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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-28-2022 PR Minutes w/ AttachmentsPARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 28, 2022 Call to Order — Vice -Chairperson Denise called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Pledae of Allealance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present Mr. Mauro (a) Ms. Drumheller (a) Mr. Denise Ms. White Mr. Renzi Ms. Webster — Late Arrival Not Present Mr. Agudelo — Excused Also Present Mr. Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Mr. Joseph Perez, AV Technical Assistant Ms. Janet Graham, Technical Writer IV. Meetina Chair Makes Announcements — None V. Agenda Modifications Mr. Mauro proposed an agenda modification under New Business. He recommends changing the word "rules" to "rule" on the sign listing the rules for the Pickleball Court Complex. Ms. Drumheller opined that, since it is an agenda item and is a discussion about pickleball court rules, she would like to see any of the rules up for discussion versus just one. She does not think the wording needs to be changed. VI. ADDroval of Minutes — Minutes from December 20, 2021 Mr. Denise asked if all the Committee members have had a chance to review the Minutes from December 20, 2021. All indicated they had. Mr. Denise called for a motion. A motion approving the Minutes of December 20, 2021 as presented was made by Ms. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2022 Drumheller, seconded by Ms. White, and approved unanimously via voice vote. VII. Unfinished Business A. Community Member Recognition Program Mr. Benton reviewed what has been discussed pertaining to this program in prior meetings. Tonight, staff Is presenting the Committee with a draft form of a nomination form. He is asking for feedback on this form. Ms. White asked regarding Item No. 4 whether this item includes City employees. Mr. Benton stated it would not include City employees. It is strictly a volunteer program. Ms. White asked, if a City employee performed activities outside of his/her employment with the City, could that person be nominated. Mr. Benton answered, if someone has gone above and beyond their City duties, such as the little league program, tackle football, etc., outside of his/her normal working hours and committed a lot of time and effort to it, he suggested that might be considered on an Individual basis. Ms. Drumheller also asked regarding No. 4 on the second page of the form where it states, "To what extent has this individual's efforts been previously recognized by the community?" she does not care about that. She suggested that, if there is someone totally involved in the community and has done a lot of volunteering in relation to Parks & Recreation and worked with kids, etc., and they have been recognized by another group such as the Lions Club, etc., she would like to strike this question. The other members of the Board agreed. Mr. Benton stated that, if there is tentative approval tonight on the form, staff will bring It back for final approval at the next meeting as well as finalizing a process of how we are going to move forward with this. Then after the next meeting we could notice it and, depending on which time frame we choose, we can look to recognize someone around the July 41h parade, or we can take It to the Christmas parade situation. The judging committee will all be discussed at the next meeting. That committee could Involve staff, one member of this Committee, and then possibly one or more members of the community. There being no further discussion, Mr. Danise called for public input on this agenda item only. There being no further discussion or public Input, Mr. Denise called for a motion. A motion approving the form after deleting Question No. 4 on the second page of the form was made by Ms. Drumheller, seconded by Mr. Renzi, and approved unanimously via voice vote. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2022 Vill. Public Input Daniel Abrahao, Director of Shark Tennis Program, and Francis Papineau, Mental Game Coach, both Sebastian residents, spoke on proposing a formal tennis program in Sebastian. It would be named the Shark Tennis Program. Both gave their histories within the sport of tennis (SEE ATTACHED). This program would be in partnership with the WIN International Tennis Academy that is based out of Brazil. There was extended discussion among the two gentlemen and the Committee members. After much discussion, Mr. Benton stated that this subject is very preliminary. Once it is formally proposed to the Committee and the Committee makes their recommendation of yes or no, It would then have to go to City Council and a formal contractual obligation would need to be written if approved by City Council. A motion was made by Ms. Drumheller to invite these gentlemen back to our next meeting, put them on the agenda for further questions/comments as well as public comment. The motion was seconded by Mr. Renzi and was approved unanimously via voice vote. Ms. White suggested that Input from City staff will be needed regarding the courts and their usage. John Drawe and Lawrence Boswell, Sebastian — addressed the Committee regarding the boat ramp area. They both use sailboats, and they are quite different for a launch area than power boats. They presented a letter to the Committee members describing a proposal for an additional launch area for sailboats (SEE ATTACHED). There was an extended discussion regarding this subject, part of which described allowing the sailboat users to drive over the grass and the sidewalk to the water where they would launch their sailboats. Mr. Benton stated the people who use that launch area now are not permitted to drive across the sidewalk. He stated he has spoken to Mr. Boswell on this subject. He is awaiting some information he has requested regarding the Riverview Park area. There will be no changing of signage at this point. If the Committee wants these gentlemen to come back at the next meeting as an agenda item, he will have more information at that time. If he finds out that this proposal is feasible, he will have It on the agenda at the next meeting; if it is not to be approved, these gentlemen will be informed. IX. New Business A. Pickleball Court Rules Discussion Mr. Benton stated this is an item brought up by Mr. Mauro, and he asked for Mr. Mauro's Input. Mr. Mauro presented a photograph of the Rules and Regulations at the Sebastian Pickleball Complex (SEE ATTACHED). He is suggesting a change where it states the PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2022 play be limited to one hour while others are waiting. He would like to see it state that play be limited to one game while others are waiting. There was extended discussion by the Committee members on this subject. Mr. Denise asked Mr. Benton for his input. Mr. Benton stated that this has been an ongoing subject for a couple months. He has personally met with five groups who play pickleball at the courts. He has done much thinking and research regarding the rules at the courts. He agrees that the one -hour limit has been misused. One group had misinterpreted the one -hour rule, and they asked for clarification, which he provided. He would like to set up an open meeting at the pickleball courts and have an in-depth discussion with everyone, explaining the rules, explaining the process, explaining how people need to be courteous towards one another. There was a protracted discussion among Committee members and Mr. Benton. Mr. Denise called for public input. Eileen Hanley, Sebastian — stated the bottom line is respect, inclusion and not exclusion. People need to be courteous and be thankful for what the City has provided. Marguerite Abercrombie — spoke regarding Mr. Mauro's comments. For the most part, she has not witnessed problems with getting on the courts. She does not think there are ever 40 to 50 people waiting for courts. She admits that since January there have been some people waiting in the morning, probably not more than 15 minutes, and her group has been yelled at. She suggested that the wording on the list of rules should remain the same. She thinks that the situation has been blown out of proportion. Holly DIII, Roseland Road — disagreed from the standpoint of there being just a few days where the courts are being used heavily. She has been there when there have been 10-25 people waiting to play. She questioned what is wrong with the rule saying, "Please limit play to one game when others are waiting." Jane Sarafino — has been playing on the courts since their inception. These past couple of months things have gotten out of hand. There have been people almost bullying others to get off the courts. She agrees that people should work together to get along. She has talked to Mr. Benton about the situation. She belongs to a small group who play, and sometimes she feels her group is being overrun by the group that comes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She stated that Mr. Benton can see from the cameras that there are not 40 or 50 people waiting to use the courts. She Is unclear as to when the one hour of play is up. Mr. Benton said that the hour begins from the moment the first person steps on a court, and he gave examples of how the one hour is defined. Ms. Sarafino said that her group was actually not doing It correctly. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2022 Mr. Mauro clarified that when he mentioned earlier that 32 people can be playing, and 40 to 50 people are there. There are not 40 to 50 people waiting. There is a total of 40 to 50 people. There may be 4 to 10 people waiting. He also wanted to clarify that he does not have a group. He does not care whom he plays with. Ms. White suggested letting the one -hour rule stand and see if the situation can be worked out among the people playing pickleball. If It cannot be worked out, then it can be brought back to be further addressed. Ms. Webster feels that everyone should get along, and she thinks it is okay to leave the rule as it is. Ms. Drumheller agreed that the rule should be left as it is. Mr. Renzi wonders why everyone wants to play pickleball in the morning. Mr. Danise called for a motion on this Item. A motion leaving the one -hour rule as it is for the pickleball courts was made by Ms. Webster and seconded by Ms. Drumheller. By voice vote, the ayes were four and the nays were one. The ayes have it, and the motion passes. X. Staff Matters A. Current Projects Update George Street Park Playground Installation -- is scheduled to begin tomorrow. He met with the contractor, and the installation will begin tomorrow. Blossom Playground -- was delivered to the Installation company. However, the poles were the wrong color. So the installation company is waiting to receive new poles from the playground manufacturer In order to set up a tentative installation date for that playground. He is aware that there has been nothing there for quite a while. He is pushing the installation company as much as he can. Baseball Dugout Construction -- is back to advancing . That is a project that we have done in-house. There Is only one man working on the project, and if he gets pulled away to go somewhere else, that slows things down. Both of the dugouts should be completed within the next month. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2022 Yacht Club Seawall Project -- Is moving along, and he anticipates completion within the next month. Ms. White suggested having a ribbon -cutting event for that project. He invited everyone to go by the Bryant Court Park and Filbert Street Park. The City went through this winter and at Filbert Street they cleared the pathways in that park on the north side. At Bryant Court, in the middle of that park there is a large, wooded area that had some heavy undergrowth. City staff went through and cleaned it up. There are still a few things to be cleaned up there, but that park is looking much better. B. Easter Egg Hunt It is scheduled for Friday night, April 15'h. It was tried on a Friday night last year, and it seemed to go really well. The proceedings will start at 5:30 p.m. There will be a visit with the Easter Bunny, and then everything will be In place for the egg hunt to start at approximately 6:45 or 7:00 p.m. That exact time will be posted on the flyers. The Police Department will have the movie night showing Immediately after the Easter Egg Hunt. Ms. White suggested that there should be a section for older people. She has felt this way for a few years. Mr. Benton said he will consider It. C. Upcoming Events In Riverview Park Chamber of Commerce "Concert In the Park" this coming Friday from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. 2. Sebastian Craft Club will have a 2-day event on March 12'h and 131^. Both days they start at 10:00 a.m. and go to 2:00 p.m. 3. Shrimpfest and Craft Brew Hullabaloo will take place from Friday, March 181h, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m., Saturday, March 19'h, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 20"', 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Ms. Webster added that the Craft Brew Hullabaloo is on Saturday, beginning at 1:00 p.m. XI. Board or Committee Member Matters Ms. White said the new fountain at Easy Street Park is lit, and it Is beautiful. Regarding the property by the old motel on Indian River Drive, she asked if the motel is torn down, what will the City use that property for. Ms. White also brought up the situation at the restroom needing some attention over near Crab E BIII's. She would like to see a sign posted there with contact Information if something needs attention. Ms. White asked if PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2022 there will be sidewalks Installed at the railroad crossings. Mr. Benton said yes, but he is not sure when that will happen. Ms. Webster asked what the situation is with the old Mobil Gas Station. Mr. Benton said he thinks there was a permit given for demolition, and he thinks it is being rebuilt. Ms. Webster also asked about the closure of CR 512 east and west. Mr. Benton said they closed them down a little later than had been anticipated. They had announced the closure at 7:00 a.m., and it was a little bit later when they closed it. XII. Items for the Next Aaenda and Date: March 28th. 2022 XIII. Ad ourn There being no further business, Mr. Denise adjourned the meeting at 7:40 p.m. By Date: /` o n anise, Vice' hairperson A Proposal for Tennis Courts at City of Sebastian Shark Tennis ProgramMIN Tennis Academy hftps:/Iwintennisteam.com.br/ About Us Below is a proposal for the use of the tennis courts in the City of Sebastian (Friendship and Schumann Park) for the creation of the Shark Tennis Program. This would be a partnership with existing WIN International Tennis Academy (WITA) out of Brazil. WITA has nearly 20 years of tennis coaching experience and has produced many high level junior players, several collegiate players at all levels (NCAA D1, D2, D3, and NAIA) as well as successful touring professionals. Our focus is on extremely high quality coaching from the very early stages (10 & Under) all the way to adult instruction. WITA is passionate about the sport of Tennis and the impact it can have on each individual that is part of our program. Our mission is to not only create excellent athletes but most importantly excellent character and we are motivated to create sport experience that will continue to positively impact our athletes in all aspects of their lives. Sebastian Tennis Program WITA is interested in expanding its operation to a location in South/Central Florida in order to provide current and future players with easier access to local junior and professional tournaments as well as develop a closer relationship with state universities for scholarship opportunities. In addition to that we would like to promote the growth of Tennis in Sebastian, FL and Indian River County providing local residents with opportunities to learn and play the game. After conducting extensive research into several Florida communities and visiting the City of Sebastian as well as the Friendship Park and Schumann Park tennis facilities, we firmly believe that it would be the perfect location to grow and develop our operation due to its central location, small-town environment and support. We are also thrilled with the opportunity to bring new recreational and competitive tennis experience to the community. Proposal for Tennis Courts at City of Sebastian Shark Tennis Program/WIN Tennis Academy https://wintennisteam.com.bri Community Programs Youth Programs (10 & Under): Utilizing the United States Tennis Association (USTA) 10 & Under methodology and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Play & Stay curriculum CFR will implement an year-round program for children interested in getting started in the sport of Tennis. Participants will have the opportunity to receive high-level instruction from our World -Level coaches teaming the basics of the sport in a technically correct, fun and age -appropriate way. This program would run twice a week for 45-60 minutes during the school months. Junior Training (11 & Up): This program targets children ages 11 and older that perhaps already play Tennis but want to improve their skills in order to be competitive at the Middle and High School level and eventually progressing to USTA Florida State Tournaments. Our goal here is also to host a USTA Junior Tournament at some point when there is enough junior participation. This program would run three times a week for 90-120 minutes during the school months and with the possibility of Summer Camps in the June -August period. Adult Play: The adult program is intended to offer basic to intermediate level players with instructional opportunities that could foster the development of recreational organized play including USTA Leagues. This program would run twice a week for 60 minutes and participants will benefit from World -Class instruction from our Coaches as well as the opportunity to interact and play with some of our top-level junior and touring professionals. High Performance Academy: The high performance program would run Monday through Friday from B-11 AM and 2-5 PM. Hours would be subject to change due to court use by High School program for example. This program would start initially with some of our current athletes that are in the program but it would be open to local residents from our community programs as they advance and gain the necessary skills to participate and compete. Proposal for Tennis Courts at City of Sebastian Shark Tennis Program/WIN Tennis Academy https://Wintennisteam.com.br/ Starting Plan (7st Year) Our goal for the first year is to introduce the sport of Tennis in the community and make a great impression with high quality instruction at very affordable prices for both children and adult programs. We will even offer free beginner tennis clinics in order to attract new players. At the end of Year 1 we expect to have 2030 active players in our Youth Programs (10 & Under), 10-20 active players in our Junior Training program and 30-50 Adult Play participants. Courts needed: 1-2* Growth Plan (Years 2-3) As the program consolidates and reaches more substantial numbers we would like to introduce competition opportunities including Junior Team Tennis. There is currently an active League in Stuart and Melbourne that our program would be able to join. Adult Leagues are also thriving in all of Florida so our adult participants would also be able to experience the benefits of recreational competition right away. In addition to that we would be very interested in organizing sanctioned and non -sanctioned tournaments at the Friendship and Schumann facilities, which would be great for bringing people from other locations to Sebastian. Courts needed: 24* Continuing Plan (Years 3 and after) Our program is looking for a location/facility that we can establish a successful program in the long run and will not need to relocate in a few years. We believe we have found that in Sebastian. The number of tennis courts would allow our programs to grow organically and consistently over the years. We would love to see local youth players move through the different programs offered and reach the highest levels of competition. Our long term plans include a thriving adult and junior league program with more than 300 players, USTA-Sanctioned events. Courts needed: 4-6* *Courts to be used during program hours only, remaining available for public use during the off hours. Proposal for Tennis Courts at City of Sebastian Shark Tennis Program/WIN Tennis Academy https:llwintennisteam.com.br/ Our Team Daniel Abrahao, Director of Shark Tennis Program Former NCAA Division I Tennis Player at Gardner -Webb University B.S in Sports Management from Gardner -Webb University - 10+ years of Tennis Coaching Experience - Worked for the North Carolina Tennis Association (2007-2009) - Worked for the Randy Pale Tennis Academy in Winston-Salem, NC (2009-2011) - Head Trainer at Treasure Coast CrossFit in Sebastian, FL Francis Papineau, Mental Game Coach - Francis loves sports and helping athletes take their game to the next level - Francis was awarded the title of Certified Mental Game Instructor, (CMGI) - Francis is an Amazon best-selling author of Success Breakthroughs which he co-authored with Jack Canfield - Francis received his Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Montreal Elson Longo, Founder & Head Coach - Former Professional Tennis Player - B.S in Theoretical Physics from Universidade de Sao Paulo - 20+ years of Tennis Coaching Experience - International Tennis Federation Speaker and Presenter Wrote several magazine articles and books Coached the following professional players: Vivian Segnini (BRA) 270 Roxane Vaisemberg (BRA) 290 Carolina Malheiros (BRA) 850 Stephanie Theiler (SUI) 900 Monique Albuquerque (BRA) 600 Mauricio Doris Medina (BOL) 630 Ricardo Hocevar (BRA) 149 Caio Zampieri (BRA) 182 Barbara Gatica (CHI) 440 Fernando Romboli (BRA) 243 Tiago Lopes (BRA) 316 Oscar Gutierrez (BRA) 398 Proposal for Tennis Courts at City of Sebastian Shark Tennis Program/WIN Tennis Academy https://wintennisteam.com.br/ Guilherme Lucente, High Performance Tennis Coach - B.S in Physical Education from UNICEP (Brazil) - ITF Level 2 Coach - 7-Years of Tennis Coaching experience - Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese Nicolas Santos, High Performance Tennis Coach - Ranked as high as #457 in the World in Singles (ATP) - Ranked as high as #349 in the World in Double (ATP) - Ranked as high as #2 in the World as a Junior Players (ITF) - Winner of Eddie Her International Junior Tournament and Runner -Up in the Orange Bowl Fablo Garcia, High Performance Tennis Coach - B.S in Physical Education from Universidade Toledo (Brazil) - 30 years of Tennis Coaching experience Gabriel Games, High Performance Tennis Coach - B.S in Physical Education from FMU (Brazil) - M.S in Sports Training with a specialization in Youth Sports from Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal) - Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese - Extensive Travel Coach experience at ITF level events In addition to our current teaching professionals that are going to be on a rotating schedule spending time at the Sebastian program (4-8 weeks), we intend to hire and train 1.2 tennis coaches from the area to be a part of the program on a permanent basis. This would be a great opportunity for anyone that is passionate about the sport to learn from a very experienced staff and develop into a high-level Coach. Proposal for Tennis Courts at City of Sebastian Shark Tennis Program/WIN Tennis Academy hftps://wintennisteam.com.brl References Kelly Gaines, Executive Director - North Carolina Tennis Association kelly@nctennis.com 336-852-8577 Paul Scarpa, Former Head Tennis Coach - Furman University 864-525-4540 Lane Newsome, Chief Financial Officer - Bluezoom lane@bluezoom.biz 336-245-2204 Mike Griffith, Head Tennis Coach - Gardner -Webb University mgriffith@gardner-webb.edu 704-406-4639 Randy Pate, Owner 8. Coach - Randy Pate Tennis Academy (843) 388-0898 Contact Daniel Abrahao 863-458-4840 anlsoortshrr7a amail.com