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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes RAB 091295• PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT 4404 BURNS ROAD PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33410 PHONE (407) 775 -8270 • FAX (407) 775 -8280 CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING SEPTEMBER 12, 1995 SUSAN MILLER Director The City of Palm Beach Gardens Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met Tuesday, September 12, 1995 at 7:30 P.M. at the Riverside Community Center. Members present included Co- Chairman John Elsner, Ronnye Sands, Sandy Gottlieb, Bette Bates, Joanne Steele, Joe Kuveikis, Don Babin, Y.A.A. President, Susan Miller, Director/Parks and Recreation, Dick Cameron, Superintendent/Parks, Not present: Chairman Jeff Sabin, Rick DeKeyser, Y.A.A. Vice President, Brian McLaughlin, Superintendent/Recreation, and Mayor • Joseph Russo. In Chairman Jeff Sabin's absence, Co- Chairman John Elsner conducted the meeting. I APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: *The minutes from the June 7, 1995 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board were approved as written. II DIRECTOR'S REPORT: *All were welcomed back from Summer Break and thanked for participation. *Katie Gibson, Special Events Coordinator, was introduced to the board. She gave a synopsis of upcoming events, talked about volunteers for special events, and spoke about the new GardensArt Specialist, Sally Wolfe. *Fall program registration is going on at this time with some preschool and some aerobic classes already full. *Gardens Dance program will be run by Liza Stouras. Liza had her own dance company in England and is very enthusiastic about our program. *Special Interests Coordinator, Trish Jensen, resigned after the birth of her baby. We will be interviewing candidates for that position shortly. *Camp Gardens 1995 was the best ever -- activities, trips, seasonal staff made it extremely successful with overall excellent comments from parents. Total participation was approximately 2,100 for the 9 weeks. *Burns Road Community center had to be repaired and painted before the Fall programs WINNER OF THE NATIONAL GOLD MEDAL AWARD begin. Nine weeks of camp, along with the normal annual wear and tear this community center has from active participation in all our programs make this necessary at the end of each summer. *Summer Safari 1995 was a success in spite of the electrical storm and rain. Rides, entertainment, food booths were all rated high on our surveys. III OLD BUSINESS: *Parks Master Plan update indicated that $1.7 million in impact fees will be made available for priority projects, to include roller hockey, soccer facility, Lake Catherine lighting, and PGA adult softball fields. *The Westminster property acquisition at Military and Burns is under consideration and appraisers are looking at it for future acquisition by the City. *Staff is waiting on roller hockey design at Plant Drive Park. YAA has raised $50,000 for scoreboards, fencing, etc. No leagues will be started until the rink is completed. Completion target is January, 1996. *Plant Drive baseball field converting to PBGHS baseball field. High School will build batting cages and dugouts. Coaches are hoping for a "state of the art" field. *Klock property clearing is in progress to accommodate a total soccer facility with picnic areas, parking and four tournament fields and two youth fields. *Playscape at Burns will be replaced in the next year's budget. We are looking at options in playground structures. *Lake Catherine in mediation and working out an agreement so that we can light the fields by Spring, 1996 and replace the 4th field to provide more adequate parking. • *Phase I of Oaks Park development completed with playground equipment installed. Phase II includes a pavilion with storage room and Phase III includes tennis courts; both phases are budgeted in fiscal 1995/1996. IV NEW BUSINESS: *Blue Ribbon Committee/Visioning will be recommending we raise our level of service from 3.5 to 5. Jeff Sabin and Susan Miller did a presentation for the committee to establish policy for new levels of service for recreation. *YAA Annual Meeting will be September 26th and the budget will be finalized, along with nominations for officers. The old and new boards are encouraged to work together on proposed changes in the bylaws. The City and YAA will work on an agreement for the new year. Don Babin, YAA President, was thanked by the board for the outstanding job he and his wife, Kathy, have done this past year. V MEMBERS REPORTS: *Sandy Gottlieb mentioned that her husband is now on the Board of North County Little League. North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens have low enrollment due to no place to play, no lights, etc. and they must travel to other north county locations to play games. *Joe Kuveikis questioned project west of Military Trail and south of Holly Dr. where they are taking down trees. He questioned also the B & E Committee which is on hold at this time. • *Bette Bates commented on lights that are out from time to time on the jogging trail at Burns Road. She used the jogging trail daily. .Ir -�% • *Joanne Steele expressed concern about the lack of participation and lack of interest in our city swim team, the Mako Sharks. The team has dropped from over 100 competitive swimmers to fewer than 30. *Ronnye Sands complimented Brian McLaughlin for his assistance in organizing the Pool Nite for the 5 Star Magnet Program. *The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 P.M. Respectfully Submitted, C& 1171'6�n Dee Schneider NOTES: *Our neat meeting will be October 10, 1995 at Burns Road Community Center at 7:30pm. The November and December meetings will be at Burns Road. *The monthly agendas will be distributed at the beginning of each meeting instead of being mailed with the minutes. • • a . INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Kim Glas- Castro, AICP Principal Planner FROM: Marty R.A. Minor 2,1!�y Planner I1 DATE: June 13, 1995 RE: Questionnaire results from the June 8, 1995 Visual Preference Survey We had 66 respondents to the questionnaire which was presented to the approximately 100 residents who participated in the June 8, 1995 Visual Preference Survey at the Burns Road Community Center. The residents were asked to provide' the three greatest assets and the three greatest problems of the community. Space was also provided for residents to write any additional comments. Below is a summary of the residents' responses to these inquiries. Other Items Mentioned: Weather, Beaches, Medical Facilities, Parking, Library, Low Taxes, Government Responsiveness, Diversity in Business Opportunities, Potential Growth, Low Density, Churches, Slow Pace No. of Percentage Assets Citations of Respondents Public Safety /Police /Fire /EMS /Low Crime Rate 27 41% Parks and Recreation 24 36% Pleasing Atmosphere /Visual Appeal/ Well- Maintained Neighborhoods 20 30% Natural Environment /Landscaping / "Greenness" 18 27% Convenience/ Location 16 24% People /Demographics 12 18% Shopping /Commercial 8 12% Traffic /Roadways 7 11% Schools 7 11% Parkways /Sidewalks 6 9% Cleanliness 6 9% Good Zoning /Planning 5 8% Quality of Development /Housing Quality 5 8% Art In Public Places /Performing Arts Center 5 8% Other Items Mentioned: Weather, Beaches, Medical Facilities, Parking, Library, Low Taxes, Government Responsiveness, Diversity in Business Opportunities, Potential Growth, Low Density, Churches, Slow Pace KP • No. of Percentage Problems Citations of Respondents Traffic Congestions /Speeding 34 52% Lack of Sidewalks, Bikeways & Pathways 13 20% Growth /Too Much Development 13 20% Poorly Maintained Households/ Boats In Yards/ Lack of Code Enforcement 11 17% Crime /Gangs 9 14% Lack of Environmental Protection /Trees Lost 9 14% Schools 8 12% Lack of Parks /Future of Parks /Park Maintenance 6 9% Lack of Neighborliness /Lack of Community 5 8% No Central Downtown 5 8% Lack of Police Presence 5 8% Other Items Mentioned: Litter, Homeowner's Associations, Dog Owners Not Cleaning Up After Their Pets, Sprawl, Small Post Office, Lack of Traffic Signals, City Not Safe For Children To Play, Inadequate Street Lights, Lack of Shaded Parking, High Taxes, Not Enough Fast Food Restaurants, Municipal Golf Course, Imbalance Between Residential and Commercial Uses, Lack of Street Maintenance, Lack of Tennis Courts, Lack of Affordable, Quality Housing, Low Taxes, Lack of Planning, No Public Transportation, The Part -Time Government, Lack Of A New Police Station, Public Works Building Is Old, Lack of Convenience In addition to listing the assets and problems of the community, survey participants also provided general comments about the City and its future. Several participants thanked the City for holding the Visual Preference Survey and urged the City to follow its results. The following are comments shared by numerous participants: Comments "Do not include public restrooms and similar facilities in neighborhood parks or greenbelt areas." "High quality standards to keep neighborhoods looking good should be top priority. All the beautification ideas are no good if boats, etc. are parked in front of houses." "Lets get more police on the force to slow down the increasing number of speeder$. Parents are afraid to let children roller skate, bike ride, etc. because of this problem." "I hope that aesthetic values and quality of living will override any pressures exerted by • greedy developers." "Want QQ smoking in public buildings or doorways." 0 • "We need business numbers much more visible from the road. Many don't even have them." "Commercial and residential development should be planned and incorporated to the green areas that we already have. We need to try to keep our City a true 'Palm Beach Gardens. "' "I would like to see for Palm Beach Gardens: 1) Main Street with planned and neat center malls and sides; 2) Either a Town Center (like Mizner Park in Boca or like Crocker Center) or several mini - centers; 3) Neighborhoods where a child could easily ride a bicycle from home to school - library - softball field - pizza parlor - etc.; 4) A museum of some sort - either art - zoo - children, etc.; 5) An outdoor bandshell for community outdoor concerts; 6) Fewer developer - planned housing developments and more integrated neighborhoods planned by the City." "Old P.B.G. is falling fast. Primarily due to the neighborhood being splintered by traffic and no code enforcement. I would love to volunteer for a code enforcement team."