Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-22-2021 PR MinutesPARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MARCH 22, 2021 I. Call to Order -- Acting Chairperson White called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 11. Pledae of Alleaiance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present Mr. Renzi Ms. White Mr. Danise Mr. Agudelo Ms. Drumheller (a) Not Present Mr. Mauro (a) — Absent Also Present Mr. Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Ms. Barbara Brooke -Reese, MIS Manager Ms. Janet Graham, Technical Writer (Zoom) IV. Meelina Chair Makes Announcements -- None V. Agenda Modifications Mr. Benton slated there is one correction to the agenda. Under Items for the Next Agenda and Dale, the date should be April 261h instead of April 22"d. VI. Aooroval of Minutes Ms. White asked if there were any changes or additions to the Minutes of February 22. 2021 as presented. Hearing none, she called for a motion. A motion approving the Minutes of February 22, 2021 as presented was made by Mr. Agudelo, seconded by Mr. Renzi, and approved unanimously via voice vote. VII. Unfinished Business — None Vill. Public input PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2021 Seeing no one in chambers and hearing no one on Zoom, Acting Chairperson White moved to the next item on the Agenda. IX. New Business A. Committee Discussion on Garden Club Park Ms. While reviewed that Garden Club Park is on Barber Street and has been there for a long time. It has a lake on it and is a very nice piece of property. She described the history of the park, including a volunteer group that had maintained the park in the past. She stated that as far as she knows that group has dissolved. The park has been somewhat dormant for a while. She would like to improve the park so that it is something that people will be drawn to. Ms. White suggested adding a light to the fountain. She added that the vegetation that is growing on the lake needs to be cleaned up. She suggested that, if there were a walking trail around the lake, people would be more inclined to use it. The parking area needs a facelift. The benches that are present now need to be replaced. The gazebo needs some attention by painting or staining it. She suggested adding some flowering plants that would draw peoples' attention. The trees need to be trimmed, Including the palm trees that need to be cleaned up. She suggested that the park overall needs some TLC. She also suggested the memorial plaque program needs to be changed, taking the individual plaques off the trees, putting numbers on the trees, and maybe putting a sign by the entrance identifying the trees by numbers and adding the names of the people who are memorialized by those numbered trees. She further described how the money for improvements to the City's parks is designated. There was a general discussion among the Committee members regarding the Garden Club Park. Mr. Danise volunteered to get a group together to clean it up. Mr. Renzi suggested that the name of the park be changed, as there is no garden club anymore. He suggested the name of "Garden Lake Park" as a new name. Ms. Drumheller suggested reaching out to a gardening group of people from Sebastian who go to Vero Beach to volunteer. She will contact that group regarding the Garden Club Park in Sebastian. She also suggested investigating the possibility of the Boy/Girl Scouts being interested in performing some volunteer work in order to earn badges. Ms. White suggested the possibility of installing bat boxes around the lake. Mr. Danise also asked, if there is an individual in the City who had a piece of machinery that would do what is needed in the pond and would volunteer to do that, is that a possibility. Mr. Benton stated the individual would have to meet with the Stormwaler Department about doing that. He suggested that Mr. Danise have the individual contact Mr. Benton, and then Mr. Benton could meet with the Stormwater Department regarding this idea. Mr. Agudelo also volunteered to assist in anything that needs done at the park. He also thinks it would be PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2021 a good idea to change the name so that it does not include the word "Club." He also likes the idea of a walkway around the lake. Mr. Benton explained how the money could be budgeted for a project to improve the park. He does not think all the suggested improvements could be done at once, but some of them could be addressed in the next budget. He suggested working on the lighting for the fountain, replacing the benches, which he described the types of benches the City is now using to replace the old ones, and the cost of those benches, as a starting point for improving the park. He addressed clearing the aquatic vegetation in the lake and how the City is implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan that is environmentally friendly. He also explained that the biggest problem with trying to clear the aquatic vegetation from the pond is that the pond is shallow, so it needs dredging, which would come out of the Stormwater Utility Fund. Regarding a walking trail, the main expense is going to be building bridges across two areas in the park. Regarding changing the name, a brand new sign was just installed, and he will have to contact the sign contractor to see what the cost would be to change the name on the sign. It would have to go before City Council to have the name of the Park changed. Ms. White listed some projects that could be worked on immediately by volunteers as well as City employees. She also asked what these improvements would be categorized as regarding the budget. Mr. Benton staled they could be labeled as improvements. She asked if the larger projects could be included in future budgets. Mr. Benton stated he would look into whether some of the larger projects could be included in next fiscal year's budget or whether they would have to be pushed farther out. Mr. Danise asked if all this work proposed to be done on the Garden Club Park is taking away from other existing parks that need repairs. Mr. Benton stated that this Committee has $20,000.00 to spend. That figure Is not allocated to any specific park. The Capital Improvements Budget (CIP) is where City staff goes around to each of the City parks to determine what the major expenses are. There is money for unexpected projects such as vandalism, painting, etc. set aside. He suggested some of the smaller painting projects could be done using those budgeted funds. For the larger items, if you want to do them immediately, such as the benches, fountain, etc., the $20,000.00 that is allocated to this Committee will have to be used. There may be something major in one of the parks that comes up and has to absolutely be addressed quickly. He further explained that, since this park is just a neighborhood park, this Committee can allocate up to $5,000.00 for this specific park. Ms. White asked if some of these more expensive budget items can be included in next PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2021 year's budget. Mr. Benton said he would attempt to do that. Mr. Benton said with the $5,000.00 he feels comfortable that the bench replacement and the fountain work can be done. Mr. Benton said a motion would be needed to state what the Committee wants to put the money towards —three or four benches, whatever the Committee members think is best — and then the remainder on a fountain with a light if that is what the Committee determines is its best use. Ms. White feels there should be at least five new benches installed. A motion to put five benches in the Garden Club Park and install a fountain with lighting was made by Mr. Renzi and seconded by Mr. Denise. Ms. Drumheller asked before the vole is taken to consider that the cost of five benches and the fountain with lighting is going to be more than $5,000.00. She suggested it would be better to make a motion to allocate $5,000.00 and let Mr. Benton put together the best package for what he can do with that amount after studying the park to see what other projects could be done. Mr. Benton recommended that the Committee make a motion to spend $5,000.00 for the purchase of benches and a fountain, and it would be up to him then to purchase the fountain and then see what money is left for purchasing benches. There can be a few benches gotten this year, and more money for benches can be allocated in the future if needed. The first motion was then withdrawn, and a new motion allocating $5,000.00 for the purchase of a fountain with lighting and benches was made by Mr. Renzi, seconded by Mr. Denise, and approved unanimously via voice vote. X. Staff Matters A. Current Projects Update Mr. Benton updated the Committee regarding the current projects as follows Yacht Club Seawall — This project needed to be done as soon as possible. The RFQ was awarded to Ferreira Construction. They are the same contractor the City is using at the Working Waterfront to do a parking project and a shoreline stabilization project there. They are doing a great job, so they were chosen. Negotiations will be started within the next week. Ms. White Inquired as to the cost. Mr. Benton stated the RFQ does not give the City a cost, and the preliminary number to the contractor by the City was a budget of $320,000.00. That is the point where the City negotiates with the Contractor on a price. He further explained that in the pre-RFQ meeting with the participants the City asked that they not submit their documentation if they did not feel that they could meet the City's demands with replacement of the seawall for the budget the City had presented. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2021 • Kildare Bridge — Mr. Benton reviewed that Mr. Agudelo at a past meeting had brought up a concern. Since then, quite a few of the decking planks have been replaced. The staff also went through and pressure cleaned the entire decking and the rails. The City had originally planned to budget this year to replace all the decking on that bridge. However, once it has been pressure cleaned and some spot repair was done, it has been deemed to be safe. An evaluation was done on it, and there are no concerns with it at all presently regarding it needing to be replaced. • Water Fountain Replacements and Bike Racks — Most of the water fountains were covered under the CARES Fund, so there was money to spend on more bike racks. So, it is planned to purchase 16 Barco bike racks, which will total slightly less than $5,000.00. Each rack will hold up to six bikes. The plan is to put these new bike racks In the majority of the City's parks and specifically along the riverfront. Currently, there are not many places to park bikes along the riverfront. There is still money set aside to get one or two decorative bike racks to install along the riverfront as well. He stated this Committee will be shown examples of decorative bike racks before they are installed. These decorative bike racks only hold one or two bikes on the rack; they are more decorative to add eye appeal to the riverfront community. Ms. White inquired about the bike repair station that was installed. Mr. Benton stated that was done by Bike Walk of Indian River County. They funded the entire project, and the City installed the concrete base. It works well. It has all the tools needed to fix a flat or repair a tire, etc. • Pickleball Lighting — The revenue generated since the lights have been active has been approximately $1,000.00. He estimated that this amount is probably a good estimation of what will be generated going forward. • Tennis Courts — Mr. Benton is working on a more in-depth report for this Committee regarding the number of courts that are being utilized at each session. Basically, there Is an 8:00 a.m. session, a 10:00 a.m. session, and 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. sessions in the aflemoonslevenings. That is Monday thru Saturday. Sundays there is only the morning session. There has been a substantial increase in the revenue brought in since the increase in the fees. The revenue for the first 5-112 months of the fiscal year is $18,729.00. The last full fiscal year we can compare it to is 2019, since in 2020 we had to deal with COVID. However, in 2020 $15,376.00 was brought in. The last full fiscal year revenue was $21,630.00, and that was 2019. He plans to come back to this Committee with the PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2021 full report that will show the usage that is taking place during the specific hours of the park being open. B. Easter Egg Hunt Mr. Benton reminded everyone that this Friday starting at 5:30 p.m. the Easter Bunny will be present, and pictures will be done with the Easter Bunny along the riverfront. There will be DJ music, and there will be some crafts given out where the kids can create an Easter Egg magnet that they can take home, or they can do the project at home. The Easter Egg Hunt will start promptly at 6:30 p.m. There should be plenty of daylight in order to end the activities before 7:00 p.m. The Easter eggs will include candy -filled eggs for every age group except two and under. Two and under have stickers, etc. There will be some small Easter-themed toys put out for the kids. The eggs with the slips for prizes will be the same type of eggs that are filled with candy. He invited everyone to come out. Ms. White asked regarding the Creative Playground bathroom whether there was a decision about pressure washing vs. painting it. Mr. Benton stated the restroom was pressure cleaned. After that, it was deemed by staff that it does need to be painted. We have a cost estimate to get it painted, and it will be painted within the next month or so. There was also mulch installed around the base of it. Ms. White inquired about how the skate park is doing. Mr. Benton said it is getting better. There has not been as much vandalism. He stated that most of the kids are now aware that the cameras are there. The cameras are installed high enough so the kids cannot reach them. He tries to look at the cameras almost on a daily basis when he comes in to work. He scrolls through the videos and watches for anything that needs to be addressed. There are still some regulars who like to hang out there, and they are pretty much the problem kids. But the Police Department is assisting as well, and for now it has gotten a little quieter. XI. Board or Committee Member Matters Ms. Drumheller asked if there is an update on the projected timing for the closing of the dog park. Mr. Benton stated there is not. He stated that in speaking with staff it was decided that they are going to put a sign up at the park, and staff will solicit recommendations from the public. He mentioned two suggestions that he has already had. It was suggested that certain days be allocated for use of the small dog area by large dogs and other days by small dogs. He is concerned that the large dogs may PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2021 completely tear up the small dog area. But he does want feedback from the public on this matter. Ms. Drumheller stated she tries to slop by the park at least once a week, and she will try to get some feedback from folks as well, and she will email it to Mr. Benton. Mr. Agudelo inquired about an update on the park signage. Mr. Benton said he was not planning to cover that at this meeting because nothing had changed since the last meeting. As he recalls, it is about five parks that are still left to have the new signage installed. They are Blossom Street Park, Slormwaler Treatment Area, Schumann Drive Park, Kildare, Historical, and Community Center. On Riverview Park, Mr. Benton is still working with the contractor. It is not going to City Council this week, so it will go later in April back to Council. This Committee will see that again as well. So, there are seven parks and facilities still to have new signage. There should be some movement on a few of those coming up. We are in year two, and some of those were staged for year three, so they will not happen until after October. Mr. Agudelo also suggested including in the next budget a protective netting called L- screen at the baseball fields. This netting protects the pitcher. Mr. Benton stated he will contact the little league and see if they have any plans to replace the ones that they have out there. He will then look into what the costs are for those nets. Mr. Danise said all his parks except for Blossom Park are beautiful. The staff should be commended for the job they have done. At Blossom Park there needs to be repair of some of the fencing so that nobody falls in the water. He was told by some people there that nothing is ever done with this park. He asked if the fence is going to be repaired. He suggested a liability issue may be an issue there if the fence is not repaired. He would like to see some improvements made at that pads. Mr. Benton stated there is an issue with the playground there. Originally, that playground was scheduled for work during the next fiscal year starting in October. However, that has been bumped up to this fiscal year, and Filbert Street Park has now been pushed back to next fiscal year. That work will be done going forward once the quotes are received and a playground committee is formed to decide what units are going in this year as far as choosing the design. One of the things that he was planning to address with the Committee is the fencing around that playground. When the playground is replaced the fencing must be replaced, and that is not something that is budgeted within that fund. So that would be something that will be looked at. Staff has noted it, and the orange fencing is up in order to close the playground off so that no one uses it until it can be replaced. Ms. White staled the Shrimp Festival was very nice last weekend. She also mentioned a large bus that was there and asked about it. Mr. Benton stated there was a charter bus PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2021 PAGE 8 that was picking people up north of Jackson Street. That bus was running on that route pretty much all weekend. XII. Items for The Next ADenda and Date: ADril 26. 2021 XIII. Adjournment There being no further business, Acting Chairperson While adjourned the meeting at 7:04 p.m. n e White, Ac0ng Chairperson jg Date: r