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Minutes 10-25-99 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD MEETING HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM C, WEST WING, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1999 AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT Betty Thomas, Chairperson Melody Green, Recreation Superintendent James R. McMahon, Vice Chair John Wildner, Parks Superintendent Ed Harris Carolyn Sims, Recreation Supervisor Mike Fitzpatrick Bali Ramnarace Tom Williams Dan Winters ABSENT Charles Jackson, Alternate I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Thomas called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. II. ATTENDANCE Chairperson Thomas called the roll and a quorum was declared present. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 27, 1999 MEETING Chairperson Thomas asked if there were any changes to the minutes of the September 27, 1999 meeting. Hearing none, Chairperson Thomas stated that the minutes stand approved as submitted. IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS (a) Senior Center Update: Carolyn Sims Ms. Sims distributed a packet of information to the members on the Senior Center and reported that the Senior Center is open and operating five days per week, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Approximately 200 seniors have registered for the free programs and activities. The Center is growing and new people continue to sign up daily. The Center serves hot lunches everyday at noon. The Center tries to serve between 40 to 45 people daily for MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 lunch. The Mae Volen Center provides the lunches at a cost $3.00 each. However, the meals are free to the participants, but donations are accepted. Everyone gets fed regardless of a donation. Ms. Sims pointed out that the packet contained a monthly calendar of meals that were offered during October and a new calendar for November. People have expressed that the meals are very good and they are enjoying them. Ms. Sims included a bus schedule in the packet and went over some of the services that are provided at the Senior Center as follows: ? Bethesda Homecare will have a nurse present every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon. ? SHINE will be available for counseling every Tuesday to address questions about HMOs and Medicare. ? HUMANA Health Care provided a stress test today and 40 people participated. ? Several classes are being offered. ? Line dancing takes place on Tuesday and 45 people participated. ? Woodcarving is held on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. ? Special exercise classes will soon be offered for people with disabilities. ? Computer classes will be provided in the future and 50 people have signed up. ? Bingo is held on Wednesday and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon. ? Coffee is provided daily for 25¢ per cup and for $1.00 a person can get a sweet roll or bagel with their coffee. Volunteers man the coffee shop. ? The Center now has 70 volunteers. ? The first annual Halloween Contest and Dance will be held on Friday. Ms. Sims said they are open to all suggestions and need help from everyone. Ms. Sims said that Steve Lulkin is committed to the Senior Center and is doing a wonderful job. Ms. Sims invited everyone to come out to see the Senior Center. Mr. Williams asked if most of the participants are people who used to attend the Mae Volen Center. Ms. Sims said some are from Mae Volen, but a great many people are from other areas. Ms. Sarah Williams was in attendance and thanked Ms. Sims for a wonderful report. Ms. Williams stated she was the Facilitator for the Boynton Community Forum and works in partnership with the City and other community agencies for the benefit of Boynton Beach. Ms. Williams said she received calls from senior citizens that had concerns about the Center. One was the telephone number was not known and Ms Williams noted that Ms. Sims distributed the telephone number tonight for the Senior Center. Ms. Williams also stated that some seniors did not wish to be picked up at 7:30 a.m. as this was too early in the morning for their ride to the Center. 2 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 Ms. Sims pointed out that there is a new bus schedule in the packet and the bus times have been made more convenient. Ms. Williams inquired if it was necessary for people to obtain a pass in order to get coffee at the Senior Center. Ms. Green stated this was entirely untrue and has been a false rumor circulating in the City. Ms. Sims stated there is a jar on the counter and people pay what they pay and no one would be turned away. The bus service is door-to-door and people are encouraged to make arrangements to be picked up. Ms. Williams was under the impression that the furniture was not conducive to seniors and was difficult to get in and out of. Ms. Green asked Ms. Williams to stop by the Senior Center and view the furniture. Ms. Green stated that all the furniture is conducive to senior adults and a lot of compliments have been received on the furniture. Unfortunately, this is another incorrect rumor that had been circulating throughout the City. Mr. Harris pointed out that it is important that Ms. Williams take the message back and dispel these rumors in order that all the senior citizens can enjoy these facilities. Mr. Harris thanked Ms. Sims for a well-done, informative report and noted that senior citizens have a great deal to offer to the community. Chairperson Thomas said that the Senior Center is just beautiful. Ms. Williams announced that the Community Forum is scheduled for tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at the Bible Church of God and she will relay the proper information at that time. Mr. Fitzpatrick asked why the Center wasn’t open beyond 5:00 p.m. Mr. Fitzpatrick suggested that the Senior Center could be used to pick up some of the meetings that had been held at the Royal Palm Clubhouse. Ms. Green said at this time the Senior Center is earmarked solely as a senior facility. However, it would be available in the evening for any senior adult group that may wish to use it. Ms. Green said it is intended that some of the groups that used to utilize the Royal Palm Clubhouse will now be able to use the Woman’s Club. This will be discussed later during the meeting. (b) Boat Club/Intracoastal Parks (John Wildner) Mr. Wildner said that decisions should be made shortly regarding the Boat Club and Intracoastal Parks and stated Palm Beach County Commissioners are now making inquiries. The grants are coming to a close in March of next year and $2.6 million in grants will expire. Therefore, the City needs to do something in order not to lose the grants without discussion. The last action taken by the CRA was that the site would be used for a mixed use, commercial/residential site. No official action since that time has been taken. At sometime in the future, the City Commission will be meeting with the 3 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 Palm Beach County Commissioners to discuss this further, but the time and date has yet to be determined. Mr. Williams reported that he met with the City Manager and the City will now be putting the money back into the budget to do the floor at the Hester Center. Ms. Green thanked Mr. Williams for his efforts in this regard. Mr. Williams said that the City should do the floors every other year. If you wait five years, the floor would just deteriorate. Mr. Williams stated that Mr. Hawkins was very amenable to this and instructed the Facilities Department to put the money back in the budget. Chairperson Thomas requested that the minutes reflect that a full Board was present and that Bali Ramnarace, Ed Harris and Mike Fitzpatrick arrived. Mr. Williams said it will take 3 ½ days to do the floors and the floors need to be sanded and varnished. (c) Greenways Network (Mike Fitzpatrick) Mr. Fitzpatrick said he hasn’t been doing that much with Greenways because he is attending paramedic classes two nights a week. He also said he was losing faith due to the happenings with Boat Club and Intracoastal Park. However, he feels more optimistic now. The Overlook site went through and he also sent out a memorandum to all the people involved in the Greenways Project and is trying to set up a Commission workshop sometime in November. It is anticipated the workshop would be held at the Library Program Room. The County had passed the bond referendum and there is money available. Mr. Fitzpatrick thinks the County will be purchasing the Overlook site sometime this month at a cost of approximately $4.5 million for 88 acres in Hypoluxo. (d) Monthly Report Members reviewed the monthly report, which had been previously distributed. Vice Chair McMahon noted that the City has a great deal of wonderful programs taking place. Mr. Williams reported that Mr. Wally Majors will be placing the flagpole by the football field and Ms. Green conferred that this was discussed today. Mr. Harris asked if there were any plans to keep the pool going during the off season, as well as holding other activities at the Hester Center. 4 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 Ms. Green replied that Facilities Management maintains a schedule when they want to make repairs and paint the buildings, which doesn’t always coincide with Parks and Recreation’s schedule. Ms. Green reported that the City has a world-class facilities team comprised of many staff members. This team visited every City facility and photographed every area that needed improvement to bring the City’s facilities up to world class status. This information was presented to the Leadership Team and a plan will be devised on how to put these improvements into action. More information will be presented at the next meeting. Mr. Williams stated they hoped that the City would be going forward with putting pavilions in Sara Sims Park so people can stay in their own community and not have to rely on parks in other parts of the City. Further, Mr. Williams wants to see some playground facilities added to the Hester Center for the little children. Mr. Williams feels there is sufficient space behind the racquetball court to remove the scrub and place playground equipment in that space. Mr. Wildner stated a swing set is scheduled to be installed shortly at the Hester Center. Mr. Williams said more than a swing set is needed. Mr. Fitzpatrick stated that the County contributed money for this area for the scrub jays and if the scrub area is torn out, the City will lose these funds. Mr. Wildner felt there would be other areas where the equipment could be placed without tearing out the scrub area. V. NEW BUSINESS Chairperson Thomas asked the guest in the audience to introduce herself. Ms. Catherine Jordan said she was present tonight as a concerned citizen and parent on behalf of Wilson Center. She agreed with Mr. Williams that there is a need for more playgrounds for the young children. Ms. Jordan said that the children don’t want to play at the current playgrounds because of their condition. She said she was present to ask that the Wilson Pool be kept open longer so that the children can use the facility after school. Ms. Jordan complimented the staff at the pool for the wonderful job of teaching the children. Ms. Jordan felt the staff was understaffed and overworked. She would like to see more people working at the pool and that the hours be increased. She said that the lifeguards have had to teach upwards of 20 children per class between 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Mr. Williams said that 20 children per one lifeguard are too much. Ms. Green thanked Ms. Jordan for her comments and informed her staff has met to discuss this situation and staff is aware of these challenges. Ms. Green stated that the lifeguards determine how many children are in each class and also set their schedules. Ms. Green stated that some improvements should be noticeable next year. The City is 5 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 also trying to get some involvement with the School District and staff has met with Ms. Sims and Ms. Williams to discuss this possibility and to have the pool available throughout the year. Ms. Green stated currently there is no money in the budget to heat the pool. Staff would like to have all school children in Boynton take swimming lessons. Mr. Harris said he has asked several principals from the Poinciana School in the past why they didn’t have a program to offer swimming classes since there is a pool right down the street. This would be a way to keep the pool open all year round. Mr. Harris has commended staff and noted there have been no drownings at the pool. Mr. Harris suggested introducing junior lifeguards to assist with the swimming lessons. Ms. Green stated that junior lifeguards were tried at the Wilson Pool, but only lasted one year. Also, Ms. Green and Ms. Sims have approached the principal at Poinciana, but there has been no response. Ms. Green would like to offer the program to all the schools in the City. Ms. Sarah Williams stated she brought the issue of closing the pool to Ms. Green because the pool will not reopen until May of 2000. Since this is the only municipal pool in Boynton Beach, she feels the pool needs to be maintained better. Ms. Williams said she visited the pool recently and it needs cleaning. It is not being cleaned on a routine basis. There are drug dealers on the west-end corner of the pool. Also, you can peer into the neighbors’ houses from the pool and suggested that some trees be placed around the pool to enhance the area. Ms. Williams would like to see the entrance redone. Also, there needs to be some signs placed warning about drug dealing on the premises. The area needs to be made safe because people are afraid to use the pool because of the area. Mr. Winters asked why the pool is not heated and Ms. Green replied that during this part of the season many children do not use the pool and the schools place more emphasis on academics. Mr. Winters said that a pool in Florida needs to be heated in the winter. Also, he would like to see more police presence if there are problems in the area. Ms. Green pointed out that in order to warrant that the pool is kept open all year round, it needs to be utilized. Ms. Green said that creating a partnership with the schools would increase the use of the pool, which could result in the pool being open longer. Mr. Winters suggested that Ms. Green approach the principal at Poinciana and try to work out some type of after school program for the pool. Mr. Williams said that the Wilson Pool has never been open year round and always closed because of the budget. It was never suggested to keep the pool open year round. It should be suggested to the City Commission to put money into the budget to keep the pool open all year. Mr. Williams said that the Wilson Pool is the only pool that 6 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 closes and other pools in the area remain open. Ms. Green said staff is looking at how other pools operate. Ms. Williams asked how much it would cost to keep the pool heated and suggested that she would go before the Commission to make an appeal to keep the pool heated. Ms. Green said she was not certain of the cost and staff is attempting to come up with a total plan and justification for the costs. All this information is currently being gathered. Chairperson Thomas asked if there are currently facilities available to heat the pool and Ms. Green said there are none. Mr. Williams suggested that whenever the weather is warm enough, the lifeguards could open up the pool. Ms. Green said all these options will be looked at. Mr. Williams stated the reason the pool was dirty is because it is closed and no one is cleaning it. Also, Ms. Green said the storms have also dirtied the pool. Mr. Williams feels that the pool was put in the wrong place and is too close to the road and the ball field and all the dust and clay gets into the pool. Mr. Wildner said that grass has now been planted and there should be no clay getting into the pool. Ms. Williams thanked the Board for their consideration and requested anything they could do would be appreciated. V. NEW BUSINESS (a) Woman’s Club Rental Coordination Ms. Green said that at the last City Commission meeting it was recommended that the $26,000, which is owed to the City by the Woman’s Club could be paid down through rentals for groups that previously used the Royal Palm Clubhouse. Ms. Green said she spoke to Marie Shephard from the Woman’s Club and Ms. Shephard provided a fee schedule of the rentals for the Club. Staff is planning to write a policy, keeping in mind that the cost for the rental is $100 per hour. Ms. Green thought because of the high cost, it might not be feasible for a group to use the club for a small meeting and to save the Club for larger events. The Woman’s Club also would prefer to have the Club available for their own rentals on weekends. Therefore, the Club would be available for Monday through Thursday rentals by the City. Mr. Harris suggested that Ms. Green handle this since she has the expertise and felt it was something that the Board shouldn’t become involved with. Chairperson Thomas said she would not like to see keys to the Woman’s Club being given out all over the City. Ms. Green said that the Woman’s Club Board would have to 7 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 approve the method of the rentals. Discussion took place on who would be responsible for the cleanup after these rentals. Motion Mike Fitzpatrick moved that the Woman’s Club be used for special events only on a first-come, first-served basis. Ms. Green did not think that a motion was necessary and that she was just looking for some feedback tonight. Ms. Green asked if any other Board member had any other suggestions. Because of the $100 per hour cost, there is only the possibility of having 65 meetings taking place at the Woman’s Club and there have been 23 groups that have used the Royal Palm Clubhouse. Therefore only five groups could be accommodated for their monthly meetings. Mr. Ramnarace asked if the Senior Center could be used for some of these meetings. Ms. Green replied that the Senior Advisory Board has requested that the Senior Center only be used for senior adults. Mr. Ramnarace felt that the Senior Center would be a good place for additional meeting space. Mr. Williams inquired if there were plans to build a new Civic Center? Ms. Green stated they are proposing a new Civic Center to replace the one that is there. This is being included in the Master Planning process for the entire downtown area. There has been no funding identified as yet. The existing Civic Center cannot accommodate the current needs, not to mention the growth taking place in the City. The building being proposed would contain 119,000 square feet, including a theater. The anticipated cost is $12 million. Mr. Harris suggested that Ms. Green proceed in the direction she indicated and to present the issue again on next month’s agenda. Mr. Williams suggested that the Board find another meeting space because Conference Room C is always so cold. Mr. Harris reported that three cities in Palm Beach County received Front Porch Florida Grants and suggested that Ms. Green check this out further. Mr. Wildner presented posters of photographs of the damage to the parks in the City as a result of Tropical Storm Irene and the damages are now close to $100,000. Staff is working seven days per week trying to clean up the damage, which is mostly wind damage to trees. Most of the flooding is receding. The City will be applying for reimbursement from FEMA. Mr. Wildner stated that the photographs would be placed in the lobby of City Hall for everyone to view. 8 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 25, 1999 Mr. Wildner reported that 28 trees blew over on U.S.1 and the cemetery took a huge hit. VI. NEXT MEETING: Monday, November 22, 1999 VII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, _______________________________ Barbara M. Madden Recording Secretary (two tapes) 9