HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes RAB 010792CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS
PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT
4404 BURNS ROAD
MAILING ADDRESS: 10500 N. MILITARY TRAIL
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33410
(407) 775 -8270
PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
January 7, 1992
The City of Palm Beach Gardens Parks and Recreation Advisory
Board met on Tuesday, January 7, 1992, at the Community
Center. Those present were Chairman Chuck Campbell, John
Elsner, Betsey Yerry, Jeff Sabin, Ronnye Sands, and alternate
Sandy Gottlieb. Also in attendance were City Council Liasion
Joe Russo, and Acting Director Sue Ruskay.
Mr'. Campbell brought the meeting to order and asked for
agenda items to be discussed. They were the tennis courts,
summer program, Lake Catherine Complex, golf course, teen
center, recreation programs for 1992, community service
• club,-,-community center improvements, and Little League.
Tennis Courts: Mrs. Ruskay feels that the City Council
will probably go with the four asphalt and four Hydro -
Grid courts. The ground survey will be done by the City.
The City Council will be voting on the tennis courts on
January 16, 1992. They are voting on which of the three
options to redo the tennis courts. They will also be opening
the bids to redo the tennis courts. The City Council asked
for the rebiding.•of:-the:tennis courts. Mr. Elsner is con-
cerned about the present condition of courts four and six.
He suggested the taking down of the nets, so no one would
get hurt and sue the City.
Summer Program: Mrs. Ruskay said that she talked to Mr.
Mitchell about limiting the number of children in the
Summer Program. He said that he feels the City Council
wants all residents to be able to register, with a monitored
lunch hour. The City Council does not want two -four week
sessions. Mrs. Gottlieb suggested a better counselor to
child ratio. The fee will have to be increased. Mrs. Ruskay
would like to have alternate specialty camps, such as ath-
letics, art, drama, etc, for a two--week time frame. Mr..
Russo arrived and discussed the Summer Program. He feels
that Mrs. Ruskay should go to the City Council and offer
the Advisory Boards's and her recommendations. Everyone
• agrees that the bottom line is the safety of the children
and a high quality program. Mrs. Ruskay would also like
to see a separate Teen Camp program. Mrs. Sands would -
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improvements include putting the "brick pavers" at the
South entrance of the Burns Road Community Center. Also,
the counter in the lobby and the front offices will be re-
modeled. The TV room is being made into an Art Gallery.
The restrooms at the Tennis Pro Shop have been redone.
Plant Drive Park is being painted and cleaned up. The
building at Gardens Park will be enlarged and renovated,
and the press boxes at Gardens Park are being rebuilt.
The Burns Road and Riverside Community Centers have a clean-
ing service, as well as other city facilities.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 P.M.
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Respectfully submitted,
Linda J. Bullock
Administrative Secretary
Parks & Recreation Dept.
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like a letter sent to all Advisory Board members before
the next meeting, with recommendations for Mrs. Ruskay to
talk to the City Council. The main question is, are we
running a day care or a summer program? Mrs. Ruskay men-
tioned that it cost $22,000 for the buses last year for
the Summer Program.
Lake Catherine Complex: Mr. Sabin checked the ball fields
and said that the base is the problem with the drainage.
Mr. Campbell suggested crowning the fields. Mr. Russo sug-
gested that DiVosta help with solving the drainage problem,
since they are the ones that put the ball fields in. The
question was raised as to why it takes four people to main-
tain these ball fields everyday. Maybe if the ball fields
were fixed, they would not require so much maintenance.
Palm Beach Gardens Golf Course: The golf course is scheduled
to open on February 7, 1992. The golf course has its own
board to address any of it's problems.
Teen Center: Mrs. Ruskay is in the process of revamping
her staff and the Teen Coordinator is one of those affected.
The Teen Room at Riverside has a pool table, foosball table,
soda and snack machines, etc. The Teen Program is on hold
until we find another Teen Coordinator. They did have a
dance in October, which was semi - successful. Mr. Russo sug-
gested hiring a part -time person from 3:00 -9:00 P.M., just
to handle the Teen Center. Mrs. Ruskay said that the night-
time Supervisor will be in charge of the Teen Program for
now. The general consensous is that the Teen Program needs
to be done right or it will not be successful.
Recreation Programs: The programs at both community centers
have been expanded, both adults and childrens classes. The
Special Events will be the same as last year. The Seniors
have grown in size, as well as the Dance Program. Mr. Russo
expressed his concern in the number of nonresidents in the
Dance Program and the Senior Program.
Community Service Club: This club could be supported by the
Seniors or the Teens. Maybe the Seniors could help um-
pire ball games, or the Teens could do volunteer work at the
library, or community projects. Maybe it could be advertised
in our Newsletter. Mr. Russo suggested a "Volunteer of the
Year Award ", to help encourage people to participate. People
of all ages could participate!
Youth Athletic Association: Mrs. Ruskay said that the Y.A.A.
is doing a good job of getting their information into the News-
letter. Mr. Panaia assured her that everyone is happy with
the Little League, and the boundaries do not seem to be a
problem. Some ball fields may need to be changed to accommo-
date the age groups in Little League. They need a ball field
with a grass infield, maybe at PGA Park.
Parks and Recreation Improvements: The Advisory Board liked
the "brick pavers" in the front of the Burns Road Community
Center, and the trees and shrubs that have been added. Other