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Minutes 10-23-06 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING HELD AT THE SENIOR CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 23,2006, AT 6:30 P.M. Present: Betty Pierce-Roe, Chair Bill Orlove, Vice Chair John Allard Patti Hammer Janelle Sloan Wally Majors, Recreation & Parks Director Jody Rivers, Parks Superintendent Absent: John McVey, Alternate I. Call to order Chair Pierce-Roe called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. II. Attendance Chair Pierce-Roe called the roll. A quorum was present. The board discussed there were three openings on the board. III. Approval of Minutes - September 25,2006 Motion Mr. Orlove moved to approve the minutes as presented. Ms. Hammer seconded the motion that unanimously passed. IV. Unfinished Business A. Updated CIP Projects Wally Majors, Recreation and Parks Director, provided an update on the Wilson Center. He reported the bids came back within the budgeted amounts. West Construction was selected and the item would be presented to the City Commission at the first meeting in November. The project was anticipated to be a one-year project. A Notice to Proceed would be issued in December. Mr. Majors reported they were pleased with the bids received. They had been unsure how they would come in. The Intracoastal Park project is being developed. The park was closed from October 30th to November 20th, as a safety issue while the dirt that is being excavated for the building is removed from the park. The park would be reopened for the Veterans Day Ceremony and then after that, the park would be opened with the construction site being sealed off. 1 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 23, 2006 Ms. Rivers reported the lifeguard towers came in under bid. A pre-construction conference was scheduled, and that project would take about three to five months to complete. The Southeast Neighborhood Park construction team was assembled. A meeting would be held to decide who would be doing each portion of the project and to establish a project schedule. The Jaycee Park construction drawings were received and would be sent to permitting and then put out for bid. Mr. Majors reported there had been a few meetings held for the Boundless Playground/Park, which focused on the funding and feasibility of the project, and to gain a sense how the project would unfold. The Committee was looking for as many contacts as possible to at least provide an opinion about the project. These individuals could be potential donors, individuals of interest or having some influence in the county. Once the list was compiled, the fundraiser would meet with them and render an opinion about the feasibility of the project and then move on to the fundraising campaign if warranted. That would take the project into February. Based on the minutes, it appeared the fundraiser was enthusiastic about the project and thought they could raise the entire amount of funds for it. Ms. Sloan requested when Marie Sacs was contacted, her name be in the letter. Mr. Majors announced "Hamburger Helper" has a fund that supports local playgrounds or park projects. The CVS pharmacy has a foundation specifically for Boundless Playgrounds. He explained there were only five or six Boundless Playgrounds in the state. He recommended the members view the Boundlessplaygrounds.org website. Most of the parks were not accessible to the general public, and were either part of a YMCA, or Easter Seals in West Palm Beach. The playground in Lake Worth would be open to the public, as well as the City of Boynton Beach's, once it was constructed. Ms. Rivers reported the Hester Center playground equipment was installed. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for October 25, 2006. Ms. Rivers explained every year, equipment is replaced at three or four different locations. Mr. Majors clarified the word "Revised" on the agenda was an error. v. New Business A. National Accreditation Mr. Majors advised the board they traveled to Seattle to receive National Accreditation. He indicated Seattle was a beautiful City with beautiful public art. They had taken about 200 pictures for Debby COles-Dobay, the Public Art Administrator. The hearing was on a Tuesday and was a formal hearing. They sat before the board and explained what they would do to meet the standards they did not meet. They had planned to complete a programming plan, which was a comprehensive document. The hearing took about 20 minutes. They left the 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 23, 2006 room and then were called back in and congratulated. The bulk of the accreditation process involved the self-assessment and the review processes. Chair Pierce-Roe and the board thanked Mr. Majors, Ms. Rivers, and their staff for taking the time and effort to put the information together to receive the accreditation. Mr. Majors reported the process took about two years. There were 66 agencies in the United States that were accredited. The accreditation confirmed accountability and gave assurances to the public that what they do is appropriate and efficiently managed. It was thought that eventually, the accreditation might be tied to federal grant funds when more agencies became accredited. In the meanwhile, it could assist the City with their funding requests and possibly give an edge. Mr. Majors announced they would be making a formal presentation to the City Commission, with a quick summary of how they went through the process and why. The accreditation established the department as a well-organized agency with methodologies and standards and it encompassed all kinds of business aspects. It was, in essence, a system/operational audit. Chair Pierce-Roe asked if there were any internships in the program. Mr. Majors explained they were in the early phases. The accreditation was good for five years. He noted Coral Gables and Lee County had just renewed their accreditation. B. December meeting (scheduled date is December 25) The next meeting was scheduled for November 27, 2006. There was consensus to cancel the December meeting. Ms. Rivers announced there were some changes with the Holiday Parade. This year, instead of spreading all the events downtown, over a series of weekends, they were being combined into one weekend, with the parade beginning at 5:30 p.m. and ending at the Schoolhouse Museum where the tree lighting would take place. The concert would then be held later in that general area. The activities would be held on December 9, 2006. Crystal Gayle and the Gatlin Brothers would be performing at the concert. The Medieval Festival would be held the same weekend. C. Monthly Report The members reviewed the monthly report. Mr. Majors advised a new floor was installed in the Civic Center and was good quality. D. Items for the City Managers Attention Mr. Orlove asked for a status on the smoking at the beach and the littering issue. Mr. Majors explained he would be putting together a package for the City Manager every six months and they would have a campaign every six months on the issue. The City Attorney was looking at ways to accomplish the request from a legal standpoint, but he commented it would be challenging. There were already signs located at the bottom of each ramp prohibiting littering and there were garbage cans throughout the park for litter. Mr. Major's thought if they held a 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 23, 2006 campaign on the issues twice a year, with signage, volunteers and butt ashtrays, it might be helpful. Ms. Rivers reported they had posted a "No Littering" sign with a bag dispenser for litter and a trashcan. The board thought that would reinforce the issue, but also acknowledged it probably would not totally stop the occurrences. There was discussion about placing a sign indicating the amount of the fines at the site, which could be done. Mr. Majors was hoping the board could gather a group of people who could approach for example, someone smoking on the beach, and give them an ashtray. Supplementing the Coastal Cleanup and bringing buckets filled with collected debris showing what the problem was could have an impact. It was an educational issue. Ms. Pierce-Roe commented there are always plenty of butts and lighters collected at the clean-up events. Mr. Orlove asked whether there could be a police presence there to stop the littering. Ms. Rivers advised they were looking into the possibility of deputizing some of the lifeguards when they had downtime, and giving them the ability to ticket violators. She emphasized there was no opportunity to provide staff for that specific purpose. The City's support for the Coastal Cleanup could help. Mr. Majors also suggested holding a meeting on a Saturday at the park. Setting up a booth at functions such as Pirates of the Intracoastal or other City functions. The board also discussed youth groups needing service points. Ms. Rivers explained those volunteers were funneled thought the Sand Sifters. Mr. Orlove reported on the Ordinance discussed at the last City Commission meeting that pertained to how facilities would be named. He spoke on behalf of the board. The two issues he had with the Ordinance were the criteria for naming a facility needed to be a person that was not living and that there would be an advisory committee appointed of five people, appointed by the City Commission. Mr. Orlove thought individuals appointed to the committee should include members of existing advisory board's, including Recreation and Parks. His initial take on the matter was the City Commission was including all those changes, but only one was discussed, which was the naming of the facility. The selection of the advisory board members was not discussed and he did not know the final outcome. Mr. Orlove noted there was a facility named for Tommy Williams, and Tommy Williams was alive and well. Mr. Orlove had indicated that by using members from existing advisory boards, those members could provide historical information and perspectives that could lend itself to why something should be named after an individual and noted the advisory boards were comprised of members who lived in the area. Mr. Majors would try and get the final version of the Ordinance. Mr. Majors would also advise the members of the City Commission meeting date the Accreditation presentation would be made. VI. Next Meeting: November 27,2006 4 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 23, 2006 VII. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the board, the meeting was properly adjourned at 7:17 p.m. Respectfully submitted, C.C!.J f j ~Q!IJfY'(]f}~ Catherine Ch rry-Guberman Recording Secretary 110206 5