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Minutes 02-24-14 MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BLVD., BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014, AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT: Elizabeth Pierce -Roe, Chair (6:39 p.m.) Wally Majors, Director, Recreation and Parks Michael Byrd Robert Lapin Trevor Rosecrans Catherine Scantlan Renee Stern Jack McVey, Alternate ABSENT: Charles Kanter I. Call to Order Mr. Majors called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. in the absence of Chair Pierce -Roe. He noted a Vice Chair had not been appointed. II. Attendance The Recording Secretary called the roll. A quorum was present. Mr. Rosecrans inquired if a motion could be made to appoint a Vice Chair. Mr. Majors accepted responsibility to hear the motion. Motion Mr. Rosecrans moved to appoint Ms. Scantlan as Vice Chair. Mr. Lapin seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Chair Pierce -Roe joined the meeting at 6:39 p.m. and Mr. Majors turned the meeting over to her. Mr. Majors introduced a new Board member, Mr. Michael Byrd. 1 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FL. FEBRUARY 24, 2014 Mr. Byrd thanked the members for allowing him to participate on the Board. He is the President of a non - profit organization that deals with athletics and academics. The organization oversees the youth football program at the Ezell Hester Community Center. He is also an operation supervisor for McDonald's. Approval of Minutes Minutes were not available for review. III. Unfinished Business A. Dog Parks Mr. Majors reported the City of Vero Beach recently adopted an Ordinance allowing dogs in their parks. Mr. Majors has a copy of the Ordinance and will review it. At the last meeting the possibility of designating a few parks to allow dogs on a one year trial basis was discussed. Playgrounds and parks with sports facilities would not be appropriate to allow dogs. Mr. Majors commented the CRA indicated, on an informal basis; dogs are considered family members to a lot of people who attend events and they would like their dogs with them. Mr. Majors reminded the members that the Board has been discussing the possibility of changing an Ordinance in Boynton Beach prohibiting dogs, whether on a leash or not, into any of the City's parks. The Board feels the Ordinance should be changed to allow dogs on a leash to enter parks in the City. Recent feedback from several cities did not indicate any problems with allowing dogs into their parks with the exception of Delray Beach. Delray Beach's Parks Superintendent stated there are issues with people not picking up after their dogs. The Board agreed to choose a few parks on a one year trial basis to see how it works out before making it a city -wide Ordinance. Chair Pierce -Roe inquired if there was any feedback from other cities as to how they would distribute the disposal receptacles. Mr. Majors replied some cities had them and some did not. The county does not have any disposal receptacles. Chair Pierce -Roe commented if people see the disposal areas, they will use them. Mr. Majors stated each disposal receptacle costs approximately $350 which would include the bags, the receptacle and some informational signage. There may not be any funding and perhaps looking into getting some sponsors would be a good idea. Ms. Scantlan questioned if a sponsor would buy each receptacle and the equipment needed or if the City would buy it and indicate the sponsor on a sign at the receptacle. Mr. Majors indicated a staff member has been assigned the task of recruiting sponsors and the details of how sponsors will participate will be determined by the staff member. 2 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FL. FEBRUARY 24, 2014 Mr. McVey inquired if perhaps this would be something the Greater Boynton Beach Foundation would be interested in helping with. Mr. Majors responded this would be another detail the responsible staff member would look into and it also helps that Mr. McVey is on the Greater Boynton Beach Foundation Board. Mr. Majors suggested the Board choose a few parks and draft a letter with recommendations to the City Manager. The letter should also indicate the Board is willing to host community meetings for feedback. There are a total of 27 parks in the City of Boynton Beach. Ms. Stern inquired what specifically should be considered to determine which park would be appropriate to start with. Mr. Majors responded parks should have ample parking. It should be a smaller, quieter park people use to stroll in or play checkers. Active parks that have ball fields or children play areas are not appropriate. Jaycee and Dewey Parks are two good examples. Chair Pierce -Roe suggested Jaycee, Intracoastal, Dewey, Boynton Lakes and Barrier Free Park for the one year trial. After the year trial, it will be determined if the project should be in all of the City's parks. Chair Pierce -Roe proposed a project like Adopt -A- Highway where sponsors will "adopt" a receptacle for one year at the cost of $350 and are able to advertise their company on or near the receptacle. Glenda Hall, Forestry and Grounds Manager, inquired who would be responsible for replacing the disposable bags throughout the year. She also commented bags can detach when it is windy. Mr. McVey asked Mr. Majors to send him the specifications so that he can research the cost. Mr. Majors reiterated he and the Chair will draft a letter to be reviewed by the Board, indicating it wants to move forward with Jaycee, Intracoastal, Boynton Lakes, Barrier Free and Dewey Parks for the one year trial. Mr. Rosecrans speculated if dogs are not allowed in playgrounds, would the Barrier Free Park be appropriate given children use the park. Barrier Free Park has a water feature that can become a health hazard if owners are not diligent with their dogs. Mr. Majors recommended dropping Barrier Free Park as a consideration. Motion Ms. Scantlan moved to draft a letter to the City Manager requesting direction to move forward to allow dogs on a leash, on a trial basis for one year at Jaycee, Boynton Lakes, Intracoastal and Dewey Parks. Chair Pierce -Roe seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 3 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FL. FEBRUARY 24, 2014 IV. NEW BUSINESS A. Skate Park Mr. Rosecrans questioned if there has ever been any kind of research done in terms of creating a skate park. Mr. Majors replied it has been several years since anyone inquired about a skate park. The main challenge is the location. It can certainly be discussed again. Mr. Rosecrans suggested adding this request in the draft letter to the City Manager regarding the dog park. Mr. Majors commented the City allocated $10,000 in this year's budget towards a design or funding for a dedicated dog park behind Renaissance Commons. A piece of property was dedicated to the City specifically for Recreation and Parks which is about three acres that could potentially be a dog park. Since location would be the biggest challenge for a skate park, perhaps a good place to start would be to see where in the City it would be feasible to have one. Mr. Rosecrans volunteered to contact some people in the skate boarding community to see if they have any ideas. It will be put on the agenda as an ongoing item up for discussion. B. Greenway /Bikeway Master Plan Update Mr. Majors stated a greenway /bikeway plan was created in 2004. It is a corridor used by people to walk, jog, run, bicycle ride and connects to certain points of interest. A State recognized greenway /bikeway currently exists between Federal Highway and Seacrest along the C16 canal and was recently extended. The plan is being updated to identify other potential areas where greenway /bikeways and blueways can be installed. A consultant has been selected and approval for negotiating a contract will be discussed by the Commission. Mr. Majors will add this item to the agenda for next month and bring the plans for the Board's review. C. Upcoming Events An event is held on the third Saturday of every month in one of the City's parks. The event for March is "Spring into Summer" which allows people who register for summer camp a chance to register early. It will be held on Saturday, March 15 at Intracoastal Park beginning at 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. D. Barrier Free Park Publicity Ms. Stern attended the Barrier Free Park 5K run giving out surveys when a person who works at Wellington Regional Hospital with handicapped children approached her to say she would love to use the Park as a venue for therapy for her patients but did not know anything about it. Ms. Stern inquired what is being done to publicize the Park more. 4 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FL. FEBRUARY 24, 2014 Mr. Majors stated he has contacted the hospital looking for the person and has spoken to Bethesda Hospital as well to let them know what the Park can offer their patients. Mr. Majors commented there were press releases prior to the event as well as Channel 5 covering it on the day of the event. He also pointed out social media such as Facebook and Twitter are a good way of getting the word out more so than printed media. Mr. McVey indicated the realtors oversee the event and are responsible for the publicity. The Greater Boynton Beach Foundation benefits from the event but the Realtors Association is responsible for signs and advertising. Mr. Rosecrans inquired what happened to the big swing at Barrier Free Park. Mr. Majors responded "The Oodle" swing was removed because it was too low to the ground. The vendor is making the adjustments and it will be back in about one to two weeks. Mr. Rosecrans also commented some of the pedestals that are supposed to be stationary are loose. Mr. Majors and Ms. Hall will have someone from Parks look into it. V. ITEMS FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S ATTENTION As discussed earlier, Mr. Majors will meet with Chair Pierce -Roe to draft a letter to the City Manager in regards to the dog park project. VI. MEMBERS ANNOUNCEMENTS /COMMENTS Mr. Majors relayed a message from Mr. Kanter saying he did not feel information is readily available on the City's website. He was not able to find notifications for Bark in the Park or the Boutique Farmer's Market. Mr. Majors believes the information is on Facebook but will follow up to address Mr. Kanter's issues. Mr. McVey wanted to mention Little League is having their opening day on Saturday, March 1 beginning at 11:30 a.m. They will be honoring PFC Michael Metcalf who was killed in Afghanistan last year. PFC Metcalf's mother will throw out the first pitch and a ceremony will be held in his honor as well. Mr. Lapin inquired how much money was brought in from the 5K Barrier Run. Mr. Ma�ors replied he did not know the amount but a check will be presented at the March 18 City Commission meeting. The City will present the Realtors Association with an appreciation plaque and the Everett School from Boca Raton will be awarded the Mayor's Trophy for winning the race. Ms. Scantlan suggested there are other ways of contributing other than running the race. A person can still sponsor someone without actually participating. Ms. Stern requested Mr. Majors, on behalf of the City, send her an email expressing their appreciation of Hunters Run and she will read it at the next Board meeting. 5 MEETING MINUTES RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FL. FEBRUARY 24, 2014 Ms. Scantlan asked if Recreation and Park is getting the support from the City needed to maintain the parks. Mr. Majors responded it is challenging due to a small number of people for a lot of acreage. The budget is being reviewed and hopefully Recreation and Parks will have the money it needs to maintain the parks to the best of its ability. VII. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 24, 2014. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Having no further business, Chair Pierce -Roe adjourned the meeting at 7:47 p.m. ace Morales Records Coordinator 2/28/14 6