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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes RAB 042406PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD April 24, 2006 Minutes The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met on April 24, 2006 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 100500 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The meeting was called to order at 7:03 P.M. and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. I. ROLL CALL Members Present Members Absent Bert Premuroso Ernest Volonte Tory Buckley Maryann Hedrick Carolyn Chaplik Wendy Walker Philip Mllton Chair Person Vice Chair Person Also Present: Councilmember /Council Liaison David Levy Recreation Director /Staff Liaison Charlotte Presensky Parks Director Mike Kelly II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Board approved the minutes from the February 27, 2006 Meeting. III. ITEMS BY STAFF LIAISON Recreation Loan Update Charlotte Presensky informed the board that the recreation loan was passed by City Council. Staff is now working on a timeline for starting the projects that will be funded by the loan. Charlotte would like to have some of the campers in the summer camp help plan the playground. Mike Kelly provided additional information about some of the projects that are being funded by the loan. They included: • Lake Catherine: The fencing, irrigation system, practice areas, tracks, lighting fixtures, new playground and dugouts will be replaced. There was discussion about the parking situation at Lake Catherine and the area that is shared with H. Watkins Middle School. • PGA Park Renovations: They have decided not to do any work on this park until the conceptual design has been completed. This should be in May or June and once the master plan is completed they will decide where to start working on the park. Update on Questions from the Board Charlotte talked about issues and questions the board had at the last meeting. She stated that the Ilex Circle gate and locking system have been fixed and are up and running. Mike Kelly reported that they have scheduled a meeting with the Sports Commission. He explained that the Sports Commission has not gathered any data on new project items. They have changed the way they are calculating the figures and it will take about a year to gather the new figures. The formula they are now using is the same as the State uses. After he meets with the Commission, he will have more information about the new calculations and will bring back the information when it becomes available. Summer Camp Registration Charlotte reported that on the first day of camp registration, there were 965 participants registered, which yields approximately $150,000 in revenue. The registration will be open to non - residents next weekend. Charlotte explained that every person that comes in contact with children will have a background check run on them. She added that to ensure the safety of the children, there will not be off -site activities this year. There is also a smaller counselor /camper ratio. Hurricane Preparation Charlotte reminded the board that Weather the Storm will be held at City Hall on April 27, 2006. Meteorologist Steve Weagle and several vendors will be at the function. In May, Charlotte will be attending a conference in New Orleans about actions that need to be taken after a storm. Additional Staff Liaison Information Charlotte told the board that she attended the Frenchman's Creek Charities Annual Tea. The Parks and Recreation Department was given $10,000 to be used towards next year's concert series. Charlotte informed the board about the Place for Hope Program. The City works with Christ Fellowship to help kids go to camp that cannot afford to go. The City provides a discount to the children that Christ Fellowship identifies as being in need of the program. Charlotte provided an update on the golf course since Dan Reidy was unable to attend this meeting. She stated that everything is on schedule and will begin on May 1, 2006 with a ground breaking ceremony on the same day.. The bridge replacement has been approved by City Council. 2 IV. OLD BUSINESS PGA Park Master Plan Charlotte reported that she received 6 proposals on the Master Planning of PGA Park and all the proposals came in under budget. They will start the process of ranking the proposals and going through the contractual process. She is hoping to have a presentation by the company that is hired at the next meeting. Hurricane Update Mike Kelly gave an update on the lighting repairs throughout the City parks. The lighting for the basketball courts at PGA Park are up and ready to go. The poles and lights on the softball fields will need to be replaced. FEMA has given a significant amount of money and the lighting will be replaced as soon as they can get a quote and get the work started. There is also FEMA money for the Plant Drive Park. The lighting for the Skate Park will be up in the very near future. The fixtures for the Skate Park and City park were already delivered and waiting to be installed. All the new lighting will have the ability to be controlled anytime, by any computer. The jogging trail is also lit. Burns Road Community Center Update Charlotte reported on the status of the Burns Road Community Center. She stated that they anticipate taking possession of the building before summer camp starts. They also have some trailers on stand -by just in case, but do not anticipate having to use them. There was discussion about the hours of the pool and Charlotte explained that there have been limited hours until Memorial Day weekend. This is because there is a shortage of lifeguards until school ends because most of the lifeguards are students. Sandhill Crane Project Charlotte stated that Todd Engle was unable to make this meeting to give an update on the Sandhill Crane project. She explained that the project is in the state of permitting process. They should have the groundbreaking in June and construction will progress throughout the summer. The park should be open by mid fall. V. COMMENTS BY THE BOARD Ernest Volonte congratulated staff on doing a great job on this year's Green Market. There was discussion about possibility extending the dates so the market will end in May instead of April. Charlotte stated that the idea behind the Green Market is for local vendors to bring their fruits and vegetables to sell. After April it gets too hot and there is not a lot of product available. The schedule for next year's Green Market is October 15, 2006 — April 22, 2007. Councilmember David Levy asked if there is going to be a Youth Festival this year. Charlotte stated that the festival will probably be held in late July, but Staff is also considering combining the Youth Festival and the Youth Triathlon in October when it is not so hot. 3 Carolyn Chaplik asked about how long the golf course will be closed and Charlotte stated it should be closed for 92 days. Ernest Volonte added that Palm Beach Gardens residents will be able to use the golf course at Bayhill Estates with proper identification and a $40.00 fee. Maryanne Hedrick asked about what effort is being made to recruit alternate members for this Board. Charlotte stated that she has called all of the people that have previously applied and have not been able to recruit anyone. She has asked her staff to make recommendations of volunteers that are very active in the recreation department. She added that the City Clerk's office has previously run ads in the local newspapers and the City Newsletter in an effort to recruit board members. Tory Buckley asked when the board will be able to tour the Burns Road Community Center. Charlotte suggested the board members contact her and she will set up individual tours so there will be no problem with the Sunshine Law. Tory also had questions regarding the parking lots at the parks and asked if impact fees can be used to expand the parking facilities. Charlotte explained that if they are expanding services they can use impact fees and this should include all the items that are affected by the expansion including the parking areas. Charlotte is going to clarify this with the City Attorney and get back to the board with additional information on this subject Tory asked if it would possible to make the jogging trail a soft/safe deck trail. He also asked if a soft trail was a possibility, would this be considered an expansion in services and be eligible for impact fees. Charlotte felt that this would be an expansion in services but also feels that she would consider adding another trail or putting a trail in a different location because the runners only want to use a hard track. Mike Kelly added that a few years ago he went to look at a soft track in Orlando. Runners do not like the soft trail because it slows down their time. He said a soft trail costs approximately $150,000. There was discussion about the possibility of adding a soft trail to the PGA Park since they are in the process of master planning. Maryanne said that Nike is offering a grant program wherein they install a trail that is made of recycled tennis shoes. Charlotte is going to do research on the soft tracks and bring the information back to the board. Councilmember David Levy reiterated that the recreation loan was passed by City Council. He said it passed very quickly and thanked the board for their hard work and recommendations. He told the board that he will be happy to relay any information they would like brought to City Council. Tory Buckley stated he would like City Council to know that this board does extensive planning and due diligence before recommending a project. They are extremely proactive, take their position very seriously and if a recommendation is made to City Council it has been fully researched prior to being made. Bert Premuroso added that the board is very passionate about the parks and he feels the board is rational about what they ask for when planning projects. The projects they plan for will grow El with the population. Councilmember Levy stated that he is very impressed with the work this board does especially the concern they have about the financial aspect of each project. He feels all their recommendations are serious and well thought out. He added that recreation is one of the most important things that the City does and the City has a great reputation for the recreation facilities and programs. Carolyn Chaplik asked about the status of District Park. When the County comes to the City for permitting she would like staff to take a good look at the parking situation because the parking on the original plan was inadequate. Councilmember Levy said he will keep this in mind when this comes before City Council. Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for May 22, 2006 as opposed to May 15, 2006. 5 VI. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to discuss the meeting adjourned at 8:17 P.M. Approval: Bert Permuroso Wendy Walker Carolyn _'' .i Cam' Ernest Vo M e Hedri T B c ey Philip Milton Attest: 'ful—I 6n, Ray Ellis, Deputy City Clerk Note: These summary minutes are prepared in compliance with 286.011 F.S. and are not verbatim transcripts of the meeting. A verbatim audio record is available from the Office of the City Clerk.