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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-28-2019 PR MinutesCITY OF SEBASTIAN PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OCTOBER 28, 2019 Call to Order — Chairperson Webster called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Pledae of Allegiance was recited by all 3. Roll Call Present Mr. Denise (a) Mr. Renzi Ms. White Ms. Webster Mr. Sims Mr. Agudelo Also Present Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Janet Graham, Technical Writer 4. Meetina Chair Makes Announcements -- None 5. Aaenda Modifications Ms. Webster stated that the next meeting date on the Agenda is incorrect. It is set forth as October 28th; it should read November 25th. All Committee members stated the November 25th date was acceptable. 6. Aaoroval of Minutes -- September 23, 2019 Meeting Minutes A motion to approve the September 23, 2019 Minutes as presented was made by Mr. Sims, seconded by Ms. White, and passed unanimously via voice vote. 7. Unfinished Business -- None 8. Public Input -- None 9. New Business A. Review and Consider 2020 Committee Meeting Calendar PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2019 Mr. Benton stated that the Committee has before it the proposed 2020 meeting calendar for everyone to review, which should be voted on at this meeting. He stated that a couple of dates differ from the normal fourth Monday of the month schedule. The first is May 18th, which is a week early due to the Memorial Day holiday. In October there is no meeting scheduled due to early voting in council chambers. He moved the November meeting to November 16th because of the fourth Monday being during Thanksgiving week. The December meeting is moved up to December 14th. This will allow the meetings in November and December to be more evenly spread out. Ms. White inquired that, if there is nothing that needs to be addressed during any month, could the meeting be canceled. Mr. Benton stated that it could. Ms. Webster called for a motion to accept the meeting dates for 2020. A motion to accept the proposed meeting calendar for 2020 was made by Ms. White, seconded by Mr. Sims, and approved unanimously via voice vote. B. Batting Cages at Barber Street Complex Discussion as Requested at Last Meeting Mr. Benton reviewed that at the last meeting it was suggested that the batting cages at the Barber Street baseball complex be discussed. He has been looking at options for batting cages, and the cost per batting cage will be approximately $2,000.00 to replace the fencing with netting. He described the netting that he favors is double -knotted netting and is a stronger netting than some others. He described how the netting would be installed. He also stated that he will be meeting the next day with some fencing contractors, and he is going to ask for estimates for the fence to be extended for safety reasons from the dugout down past the batting cages. He is seeking a price range not to exceed $6,000.00 to $8,000.00 for the batting cage renovation. That does not include a new surface. He explained that this will be a park improvement, and a portion of the $20,000.00 park improvement allocation could be used towards this project. Mr. Benton then asked for questions or comments from the Committee. Ms. Webster: Inquired if the chain link fence around the batting cages would be removed. Mr. Benton state that it would be removed and replaced with the netting system, and he described how that would be installed. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2019 • Asked approximately what a turf surface for the cages would cost. Mr. Benton said he does not have pricing for that, but he would approximate $2,000.00 to $4,000.00. He stated that all told the cost will be approximately $8,000.00 for fencing, netting, and anything else that is necessary. Ms. White: • Asked how many batting cages are there now. Mr. Benton stated there are two, and he, after talking with the little league board, is going to look into perhaps arranging it so that there could be four cages with drop -down netting separating the cages. • Asked if the public can use the cages when the teams are not practicing. Mr. Benton stated that is correct. • Inquired that, since it is a community park, all the other zones will be contributing to the cost. Mr. Benton stated that is correct. Mr. Renzi: • Inquired if these cages are used for both pitching and hitting, or just for pitching. Mr. Benton stated they are used just for hitting. • Inquired if it would be a problem, if there are people behind the cages, with a ball coming into the netting and there being some give to the netting and the ball striking someone, as opposed to the chain link fences. Mr. Benton stated it has been his experience that there is not a problem with the netting system being safe, and he stated the majority of other communities are using the netting system. Mr. Agudelo: • Inquired whether there have been any suggestions or proposals brought up about the concrete surface. Mr. Benton replied that when he was speaking with the little league board he asked them to remove the existing surface that is in place. That surface is not really made to be used outdoors in the batting cages. He asked them to look into purchasing a turf surface that would be placed in the batting cages, to be purchased through the little league board, which would be a bit safer for the kids and save wear and tear on the balls. Until then, the concrete surface will remain. There being no further discussion, Ms. Webster called for a motion. A motion to allocate funds not to exceed $8,000.00 towards renovating the batting cages at the Barber Street sports complex was made by Mr. Sims, seconded by Mr. Agudelo, and passed unanimously via voice vote. 10. Staff Matters PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2019 A. Current Project(s) Update Mr. Benton reviewed the various park projects and their status. Dog Park Shade Structures -- That project was budgeted in fiscal year 2018- 2019. The concrete pads were poured last week. City staff did some grading and installed some sod around all of the concrete pads. Those areas are still fenced off in order to allow the sod to take hold. It will still be a few weeks before those areas are opened back up. The dog park is still permitted to be used except for those areas that are fenced off. It will be five to six weeks before the shade structures themselves are delivered and installed. These structures will remain in place during hurricanes. They are built to current Florida standards. They are not fabric shade canopies. They have a metal frame and are manufactured and installed by Carolina Carports and will be anchored into concrete footers. Their dimensions are 18 x 31 feet in the large dog area and 18 x 21 feet in the small dog area. There will also be new picnic tables purchased for the park. Park Signage -- The bid opening for this project will be this coming Friday. Once a decision is made on the bids, hopefully this project will begin so that some of the signs that are in need of replacing will be replaced. The number of signs that will be replaced this year will depend on the cost. Money has been budgeted for the next couple of years so that hopefully all the signage will be replaced as funds allow. He stated that the park signage funds do come out of the recreation impact fee. Pickleball Courts -- The asphalt is down, the courts are in place, the holes are in place where the net poles are going, the fencing is up all the way around the courts. At present they are waiting for the asphalt to cure. There is still plenty of work to be done. The electrical conduit has been installed for the park lighting. The bids on the lighting will be opened in two weeks, and once that bid is set, the lights will be installed. The restroom building is set to be delivered next week. Work on the lift station, concrete sidewalks, etc. is still continuing. A completion date of somewhere in the middle of December is what is projected. The asphalt has to cure before the acrylic surface can be installed. Ms. White asked for information regarding the restrooms. The restrooms will be one women's and one men's room. The building is a modular one that will be unloaded by a crane and just dropped into place. Baseball Field Projects -- He explained that all the fields at the complex are having turf work done. He met with the little league board and gave them an update on the work that is being done. He also asked for their input. He has meetings set with fencing contractors in order to get estimates for fencing for the PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2019 little league fields. He hopes that the fencing project will go before City Council in November for approval. Once that is accomplished, he is planning to have the fencing work done over the holidays, as the league takes a break in their schedule at that time. He is hoping to have the fence work done before the start of spring baseball season. The fencing will be replaced from the dugouts on the little league field all the way around the outfields and back to the dugouts. The yellow fence topper will also be replaced. He also asked the little league board for input on the dugout project. He is still looking for input on that dugout project. The board did ask that staff look into installing warning tracks. He will begin to look into that subject this winter and, depending on the monies available in the budget, they may have to start with one or two fields and then going forward gradually address the remainder of the fields. Mr. Benton asked for any questions or comments regarding the baseball fields. Mr. Sims asked if the staff has ever considered lightning detectors being installed. Mr. Benton stated he has some experience with the Thor Guard system. That is a prediction system as opposed to a detection system. He will look into getting a price on the Thor Guard system and will have that information at the next meeting. Ms. Webster stated that there used to be a horn that was not a handheld unit, but she doesn't know what ever happened to it. Ms. White inquired whether the lightning detection systems should be looked at for the tennis courts and pickleball courts. Mr. Benton cautioned that the horns are really loud, but there can be parameters set for when the horn goes off. He also stated that these systems are very costly and suggested that the parks could be addressed one at a time. Mr. Danise suggested that the subject of lightning detection really needs to be researched and feels strongly that the City needs to address this subject. Mr. Benton stated he will research this and will report back to the Committee on his findings at the November meeting. • Friendship Park Resurfacing Tennis Courts -- He has received two bids and is waiting for the third one. Once he has received all the bids he will go to City Council for approval to move forward on that project. If he can get it on the agenda for City Council in November, he proposes to have it done over the holiday break. If it can't be accomplished over the holiday break, it will be another summertime project. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2019 Garden Club -- This park will be one of the parks that will have some freshening up such as trimming trees, clearing pathways, etc. He has spoken with Ms. White on a few occasions, and he will include her in the planning of what needs to be done at this park. There has been discussion about having a walking trail around the park. He has spoken with the stormwater department, and sometime in the future as funds allow, the plan is to dredge the pond at the park. Upcoming Projects and Potential Timelines — There are quite a lot of projects proposed during this fiscal year. If any Committee members has suggestions or questions, feel free to contact him, and he will update as best he can at that time. Mr. Benton then asked for any questions or comments regarding the parks. Mr. Agudelo inquired regarding the dugouts, since there has now been discussion regarding lightning safety, if there may be materials used at the dugouts that may be less lightning conducive. Mr. Benton stated it may be difficult to get away from the chain link fences, etc., but he will look into that. He feels that, as soon as the horn goes off, people need to get to a safe place, which is more than likely their car. B. Board Ooenina Mr. Benton stated there is still an alternate Board position that is available. 11. Board or Committee Member Matters A. Committee Members Update on Their Parks • Mr. Danise is pleased with the appearances of the parks and thanked everyone involved. • Mr. Renzi has nothing to report on the parks. He did have a question regarding the Board opening. He has a friend who is on the Planning Board. He inquired if that would be a conflict to serve on two boards. Mr. Benton stated yes, it is the City's policy that it does not allow board/committee members to be on multiple boards or committees. • Ms. White brought up the subject of sidewalks in the City, particularly along Main Street and Schumann Drive. She suggested in the future prioritizing extending or upgrading sidewalks. Mr. Benton stated he did look into that issue. Sidewalks are going to fall under the roads department unless it happens to be within one of the City's parks. Regarding the one from Fleming to Main Street, he stated he would contact Ms. White and they can discuss it. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2019 Ms. White also suggested the bushes along CR 512 be cut back. Regarding trees in the parks, she would like to see trimming, culling, and replacing some of the trees in the parks. Mr. Benton stated there was a consultant who helped on the Riverview Park Master Plan. He stated that now is the time of the year when tree trimming will be done. He will meet with Kim Haigler, who is the environmental person in the City, and see if she has any ideas on replacing some trees, etc. Ms. White inquired regarding bikes in the skate park if there could be posts installed close enough together that bikes could not get through. Mr. Benton said that in most cases the kids will just lift the bike over the posts and take it over top of them. • Mr. Sims inquired about any incidents at the skate park since the changes were made regarding no fees to use the park, etc. Mr. Benton stated there have been a couple incidents with bikers being in there. There has been trash scattered around, so the maintenance people are paying more attention. Other than that, he has not had any negative feedback. He stated the skate park is being used more now than it was. There have been a few issues, but nothing major. Staff has asked for assistance from the police department by keeping an eye on the activity there. The new park signage with the new rules has been installed. A security camera will be installed, and that will help a lot as far as identifying problems. Mr. Sims inquired about the Halloween event. Mr. Benton stated there were approximately 25 participants, and it did rain, so that may have kept some people away. Staff will look at providing some different activities in the future, and staff will get the word out better to the media in order to get more participation. Mr. Sims also addressed the bike problem. He suggested having a bike rack or racks that could accommodate a larger number of bikes. He wonders if the fact that there are not enough stalls in the present bike rack or racks causes the kids to take their bikes into the park. Mr. Benton stated he will look at the bike rack that is there now and see what can be done. Mr. Sims thanked the City and staff for all their hard work on maintaining the parks, etc. • Mr. Agudelo agreed with Mr. Sims regarding the skate park. He has also seen more usage of the park recently. He has seen a number of bikes there, and that PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 8 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 2019 is a safety hazard due to the size of the park. He brought up drainage at the Barber Street complex. He notices the slow drainage on the softball fields, and he would like to see if there is anything that can be done to improve that situation. He stated his parks have been looking great as well as the rest of the parks in the City. Mr. Agudelo inquired what it would take to make the park bike accessible. Mr. Benton stated that the park is too small. Bikers and skateboarders together does not work in that size area. • Ms. Webster inquired regarding the bikes at the skate park whether it would be permissible for any of the Committee members who may be passing by the park to tell the kids on the bikes that bikes are not permitted. Mr. Benton said that would be okay if that member feels comfortable doing that. She addressed drainage at the baseball fields. She stated that not long ago the surface on some of the fields was completely redone, and drainage was part of that project. Mr. Benton stated he would look into it but replacing drainage on an area that size is a huge undertaking. He will look at improving the drainage by doing some smaller things regarding specific areas. He will get with Mr. Agudelo and discuss this subject. 12. Items for the Next Agenda and Date: November 25, 2019 13. Adiourn Ms. Webster called for any further business. Hearing none, she adjourned the meeting at 6:56 p.m. By: XAn l \,4 Date:JoAnn Webster, Chairperson Yoe arks and Recreation Committee Ig