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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-26-2021 PR MinutesPARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING JULY 26. 2021 Call to Order -- Chairperson Webster called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Pledae of Alleaiance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present Ms. White (Zoom) Mr. Renzi Ms. Webster Ms. Drumheller (a) Mr. Denise Mr. Mauro (a) Mr. Agudelo -- Late Arrival Also Present Mr. Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Mr. Ken Killgore, Administrative Services Director/CFO Mr. Gary Vicars, MIS Technical Analyst Ms. Janet Graham, Technical Writer (Zoom) IV. Meetina Chair Makes Announcements — None V. Aaenda Modifications — None VI. Aooroval of Minutes — June 28. 2021 Ms. Webster asked if there were any changes or additions to the Minutes of June 28, 2021 as presented. Mr. Mauro asked for a correction on Page 5, the first paragraph under Section II. In the second line where it reads "Mr. Renzi commented...," it should be "Mr. Mauro commented..." There being no other corrections, Ms. Webster called for a motion. A motion approving the Minutes of June 28, 2021 with the above correction was made by Ms. Drumheller, seconded by Mr. Renzi, and approved unanimously via voice vole. VII. Unfinished Business A. Garden Park Improvements Committee Discussion Mr. Benton reviewed that this Committee has discussed in the past improvements to Garden Club Park. He stated that a new fountain has been installed. The walking trail PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 26, 2021 on the front portion of the park has been worked on. Some trees and non-native vegetation have been identified, and they are going to be eliminated and/or moved as staff goes through the park. At the last meeting there was a question about a survey. The survey has been completed, which identifies all the property lines throughout the entire park. It includes the back portion, which is the eastern portion behind the lake. That was completed a couple weeks ago. He put a Power Point presentation on the monitor (SEE ATTACHED) which shows some photographs that he has taken at the park. Those photographs show some areas of concern. It has been mentioned by members of the Committee several times during previous discussions extending the walking trail all the way around the pond. With that, there are some concerns that would have to be looked at such as budgeting for some items. Now that we have the survey complete, staff knows exactly where those points are where some work would have to be done in order to extend the walking trail. He commented that he has heard from one resident who has concerns about the walking trail extending around the east side of the park. The concern was regarding safety. If the walking trail Is extended, it will give the public access to the back portion, which is close to neighbors' properties Mr. Benton went through each photograph on the monitor and described what each shows, his concerns regarding those areas, and what would need to be done to address those areas of concern. Mr. Benton added that we are still in the preliminary stages for this project, and it is going to come down to the direction that this Committee gives staff. If you want staff to continue to look at costs now that we have the survey, staff can do a more detailed assessment of the costs for the ideas this Committee has for the park. He asked for the Committee members to make comments and/or ask questions regarding this project. Mr. Renzi Asked if Mr. Benton knows what the size of the entire park area is. Mr. Benton said he will get that information and send it out to all the Committee members. Regarding doing a walking trail completely around the pond, he asked if a particular material would be used, or would the area just be cleared. Mr. Benton said if the direction from this Committee is for him to look into the walking trail, he will look at numerous options. There are millings, which is currently in the front portion, coquina rock, or it could just be kept more natural. He added that if this Committee decides to go ahead with a walking trail, a split -rail -type fencing will have to be installed all the way around the perimeter of the park, just to Identify the property line. Those are all costs that would be brought back to the Committee members once he gels direction on how they want to proceed. He would give the PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 26. 2021 Committee numerous options for a walking trail. • Asked if it has been thought about what would be done with the gazebo. Mr. Benton said the gazebo was pressure cleaned, and it is not in bad shape presently. Staff can go back and clean it up a bit more, but the gazebo would stay where it is. Ms. Drumheller: • Regarding the walking trail, she asked what the length of the walking trail would be if it goes all the way around the pond. Mr. Benton said that when he spoke with the people at the surveying company, they said that whenever we have a preliminary design of where we want 0le trail to go, they would get those figures for us included with their survey, and they would provide that information free of charge. • Staled she thinks it is important for the history of that park to make sure that the gazebo is kept. She related that inside that gazebo there are some signatures of people who donated funds. She thinks that historically that has a lot of significance. Ms. While: • Reviewed that this Committee has spoken often in the past about how to get people to use our parks. It seems that there are only a few of the parks being used regularly. She personally would like to see this park being utilized, as it is a very nice piece of property. She would like to go ahead and pursue getting a walking trail around the pond. (At this point Mr. Agudelo joined the meeting.) Mr. Denise: • Likes the idea of keeping the park as natural as possible. He also likes the idea of putting a fence around the park property so as to respect the private properties that abut portions of the park. Mr. Agudelo: • Regarding the walking trail, he thinks that is a great idea. He thinks that one of the best features of all of the City parks is their proximity to the homes. This is an interesting subject, and it is something that this Committee should think about. He PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 26, 2021 is aware that residents do not like their peace disturbed. He thinks that a lot of residents of Sebastian do not like the influx of new people. He also slated that the influx of new people is helping the City's economy locally. He would like the City parks to be kept from being vandalized and damaged. He referred to the skate park and how its use has grown. He is adamant that this Committee should attempt to make sure that we are not offending anyone who lives around the Garden Club Park as well as the other parks. He would like to postpone any action on this item until more public input can be obtained. Ms. Webster • She stated that on the east side of the park the boundary line is pretty close to the homes back there, so she has concerns regarding the location of the trail and how close it is to those homes. • If the path is too close to the water, there is the concern about alligators being in the water. She likes the idea of a walking trail, but she thinks there has to be concern for the environment. After extended discussion, Mr. Benton emphasized that he is looking for direction from the Committee as to whether they want to move forward with the idea of a walking trail for Garden Club Park. At this point, Ms. Webster called on anyone from the public who wished to speak on this matter. Mr. Tallant, Sebastian spoke regarding a walking trail around the pond at Garden Club Park. He described where his house is in relation to the park and mentioned some of his neighbors and how close their homes are. He states it is very dark in the area in the back of the park. There are senior citizens who live in some of those homes, and anyone having access to that area becomes a concern for those senior citizens' safety. Mr. Benton asked for a consensus from the Committee as to whether they want him to investigate the costs and designs of what would be reasonable to install a walking trail in Garden Club Park. He added that, if this Committee has a consensus that they want to gel pricing, he and his staff will get that information, come back to the Committee, and then we can send out notices to the people who live in that area as to when the meeting is going to be. To solicit input before you even have answers, whenever the public comes to the meeting they will ask questions, and if you do not have any answers, you have done the public a disservice because you are not going to have the answers for them. Ms. Webster said she thinks that is what all the Committee members would like to see. She asked for a consensus from the Committee that what they want to have happen is to have Mr. Benton get some prices. All Committee members agreed. Mr. Benton staled PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 26, 2021 he will gel some cost estimates so that there is information on the acreage, how far the walking path is going to be, and where the potential rough drawing of a walking path would take it. VIII. Public Input -- None IX. New Business A. Select a Chairman and Vice -Chairman and adopt rules of procedure Ms. Webster opened the floor for Committee members to nominate someone for the position of Chairperson. Mr. Mauro, Mr. Danise, and Mr. Agudelo nominated Ms. Webster for Chairperson. Ms. Webster closed the floor for nominations, and she accepted the position. Ms. Webster called for nominations for Vice -Chairperson. Mr. Agudelo nominated Ms. Drumheller for the position of Vice -Chairperson. Mr. Benton stated that, since Ms. Drumheller is an alternate, as well as Mr. Mauro, they are not eligible for Chairperson or Vice -Chairperson positions. Mr. Agudelo and Ms. Webster nominated Mr. Denise, and Mr. Mauro nominated Ms. White. Ms. White declined the nomination. Mr. Denise is willing to accept the nomination. Ms. Webster is now the Chairperson, and Mr. Denise is now the Vice -Chairperson. Ms. Webster called for a motion adopting the Rules of Procedure. A motion adopting the Rules of Procedure as presented was made by Mr. Renzi, seconded by Mr. Danise, and the motion was adopted unanimously via voice vote. B. FY22 Capital Improvement Projects related to the use of Recreation Impact Fees Mr. Benton stated that Mr. Ken Killgore, CFO for the City, is present to answer questions regarding these items or the budget. Mr. Benton emphasized that this is all preliminary. It comes before this Committee, and if they agree to it, it will go to City Council. So anything can be removed before City Council gives final approval in September. He reviewed the Capital Outlay Schedules and the document delineating which parks are in which zones (SEE ATTACHED). He called specific attention to the following: • The last step of the Barber Street Baseball Complex renovations. The baseball backstop project is the last phase of the baseball complex renovations. The $75,000.00 figure would be for replacing all four backstops, and that would complete the renovation of the baseball fields at that Complex. • Park Identification Signage: This gets us into the last year of replacing all of the City's park signage. There are just a few left to go, and this final $30,000.00 will PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 26, 2021 complete that project. At that point, all of the signs within all of the parks will have been replaced with the new signage that was approved. Playground Improvements: Included in this fiscal year 21-22 are Easy Street and Filbert Park. He called attention to the fact that this number will increase over this current fiscal year. That is due to what staff are finding with the playground companies. This year staff is going to have to go in and remove the old playground equipment themselves. It also gives them the ability to include more accessible components within the City's playgrounds. It was discussed by this Committee sometime ago that one of the ideas was to increase the accessible components and the inclusive components in all of the City's playgrounds for the entire community, and this additional money will allow staff to do that to ensure that we are able to accommodate everyone in the City's playgrounds. That figure is $100,000.00 for next fiscal year. There was discussion among the Committee members and Mr. Benton and Mr. Killgore, who explained how the funds are allocated to the parks in different zones and how the recreational impact fees are set. Standard Park Improvements: These are standard park improvements that are allocated for this Committee to be used similar to how we used funds this fiscal year to purchase the new fountain at Garden Club Park. This is for unbudgeted items that are park improvements recommended by the Committee throughout the year. Mr. Killgore added that Mr. Benton is one of the best department heads he has seen as far as putting together his data and materials. It makes it a pleasure to work with him. There being no further discussion, Ms. Webster called for a motion. A motion recommending that the budget that has been recommended out of recreation impact fees be presented to City Council was made by Mr. Danlse, seconded by Ms. Drumheller, and approved unanimously via voice vole. (Because of difficulty with Ms. While's audio, Mr. Benton called her by phone and placed his phone on speaker so that her audio would be clearer.) C. Committee member discussion and recommendation to City Council on playground designs for George Street Park and Blossom Park Mr. Benton reviewed that George Street Park had been budgeted for last year to have the replacements done. It was pushed it forward to this year. It was scheduled to be George Street and Filbert Street. However, due to safety concerns at Blossom Park, that playground has been moved up to this fiscal year and Filbert Park out to next fiscal year. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 26, 2021 So this year $70,000.00 has been budgeted to replace the playground structures at George Street and Blossom Park. Based on cooperative pricing and piggyback pricing, three playground companies have provided cost estimates to install playground equipment at those two parks. Basically, all of these came in under or at budget, and now it is this Committee's decision as to what design the members prefer. There was extended discussion among the Committee members regarding the playground equipment designs that were attached to the agenda packet (SEE ATTACHED). After discussion, Mr. Benton suggested that this item be tabled and brought back in August. Ms. Drumheller suggested that at the next meeting, photos from the parks be put on the overhead screen in order to visualize them. It really is a lot to try to get through, and she suggests that if the Committee is able to visualize the parks, it might be easier to discuss them. There was discussion regarding having a special meeting, after which it was the consensus that this item be tabled until the August meeting. X. Staff Matters A. Current Project(s) Update Mr. Benton reviewed the only things that are open are Yacht Club Seawall — It is in permitting with DEP. He does not know how long that will take. It typically takes two to three months. So staff is in a slow pattern with that project. Bike Racks — Some have been installed at Riverview Park. Staff is in the process of installing them throughout the City within the parks. Dugouts — The final two dugouts are a project that he is anxious to gel finished. Lumber prices are beginning to decline, so staff is in a holding pattern presently with that project. The 6 x 6 posts that are needed for each dugout —the price for each one dropped about $25.00 last week. So he is going to wait and see if lumber continues to come down. Park Signage — He received a notice today from the contractor. They are running into delays on getting some materials. So the next big installation will be the gateway signs, the "Welcome to Sebastian" signs that are on US 1, CR 512, Barber Street, and 661h Avenue. He is hoping to have them installed sometime in August. Splash Pad — He pointed out that on August W the kids go back to school, and that is PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 8 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 28. 2021 the date staff is going to have to shut the splash pad down. He said that tomorrow noticing the public will begin. The public will be advised that it is going to be shut down indefinitely starting August 100. Water is being lost somewhere, and staff has been unable to locate where it is happening. So staff are going to go in and do a substantial project to repipe the drainage from the splash pad. The decision was made to not begin the project until school starts back. Staff will try to get it done as quickly as possible. Ms. Drumheller inquired regarding the electronic sign at Riverview Park. Mr. Benton said that was approved. The contractor has the purchase order. It is in their standard build setup where it is going to take two to three months before that is Installed —that one and the one here at City Hall. XI. Board or Committee Member Matters Ms. Drumheller said she has been to the dog park a couple times, and the grass still looks great. She thought the renovation went really well, and the people seem very happy to have their dogs not be covered in dirt every time they go out of the large dog area. Mr. Agudelo spoke about when Michael Abl, Jr. passed away. That year, one of the fields that the league played on at Barber Street was named Michael Abt, Jr. Field. That was the same year that on those same fields with his little brother, Mel, a district championship was won. He was wondering what it would take to name that portion of the entire baseball complex after either Mel or Michael or both, that it would be a good thing for the community. Ms. Webster thanked everyone for their trust in electing her as Chairperson for the next year. XII. Items for the Next Acenda and Date: August 23. 2021 XIII. Adiourn There being no further further business, Ms. Webster adjourned the meeting at 7:25 p.m. By: V`I Date- �o Chairperson is \ Webster,