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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes RAB 071090CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY CENTER 4404 BURNS ROAD MAILING ADDRESS: 10500 N. MILITARY TRAIL PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL 33410 (407) 775 -8270 PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD July 10, 1990 0 The City of Palm Beach Gardens Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met on Tuesday, July 10, 1990, at the Community Center. Those present were Chairman Chuck Campbell, Betsey Yerry, Ellen Finnerty, John Elsner, Jeff Sabin, Sandy Gottlieb, and • Chuck Goforth. Also present were Mayor Mike Martino, and Councilpersons: Don Kiselewski, Joe Russo, Linda Monroe and Dick Aldred. In addition were Doug Hood, Director and Sue Ruskay, Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation. The main issue to be discussed was the nonresidents in our programs. There were several ideas expressed on how to han- dle the problems. Grandfathering people that are already in the program was one of them. Ellen said that she was not in favor of grandfathering. Doug also suggested that all Y.A.A board members be residents. He also felt that the ath- letic programs would suffer if we eliminated the nonresidents totally. Chuck C. and Doug both agreed that the solution might be facility dependent. We would take all residents first to fill our programs. Then if there is any spaces left, fill them with nonresidents. It was also suggested to not accept any nonresidents. Doug feels that this suggestion might cause bad feelings from our neighboring cities, which would not be good. The city will be running the basketball program this year, instead of the Y.A.A. At this point a city resident stood up and introduced herself as Chyrese Colbert, and said that she was a member of the Y.A.A. and she was not pleased about the way the Y.A.A. ran their organization and their softball • teams. RECOGNIZED AS THE #1 PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT IN THE NATION WINNER OF THE 1989 NATIONAL GOLD MEDAL AWARD 2 The City Council arrived and Chuck C. informed them of the choices for a solution to the nonresident problem. Dick offered a solution of a flat $100.00 fee charged to nonresidents for one year, and the residents filling spaces first in the programs. The money for the fee will go into the city's general fund. We are presently charging 4__$15.00_nonresident fee per family per session. The next suggestion of making all the pro- grams facility dependent will help delay the urgency for build- ing bigger facilities. All scheduling of games would be han- dled by the Recreation Department. Don wanted numbers con- cerning nonresidents in the Y.A.A. programs. The baseball and softball programs have 305 or 24% nonresidents. Doug said about 17% of the soccer participants were nonresidents. Mike said the main problem is with the Y.A.A., not the Rec- reation Department programs. He would like to have no non- residents in the Y.A.A. programs. The Y.A.A. signed up all residents and nonresidents who registered. Joe feels that we should go on a program to program basis, like we do now and come up with a fee that is fair for nonresidents. Doug said that originally we needed the nonresidents to make the pro- grams, mainly athletics, successful for our residents. It was mentioned that the Y.A.A. is a separate organization from the city, but it utilizes the city's facilities. Doug feels because of this situation, the Y.A.A. Board of Directors should be made up of Gardens residents only. The Recreation • Department would handle scheduling of games. Mike clarified that the $100.00 nonresident fee is an "access fee" to par- ticipate in the Palm Beach Gardens programs. Then the non- residents also pay the fee for each program. Linda said she liked the idea of grandfathering the nonresidents and having them pay the previously mentioned $100.00 annual fee. There was some discussion on the way the girls softball is run by the Y.A.A. The point was raised that the All Star teams carry a number of nonresidents and sometimes the Gardens girls do not play. Doug mentioned that the Y.A.A. should have to abide by the guidelines set by the Recreation De- partment, since they use the city's facilities. Chuck C. pointed out that the Y.A.A. is not very responsive to their membership. Chyrese Colbert backed up this statement and said that team selection for the All Stars was not fair or the fact that each girl has equal playing time. Ellen wanted to know what the impact would be on the Recreation Department if we took over the Y.A.A. programs. Doug said that it would be a large financial impact, because we would have to hire extra staff. The Recreation Department will still need volunteers to make the ball programs successful. The Y.A.A. did give up their basketball program to the city for next year. Joe pointed out that with the proposed annexation, there will be no room in the programs for nonresidents. Linda questioned the timing of the budget process and how quickly the impact • can be assessed. Doug asked for another person to be added to work with athletics, but if we took over softball and baseball, we would probably need another person plus these two sports are expensive to run. It would put a large dent in the Recreation budget. Mike finalized the meeting by de- ciding that the organization of the Y.A.A. Board of Directors 3 be made up of all residents and the facilities organization will be handled through the Recreation Department. The Rec- reation Department will try to fit the facilities to the needs of its residents. Nonresidents will be accepted only after all residents have registered. Mike also feels that the non- residents should be charged the $100.00 fee plus the program fee. Also the President of the Y.A.A. should be at all Rec- reation Advisory Board meetings. The Recreation Department will tell the Y.A.A. the facilities they can use, how many teams they can have, and how large the teams can be. Chuck C. wants more cleared land in the city for practice areas. Mike will write a letter to the Y.A.A. explaining the guide lines. Linda suggested that we meet earlier next year on this same subject. The month of May was suggested. The City Council will decide the nonresident fee to be charged. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 P.M. LJ W. E Respectfully '4�� ). submitted, Linda J. Bullock Administrative Secretary Parks & Recreation Dept. Palm Beach Gardens, FL