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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-17-2022 PR MinutesPARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OCTOBER 17, 2022 I. Call to Order — Vice Chair Renzi called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. Pledae of Alleaiance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present Ms. Drumheller Mr. Danise Mr. Renzi Ms. White Not Present Mr. Mauro — Excused Ms. Webster — Excused Mr. Agudelo — Unexcused Also Present Mr. Brian Benton, Leisure Services Director Mr. Joseph Perez, AV Technical Assistant Ms. Janet Graham, Recording Secretary IV. Announcements and Aaenda Modifications -- None V. ADDroval of Minutes — Meeting Minutes from August 29, 2022 Mr. Renzi called for a motion. A motion approving the Minutes from August 29, 2022 as presented was made by Ms. Drumheller, seconded by Ms. White, and approved unanimously via voice vote. VI. Public Input — None VII. Unfinished Business A. Current Project(s) Update Mr. Benton provided updates on active projects as follows: Clean-up after Hurricane Ian — He stated that there was minimal damage. There was a lot of debris such as palm fronds as well as a few downed trees. For the last couple of weeks staff has been working on cleaning that up. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 2022 Vandalism In the Parks and Restroom Facilities — Mr. Benton stated that, although this is not designated as a project, this matter was addressed by installing cameras in different areas. The skate park in the past was a problem. There was an issue there about six weeks ago, and the cameras identified those perpetrators. The police department got involved. The cameras are working in that park, and the police were able to locate those involved. There were some charges made based on what happened and the damage that was incurred. Ms. White asked if there are cameras in other parks. Mr. Benton stated that the cameras at the skate park cover the skate park area and restroom facilities by the football fields. There are also cameras at the splash pad. They were installed about a month ago. There was also a camera installed at the creative playground restroom, where there has been a lot of vandalism. In this year's budget there are funds for seven more cameras. Those will be covering more of the City's parks. They are really helpful. Ms. White asked if the City staff can pinpoint what time of day the vandalism is happening. Mr. Benton said a lot of It happens on Friday/Saturday/Sunday in the afternoon. Some of it happens closer to when it gets dark. He added that there has not been anything recently. Those involved at the skate park were trespassed from City property, and some criminal charges were made as well. Ms. White asked if there are signs posted that there are cameras present. Mr. Benton said there is posting at most of the parks, even If there are no cameras there. Ms. White asked if there should be a staff member there on weekends. Mr. Benton suggested seeing how It plays out going forward. Since the word has gotten out that those kids have been charged, there have not been any Issues. He added that the police department has been great by being proactive and going there and just interacting with the kids. He suggested giving it some time to see how the situation unfolds. Mr. Renzi asked if the vandalism has been more prevalent since the skate park was opened to the kids. Mr. Benton said it goes In phases. When the initial assessment was made, the numbers showed that rarely anyone was using the skate park. There was a staff member being paid to be there to help prevent things from happening. That person was no longer there to supervise anyone using the park, because nobody was using It. Since that time, after eliminating the staff, the skate park has been used a lot. There are a lot of families who go there and skate. Even during the day there are adults in the park skating. The Swing -and -Bench Park -- This is the park across Indian River Drive from the old Harbor Lights motel, which has been tom down. That is something that staff will be working on, coming up with some conceptual drawings, etc. over the next few months so as to get that project moving forward. It will be brought before this Committee for discussion and approval before It goes to City Council for their approval as well. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 2022 Barber Street Athletic Field — Mr. Benton said the little league is active there right now as well as the football and cheedeading programs. So it is active on a nightly basis. There are also football games on Saturdays quite frequently. Some of the projects were not addressed this year because of pricing Increases. The backstops were scheduled for replacement. That price went up about 33%, so he is trying to wait for the price to come back down some. Playgrounds -- They will be addressed soon. Staff ran into a couple of issues with some designs and in getting price estimates for those. Mr. Benton said he is working to get the most for the City's money on these projects. Ms. White asked regarding the deadline for spending those funds. She suggested waiting until after Christmas to get pricing again. Mr. Benton agreed. Mr. Benton reviewed how he has been working to get the best prices that he can. B. Committee Member Park Updates Mr. Benton clarified that this was the item that in the past was always towards the end of the meeting. It was requested by the Committee to add it under Unfinished Business on a monthly basis so the Committee members could provide updates from their parks regarding anything that has been brought to their attention. Ms. White: Regarding Easy Street park, she brought up the subject of the brown vegetation surrounding the pond. Mr. Benton explained that, since it was a very dry summer, the pond levels got really low and the water got really hot, and there was a large algae bloom within the pond. The staff used the free flow well that Is available at that park in order to minimize the algae situation as much as possible, but the algae continued to increase. Regarding removing the dead vegetation, the problem is having staff available to do it. His department is down some staff, and this Is his department's busiest time of the year, and the hurricane impacted enough to affect their schedule. Going into the cooler months, he anticipates going in there to do some removal of that vegetation. Mr. Renzi: Asked if there is any more movement on the Garden Club park. Mr. Benton reviewed that the vegetation was trimmed all the way around the park. Staff is maintaining those areas at the present time. The Issue is staff having the time to come up with designs for the walking path and then to notify the surrounding residents. He anticipates that the project will be addressed during the winter months, as he wants to be able to have as many residents as possible give Input. He commented that he has seen wildlife being present. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 2022 Mr. Mauro: Mr. Benton stated that, since Mr. Mauro could not be here tonight, he had brought some things to Mr. Benton's attention regarding the pickleball courts. He informed Mr. Benton that one of the nets needed replaced, and that was done. He also asked Mr. Benton to look into the installation of a touchless water fountain like what was done at most of the other parks. Staff is currently assessing to see if a unit like that can be installed on that restroom. That restroom is a prefabricated building similar to the one at the splash pad, and staff needs to assess whether a water fountain such as that can be installed at that building. C. Community Member Recognition Program Mr. Benton reviewed that the applications are in, but he was not able to get the final number today. The deadline for applications was last Friday. He spoke with Mr. Denise today, and they will be meeting over the next few weeks to make a selection on that. That will be presented to the Committee at the November meeting. D. Continue Discussion on Disc/Frisbee Golf Mr. Benton drew attention to the screen shot which showed Filbert Street park. He pointed out the dimensions and described the vegetation, etc. that is present in the park. One of his concerns is gopher tortoises. He saw many areas where gopher tortoises are present. These are areas that we have to make sure that we do not disturb. He put forth some suggestions as to where the frisbee golf holes might be installed, but he is concerned that Filbert park will not be enough of a challenge for the disc golfers. Another concern is not eliminating the benefit of the park to anyone other than disc golfers. Also of concern to him is ADA accessibility. That Is another element that would have to be considered. We would not have to make it ADA accessible to every single hole, but we would have to make as many as we can accessible, and that area would require some work. Ms. Drumheller asked if Mr. Benton has any idea as to how much utilization happens in those walking paths. She added that that Is her park to monitor, and she has never seen anyone walking there. Mr. Benton said that area had gotten overgrown as of about two years ago up until early this year. It was so overgrown that you could not walk those pathways. He has had a few residents calling and asking that the City clear it out. Staff then went in this year and cleared those areas. He does not have numbers on the usage of those pathways this evening. Ms. Drumheller suggested that Periwinkle park might be another potential park that could be used for disc golf. She does not know if there Is enough acreage there to potentially Install nine holes. Mr. Benton reviewed literature he has gotten from the Disc Golf Association on the acreage that is required, and he said the minimum per that literature Is six to nine acres. Mr. Benton stated that it is going to be difficult to provide enough acreage for disc golf. Ms. White proposed that the disc golf enthusiasts get together and walk Filbert park and tell us what they think as PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER 17, 2022 to whether it has the potential or not. Then they could come back to this Committee and tell us what their findings are. Mr. Benton also stated that there was a lot of resident negative feedback regarding the island at Schumann Lake. Stormwater park had also been discussed, and that is definitely not an option. At this point, Mr. Renzi called for public input on this agenda Item. Todd Clifton, Sebastian, stated that he has walked Filbert Street park, and it is a great piece of land, especially for a nine -hole course depending on how the tee pads are laid out. He described different ways for Installing tee pads, or even not having tee pads. There was general discussion among Committee members, Mr. Clifton, and Mr. Benton as to the potential for using Filbert Street ark for disc golf, the ages of participants, rules, etc. Mr. Clifton said there are rules and etiquette that need to be adhered to. The cost of installing disc golf was discussed. Mr. Benton offered to meet Mr. Clifton and his group out at the site in order to discuss options for where to place the holes. Mr. Benton also stated that he will get together with Mr. Clifton so that they can meet at the park and discuss the potential for a disc golf setup. Vill. New Business — None IX. Items for the Next Aaenda and Date: November 14. 2022 Mr. Benton stated he would provide an update on the disc golf potential project. He also reminded everyone that October 28"' is the Halloween event at the Twin Piers location. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m. The costume judging will begin at 6:15 p.m. Following that, the police department will show a movie. X. Adjourn There being no further business, Mr. Renzi adjourned the meeting at 6:j555 p.m. 1 By. � Date: Dante Renzi Vice he , Parks & Recreation Committee Jg —