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Minutes 08-24-20 DRAFT tCITY OF BOYNTON BEACH RECREATION& PARKS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING "ZOOM ONLINE MEETING" AUGUST 24, 2020, 6:30 p.m. PRESENT: Betty Pierce-Roe, Chair Kacy Young, Assistant Recreation &Parks Director Charles Kanter Andrew Mack, Director of Public Works [arr. 6:36] Eugene Fagan Jennifer Gomez, City Attorney [arr. 6:36] Julie Mondello Lisa Tayar, Prototype, Inc. Brian Bonnell (alternate) Jacob Schwartz (alternate) ABSENT: Eric Ammon Charles Frederick Joshua Van Leuven L CALL TO ORDER The virtual online meeting commenced at 6:30 p.m. IL PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Quorum was present. III. ATTENDANCE IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES —June 22, 2020 Motion by Ms. Mondello, seconded by Mr. Kanter to approve the minutes for June 22, 2020, was approved by consensus. V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Election of Board Chair and Vice Chair There were no notes from the last meeting as there was no quorum. Eligibility for holding the offices of chair and vice chair was discussed. Ms. Mondello has updated her status to regular Board Member; Ms. Pierce-Roe is also a full member (full roster of current Board Members are given above, with exception of the vacancy left by Ms. Bionta). Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 24, 2020 Motion: Ms. Pierce-Roe nominated Julie Mondello for Board Chair. There being no other nominations, by voice vote Ms. Mondello was accepted unanimously as Board Chair. Motion: Ms. Mondello nominated Betty Pierce-Roe for Vice Chair. There being no other nominations, by voice vote Ms. Pierce-Roe was accepted unanimously as Board Vice Chair. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Department Update Mr. Young gave an update on the restrictions on the Department due to Covid-19. • Currently all playgrounds are still closed as well as all pavilions. • Recreation centers are open with limited access. Activities started in August, scheduled for the Culture Center (staff has moved into the Culture Center); however, it is still not open to the public. • Classes scheduled for Culture Center were moved to the Senior Center. • Senior Center has some activities. Currently offering drive-thru meals (35-40 meals per day). • Youth Programs currently held at the Senior Center include the Dance Program; classes are conducted by independent contractors with social distancing and safety plans in place. • Joseph Crowder Dog Park has reopened in August once renovations were completed. An additional dog run was added for a total of two parks for large and small dogs, allowing for maintenance rotations. Mr. Bonnell asked about guidelines being used for increasing and decreasing protections taken against Covid-19 levels. Mr. Young said the City is following the Palm Beach County Executive Order for guidelines for what can or cannot be opened according to the current Phase (currently in Phase 1). Gatherings of more than 10 people are not allowed,which includes the pavilions, athletic fields, etc. Mr. Young gave a list of renovations taking advantage of the closings of various centers; noted, however, was which centers are being utilized as polling sites. An onsite learning program to assist City Employees' children for school at the Intracoastal Clubhouse, Sims Center, and the Culture Center;the purpose is not to teach but to monitor children while they access wifi and other services. The Culture Center is open; some work is still being done, but it nearly complete and under preparations to be open to the public. City Staff has been a big part of Feeding South Florida; for 15 weeks, every Thursday staff provided this service to the public. The City currently supports the food distribution project every fourth Saturday at the Boynton Beach Mall in front of Christ's Fellowship (volunteers are needed). Ms. Pierce-Roe asked if any of the advisory boards might be able to meet at the Culture Center. Mr. Young has considered bringing this up to the Board. Commission meetings are still being held virtually, by order until the end of September. Discussion followed on which of the centers 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 24, 2020 might be serviceable for this Board to attend with proper social distancing, perhaps by "hybrid" (part physical/part virtual) meetings. Mr. Young will continue to investigate the possibilities. Mr. Kanter suggested a nice outdoor meeting, perhaps in September or October. Ms. Mondello agreed. Ms. Mondello wondered if there is going to be a grand opening for the Culture Center. Mr. Young said there are plans in the works. City Hall has had one; however at this time gatherings are still not being encouraged. Ms.Pierce-Roe asked about the meals being distributed at the Senior Center: especially how meals are being publicized to serve as many as possible. Mr. Young spoke about a program launched at the beginning of the Covid shut down called Calling All Seniors; staff at the Senior Center took the list of members and did a sort of welfare check which lead to meal distribution to the senior members. Ms. Pierce-Roe suggested that various methods be used to reach the seniors besides phone calls; Mr. Young said the welfare check has been regular and members have received news on various programs available to them, along with utilizing the RecTrac system to send out messages. B. MyCivic App —City of Boynton Beach Website Mr. Mack gave a video presentation on the pilot program MyCivic App. The staff are currently using the app to help develop the program. Once Apple provides a developer account,the app will be deployed and the Board Members (along with everyone else)will be informed via social media. Discussion followed Mr. Mack's narration of the video and explanation of how the app will function on the City's website as well as the City's Facebook page. Once the app can be downloaded (possibly within two weeks), users can sign on for push notifications of various services including utilities. Ms. Pierce-Roe is looking forward to when the Parks & Rec can post when things such as power and lighting outages can be listed. Ms. Mondello wondered if the app will possibly cause an increase in workload or if it will just be the same but with an ease of use. Mr. Mack said the City's website has been live since July 7t'; there has been a big increase in traffic since then. The biggest convenience has been the streamlined process of customers getting to the correct destination faster and more accurately. • Mr. Mack stated that a formal presentation and a social media launch will get the service out to the public. Mr. Young notes this will be a big assist to the Recreation and Parks Department, which has already been active in the pilot program; Staff is excited with the turn-around time in notifications from the public and the response by Parks and Public Works. Mr. Mack noted another positive is the tracking system of work orders which includes escalation to supervisors if not completed in a timely manner. 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 24, 2020 Mr. Mack announced that a new Parks Superintendent has been hired: Franky Lazo. Staff will be sure to have him attend the Board's next meeting. Mr. Lazzo is taking over for Parks Manager Dwight Saulter, who will be retiring in eighteen months. Mr. Mack noted that the Commission has just approved the new parking meter ordinance on the second reading. The City will be working with ParkMobile App and there will be kiosks as well. The infrastructure is underway with plans to go live on October 1. Everything will be online; live people will be available to ease the transition with permits, decals, and general implementation of the program. Mr. Young asked Mr. Mack to come back in October and give a formal presentation of the Park Mobile App. General discussion ensued on various perks this new program will afford the City. Of note, Park Ranger positions are currently being advertised on the City website. VII. ITEMS FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S ATTENTION—None VIII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Introducing Franky Lazo, new Parks Superintendent (September) • Andrew Mack presentation of ParkMobile App (October) IX. NEXT MEETING: The next meeting will be held on September 28, 2020. Ms. Pierce-Roe encouraged Mr. Young to continue to investigate the use of City venues for live/ hybrid meetings. Ms. Mondello suggested making the virtual Board meetings known to the public for input. Ms. Pierce-Roe added that by hosting virtual meetings from various centers, the public who wouldn't normally be able to visit the centers can see the renovations and features. Also discussed was Mr. Kanter's idea for an outside meeting and the logics for making it happen (back-ups, contingencies, etc.) Mr. Fagan announced he has been made Chair of the Greater Boynton Foundation; he welcomed ideas that could join forces between the RPD and the GBF. General discussion of possibilities ensued. Ms. Pierce-Roe wondered if any parks currently have wi-fi service; some have in the past, then didn't. Mr. Young said that one park to receive wi-fi access is Sarah Sims Park, ITS has been working on it. Also,wi-fi capabilities at Intracoastal Park have been boosted to facilitate the influx of uses at the centers expected over next couple months. General discussion followed on other areas that could benefit from wi-fi services. Mr. Mack said that when the City works on a park project, wi-fi and/or security cameras will be included as a new standard for all parks; getting the actual service to the park is the greatest challenge. Mr. Fagan suggested combining the wi-fi and cameras with some piece of art that creates a point of interest to the City, not just another ugly wi-fi tower. Mr. Mack gave examples of how such equipment has been concealed at the City Hall. 4 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 24, 2020 X. ADJOURNMENT Hearing no further business, Chair Pierce-Roe adjourned the meeting at 7:29 p.m. Attachments: None [Minutes transcribed by M. Moore,Prototype,Inc.] 5