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Minutes 10-22-12 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD MEETING HELD O MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012, AT 6.30 P.M., IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Elizabeth Pierce -Roe, Chair Wally Majors, Director Recreation & Parks John McVey, Vice Chair Charles Kanter Robert Lapin Thomas Mandler Catherine Scantlan I. Call to Order Chair Pierce -Roe called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. II. Attendance Chair Pierce -Roe called the roll. A quorum was present. Also present was Kevin Hallahan, the City Forester. III. Approval of Minutes Motion Ms. Scantlan moved to accept the minutes. Vice Chair McVey seconded the motion that passed unanimously. IV. Unfinished Business Wally Majors, Recreation and Parks Director, explained in response to the Board's wishes, staff issued press releases indicating Board members were available to speak as public speakers. Mr. Majors has been promoting this in his daily tasks and when speaking with the Jaycees, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce and other organizations. He noted the press releases should help in this regard. A. Sara Sims Park Master Plan This item was discussed later in the meeting. 1 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 22, 2012 B. Holiday Parade Grand Marshall (Heard out of Order) Mr. Majors distributed the nominations for the Grand Marshall, which the members reviewed. Three nominations were received: one for Gary Solomon, Organizer of the Sand Sifters; one for Rick Lococo, Developer of the Seabourn Cove project; and one for Rick Beau Lieu, Artist and creator of the Opus Sea Turtle located at Oceanfront Park. Gary Solomon, has served as organizer for beach and park clean -ups in the City. He has consistently motivated one to two hundred volunteers each month for seven years to care and clean up Congress Avenue Barrier Free Park and the City's beaches. He and the Sand Sifters have removed a tremendous amount of litter and one would be amazed at how much litter was in the sand, particularly cigarette butts. He is an exemplary leader in the community and has spearheaded conservation efforts along the City's coastal areas. Developer Rick Lococo, was involved in the Seabourn Cove multi - family project which brought the City notoriety as the largest, completely green project in the country The project is Nationally Gold Certified and used energy efficient items which would have less of an impact on the environment. The project was over and above other projects and was recognized by the National Home Builder's Association. The City and Community Redevelopment Agency was awarded the 2012 Sustainable Florida Best Practice Award for it, and the project conformed to the City's Green Building Program. Artist Rick .Beau Lieu, came to the City in 1986 and established a studio and gallery on West Industrial Avenue. The area was crime ridden and a dump. Mr. Beau Lieu was instrumental in improving the area's aesthetics and safety through art. As a result, other artists moved to the area and it became a thriving arts district. Mr. Beau Lieu also served on the Arts Commission for three years and, as Vice Chair, helped create and implement the Art in Public Places Ordinance. He is recognized for his work creating the Opus Sea Turtle at Oceanfront Park, drawing attention to the sea turtles nesting, and founding other art events such as "Meet me Downtown" in Boca Raton, Arti Gras, in North Palm Beach, and youth programs to build sculptures and create paintings. It was noted the City has hired a Public Art Administrator who made the City much more aesthetically appealing. The members contemplated all the noteworthy contributions of each nominee; however, Mr. Solomon's efforts, as a volunteer and organizer of the clean -ups each month stood out. Seabourn Cove was a commercial project so those activities were not voluntary. Chair Pierce -Roe recalled W. Industrial area was laden with tires and other debris. Mr. Beau Lieu took these items and created art. After further discussion there appeared to be consensus that Mr. Solomon and his volunteers should be in the parade with their pails as their mission would be informative. The members agreed Mr. Solomon's efforts should be recognized and he should become the Parade's Grand Marshall. Historically, the Grand Marshall submits a short and comprehensive summary of their accomplishments and coverage is usually given via local radio stations. 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 22 2 012 Consensus Chair Pierce -Roe polled the members for their thoughts on Gary Solomon becoming the Grand Marshall and there was unanimous consent. Mr. Majors agreed to request the volunteers to march in the parade behind Mr. Solomon. It was also suggested the volunteers bring their pails which would be filled with candy and handed out along the parade route. Ms. Scantlan thought it would be beneficial for the members to highlight Artist Rick Beaulieu in Fanfare Magazine and further discussion followed about touring the Art District. Mr. Majors agreed to contact Ms. Coles- Dobay, the Public Art Administrator to see if she had a PowerPoint of the area and /or about arranging a trolley tour. If the members toured the area by van, the gathering could be noticed as a meeting and brief summary minutes taken. Mr. Majors encouraged the members to submit any article relating to their experience with Recreation and Parks to Fanfare Magazine. A. Sara Sims Park Master Plan Mr. Majors explained staff wanted the Board to be aware of a plan the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) commissioned to redevelop Sara Sims Park The Park was located on Seacrest Boulevard adjacent to Poinciana Elementary School and was one of the City's three cemeteries. Boynton Memorial Park was the largest cemetery was on Woolbright and Seacrest. Sara Sims was about five acres and then another smaller cemetery, west of Seacrest Boulevard along 1 -95 was Barton Cemetery. Sara Sims Cemetery, adjacent to Sara Sims Park, was a large park of about 10 acres that was heavily used. It was explained it was important to modernize parks from time to time. Part of this Park's redevelopment was initiated by the fact the main cemetery on Woolbright and Seacrest would be out of burial space within the next three to four years. As such, the plan allowed for the expansion of both the Sara Sims Cemetery and Park and the relocation of some amenities. Mr. Majors explained when staff designs or redevelops a park, they do it in a manner that is consistent with the community's interests which, in this case, was done in 2010. Staff received feedback from the community about what they wanted in the Park and the CRA hired an architect. Some of the items requested were space for special events. He noted this area of the City hosted the MILK activities, the Heritage Fest, and requested areas to walk through the Park. The community wanted to maintain the art wall and wanted more shade. There was also discussion about removing tennis courts as the stakeholders wanted pavilions, large open play areas, shade trees and perhaps a butterfly garden. 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 22, 2012 The architects designed various concepts encompassing the community's wishes. At present, staff wanted to show the Board the conceptual idea of what the Park would look like. No development was scheduled at this time as the Department was not in a position to develop anything they would have to maintain. It was strictly a conceptual design. When the economy improved, they could better address it. Mr. Majors also clarified this plan did not change the Department's priorities. The review was needed to modify the Heart of Boynton (HOB) plan as elements of it involved removal of some residential areas on Martin Luther King Boulevard and as such, had to be noted as part of the City's Comprehensive Plan. This review was part of the process to capture those concepts. Then when the park was moved forward, it could be noted discussions took place. Mr. Majors explained he wanted the Board to be aware of the plan and nothing further had to be done at this time. He did suggest, however, the members visit the Park at some point as it would be beautiful. As part of the initial phases of the HOB plan, they reconstructed the Wilson Center, now known as the Sims Center, Wilson Park and the Denson Pool. Sara Sims was part of the plan as well, but it would require modification of the plan. Mr. Majors explained the City was a stakeholder, as it relates to parks. The CRA wanted to move forward with the City's endorsement. As to funding, Mr. Majors was uncertain who would fund it, but thought it may be possible funds from both the City and CRA would be used. He noted the Holiday Parade is implemented by the City and the CRA handled the entertainment. With this plan, the Community Redevelopment Agency hired the architect to create the plan, but City staff brought the stakeholders together and created the venue for the meetings. It was a collaborative effort. He reiterated it was unknown who would pay for the park, as discussions had not risen to that level. The current objective was to ensure any plans developed that conflicted with the HOB plan were rectified. V. Items for the City Manager's Attention Mr. Kantor explained he attended a Quantum Development District meeting and they formally offered the Sand Pine Preserve hoping the City would combine it with Quantum Park, and rename it Thomas Migilicutty Park. Mr. Migilicutty was reticent about the name, but they were actively pursuing the acquisition, to make one of the nicest eco parks that exist in the entire region. He advised he would make a presentation about the request to the City Commission next month. He wanted the Board to be aware of the matter. He also spoke to the Chief of the Sierra Club and they favored the acquisition. Mr. Majors recommended the individuals making the suggestions formally engage the City with some type of documentation. It appeared this item had already been discussed with the City; however, Mr. Majors was not aware of it. It was noted Kevin Hallahan, City Forrester was unaware of the dialogue as well. 4 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 22, 2012 Mr. Majors noted the Board had previously made development of Quantum Park a priority. Mr. Kanter agreed to make a copy of the information he had and forward it to Mr. Majors. Discussion turned to Congress Avenue Barrier Free Park. Staff had wanted to obtain a type of slide in the shape of a bowl for handicapped individuals; however, fundraising had not moved forward as quickly as hoped. This equipment could be accessed by those who were wheelchair bound as well as individuals without a wheelchair. The equipment sways and moves and is fun, but there was no money in the budget to obtain it. Staff was brainstorming ways to raise funds. Mr. Majors had briefly discussed holding a tennis tournament; however, it was only an idea at this point and he welcomed ideas from the members. Mr. Majors noted the Park was approaching its one year anniversary and there was room for growth as the Park was 13.5 acres. He would like to see the Park have elements that were inviting to youth of all ages regardless of whether they were disabled or not. He explained playgrounds are engineered and highly calibrated. Anytime equipment is obtained, it had to meet safety standards, be age appropriate and designed for individuals with limited disabilities. If the Board found the equipment appealing, perhaps they could make some suggestions. The surface areas in the Park were also designed for handicapped access and had cement trails created specifically for handicapped youth. Mr. Majors described some of the equipment. He noted the slide /bowl was about $20,000. The Greater Boynton Beach Foundation, a 501 (C) 3 entity independent of the City raised about $7,000 to $8,000. Staff helps facilitate the meetings and perform administrative functions, but the Foundation was separate from staff. It required notice to have meetings and the meetings must be public. If one wanted to speak, a formal request had to be made. Mr. Majors noted the Foundation had been focusing on a large piece of equipment costing $500,000 that would be the highlight of the Park. They had written information which former Board member Janelle Sloan helped create, and there was a catalogue with a wide array of options. In terms of cost, most items would be $10,000 to $15,000. The Park was being constructed in phases based on the monies that could be raised. There were a lot of elements in the Park that were in the design phase. He commented each time a new piece of equipment was added to the Park, it renewed interest. The Park was estimated to cost $8 to $9 million including the building and equipment. The master plan for the Park was exciting. Mr. Majors agreed to investigate when the meetings were held and forward the information to Board member Lapin and Vice Chair McVey. The Foundation also has a website which could provide information as well. There was brief discussion about impact fees as the impact fee could be land. A question was posed whether the fees could be flexible for the Park. Mr. Majors explained Park impact fees were directly related to residential development. The fee 5 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL October 22, 2012 could be changed, but the Board would have to approach the City Commission. It was thought the task would be challenging. He noted the fee for the Art in Public Places program was created so it could be done. He noted any new development had to pay the fee. Mr. Majors commented any ideas could be brought to the City Manager, and he appreciated the Board's passion. VII. Next Meeting: November 26, 2012 VII. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:44 p.m. LL4"gk a j4f- Catherine Cherry Recording Secretary 102412 6