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Minutes 02-26-01MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD MEETING HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM C, WEST WING, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2001 AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT Betty Thomas, Chairperson James McMahon, Vice Chair Ed Harris Margaret Murphy Tom Williams Dan Winters Elizabeth Pierce, Alternate ABSENT Bali Ramnarace 1. CALL TO ORDER ALSO PRESENT Wally Majors, Recreation Director John Wildner, Parks Director Chairperson Thomas called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. IL ATTENDANCE Chairperson Thomas called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. Chairperson Thomas introduced the Board members. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 27, 2000 There being no comments or changes to the minutes, Chairperson Thomas declared that the minutes of the November 27, 2000 meeting would be accepted as written. IV. PRESENTATION Mr. Todd Shuart, Executive Director of the YMCA in Boynton Beach addressed the Board, giving a detailed description of the activities, programs and goals of the 58,000 square foot YMCA facility in the City of Boynton Beach. The facility represents a collaborative effort on the part of the YMCA and Bethesda Memorial Hospital, who envisioned a community focal point where people could come to work out and to develop a healthy spirit, mind, and body. The YMCA has state-of-the-art equipment, clinically trained staff, and coordinated community health services. There is an indoor Olympic -sized pool and family recreation instructional pool, a gymnasium, a wellness center, a child development center, a teen center, multi-purpose meeting rooms, nursery area, steam, sauna, and whirlpool. The YMCA is also home to the Meeting Minutes Recreation & Park Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 26, 2001 Bethesda Center for Sports Medicine, comprised of physical and occupational therapy. This 3,500 square foot space is dedicated to patients and members who no longer need constant monitoring, but would "benefit from a specialized physical rehabilitation program. The YMCA also boasts a full day preschool for ages two through five, after-school programs including pick up at school in a van for transportation to the YMCA. The gymnasium and pools will be a place where young children can develop skills such as balancing, agility, throwing, and catching. Along with the nursery, these programs provide a place for children to go while their parents exercise or attend educational classes or rehabilitation services. There is a full day preschool for children age two to five. Mr. Shuart distributed Winter/Spring 2001 Program Brochures to the Board and described many of the programs at the YMCA. They have t -ball, coach pitch , soccer, basketball, and volleyball, primarily for the youth. They focus on learning the fundamentals and not ;on competition. Their activities focus on children up through the age of 12 although there are facilities for adults as well. They will also have a summer day camp program to include sports camps for soccer and baseball. Mr. Shuart looked forward to opportunities for the City and the YMCA to work cooperatively to take advantage of all the facilities at the YMCA. He and Mr. Majors are in contact and discussing ideas. Mr. Shuart explained the YMCA stood for Young Men's Christian Association and that the organization was celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2001. The mission of the YMCA is to put Christian principles into practice through the development of a healthy spirit, mind, and body. This is what they promote and this is the example they get from the YMCA. The values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility are their theme. Mr. Shuart answered questions from the Board members. The members discussed the best time to go. Mr. Shuart said that the facility's slowest times were from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The membership fees were discussed and Mr. Shuart stated that ability to pay was not an obstacle and that the YMCA would work with everyone who wanted to be a part of the programs. He commented especially on single -parent moms or dads who really needed such programs. Mr. Shuart stated that the YMCA was happy to have groups come to visit and suggested they call first to make arrangements. One of the groups that had expressed interest in a once a month visit was the Senior Center. Mr. Shuart said there were opportunities for summer employment at the YMCA. W The Board thanked Mr. Shuart for the informative presentation. After Ms. Shuart left the meeting, the group discussed possible cooperative efforts. Mr. Majors said they had made some tentative inquiries into the YMCA providing some kind of swimming program during the winter. He said it was nice to have an organization supplementing the strained City resources, especially the summer camps and after school programs. Mr. Majors pointed out that the City provided similar programs at a more affordable rate. The City's day camp prices are about 1/3 of the price at the YMCA, for example, for what Mr. Majors thought was a comparative value. He thought the YMCA was a wonderful organization and one that provided an alternative to the City's programs. 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Park Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 26, 2001 The Board expressed gratitude for the presence of the YMCA in the community and was aware of the gap it would fill and appreciative of their presence. V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Dog Park Mr. Wildner spoke of the dog park in Boynton Beach and Ms. Deb Barnes earlier visit to the Board on the subject. He commented on the existing County dog park in Lake Ida Park, west of Delray Beach. He said that this park had only been open a few months but was already full in the evenings and referenced the tremendous need and demand for having such a park throughout the country and in this area. Ms. Barnes attended a recent City Commission meeting where she presented a petition with some 180Q signatures asking for a dog park. Mr. Wildner stated that his department was considering various locations as a site for the dog park. There had been some community resistance following a discussion of the topic at a City Commission meeting. Many people think it is a great idea, "but not near MY house". The Congress Avenue Community Park location was the focus of resistance on the part of Hunter's Room, who felt it was too close to their homes. Mr. Williams believed that the crisis with the dwindling space in the cemetery should take precedence over the issue of the dog park. If the Parks department was looking for a dog park site, shouldn't they be spending their time looking for cemetery expansion sites first? Mr. Wildner said they were looking for both kinds of sites. Mr. Wildner said the Cemetery Board had been looking at taking over Little League Park for cemetery expansion except for the salt water intrusion issue. Mr. Wildner stated that two potential locations for the dog park were on Lawrence Road and another one near the old FPL site south of Golf Road and some other places where the City had property that might be used for the purpose. The City Commission wants to consider the concept of a dog park and whether the City wants to get into it or not. Also, the role of the County is a consideration. The County has indicated that they probably will ',build additional dog parks but they will most likely not be close to Boynton Beach, probably going to Okeeheelee and/or Jupiter or North Palm Beach. The two questions that pertained were: 1) Does the City really want a dog park? 2) If so, where should it be located? Mr. Wildner spoke of the lack of places for people to take their pets in the area. B. Hester Center Breezeway Mr. Majors announced that the purchase order had been submitted to get the project started. The project came in under the anticipated cost. Construction should start in eight to ten weeks, with completion in about 120 days after starting the project. On a related topic, Mr. Majors said they had issued a purchase order for the pavilion area behind the Center to be used for space to sit and have shade and eat while watching the games. 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Park Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 26, 2001 C. Senior Center Mr. Majors and City Manager Bressner went to the Palm Beach Legislative Delegation to try to get some support from the State but it seemed that capital projects were long shots at best. An application, however, had been completed for the Lattener Foundation grant for $800K+, and Mr. Majors hoped it would be successful. Mr. Majors remarked on the Senior Center Valentine's Day event and what a wonderful time was had by all. He remarked that the Center provided a wonderful opportunity for fellowship that a lot of the attendees might not have without the Center. The Center is serving 175 lunches a day. Chair Thomas asked if Mae Volen was still serving lunches in the north part of the City? Mr. Majors said no, that service was relocated by Mae Volen. Mr. Williams asked Mr. Wildner who was in charge of the fence around the ball field at Hester Center? Mr. Wildner said he was. Mr. Williams said the fence was not stabilized properly with a top rail and people were bending and pulling the fence down. He asked that this be considered in the next budget cycle. Mr. Wildner said they designed the fence without the rail because having a top rail would encourage people to climb over the fence. Mr. Williams said that all high school fields had a stabilizer bar on top of their fences. Mr. Williams felt the fence needed to be at least six feet high and have a stablizer bar added to the top. D. Boat Club/Intracoastal Parks Boat Club Park Mr. Wildner was happy that so many Board members had attended the boat launching ceremony recently. The Board said it was a nice affair. The construction plans for the park had been completed and it was to be sent out to bid shortly, with an anticipated construction start date of the day after the fourth of July. Intracoastal Park The City Commission gave their go-ahead to contract with Wallace, Roberts & Todd to finish off the master plan for the park. The interlocal agreement with Palm Beach County should be on the City Commission agenda soon for the remaining $1.7M which Commissioner McCarty approved for the project. Mr. Winters asked Mr. Wildner what happened with the purchase of the Gandolfo property north of the park? Mr. Wildner said the owner had been holding out for $3.4M and the City's offer was lower than that. The City Commission decided to continue with the purchase. At the last City Commission meeting the topic came up again and the Commissioners will continue to look into the issue. The Board believed the park was too small without the addition of this property and hoped that the City would purchase it. -19 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Park Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 26, 2001 Ms. Murphy asked why the ten -acre park was going to take two years to complete? Mr. Wildner said it had to do with getting the environmental permits, which had long lead times. The fee for boat launching and parking was discussed. Mr. Wildner spoke of the decal system that would be $50.00 for the year for the decal and $10.00 per launching if you do not have a decal. All felt this would be good revenue for the City. Mr. Wildner said a person would have to be there to collect the money. The amount for the decal was questioned. Mr. Wildner responded that it had been decided after surveying the neighboring cities and their requirements. Enforcement would only be on weekends and holidays. It would not pay to keep a person there all the time. Mr. Winters thought it would, be a good idea to enforce it strictly at the beginning as this would influence the success of the program. The pavilions will still be rented for $25.00 for a half a day and $50.00 for a whole day. E. Special Events Mr. Majors reported that Black Awareness was just finishing and GALA preparations were in full swing. It was hoped that Ocean Avenue would be all cleaned up by that time. Mr. Majors explained that at one end would be the carnival and family-oriented activities and on the other, the arts activities. Vice Chair McMahon suggested having the dedication of the bridge and GALA at the same time. Mr. Majors said that had been part of the plan up to recently but it did not appear that this would work due to the delay in the bridge opening. Various Board members stated that the bridge was opening the day after this meeting and that it had been announced on Channel 12 news. Mr. Majors said he would get with Mr. Segal and determine the status of the bridge opening. Mr. Majors gave the Advisory Board credit for their suggestion that the name did not necessarily fit the event any more. He said staff had also brought this up so they were investigating a more appropriate name. Mr. Majors continues to look for other locations in town for the concerts. F. Black Awareness Black Awareness had been very successful, with a crowd of upwards of 7,000 people on the day of the event itself. This was the largest attendance ever and in the future, the event would probably require shuttles to and from the site. The entertainment had been outstanding and the community seemed to really enjoy it. Mr. Harris said the Coronation ceremony was especially nice. G. Greenways Mr. Wildner stated that Mike Fitzpatrick was still active in pursuing Greenways. Recently Greenways was added to one of the elements of the City's 55 Strategic Initiatives. The Commission is considering including a consultant study for the next budget cycle. The study would come up with likely locations to build on Mike Fitzpatrick's original work. They look forward to this work and will continue to pursue grant money. 5 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Park Board Boynton Beach, Florida H. Items for the City Manager's Attention February 26, 2001 Vice Chair McMahon suggested that the pressure be kept on for promoting the Intracoastal Park. Chairman Thomas said that grants were needed for the Senior Center expansion. Mr. Winters said that the YMCA was a great example of going into the private sector and finding money. There are people who like to give away money. He wanted to make sure that when the new high school opened that there would be full cooperation for athletic programs. He remarked on the wonderful arrangement with Congress Middle School The new high school has an electrified baseball field and it should be available to the public. Mr. Winters suggested inviting the principal to one of their Board meetings and Vice Chair McMahon stated that the City Manager might be the best one to extend the invitation and that this was the best time since school had not started yet. Mr. Williams wanted the need for a second City bus highlighted to the City Manager. Mr. Majors said staff was in the process of preparing a justification 'since this, was not a budgeted item. Mr. Winters said the City should go for a school type bus. Mr. Williams said that Riviera Beach got a school bus and they installed air conditioning in it themselves. Mr. Harris discussed the traffic conditions around Ezell Hester Park and the heavy traffic leaving the Park. He spoke of a need for a flashing type of light where you exit Hester Park and also at 10th Avenue and Martin Luther King Blvd where the left turn is made. There is only one way in, off Seacrest. It is hard to make that turn when there is a lot of traffic. They need a left -turn signal at 10th Avenue to go west. Mr. Majors had just met with Jeffery Livergood, the new Public Works Director (who is a traffic engineer), Matt Immler, Assistant Police Chief, and the Risk Manager, Chuck Magazine, about the traffic concerns around Hester Center. Mr. Livergood made some good points, including a comment that the fence was too dark. Mr. Harris believed that most of the accidents in that area had come from the curve. Mr. Williams spoke about the caution light and said that there should be a light pole there and that this would help to slow the traffic down. Mr. Majors remarked again about Mr. Livergood's expertise in this area. Mr. Livergood also suggested putting white reflector lights on the white line that runs parallel to the curb, putting in some landscaping in front of the fence to give depth and definition to the area, and some other great ideas. The City has written a'letter to the County with Mr. Livergood's recommendations due to these concerns. Mr Harris returned to the idea about the heavy traffic leaving the Park and suggested a light be put at 17th, Avenue and that this would take some of the pressure off of coming into the curve. They discussed various, strategies for re-routing the traffic in Hester Park, opening up the south end, closing other areas, and so on. Mr. Williams remarked that the parents of a child that was killed in the area had been trying for very long time to get a light on 17th Avenue. Mr. Majors commented that Mr. Livergood had also suggested a couple of "Warning — Curve" signs and a suggested speed. Mr. Williams said that if the Chief of Police put a policeman in that area and had him start writing up a lot of tickets it would help. Mr. Harris said that these concerns were not just for recreation but pertained to the safety of the entire citizenry. Mr. Majors thought i that the suggestions of a trained traffic engineer might have more weight with the County. 59 Meeting Minutes Recreation& Park Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 26, 2001 1. Monthly Report There were no questions, comments, or concerns about the December and January monthly reports. VI. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Majors mentioned the 55 Strategic Initiatives of the City and specifically the ones that dealt with Recreation issues. Mr. Majors solicited Board participation in the following two initiatives: 1) ways to get the youth of the City involved in events, programs, and decisions 2) look into the feasibility of a teen and family community center to provide such amenities as education classes, recreation and hobby center, and meeting rooms Mr. Majors stated that the Advisory Board on Children & Youth was pressing for a teen center but he did not foresee a stand-alone teen center. He believed a community center that had amenities for teens might be a better idea. Mr. Wildner mentioned the Park items from the initiatives: 1) finishing Boat Club and Intracoastal Park 2) perform an inventory of existing park properties including and City -owned parcels of land for recreation and park potential 3) consider additional funding mechanisms for parks 4) resolving the issue of cemetery expansion, surveying potential sites The Board discussed the new fence around the cemetery, agreeing that it looked very nice. Mr. Wildner stated they would be considering some landscaping near the fence also. Mr. Williams mentioned a fence problem in left field where people had been leaning on the fence. Mr. Wildner said he would take a look at it. Mr. Winters asked how much recreation money would be realized from the new project on Federal Highway just south of Woolbright? Mr. Wildner thought it would be approximately $200,000 and that it would go into the Parks & Recreation Dedication Account and could only be used for the purchase or development of land, no programming. Mr. Harris spoke on behalf of his church, St. John's Missionary Baptist Church, and extended warm thanks to the City for the use of the Ezell Hester Center for the really nice reception following Reverend Lee's funeral, and also for the parking arrangements that were made to accommodate the very large crowds. Between the wake and the reception there had been over 4,000 people in attendance. He thanked the many civic dignitaries who had attended the funeral. He also thanked the City for lowering the flags to half-staff in honor of Reverend Lee and for their cooperation and accommodations. He also extended thanks to the Parks & Recreation Board. 7 Meeting Minutes Recreation & Park Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 26, 2001 Mr. Majors said the City had been pleased to help offer what assistance it could, and that Mary DeGraffenreidt deserved a lot of credit for her efforts as well. Elizabeth Pierce asked if anything was happening about the potential purchase of Morey's Lounge? Mr..Wildner. said that the price was coming down a little and that there were a number of people at the City and County level who were interested in pursuing it. Mr. Harris brought up the Governor's Literacy Grant and suggested that it be pursued for possible application in the Recreation- program, or in some other City program. The grant was for $50,000 and required the participation of an adult and a child. Only two institutions had it the previous year, the Reading Council and Mr. Harris's institution, Northboro. it would be a way of working on literacy while throwing balls. Mr. Majors said he would do some research on the grant. The next meeting will be on March 26, 2001. There being no further business the meeting was duly adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (two tapes) L -*3