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Minutes 08-22-05 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2005 AT 6:00 P.M. Present: Betty Pierce -Roe, Chair Wally Majors, Recreation Director William Orlove, Vice Chair Betty Thomas Tom Williams John McVey, Alternate Absent: Pam Winters Janelle Sloan Patti Hammer, Alternate Also Present: John Wildner, former Deputy Recreation & Parks Director for the City of Boynton Beach Angela Budano, Member of the Arts Commission I. Call to Order Chairperson Pierce -Roe called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. II. Attendance Chairperson Pierce -Roe called the roll and announced a quorum was present. Chairperson Pierce -Roe announced that Ralph Diaz resigned from the Board. Mr. Wildner and Ms. Budano were welcomed to the meeting. Mr. Majors announced that Ms. Budano would be presenting an idea for potential development of the Quantum Park site. III. Approval of Minutes of July 25, 2005 Vice Chair Orlove had a correction on Page 2 of the minutes in the discussion of the CIP workshop, second line from the bottom, first full paragraph. The sentence should read "Vice Chair Orlove recommended adding this as an item to the August 22 "d meeting." Mr. Majors had a clarification on page 5, in the second paragraph, where it was stated that the FP &L site was the only site that provided fresh water access. This was Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Board August 22, 2005 Boynton Beach, Florida incorrect. There is a second site in the City, Pioneer Canal Park, that also provides fresh water access. Mr. Wildner also noted that Girl Scout Park was a potential fresh water site since it was located on the E -4 Canal. In addition, Mr. Wildner thought the Winchester site could be a prospective freshwater site. Motion Vice Chair Orlove moved to approve the minutes, as amended. Motion seconded by Ms. Thomas and unanimously carried. Mr. Majors distributed letters in support of naming the Wilson Center in honor of Carolyn Sims. Also distributed was information on the Gardens on Spring Creek, Colorado that Ms. Budano provided. V. Unfinished Business (Addressed Out of Order) A. CIP Workshop (August 30 at the Library) Mr. Majors announced there was another CIP Workshop that would take place in the Library Program Room on August 30 at 2:00 p.m. Vice Chair Orlove asked if there would be an opportunity to discuss some of the Board's issues, and Mr. Majors felt that it was possible. If there were any items that Mr. Majors thought the Board would be interested in, he would contact Chairperson Pierce -Roe. Vice Chair Orlove indicated he could attend the workshop as well. B. Recommendation to name new Wilson Center in honor of Carolyn Sims Mr. Majors explained the City's policy on nominating a name. The name must first be introduced at a Recreation and Parks Board meeting. Citizen comments and recommendations must be submitted in writing to the Chairperson of the Recreation and Parks Board no later than 30 days after the meeting at which the nominations are introduced. Mr. Majors noted that several more letters have been received in support of the nomination of the new Wilson Center in honor of Carolyn Sims, which he previously distributed. If the Board approved the nomination, Mr. Majors will present it to the City Commission at the September 20, 2005 meeting. Chairperson Pierce -Roe thought it would be beneficial to have Board representation at that meeting. Mr. Majors noted that the item would be on the Consent Agenda, but he will request it be pulled since members of Ms. Sims' family will be present. 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Board August 22, 2005 Boynton Beach, Florida Motion Vice Chair Orlove moved that this Board recommend that the new Wilson Center be named in honor of Carolyn Sims due to overwhelming community support. Motion seconded by Ms. Thomas and unanimously carried. Mr. Majors received another nomination to name the new Intracoastal Clubhouse in honor of former City Commissioner Sam Wright. Mr. Majors presented the request to the Board members to review. He will place it on the next meeting agenda for discussion. VI. New Business (Addressed out Order) A. Bond Issue — November 2006 Election Mr. Majors located a letter that Chairperson Pierce -Roe wrote in 2002 in the event the Board wanted to follow the same process. The letter was addressed to the Mayor setting forth some of the Board's priorities. Mr. Majors pointed out that the next City election takes place in November 2006. If the Board wanted to take the same approach, Mr. Majors thought it would take a year to put everything together. Vice Chair Orlove noted the Board has discussed whether there was community support for a bond issue for recreation and parks projects. After speaking with several people, he has concluded that there is not enough community support to move forward with a bond issue. He questioned if it would be feasible to wait until after the municipal elections are held in 2006. Mr. Majors mentioned that currently there are many projects underway throughout the City that could take up to two years to complete. He thought people might not be open to new projects until the current ones are completed. Mr. Majors agreed that it would be better to wait before moving forward with a recommendation for a new bond issue. Vice Chair Orlove was concerned about the greenways project. He did not want to see this project continually pushed back because the land designated for greenways may be taken for other purposes. He asked if there was a means that the City could move forward with purchasing property for the greenways project, Mr. Majors explained if property for the greenways is identified, the Board could endorse them and staff could try to locate funding sources to purchase those properties. Chairperson Pierce -Roe recommended that the Board keep the greenways project in the forefront so it does not get pushed back. Mr. Majors noted staff is developing the greenways' implementation plan that will provide some direction on how to proceed. He anticipated this would take several months. Chairperson Pierce -Roe requested that this be added as an item to the next agenda. 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Board August 22, 2005 Boynton Beach, Florida B. Monthly Report Vice Chair Orlove inquired about the Department's accreditation. Mr. Majors reported that they have at least 12 months to go with this. Vice Chair Orlove inquired what the January 2006 date pertained to, and Mr. Majors explained that this was the target date. Mr. Majors explained after they file their evidence of compliance, a site visit would take place. After this, staff would attend the National Recreation and Park Association Meeting in Seattle to determine whether or not they have been accepted for accreditation. Mr. Majors noted there are approximately one half dozen agencies in the State seeking accreditation. Vice Chair Orlove asked about the status of the boardwalk at the Beach. Mr. Majors noted it would cost approximately $1 million to redo the entire boardwalk. Staff feels this should become a priority because the boardwalk needs to be replaced. Staff is actively looking for grants for this purpose, but to date has been unsuccessful in finding any. Vice Chair Orlove noted this project was one of the Board's five priorities. IV. Tour of Parks (Addressed out of Order) • Congress Avenue Community Park/Tennis Center This was the first park site visited. Mr. Majors noted the current sign would be replaced since the City is moving to have a uniform sign program. This park is approximately 14 acres, plus the Tennis Center. The fence and light poles at the Tennis Center are in the process of being replaced. Mr. Wildner pointed out the Tennis Center was built in 1982/1983 and was in great need of repair. Mr. Majors noted the east side of the Tennis Center was built around 1986 and the final stage in 1992. Ms. Thomas inquired if the fees for the Tennis Center have been increased. Mr. Majors noted they have increased somewhat. Members toured the area. Mr. Wildner discussed the landscaping and the pond on the site. Mr. Majors noted they have applied for a grant from the County to remove the exotics. Staff will be going before the Commission in the near future to bring in a landscape architect to provide the design work for the Boundless Park and the playground. Once there is a design in place, staff could begin to seek funding for the Boundless Park and the playground. There is $500,000 in the CIP budget for the park next year. Chairperson Pierce -Roe thought it would be nice to have a walkway around the pond with a gazebo. Mr. Wildner noted some of the preliminary plans for the park included a small building for the children that would be utilizing the playground. Vice Chair Orlove inquired if the Sister Cities was still interested in the site and Chairperson Pierce -Roe stated they were. 4 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Board August 22, 2005 Boynton Beach, Florida Nautica Park Mr. Majors explained that the County was no longer interested in developing the land with the City as a park site. Originally it was intended that the site would be used for a retention pond and a passive park. However, the developer of the Knollwood project needs the fill on the site and the access road, and, therefore, has indicated a willingness to develop the park site for the City. This is being negotiated. Mr. Majors noted that County Commissioner Warren Newell has offered to assist with the funding. Mr. Majors anticipated that the park would be developed within one to two years. Mr. Wildner pointed out the site consisted of three acres and would be developed as a passive park, which the neighborhood was in favor of. Meadows 1 /Nautcia Sound Site Mr. Majors explained the City acquired several sites in the Meadows, including this site. The City also received an additional five acres from the Nautica Sound developer. Together, these sites comprise nine acres. The residents of Nautica Sound have a great deal of recreational amenities within their communities, but there is very little public recreation in this area. The residents have been opposed to introducing any kind of recreation on the land that the City received under the old land dedication ordinance requirement. Mr. Majors noted there are several other City parks in this quadrant. Mr. Wildner pointed out the area that comprised the park site, which is divided into two parts by a canal. Also, there is a chain link fence on the Meadows side of the site. The City never came up with any plans for use of the site because of the opposition from the surrounding communities. Quantum Park Site Mr. Wildner pointed out the Quantum Park site consisted of 12 '/z acres. Because of the configuration of the site, it would be difficult to introduce baseball or soccer fields that had been previously discussed as possible uses for the site. Mr. Wildner pointed out there was a shortage of active recreation sites in the City. Members noted that the site needed to be cleaned up, and Mr. Wildner said people have used it as a "dumping site." Ms. Thomas inquired if any part of the site would be designated greenways, and Mr. Majors stated part of the site was included in the greenways plan. Ms. Budano presented a plan that was adopted by the City of Ft. Collins, Colorado called The Gardens on Spring Creek that could be implemented at this park site. Ms. Budano gave a presentation of how that City utilized their park and she brought the idea to the City. City staff thought the Quantum Park site could also be adapted for a similar use. The Gardens on Spring Creek offers recreational, educational, cultural and environmental opportunities, as well as gardening, for people of all ages. In Ft. Collins they have a greenhouse, classroom, display areas, offices and restrooms. The grounds 5 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Board August 22, 2005 Boynton Beach, Florida would eventually include numerous theme gardens, extensive fruit and vegetable gardens and a formal lawn area for social gatherings. The site would be ehnahnced with refined architectural elements. Ms. Budano thought that there were partnership opportunities with the Arts Commission and the local schools. Chairperson Pierce -Roe pointed out that there were two schools located within Quantum Park. Mr. Majors recommended that the members look over the information provided by Ms. Budano, while some members walked the site. Mr. Majors will include this as an item on the agenda for next month's meeting for discussion. Intracoastal Park Mr. Majors pointed out the location of the new clubhouse that will be going up at Intracoastal Park. He noted members previously questioned why a larger building was not constructed. Mr. Majors explained that a certain amount of parking had to be provided and there were not enough spaces to accommodate a larger building. C. Items for the City Manager's Attention None VII. Discussion None VIII. Next Meeting: September 26, 2005, 6:30 p.m. at the Senior Center IX. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (August 31, 2005) 6