HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes RAB 092004PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
MEETING SEPTEMBER 20, 2004
MINUTES
The City of Palm Beach Gardens Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met on
September 20, 2004. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 P.M.
I. ROLL CALL
Present: Robert Premuroso, Tory Buckley, George Schmidt, Ernest Volonte,
Wendy Walker, Mary Anne Hedrick joined the meeting at 7:10 P.M. Absent:
Dave Lill
Also present: Charlotte Presensky, Staff Liaison, Christy Wolnewitz, Special
Events Coordinator, Dan Reidy, Golf Course Manager and Justin Lucas,
Athletics Superintendent.
II. PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD —
OCTOBER STATUS
Beginning October 1, 2004 there will be new members joining the board. All
the old members that applied have been reappointed. There will be 7 regular
members and 2 alternates. The meetings will still be held on the 3rd Monday
of every month unless the new board wants to change that time.
III. HURRICANE FRANCIS RECOVERY
Charlotte Presensky reported on the Parks and Recreation Department's
hurricane recovery effort. Most of the City's parks have reopened as of
Saturday, September 18, 2004. Most of the programs are up and running too.
There is still some clean -up of landscaping to do. All the park lights have
been checked. They were all found to be structurally sound but some of the
lights need to be redirected.
The pool house on Burns Road had a lot of damage. The roof of the pump
house pealed away and a lot of the debris landed in the pool. The pool was
checked for damage and there was no damage found. The pump house offices
can not be used. There was a lot of water damage and mold. They are going to
bring a trailer in for staff to use as an office. In addition, the phones at the
pool are not working. There seems to be a problem with the fiber optic system
that is going to be repaired.
The Tennis Center faired well in the storm. There were trees blown down and
debris but for the most part there was no real damage.
Dan Reidy reported that the City's Golf Course had a lot of flooding. There
were a lot of trees down and a lot of debris to be cleaned up. The golf course
is open although they are still working on some of the large trees that are
down.
Charlotte stated that there was significant enough damage to City property
that insurance should reimburse for many of the items that need to be replaced
or repaired.
Charlotte stated that FEMA is still housed at the Burns Road Community
Center. They will be there for at least another 30 days. They are trying to
find alternate locations for some of the activities that took place in the
gymnasium until FEMA leaves.
Charlotte commended her staff for working so hard at the Disaster
Distribution Center after the Hurricane. The board also commended the staff
for a job well done.
IV. THOMPSON RIVER LINEAR PARK
Charlotte Presensky presented the plans for the Thompson River Linear Park
and gave an overview of the project. Behind the Burns Road Community
Center is a waterway that is called the Thompson River. The Parks and
Recreation Department has applied for a grant to develop the Thompson River
Linear Park. The grant is a "match grant" in the amount of $200,000. The
City will have to match the grant with another $200,000. The park will cost
$400,000 to build. The park will have an exercise trail that will connect to the
Burns Road exercise trail by a bridge. Each side of the trail will have a half
mile of walking trail and exercise equipment. They are also proposing a small
fishing pier on the river. $400, 000 will cover the trail, exercise equipment,
lighting and the bridge. The project will start as soon as the City receives
confirmation from the government that the check will be coming.
There were some questions from the public as to the lighting, security and
who will design the park. Charlotte answered the questions as follows:
The lighting will be on a timer. The times have not been decided yet. There
will be a public hearing as the park comes closer to being built so the public
can help decide the hours of the lighting. Charlotte also stated that the bridge
will be large enough for police to be able to patrol the area. The park will be
designed by a landscape engineer. The bridge and lighting will be designed by
certified engineers.
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V. PROPOSED BUDGET — PARKS AND RECREATION ELEMENTS
Charlotte gave a hand out and presented the proposed budget for the New
Year. She went over all the budget items. She explained that a lot of the
decisions that the board made in the past few years has been added into this
budget. The board was pleased to see their efforts paying off.
VI. FRDAP APPLICATION — CITY PARK: PHASE II
The Parks and Recreation Department has applied for two FRDAP (Florida
Recreation Development Assistance Program) Grants. One grant is for the
development of City Park, Phase II. This phase will include landscaping,
lighting, 2 tennis courts, a large pavilion that will hold 8 picnic tables, four
racquetball courts, a walking trail with exercise equipment and a shaded
structure over the existing playground.
VII. FRDAP APPLICATION — LILAC PARK: PHASE II
The second FRDAP Grant application is for Phase II of Lilac Park. The
proposal for this park includes: a new playground with a shaded structure, a
launch for canoes and kayaks, a small picnic facility, exercise trail with
equipment, batting cages and warm -up mounds and the dog park.
VIII. COMMENTS BY BOARD MEMBERS
None
IX. COMMENTS BY THE PUBLIC
There was a question posed by William Olsen. He asked if there was a City
Council Liaison on the board. Charlotte stated that there were no more
Council Liaisons but the staff liaison and the board chairperson will report to
City Council with any issues and recommendations.
X. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:14 PM.
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Approval:
Robert Premuroso, Chairman
Hedrick, Board Member
Ernest V nte, Board Member
I IA
Veindy o.
Board Member
' a'h Leyland"— Al ern
David Lutrin - Alternate
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Attest:
usan Bell,
Public Information/Recording Coordinator
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