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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-20-2024 PR MinutesPARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2024 Call to Order -- Chairperson Drumheller called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. Pledge of Alleqiance was recited by all. III. Roll Call Present Mr. Danise Mr. Allen (Alternate) Ms. Drumheller Mr. Renzi Ms. Webster Ms. White (Zoom) Mr. Mauro (Alternate) Also Present Richard Blankenship, Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Perez, AV Technical Assistant Janet Graham. Technical Writer IV. Announcements and Agenda Modifications -- Ms. Drumheller wished to add under Number VII -- Unfinished Business -- to add it as number iv, to update the Volunteer of the Year program. Ms. Drumheller announced that, as the Committee goes through the meeting, in order to make it easier for everyone to have an opportunity as we go item -by -item, first to let Mr. Blankenship give his report on each item. Then at the end of that, each member will have a chance to provide questions/comments related to that item so that we have a better flow of our meeting and information. All members indicated they agreed. V. Approval of Minutes -- Meeting Minutes from April 22, 2024 All having indicated they had had a chance to read the Minutes, a motion approving the Minutes of April 22, 2024 as presented was made by Ms. Webster, seconded by Mr. Renzi, and approved unanimously via voice vote. VI. Public Input -- None VII. Unfinished Business A. Current Project(s) Update PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2024 Riverview Park Planning Mr. Blankenship thanked those who were able to attend the meeting last Tuesday night. This project is on its way. He estimated that there were over 100 members of the public who attended the meeting. The consultant will now come back with finer points of a conceptual plan that will eventually be brought to this Committee to discuss and adopt. He asked that the Committee members continue talking up the project, as we should start hearing about the grant applications that we have in right now, either later this month, or definitely in June. Mr. Blankenship then called for questions on Riverview Park. Mr. Danise -- has a concern about this. He stated that grant money is something we should consider. However, he thinks that, more important than grant money, our community is what it is, and do we want to cheapen the way it is and expand with more people and younger people. Or are we just looking to spend money. He is concerned if this is what we want or what we need, or is it about how to spend grant money. Mr. Renzi — has a few concerns regarding Riverview Park. He stated the park is supposed to be the centerpiece of Sebastian. He stated he was there today and saw a few things that he thinks could be changed or modified. One thing he noticed is there is not much grass left in the park. There is a lot of sand and a lot of dirt. The second thing he noticed is there are leaves all over the park. It looks like it has not been raked in a month. The third thing he noticed was leaves and debris in the playground. The walkways are not clean, and there is a large area of deep water on the Indian River Drive side. He said the park does not look clean anymore He asked if Mr. Blankenship could address those concerns. He also asked if artificial grass is legal, and Mr. Blankenship said that is legal and it is expensive. Ms. Webster said she would not go to the park if they had artificial grass there. Mr. Blankenship addressed these concerns. The water situation is the retention area, so the retention area is doing its job by retaining the water. As far as the debris, it was mowed today. He asked that everyone keep in mind that the City at this point does not maintain Riverview Park. It is maintained by a private contractor. They did not pick up before or after they mowed; so that is the reason there would be all that debris present. The City recognizes their flaws, and those are being addressed. It is part of their duties to pick up everywhere —the playground as well. Mr. Renzi stated he was there this afternoon, and he did not see anyone mowing. Mr. Allen said he was there at three, and it was freshly mowed. Mr. Blankenship stated that, with all the areas where there is no grass, staff talked about that today in their staff meeting, about what can be done to address that. With all the shade, it is difficult to grow grass. We need to professionally trim what needs to be trimmed and encourage more grass to grow. It is irrigated, but it is hard to grow grass in shade. As to the debris in the playground area, when the vendor mowed and blew, they blew everything onto the playground and did not pick it up. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2024 Ms. White -- reviewed that this discussion has been had in the past. It is a problem to get grass to grow because of the shade and also because the park is used so heavily with vendors, activities, etc. She asked, since she was not able to go to that meeting, is there a way she can pull up online things that were discussed. Ms. Drumheller explained how to access both the meetings. Ms. Webster -- attended the meeting where the planning was discussed, and she thought it was a great idea. She also thinks that enhancements to the whole area would be great. If they are going to give us grant money, she thinks we should take it and use it. Ms. Drumheller -- attended the meeting, and she thought it was very interesting. She uses the park a lot, and it is very sandy. She does not know if there are any alternatives to grass such as mulching. Between the squirrels, the strollers, the dogs, and the people who walk not just on the sidewalk, there is a lot of activity within the grassy areas that makes it very sandy. She has never seen good grass in the park, and she has lived here for decades. Mr. Allen -- commented on the current state of Riverview Park. He likes the natural growth there. Grass does not grow in Florida. We make it grow here by constantly fertilizing and irrigating. It is a lot of work. The grass we do have in the park is pretty well maintained. However, it is not in most of the parks. He would like some kind of solution that takes what exists in Florida and try to make it a little nicer to look at and a little more intentional. He mentioned another problem at the park -- more garbage cans are needed. Mr. Blankenship stated the staff recognizes the shortfalls with maintenance in the parks, and staff is addressing that in the 2024-2025 budget. He will go to the playground first thing tomorrow and make sure that it is clean. But staff is addressing the shortfalls in the upcoming budget. Ms. Drumheller stated that the Committee members will continue to look at Riverview Park and give staff comments about maintenance, etc. as we go forward. Obviously, staff has noticed the shortfalls, etc. ii. Bryant Court Playground Replacement Planning Mr. Blankenship stated he put this on the agenda, as it is the next playground in the CIP to be replaced. Staff has started getting designs from vendors that he can bring to this Committee for discussion. Hopefully, the Committee can come to a consensus on what is going to replace the playground at Bryant Court. He stated staff hopes to have a design chosen and have the project underway by October 2024. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2024 iii. Backstops at Barber Street replacement RFP Mr. Blankenship said that this is a project that has been on the books for a couple of years. Staffs plan is to have a design done, and it will eventually go out for bids to try to replace those and make them safer. They are not unsafe, but they need to be upgraded. iv. Update on Volunteer of the Year Mr. Blankenship has some hard copy applications for Volunteer of the Year for the Committee members. They can pick them up on their way out tonight. It will be posted on the City's website. The deadline for applications is October 16t", so we can start collecting at any point. As we move closer to the 16th we will talk in more detail about the protocol and how this process will work once we get the applications in. Ms. Drumheller asked if the application is presently on the website. Mr. Blankenship said it is not. He will get it to Avery and the MIS department tomorrow. He opined that it will be on the front page of the website. B. Committee Member Park Updates Ms. White -- She has had people checking on the park for her while she is out of town. She has had no input, so she is assuming everything is good, as usual. Mr. Renzi -- He said what he had to say about Riverview Park. The other two parks are fine. Ms. Webster -- She said everything is good. She mentioned that she had a very good report from a friend of hers from Vero Beach who visited the playground. Mr. Allen — He stated that the Committee was updated on Bryant Park this evening. Historic Park is being well maintained, as always. As to Kildare, he described this park as kind of a wild card. Literally, it is wild. He asked if the Parks Department has any plans with what to do with Kildare. Right now, it is fantastic for a walk-through native Florida. Mr. Blankenship stated there are no formal plans. Staff has not had any discussion about Kildare. He has some thoughts for it, as it is a very unique area. Mr. Allen said as long as the park is kept clear enough that people can walk through it and enjoy a little slice of native Florida in the middle of the City, he is very happy with it. Mr. Mauro -- He stated the Main Street boat ramp, the Yacht Club marina are both looking fine. Pickleball continues to be very busy, and everything is good there, except the storms over the weekend did a little damage to the windscreens, so they will need some attention. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2024 Ms. Drumheller -- She stated her parks are fine, and she does not have anything to report on those. Mr. Danise -- He had nothing to report. C. Upcoming Events at Riverview Park Mr. Blankenship reviewed events as follows: i. May 27, 2024 Memorial Day Ceremony at 11:00 a.m. ii. Concert in the Park on June 71h, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. iii. June 10 to July 7, 2024 Sebastian River Rowing Club Camps Mr. Blankenship suggested that this is the first time that the Sebastian Rowing Club has ever used Riverview Park for their summer camps. They will be there for two weeks this summer hosting their summer rowing camps. iv. July 4'h parade and activities. The parade application is on the website now. Applications are also available at City Hall. VIII. New Business A. Park Memorial Program —Draft Mr. Blankenship said that he is not quite ready to review this tonight. Hopefully, he will be ready to go over this program at the June meeting. B. Harbor Lights will be a passive park. Mr. Blankenship stated that at the last City Council meeting it was the consensus that the Harbor Lights site will be a passive park. Staff will work on the design/amenities of this park. Ms. White asked if there could be a few picnic tables put in that area. Mr. Blankenship said yes, staff will go through a planning process. It will have to meet ADA standards as well as traffic around the area. She also asked regarding where pedestrians cross at the intersection in that area, if there is any way for pedestrians to push a button, and the lights flash so that they can cross safely across the road there. Mr. Blankenship said there will be a traffic study done, and traffic engineers will give us the safest way to get pedestrians across the roads. It may be a flashing crossing area for pedestrians, which is common. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2024 Ms. Drumheller stated this will be a great addition to the City. C. Private special event discussion Mr. Blankenship stated that there will be a discussion with City Council -- he thinks it will be at the first meeting in June -- about how the City handles private, for -profit special events in the City. The City wants to make sure it has a good grasp on how these reservations for these special events will be handled. His experience has been that these things can get out of hand if there is not a good grasp on controlling the applicants and what they do there. If somebody comes with an event that really does not fit our style in Sebastian, that the City has ways that it can say no, we are not entertaining this application. Ms. Drumheller asked, other than the events that the City co-sponsors with other not -for - profits, if there is a reason to rent Riverview Park out, as it really closes off everything to anyone else who just wants to use the park for the duration of the event. Mr. Blankenship said there are several reasons such as having activities in the City, etc. It does bring some revenue to the City. It does bring some economic impact to the City. Some may think that it adversely affects economic impact when the roads are closed, etc. Ms. Drumheller asked if there is anywhere else where these events could be held. Mr. Blankenship said it is the only park on the River that could hold an event. There are other parks that would be event friendly. Ms. Drumheller asked if anyone had any other items they wish to address. Mr. Allen -- He addressed the new format of having the alternates sitting in the area where the public sits. He would like the person in the City who made that call to watch this recording to see if the flow matches their expectations. Mr. Blankenship said it is the City Attorney, and he will speak with her. Mr. Danise -- He said he hates to see this Committee just go along with ideas. He likes the fact that this Committee has made recommendations that the City sometimes adopted and sometimes came back with reasons why not. He added that he does not want to be on any Committee that has a stamp that says we agree, we agree, we agree. He would hate to see this Committee become that. Ms. Drumheller stated that she was at the City Council meeting where they voted to change the policy. This was all driven from City Council to all of the committees, and we were not given a voice in this. City Council approved it, and that is how it got to us. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAGE 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2024 Mr. Renzi -- opined that they want a rubber stamp up here to say yes, everything looks great, and you are doing a great job —which we are doing a great job. Mr. Danise agreed. Ms. Drumheller disagreed. She mentioned that she has had good experiences with all of the staff when she has brought them issues and problems. She thinks this Committee is here to discuss the feedback from the local communities and from friends and residents who live here. There are things that are policy, and this was a policy that City Council adopted. So, she stated, if the Committee members think it is not good for the Committee, she encouraged the members to email the City councilmen, because that is really where it lies. It is process and policy. Ms. Webster -- stated that, although she does not agree, since the Council made the decision, the Committee members are able to input if they disagree. That was seen tonight. She does not care for this situation. She does not agree with it. However, it is a policy that has been made. As long as alternates can still have input, yes. Ms. Drumheller agreed, but she feels that it is kind of an awkward change. Ms. White -- stated that she does not like that the alternates are sitting away from the Committee members. She is going to email the City Council and tell them that the alternates are part of the group, and she feels they should be on the dais with the regular Committee members. She said she is not sure exactly what Mr. Danise is saying -- that there is not a lot going on or that we are rubber stamping projects and ideas. She does not feel that way. She thinks right now that things are going so smoothly with Parks and Recreation, but there are always things that will come up, and this Committee will be addressing those things. She feels that Council does consider our suggestions/opinions that we bring to them. She stated that she thinks right now the Committee should be happy that things are running smoothly. Mr. Allen -- stated that, it being a policy change, clearly there was a real need for this to happen in some advisory committees, but perhaps not all of them. It might have been that this policy change was everyone must change how they are operating, when it perhaps should have been that it is up to the chairperson of each committee to decide how this is handled. He stated that he will also be sending an email to City Council, and that is going to be his proposal. Mr. Blankenship asked that the Committee join with staff to present Mr. Danise with a plaque in appreciation of his many years of service to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. All Committee members gathered with Mr. Danise and presented the plaque and thanked him for his service. He was very appreciative. He also spoke on the property where the Harbor Lights Motel was situated. IX Items for the next aoenda and date: June 24, 2024 PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING MAY 20. 2024 PAGE 8 There being no further business, Ms. Drumheller adjourned the meeting at 6:40 p.m. By. Vicki Drumheller, Chairperson jg Date: /r