned speaking with a contractor who is doing work on other pickle ball courts, and that contractor suggested a figure of around $30,000.00 to convert the two tennis courts to four pickle ball courts. • Eileen Hanley, South Easy Street, Sebastian. She stated she thought the budget for the proposed pickle ball courts was around $200,000.00. Ms. Hernandez stated it was $213,000.00. She asked, when that money is not spent, how long it will be available for this project, and if any money has been spent yet out of the earmarked funds. Ms. Hernandez stated some money has been spent to pay the engineer's fees. Ms. Hernandez stated the money is still in the budget for this project and will stay there for at least the fiscal 2018-19, and her opinion is that it is not going to go away, but she could not guarantee that, since budgets do change from fiscal year to fiscal year. Mr. Paschall explained that the monies in the budget for Parks and Recreation will stay in that budget; it will not go to projects other than Parks and Recreation. He also pointed out that for converting a court, specifications have to be done, written up, and submitted for bids. 8. New Business A. Select a chairman and vice-chairman, adopt rules of procedure and meeting schedule. Mr. Sims stated that he has served out his term as Chairman, and there needs to be nominations from the Committee. Ms. Webster nominated Mr. Paschall for Chairman. Mr. Paschall nominated Mr. Sims for Chairman. Mr. Sunnycalb nominated Mr. Sims. Ms. Webster seconded the motion to nominate Mr. Sims. Motion to appoint Mr. Sims for another term as Chairman was made by Mr. Paschall, seconded by Ms. Webster, and passed unanimously by voice vote. Motion was made by Mr. Sunnycalb to nominate Mr. Paschall as Vice - Chairman, seconded by Ms. Webster, and passed unanimously by voice vote. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 25, 2018 Ms. Hernandez asked if the Committee is agreeable to the order of the agenda in the manner staff has been presenting it for the Committee meetings, as well as the date and time of the Committee meetings. Motion was made by Mr. Paschall and seconded by Ms. Webster to keep the agenda as it is and was unanimously passed by voice vote. B. Scoreboards for Barber Street Sports Complex Baseball Fields. Ms. Hernandez stated that this item was added to the agenda because Ms. Webster requested it. She asked Ms. Webster to speak on this subject. Ms. Webster stated it has been brought to her attention that none of the scoreboards at the baseball field work. She stated the City thought the leagues maintained the scoreboards. She studied the lease and did not find it mentioned. Ms. Webster was of the opinion that for the past several years the City had maintained the scoreboards, and they are not now being maintained. She recently met with some league members and stated the condition of the fields is not good, and there are a few safety issues also. She would like to see the scoreboards running again and the fields better maintained. Mr. Sims asked if anyone from the baseball leagues has met with someone with the football group to see who maintains their field. Ms. Webster stated in all the years she has been involved, the City has maintained the scoreboards and baseball fields, but she does not know who maintains the football fields. Mr. Sims asked if there is someone in the baseball league group who could let staff know if the fields are not being properly maintained. Ms. Webster stated that the leadership has changed in the leagues, and there has been a decrease in the number of participants, but she thinks that the numbers will go back up as there is some better advertising, etc. Mr. Sims suggested that someone in the league chain of command recognize the needs and will let staff know. He addressed Ms. Hernandez as to her understanding of who is responsible for the scoreboards and the condition of the fields. Ms. Hernandez said that is the reason staff included the contract in the agenda packet, and scoreboards are not significantly mentioned in the contract. Staff recommends the league present a proposal which states what is needed for the scoreboards and some idea of how much it would cost. Staff can then review it and present it to the City Manager. She stated there are two permanent employees who take care of the whole Barber Street Sports Complex. Ms. Webster suggested someone from the City inspect the baseball complex to see what needs to be done. Ms. Hernandez stated she will see that that is done. Ms. Webster said she will get with Complete Electric to see if they can give her an idea of what needs PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 25, 2018 to be done with the scoreboards and the lighting. Mr. Paschall suggested that when these questions are resolved, an addendum to the contract be drafted so that it is clear as to who is responsible. Ms. Webster said the league has provided some things at the field, but she thinks the City should be responsible for the scoreboards. 9. Public Input William Russell, 1125 Blossom Drive, Sebastian. He is a member of the board of the Sebastian Little League and is also responsible for the umpires. Sebastian has professional umpires who do it free of charge. He stated that there are four scoreboards at the field and only one of them worked during the last season. During that time no one knew what the status was as far as innings, scores, etc. He informed the Committee that the scoreboards are so old that repair parts are no longer available. He is not requesting new scoreboards; he is just asking for the scoreboards to be operational. He addressed the condition of the grounds, and now that he is aware that his group should contact someone from the City, he will see that that is done. 10. Staff Matters A. Park/Facility Use Survey Ms. Hernandez stated staff had put together a survey sheet requesting public input at some of the recreational facilities in order for staff to gauge employee resources etc. at those facilities. She said staff will do this again in November. Mr. Sims suggested these forms be available online. Ms. Hernandez stated she will see that that is done. Ms. Hernandez stated that Beth Powell, who is the County Conservation Lands Manager, is going to be making a presentation in July to talk about not only the boardwalk behind the Senior Center, but other conservation lands as well. 11. Board or Committee Member Matters Ms. Webster thanked the Committee for addressing the scoreboard matters. She also asked if the items in the article presented by Mr. Jobe should be on the agenda for the next meeting. Ms. Hernandez stated staff will look into that. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 25, 2018 Mr. Sunnycalb: • He stated he has talked to Commissioner Joe Flescher about the boardwalk, since it is in his district, and Mr. Flescher said he would look at it. • He suggested that where the mural used to be in Riverview Park, which was painted over, installing a gazebo with "Sebastian, Florida" writing on it. He stated there are wedding pictures, graduation pictures, etc. taken in the Park, and he thinks this would be a positive addition, and he suggested there might be money from the CRA fund that would pay for it. • He addressed the lights at the volleyball courts in Riverview Park, that maybe there could be timers put on the lights to conserve electricity when the courts are not being used. • He thanked the City for putting the blue light back on at the Easy Street Park in recognition of autism and honoring fallen officers. Also regarding Easy Street Park, he inquired as to the sign asking people not to feed the ducks. Ms. Hernandez stated that some time ago some Muscovy ducks were removed from the park, but the ducks are being fed by the public. These ducks should be removed from the park, but with the public feeding them, it is encouraging the ducks to stay. She said two signs were put up saying do not feed the ducks, and the next day one sign was removed. She stated if the City has to get rid of all the ducks, it means euthanizing them, and staff tried the do -not -feed -the -ducks signs to see if that was a viable alternative. Mr. Sunnycalb described that Muscovy ducks can be aggressive and are a nuisance, and he has tried to get rid of them for years. He stated the public like feeding the ducks, but the Muscovy ducks are a problem. He also stated that there were only two Muscovy ducks removed in the past and taken to Fellsmere. Ms. Webster is of the opinion that it would be better to stop feeding them than to eliminate them. Ms. Hernandez said staff will look into making the signs look more official in order to discourage people from removing them. Ms. Webster suggested that if the signs are left in place maybe people would not feed the ducks as much. Mr. Sunnycalb said he hates to see it come to the point where the public cannot feed the ducks, that only the Muscovy ducks are the problem. Mr. Paschall suggested the decision will have to be made to either not have the ducks at all or not to feed the ducks, because the park is open to the public. • He addressed the dog park and the fact that the fountain on the large -dog side is turned the wrong way so a handicapped chair cannot be used. He said the PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 25, 2018 fountain on the small -dog side is correct, and he questioned why the one on the large -dog side is not installed in the right direction. Ms. Hernandez said she would look into seeing if the position of the fountain in the large -dog area can be corrected. • He noted that things are being done without the Committee having a chance to discuss them and decide on how to proceed regarding duck signs, fountains, etc. Ms. Hernandez stated that staff does due diligence before making these decisions, and she will discuss with the City Clerk what is the role of the Committee and what is the role of City staff in regard to what items staff should bring forward to the Committee. Mr. Sunnycalb mentioned it was decided by the Committee that the benches at the dog park were supposed to be put on concrete pads, and they were not. Ms. Hernandez stated that all the new benches were to be put on concrete pads, and the new benches were. The old benches were never mentioned to be put on concrete pads. Mr. Sunnycalb stated FPL would be putting in solar panels in two shade shelters. By concreting the fence on the small -dog side, there is now no room to put a shade shelter. He asked how there can be a shade shelter installed, and Ms. Hernandez stated she will have to look into that. She stated the concrete around the fence was installed to eliminate dogs digging under the fence in order to get from one side to the other, and there were complaints that dogs were getting out of the park and running loose. Ms. Webster interjected that things are not always done as quickly as people would like them to happen, and people need to be patient. Mr. Sunnycalb agreed that there has been a lot of work done on the dog park, and he wishes people would appreciate what has been done. Mr. Paschall mentioned the resurfacing of the tennis courts at Schumann Drive, and if we are looking at making the changes regarding converting courts for pickle ball, maybe that could all be incorporated into the bid at one time. As far as community input, he thinks that if the only course for making changes is through the Committee, this would just bog things down. Mr. Sims stated he is disappointed to know that only one bid came in for the pickle ball courts, but if Schumann Park can be used to convert some of the courts to pickle ball courts, that might be a viable option. Mr. Sunnycalb asked if a tennis court is converted to pickle ball courts, will that decrease the money allocated for building the pickle ball courts, and would it cost PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 8 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 25, 2018 money to return it to a tennis court. Ms. Webster stated that is why she thought it should be on the next meeting agenda. Ms. Hernandez stated it would definitely be under Unfinished Business on the next agenda. Mr. Paschall stated he would interpret the conversion as happening one time and not to switch back, and based on the sheer number of people playing pickle ball, there is a need for more pickle ball courts. Mr. Sunnycalb agreed. Ms. Webster gave her opinion that while waiting for the completion of the bidding process at the Friendship Tennis Courts, if there could be the conversion in the Schumann complex, it would not be a waste. The members of the Committee were in agreement. 12. Items for the Next Aoenda and Date -- July 23, 2018 13. Adjourn -- Chairman Sims called for any further business. Hearing none, he adjourned the meeting at 7:19 p.m. By Matthew Sims, Chairman Parks and Recreation Committee 19