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Minutes 12-16-13 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2013, AT 6:30 P.., 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 Trevor Rosecrans Catherine Scantlan Renee Stern, Alternate (arrived 6:36 p.m.) ABSENT: Robert Lapin I. Call to Order Chair Pierce -Roe called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. II. Attendance Chair Pierce -Roe called the roll. A quorum was present. Mr. Majors commented Mr. Lapin had indicated he could not attend the meeting. Ill. Approval of Minutes The minutes were not available. IV. Unfinished Business A. Dog Parks Mr. Majors advised he conducted some research which revealed the City's Ordinance does not allow any dog or domesticated animal at any designated park or beach at any time whether muzzled or leashed. He did find the County allows dogs on a six -foot leash at some of their parks. Consequently, there is room for discussion to allow a leashed dog, that is up -to -date with shots and licenses, at some parks. Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL December 16, 2013 Mr. Majors brought a map of City parks and facilities for the members to review. The Board should have discussion over the next few months about the issue and when they get to a point they could forward a recommendation, they should host a meeting for the community that will be impacted by the decision. Equipment to gather and dispose of animal waste cost $325, which was the wastebasket and the bags, excluding shipping. They would be needed at predetermined distances. Mr. Majors suggested selecting three or four parks and consider the size and amenities that are there. Mr. Majors would obtain an aerial for the parks to allow the members to better visualize what could be accommodated. Chair Pierce -Roe noted the Bark at the Park event at Pence Park and was aware that the community had approached staff about dogs. Mr. Majors explained a few years ago, a former Commissioner had approached the Board to consider it and the Board resoundingly said no because it is a neighborhood park. The Parks Department had spent funds to convert the Park to a multi - purpose field, and then there would have been an additional expense to make it into a dog park. Mr. Majors pointed out the current discussion is to allow leashed dogs into parks as opposed to having a dedicated dog park with a fenced -in area. Chair Pierce -Roe commented it was a neighborhood park. Mr. Majors did not think it would be suitable for a dog park and it is heavily used by the residents in the area. Boca Raton was allowing dogs at parks during certain times of the day. Chair Pierce - Roe thought it would be helpful if someone would walk the park before instituting a trial period. Mr. Majors explained the Boca Park had many rules and regulations, with a heavy emphasis the park was designed for residents. Additionally, they need a parking permit and have to provide doggie DNA registration. He noted Boynton Beach does not have those resources, but it did provide the Board with a sense of how the facilities are developed and what important characteristics should be included. In Boca, park -goers must provide proof of residency and non - residents must pay $250 for a parking permit. There also may be a monthly permit required. Parking permits are available free of charge to City and Greater Boca Raton and Park District residents. They have taxing districts just for the parks. The only fee Mr. Majors was aware of was to non- residents and it was for a dedicated dog park. Mr. Majors explained the City has $10K set aside for the early stages of a dog park by Renaissance Commons in front of the lake area. Discussion turned to service dogs. Mr. Majors explained service dogs are allowed anywhere by Federal Law. He checked with the City Attorney and the Department can try a trial dog park for one year at specific parks and then revisit the matter and make a determination. It would ultimately have to be approved by the City Commission and community input would have to be received. Mr. Majors thought there would be some impact to allowing dogs at parks and it would be part of the discussion with parks maintenance to gain a sense of how it will impact 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL December 16, 2013 them and if they have the resources to manage the waste, if not disposed of by the dog owner. It is also a health issue. Chair Pierce -Roe inquired if other cities that do not have a dedicated dog park allow dogs in their parks, and suggested a representative come to the meeting. She thought it would be helpful. He reiterated he was waiting to hear from Delray Beach, who recently allowed dogs east of A1A. Allowing dogs at the beach in Boca Raton was a separate issue from the information Mr. Majors had from Boca Raton regarding dogs in parks. Mr. Majors explained according to the County Ordinance, leashed dogs could be walked at Caloosa Park. He thought John Prince and Okahalee Parks allowed dogs as well. He agreed to contact one or two cities and invite them to the next meeting or provide feedback regarding their experiences. Boynton Inlet Park is a County park, but Mr. Majors opined they may not allow dogs there due to its proximity to the water. Both Oceanfront and Oyer Park are City parks. He explained today he received a complaint regarding Knollwood Park and he told the caller to call the Police non - emergency number to have the Animal Control Officer come and issue a citation, which was about an $85 fine. He thought it was possible some residents will not want dogs at parks. Mr. Majors thought Betty Thomas Park was nice but a larger park would be more appropriate. Ms. Scantlan inquired if there were any parks near retail areas that the Department wanted to increase attendance. They could modify the Ordinance and try it for a year. She thought there may be less resistance if parks were near commercial areas and could better accommodate parking. Mr. Majors explained one distinction between City and County parks was the size. Larger parks, such as Little League and the Hester Center, were generally regional parks that the public drives too. A neighborhood park services the neighborhood and those residents walk to the park. Ms. Scantlan commented she did not see anything about a dog park mentioned in the needs assessment. It was on the questionnaire and rated midway. Mr. Majors reiterated one Commissioner had come to the Board advocating for a dog park. He thought it was reflective that there may be enough people in the community who want the park making it an attractive option. Mr. Majors explained a dog park is an exclusive facility intended just for dogs. It is different for permitting dogs at parks. Chair Pierce -Roe noticed at Boat Club Park events, families bring their dogs on leashes and they should not be permitted. She liked the idea of starting slowly, similar to Boca Raton or limiting dogs to certain times. Mr. Majors pointed out Boca Raton has park rangers. Boynton Beach has 27 parks. 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL December 16, 2013 Chair Pierce -Roe requested Oyer Park be a test park and as a nearby resident of the Park, she noted they do not have any place to walk their dogs. They could walk on a strip of land rather than on Federal Highway. Mr. Majors agreed to bring visuals of the Park and suggested selecting no more than two or three parks in different areas to consider. If the residents want it, they could go from there. Mr. Majors thought it would be about $1,000 to add waste receptacles and signage at Oyer Park. Discussion turned to sponsoring a park. If establishments like Petco, Petsmart or Pet Supermarkets come to the Bark at the Park function, it would give them exposure. A suggestion was made to have a short question survey about a dog park at the function because dog lovers would attend the event. After further discussion, Oyer, Boynton Lakes, Pioneer Canal and Jaycee Parks were selected for consideration as trial dog parks. Motion Ms. Scantlan moved to approve the four parks for further consideration to allow leashed and licensed dogs in them for a trial period. Mr. Rosecrans seconded the motion that unanimously passed. V. New Business A. Needs Assessment Mr. Majors explained Mr. Rosecrans had requested a copy of the final report. This helped to confirm a lot of data the Department previously obtained and helps keep staff accountable to the public. It is important the Department responds to the public in a consistent way. Staff felt they should be much more active with the activities within their parks. They learned people are interested in special events, and it was important people take a more active role with their lifestyles. Staff found the public was interested in fitness. It has been well documented parks are good venues for these activities and to bring families together. As a result staff will be at the parks once a month during these activities. The first activity in January will be the Bark in the Park event. Staff wants the event to be family oriented and be an active event. Accordingly, feedback from the event goers will be important. The Needs Assessment provided staff with information about the type of questions they should ask. The Assessment is done every five years, but staff, on an annual basis, surveys users participating in the process. The public felt staff was responsive to the community's needs, that Oceanfront Park is still the most popular park, many individuals 4 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL December 16, 2013 do not use parks or the programs because they did not know about them, which was due to marketing and promotions. Mr. Majors explained the marketing and promotions budget is bigger than other departments, which was not uncommon. Staff is always trying to improve, and Mr. Majors commented this was a component of that effort. He noted the department has a five -year strategic plan. B. Play Outdoors ... Unplugged (Pooch Day) Chair Pierce -Roe inquired if families were receptive to the family park days and Mr. Majors responded they were. They will be held on the third Saturday of every month, other than July 4th The Barrier Free 5k Run will be held in February, and the Extravaganza is in April. The Department tries to spread activities out so they will not have activities at the same park all the time. Jaycee Park is a great park but has limited parking. Meadows Park is beautiful, but has limited parking as well. The Cross -Fit program was well received so they will hold it again. Mr. Majors thought surrounding park residents are tolerant when it pertains to special events. Parks and Recreation is a strong advocate for healthy lifestyles and it is a national issue that citizens are generally not physically fit. Mr. Majors explained not many schools use the parks because they have facilities on their own campuses, although there was a charter school that wanted to use the tennis courts for their games. He explained a middle school is mandated to have a track, and there are laws requiring such facilities. As to class picnics and the like, Mr. Majors explained they generate quite a bit of money for pavilion and field rentals. There are up to four weddings a month on the beach, and the facilities are used often. It is a challenge for staff to keep up with the use as it pertains to maintenance. Rentals are based on whether they have lights or pavilions. Some parks have a playground or basketball courts. Oceanfront or Intracoastal Park and Congress Avenue Barrier Free Park have pavilions and are rented out quite heavily. Further discussion followed if there are underutilized parks that a non - profit could take over. Mr. Majors commented it was hard to monitor. Generally they monitor the parks based on the wear and tear of the grass and the equipment. Ms. Scantlan inquired on a personal level about holding a class for developmentally disabled individuals and about non - profits. Mr. Majors suggested partnering with the City. Mr. Majors commented there are prevalent nationwide challenges where Crossfit and boot camp groups just show up at parks and do their thing. It is difficult to monitor and it is occurring all over Palm Beach County. It was Mr. Majors' contention that if the group is not making a commotion, it would be okay. If there are 20 or 30 individuals, he would want to work with them to ensure they are properly licensed and insured. The goal is to use the park positively. He also liked the concept Ms. Scantlan described. 5 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL December 16, 2013 Mr. Majors inquired if one of the Board Members would come to the Bark in the Park and requested they RSVP to him. He would send a reminder and a survey will also be created. Both Ms. Scantlan and Mr. Kanter tentatively agreed. Chair Pierce -Roe explained the boat ramp at Oyer Park has a hard gray plastic runner attached to the side of the docking that is used for a bumper. She pointed out a lot of it is broken. She had a $500 incident with her boat when they docked. If a boat docks between the strips, it will carve a chip out of the boat's fiberglass. It could cause a lot of damage. It is a bumper -type of attachment that runs from the front end of the dock to the end. Because boats are bumping against it, it is starting to break apart and there are big gaps in it. Mr. Majors agreed to look at it first thing the next morning. Chair Pierce -Roe noted, aside from that issue, all else is well with the Park. Ms. Scantlan inquired which City department oversees food trucks. Mr. Majors explained the process food trucks have to go through. She commented the food trucks, on Facebook, complained about the City that their fees were too high so they do not want to come. Mr. Majors explained the City Commission had concerns about the impact the food trucks had on the brick and mortar restaurants. They were trying to keep a balance. Chair Pierce -Roe thought it was important because they draw individuals to locations they would not normally go to. She thought it was not a competition between restaurants and food trucks in parks, because the families are coming to a location where they can play and be together, and that would not occur in restaurants or bars. Chair Pierce -Roe spoke about the Beer Fest and conveyed comments the fees Boynton was requesting was more than other places so that was where they go. Mr. Majors explained the fees were developed through the Development Department and the Ordinance can be modified or changed. There was discussion it would be better to have an event at a park and advertise there would be one or two food trucks as it would increase the draw. Mr. Majors explained the Board could send a letter indicating their concern, but he thought part of the issue would be to review the fees. He could get the details and bring them to the January meeting. He thought the Board could then review the fees and determine if they are higher or lower than other areas. Chair Pierce - Roe agreed to follow -up on the matter and see what the fees are in other areas. It was known the trucks had to be licensed and registered. This item will be on the next agenda. Mr. Rosecrans commented the report showed programs for teens were wanted and skate parks scored higher than thought. Mr. Majors was very familiar with skate parks or skate zones. He noted there was a recent article about the problem Royal Palm Beach was having with helmets, but he was interested in the idea. A location would have to be found. He commented if Mr. Rosecrans wanted to pursue skate parks 6 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, FL December 16, 2013 further, they would have to follow the same process used with dog parks. A venue would need to be found, and the larger issues of funding and supervision to be addressed. It was known skate parks do not generate any more injuries than any other parks and recreation activity or sports. Personally, he thought one was needed. VI. Items for the City Manager's Attention None. VII. Next Meeting: January 27, 2014 VIII. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Chair Pierce -Roe adjourned the meeting at 7:48 p.m. Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 090214 7