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Minutes 10-23-00 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD MEETING HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM C, WEST WING, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2000 AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT ALSO PRESENT Betty Thomas, Chairperson Wally Majors, Actir:g James McMahon, Vice Chair Recreation Director Mike Fitzpatrick John Wildner, Parks Bali Ramnarace Director Elizabeth Pierce, Alternate ABSENT Ed Harris Charles Jackson, Alternate Tom Williams Dan Winters I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Thomas called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. I1. ATTENDANCE Chairperson Thomas called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. II1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 25, 2000 Chairperson Thomas commented that the minutes were especially good, and that they had everything in them and Mr. Ramnarace echoed the thought. There were no changes, additions or corrections to the minutes. Chairperson Thomas said the minutes would be accepted as written. IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Hester Center Breezeway Enclosure Mr. Majors said the project had gone out to bid on schedule. He said the cost was projected to be $334,000 and construction should start in about 120 days. Meeting Minutes - ' Recreation & Parks Board Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2000 B. Senior Center Mr. Majors said he had asked Staff to develop a timeline for the Needs Assessment that they want to undertake as one of our goals for this year. We have been asked to proceed with Phase 2 of the Senior Center. Mr. Majors reported that City Manager Kurt Bressner had come down to the first anniversary at the Senior Center recently and he seemed to be impressed with the crowd and the number of programs that were going on. It is evident that we outgrew that facility very quickly. Mr. Majors hoped to recruit members of this Board and the Senior Advisory Board to support staff in developing some ideas on both of the projects, the Needs Assessment and Phase 2. On Phase 2 the work would be to analyze the designs and concepts that we would like to see happen. For the Needs Assessment we need to look at the timeline for the project. He hoped to strike a good balance between recreational needs and senior needs. Chairperson Thomas asked Mr. Majors to notify the Board members of scheduled meetings. In discussing Phase 2 of the Senior Center, Chairperson Thomas stated that the original plans were good and she hoped they would be using them. Mr. Majors stated that the only change would be the elimination of the atrium, which had been sacrificed due to the overwhelming need for space. The inclusion of a fitness room was one of the ideas under consideration, he said. The Board believed that there were many other places that had fitness areas such as area clubhouses, the "Y", and fitness clubs. Ms. Pierce commented that many seniors had coverage for health club/fitness activities. Chairperson Thomas asked if the seniors had asked for a fitness area and Mr. Majors stated they had not. Mr. Majors stated that a covered driveway was still in the plans but that several parking spaces would be lost in the process. It was generally agreed that parking was going to be a real challenge at the Senior Center in the future. The members discussed the parking challenge at the Senior Center and the various possibilities near the center. The land to the south is in private hands and the owners did not seem interested in selling. Mr. Wildner said the gas station had some potential and they would pursue that idea. Mr. Majors said that various alternatives and options would be pursued with the engineer at their next meeting. Chairperson Thomas asked what was in the triangle building across the street? Mr. Wildner said he had not looked into it recently and Chairperson Thomas said it would be a good place for art classes and meetings. Vice Chair McMahon asked how much money Phase 2 would cost? Mr. Majors said, realistically, $750,000. The Senior Center was "up there" on the City's capital improvement projects list, but so were other projects so the final result was yet to be determined (Mr. Fitzpatrick arrived at the meeting at 7:20 p.m.) 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Parks Board Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2000 C. Boat Club Park and Intracoastal Park Mr. Wildner stated that they were at the 50% stage for construction documents on Boat Club Park. They had a goal to have construction start in February of 2001. At the present time, the project is on schedule. They anticipated a slight delay due to having to obtain permits from the Department of Environmental Protection, but were still optimistic that the construction start date could be met. Chairperson Thomas asked if parking would be the only thing to be done in Boat Club Park? Mr. Wildner said that parking would be the primary function of Boat Club Park. They had to minimize the impact of the parking by enlarging the existing car parking spaces to include trailers. They only lost one of the shelters in the revised Master Plan for Boat Club Park. It was, however, the biggest shelter, the one close to the cul de sac. In order to use the existing car parking spaces, they needed to enlarge the cul de sac so the trailers could turn around in the circle. The other shelters will remain and it may be possible to enclose some additional picnic shelters as time goes on. Mr. Wildner said the Commission had approved the contract for Wallace, Roberts & Todd to do a revised Master Plan for Intracoastal Park with a timeline acceptable to the County. The County is preparing the Interlocal Agreement for the $1.7 Million. It is now a matter of seeing how much can be done with $1.7 Million. They were also prepared to augment it with some City funds if necessary. Chairperson Thomas asked if Commissioner McCarty had given the City the money and Mr. Wildner said that she had verbally done so. If the rest of the Commission agrees with her, the money will be granted. They feel comfortable that the money will be granted and have committed consultant fees to start in advance of the funding. Ms. Pierce asked about the bathroom areas and if they were going to wrap-around towards the south side? Mr. Wildner said the bathrooms would be close to the ramps and that there was no plan to expand them. He said the fishing area and the pier that went out over the water would both still exist. Chairperson Thomas asked if the Peace Pole were going to be moved and Mr. Wildner said no. D. Tennis Center Mr. Majors reported that the North American Corporate Games scheduled for October 26 - 29 had been cancelled. The event's organizers did not get the Corporate sponsorship they needed to conduct the games but will try again in April of 2001. Mr. Majors did not know if the City would be involved in the 2001 event. On the up side, Mr. Majors said the Tennis Center had received a much-needed face-lift and that it had gotten it much sooner than planned. An event was in the planning stages for the Tennis Center to bring attention to the improvements. There is a new well, new irrigation system, new paint job inside and out, and a new air conditioner in the locker reoms, which were completely refurbished. At some time the Pre Shop will be re-tiled. The Center gets a lot of use and had a lot of wear and tear so the improvements were welcomed and look good. Vice Chair McMahon asked if the entire games were being cancelled or just the tennis part? Mr. Majors replied that the entire games had been cancelled. He said the tennis Meeting Minutes Recreation & Parks Board Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2000 part of it had gotten the highest number of participation, 70 people. They were going to have, between Jupiter and Boca Raton, tennis, soccer, basketball, table tennis, badminton, sand volleyball, and other games. They did not get the participation they said they.needed. This area does not have the corporate base that larger areas do and this made it difficult for the organizers. E. Special Events Mr. Majors commented that the TNT concerts had been well attended, averaging 600 to 800 people, and that the event had developed a real identity as a "destination". They were still looking at alternative types of sites but would probably have something different as an entertainment activity. Chairperson Thomas asked if the parking at the beach was sufficient? Mr. Majors said that Mr. Dunham, the Town Manager of Ocean Ridge, had been very helpful in offering parking spaces at Town Hall, as long as their emergency vehicles could make their way out of the lot. Mr. Majors mentioned that on December 1, 2000, a Season for Peace event would be set up in front of the museum with a tree-lighting ceremony, activities for children, dreidels, a Kwanzaa area, and other activities in recognition of the cultural diversity in the area. The actual program starts at 6:30 p.m. and the tree-lighting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Once the tree is lit, they hope to keep it lit throughout the holiday season. The Recreation Department has been allocated $10,000 for holiday lighting so they plan to buy one quarter mile of white lights and, hopefully, with help from Public Works they will be able to get them up on as many trees as possible. Chairperson Thomas asked if they planned to have menorahs also? Mr. Majors said he would make an effort to include that. The goal is to spread as many lights as possible between the City Hall complex going south towards the Library and east on Ocean Avenue for about a block. The 1,700 feet of lights will be used to cover as much area as possible. They have ten sets of 4 x 6 "net lights". Their goal is to build on the supply of lights from year to year. They hope to emulate the City of Boca Raton's light exhibit at their City Hall. Ms. Pierce thought the City should do a similar, smaller thing at Intracoastal Park like Bryant Park in Lake Worth. Mr. Wildner said there was quite a bit of opposition from the neighborhood, specifically Waters Edge. Ms. Pierce said it was "in her back yard" and she would love to have something like this. The Christmas Parade will begin at 3:00 p.m. on December 3, 2000. Ms. Shanna St. John, the Chairperson of the Advisory Board on Children and Youth, has been asked to be the Honorary Grand Marshall. She has been so active this year, she earned the honor, and she accepted it. It will be on Federal Highway and will start on Second Avenue, two blocks south of Ocean, and go down to 12th Avenue and turn around by the Senior Center and start back. The Board was invited to sit on the reviewing stand. Mr. Fitzpatrick asked if the name of the TNT Concerts would ever be changed, saying that it did not make sense to have a Tunes in Town event that was not "in town". Mr. Majors understood that but said the marketing people advised them to leave the name as it was, in light of the recognition factor the event had achieved. Mr. Wildner remarked that to the peo pie west of town, it was in town. 4 Meeting Minutes '- Recreation & Parks Board Meeting Boynton Beach, Flodda October 23, 2000 E. Black Awareness Events Mr. Majors reported that his department was working with a group of consultants, who were helping staff improve and expand the Black Awareness events. He said this was part of a personal commitment he had made to see that these events had the utmost in planning and execution. He stated that the community had asked them to expand these events and that there was a lot of growth potential. An organization chart for the event is being prepared. Mr. Majors stated that a primary goal for all of their events was to be driven by the community and volunteers, with staff just providing support services. It was fortunate, he said, that key members of the community were involved with this event and were behind the philosophy of the activity. They are planning events during the entire month of February and hope to have a schedule published by the early part of December. They plan to have a GospelRama, an art show, a spelling bee, and a science fair. In accordance with suggestions of the marketing group, the Recreation Department is going to try very hard to get the word out to the entire community so that a broad spectrum of people could be drawn to attend. He said it should be a really fun program. F. Greenways Report, Mike Fitzpatrick Mr. Fitzpatrick reported that after a meeting with the City Manager he tried to contact Dagmar Brahs and Warren Newell. He was not able to connect but he was able to speak te Henrietta Solomon about the Gore Campaign. She set him up with Susan Bucher, who remembered him from the Sierra Club several years ago. They did not talk about Greenways but they established a good rapport. After the election he said he would talk to her some more and that she might be willing to sponsor the legislation for the Boynton Beach Greenways and Park Taxing District. He expected she would be one of the more effective legislators, having been the aid for Representative Healey for many years. He will continue to try to reach Dagmar Brahs and Warren Newell. G. Items for City Manager's Attention Mr. Ramnarace said that one item was the appointment of Wally Majors as permanent Recreation Director. Mr. Majors said that there would be interviews on November 9, 2000. He said he was anxious that the matter be settled because it had been seven months and he did not like to see staff have to work short-handed. Mr. Wildner stated he was part of a panel of senior staff members who would make the decision and he believed they would make the right decision. Vice Chair McMahon mentioned a discussion the Board had previously about establishing a contact in the school system to coordinate plans, programs and resources with the new high school and wondered about its status? Mr. Wildner stated that the Education Advisory Board was working very closely with the new high school, and that the City planned to use school facilities as soon as the school was ready to be opened. He mentioned that Diana Tedtmann was the new chair of the Education Advisory Board and Chairperson Thomas stated the matter was in good hands. Vice Chair McMahon asked that Virginia Farace be asked to come to a Recreation & Parks Board meeting to talk about what was going on with the process. Meeting Minutes Recreation & Parks Board Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2000 Chairperson Thomas asked what cooperative lines were being followed with the YMCA program? Mr. Majors reported the YMCA director had met with their department in Marsh of this year, just to establish communication and contact. They acknowledged that they could live with each other and that at some point in the future may wish to work on some cooperative effort. He said that the market was plenty big enough for both of them. Chairperson Thomas asked if the director should be asked to come to a Board meeting and tell the Board about their programs as far as recreation and leisure services? Mr. Majors offered to invite him to the December meeting and Virginia Farace to the November meeting. Chairperson Thomas mentioned the Art area on Industrial Avenue. Mr. Wildner stated that they did have a sign up but it turned out to be too small. He said that the Department of Transportation (DOT)controlled Boynton Beach Boulevard and if you put a sign up on the right-of-way, then you need a permit from DOT and that is a lot of work. They put it on the City's right-of-way, a little bit back from the road, on the north side of the highway by the gas station. Mr. Ramnarace wondered why the sign could not be put on 1-957 Mr. Wildner said that would be the same problem. Mr. Wildner said the current location of the sign would work very well when the sign was larger. He said he could investigate the permit situation for a possible alternative location later. Mr. Fitzgerald asked if the sign conformed to City sign ordinances? Mr. Wildner said it is on City right of way and was put up by the Street Department. H. Monthly Report The Board examined the written monthly report prepared by the Parks & Recreation departments. Chairperson Thomas asked who was on the Grants Team? Mr. Majors said it was essentially made up of one representative from each of the departments. Barbara Conboy is the Utilities Department representative, Wendy Danysh is the Police Department representative, A. D. Henahan is the Library representative, and Barbara Meacham is the Parks Department representative. V. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Ramnarace reported that the soccer coach had gone to Wilson Field and there had been a lot of fighting in the community. He said that something had to be done about advancing the cause of the cricket field at Rolling Green quickly. Mr. Wildner said the big issue was cooperation with the School Board maintenance people, who put the field Iow on their priority list. The Parks Department staff had been helping out, trying to locate problems with the irrigation system. There are quite a few breaks in the line. Once it is up we can do the grassing and grading. Mr. Wildner said part of the problem was when portables were moved, they were dragged over the field, further damaging the irrigation system. Chairperson Thomas asked if a letter could be written to the maintenance department of the school system with copy to our City Manager? Mr. Wildner said that was possible but that progress was being made since the Parks department was taking care of it themselves. Mr. Ramnarace suggested that he and Mr. Wildner meet with the boss of the maintenance department and show him the field. He said they could split it up into two pieces - they could take the sprinkler system and the Parks department could take the field. He also said it was a very nice field and that the pitch was finished but they had not played a game there in over a year because of the condition of the 6 Meeting Minutes ' - Recreation & Parks Board Meeting Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2000 sprinkler system. Mr. Ramnarace asked that Mr. Wildner give this issue priority as it was much needed. Chairperson Thomas believed it would be a good idea for the Board to send a letter to the Maintenance Department with a copy to the City Manager and the Mayor, and let them know that we would like a little cooperation. The Board reached consensus on this point. Mr. Ramnarace said he thought Dr. Voss could get it done and that if Mr. Wildner and himself went out there and showed them the situation, it could be fixed. Motion Mr. Fitzpatrick made a motion that the Board send a letter to the Maintenance Department at the School Board asking them when they planned to fix the irrigation system at Rolling Green. Chairperson Thomas seconded the motion. Mr. Fitzpatrick asked Mr. Wildner if they planned to reroute the movement of the portables? Mr. Wildner said they were going to move the gate farther east so the portables did not go right over the field each time they were moved. Mr. Fitzpatrick added the moving of the gate farther east to avoid trucks and portables being dragged over the field into the motion. The motion carried unanimously. VI. NEXT MEETING The next meeting was set for November 27, 2000. Chairperson Thomas asked if the Board wanted to meet in December since they would not have a meeting in January due to the Board dinner. Mr. Wildner said the December meeting could be postponed to the January Board dinner. The Board agreed that this would be a good idea. VII. ADJOURNMENT At 8:05 p.m. the meeting was duly adjourned. Res pectfully submitted, Recording Secretary (one tape) 7