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Minutes 01-28-02 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD MEETING HELD AT THE SENIOR CENTER, 1021 SOUTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2002 AT 7:00 P.M. Present Betty Thomas, Chairperson Wally Majors, Recreation Director James McMahon John Wildner, Parks Director Elizabeth Pierce Steve Lulkin, Recreation Supervisor Bali Ramnarace Tom Williams Margaret Murphy, Alternate (arrived at 7:20 p.m.) Absent Ed Harris William Orlove, Alternate Dan Winters I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Thomas called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Majors announced that Ms. Carolyn Sims passed away on Saturday. She had loyally served the City for 40 years. Services will be held on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at St. John's Missionary Baptist ChUrch, followed by a repast at Hester Center. She will be sadly missed. Mr. Majors felt it would be appropriate to consider naming one of the buildings or parks at the Wilson Center in her memory, since she had worked at that facility for 30 years. II. ATTENDANCE A quorum was present. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 26, 2001 Chairperson Thomas suggested dispensing with approving the minutes until later in the meeting to give members an opportunity to review them. IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Needs Assessment Mr. Majors reported that he and Mr. Wildner have been working to get the survey out by the end of the week. A glitch occUrred when it was discovered that zip Meeting Minutes Recreation & Parks Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 28, 2002 code 33436 included residents and non-residents. It must be determined that the survey is being sent to 3,000 residents and to 2,000 people residing in unincorporated Boynton Beach. It must be determined who are and are not residents in order to get an accurate sampling. GIS will be assisting staff with this. It is still anticipated that a presentation will be made to the Commission at the second meeting in March. B. Barton Memorial Park Recreational Trail - A Greenways ExpanSion Project C. Palmetto Greens Park Expansion Mr. Wildner reported that the City applied for a Florida Recreation and Developmental Assistance Program (FRDAP) Grant, but there was a setback. FRDAP requires a 25-year lease for control of the property. The expansion of Palmetto Greens Park reaches out to the C-16 Canal on the South Florida Water Management District right-of-way. The South Florida Water Management District is not willing to give the City a 25-year lease. This is being negotiated with DEP that administers the grant. It is anticipated that funding for Palmetto Greens Park will be sought from other sources. There is available in the CIP budget $150,000 for this project, which was the City's matching half to the grant. Hopefully, the other $150,000 can be secured through other resources. Barton Memorial Park applied for a Recreational Trails Grant, which is also administered by the DEP. Barton Memorial Park is on the DOT right-of-way. Therefore, the same problem exists. Staff is working with DOT to obtain a Memorandum of Understanding. This was the recommendation made by the DEP to allow the City to continue the project. Both projects have a great deal of merit and staff will continue to try to locate funds. D. Wilson Center The City has been informally notified that FRDAP has approved the City's land acquisition grant application. These monies will be used to acquire the two lots that are southeast of Wilson Center. E. Hester Center Breezeway Enclosure Mr. Williams and Ms. Murphy attended the ceremonies and both noted how beautiful the Hester Center looks with the addition of the new breezeway. Staff now has a new office and there is a computer lab as well. The computers were acquired through a Library grant. County Commissioner Addle Greene sent a representative to the ceremonies. (Ms. Margaret Murphy arrived at 7:20 p.m.) 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Parks Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 28, 2002 F. SeniOr Center Mr. Majors introduced Steve Lulkin, the Supervisor of the Senior Center, and complimented Mr. Lulkin and his staff for their dedication and hard work. A copy of the Senior Center Newsletter was distributed. Mr. Lulkin reported that the Center is in full season and is experiencing a very high attendance. Approximately 150 people are being served meals each day. A great many programs and shows are taking place. One hundred fifty tickets were sold for the "1932 Review" last Thursday, which was a great success. The Health Fair is scheduled for March 6th and 450 vendors will be participating. Dances are held on a monthly basis. Various medical persons visit the Center on a regular basis to offer free testing and screening. The computer lab is a great success and accommodates 12 persons daily. The Center is now open most evenings as a meeting place to accommodate various organizations and clubs. It is anticipated that the expansion of the exercise room should start shortly. A fundraising program is taking place entitled STARS and STARS can be purchased at various prices. A tour of the facility would take place when the meeting adjourned. Mr. Majors reported that a sprinkler system would be installed in the Center. Applications for grants to fund some of the exercise programs are being applied for. Another issue that needs to be addressed is additional parking space. Mr. McMahon offered to assist in obtaining grants for the Center and Mr. Wildner will have Ms. Debbie Majors contact him. G. Special Events Mr. Majors reported on the events that have taken place over the Holidays. The Parade was well received and attracted a very large turnout. As a result, consideration is now being given to scheduling the Parade as an evening Parade. Chairperson Thomas commended the City for having bus tours to allow citizens to view the Holiday lights. Ms. Murphy commented on the success of the concert at Mangrove Park and would like to see more concerts at the Park. Mr. Majors said that consideration is being given to holding concerts at various locations throughout the City. 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Parks Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 28, 2002 Ms. Pierce inquired if Mangrove Park is available for private events. Mr. Wildner noted that the Park is available for special events. Ms. Pierce was advised to contact Ms. Debbie Majors in the Parks Department. Mr. Williams inquired about the status of the traffic light at 17th and Seacreast. Mr. Wildner reported that staff is working on this. The intent of the light is to slow traffic as it passes Hester Park. An entrance will be created north of 17th Avenue to allow for a safe crossing for the school children. The project is being coordinated through Public Works and Palm Beach CoUnty. H. Greenways Network Mr. Wildner reported that an RFQ was prepared with the assistance of the Engineering Department and has been forwarded to Procurement Services for publication. There is $60,000 in the Capital Improvement Program that can be utilized for a consultant to assist the City in acquiring and preserving land that could be linked to a Greenways Network. It is anticipated that a consultant will be onboard by May. Commissioner Ferguson is working on a Special Taxing District that would address property outside the City. The City would like to have as many communities in the south central area of the County participate in the greenways network. Approval of a Special Taxing District has to go to the State Legislature. APPROVAL OF MINUTES-November 26, 2001 (addressed out of order) Motion Ms. Murphy moved to approve the minutes. The motion was duly seconded and carried. Ms. Murphy requested a status report on the Intracoastal Park site. Mr. Wildner reported that the documents are ready for permitting. Hopefully, construction can begin sometime this summer. The dirt should be leveled off in March. The dirt cannot be moved until the permitting process is completed. Ms. Murphy inquired if a decision has been made on where to place the sticker for the boat trailers. Mr. Majors thought that beginning next year the stickers would be placed on the trailers themselves. Currently, the sticker is placed on the vehicle towing the trailer, which is inappropriate if a person has more than one vehicle. A sticker needs to be developed that would be able to withstand the elements. The stickers currently being placed inside the vehicles would not be suitable for outdoor use. 4 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Parks Board Boynton Beach, Florida January 28, 2002 Ms. Pierce requested an update on Boat Club Park. Mr. Wildner responded that the project is moving along. There is a problem with the permit for the dredging of the basin because additional Johnson Sea Grass was found. Therefore, more mitigation is necessary. This should not hold up the construction, since dredging is done last. I. Items for City Manager's Attention None J. Monthly Report Mr. Majors distributed the reports. V. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Ramnarace pointed out that there is a bus stop at the corner of Boynton Beach Boulevard and Seacrest Boulevard, which is only 50' from the traffic light. This creates a dangerous situation and he would like to see the bus stop moved. Ms. Pierce noted that there are no trash cans next to the bus stops along Federal Highway, which creates litter. She would like to see trash cans placed next to the bus stops. Ms. Murphy also felt that there should be benches at the bus stops so that people can sit down while waiting for the bus. Mr. Ramnarace thanked the Parks Department for the wonderful job they did on restoring the cricket field at Rolling Green. Mr. Ramnarace suggested that the Board take a trip to view the field. Mr. Ramnarace would like to have the field lighted if possible. He noted that on several occasions there have been youth playing soccer on the field and he has had to call the police. Mr. Wildner responded that more soccer fields are needed in the east section of the City. VI. NEXT MEETING: FEBRUARY25. 2002 VI. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (two tapes) (February 11, 2002) 5