Minutes 04-25-22 CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH
RECREATION&PARKS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
100 E. Ocean Avenue Boynton Beach
April 25, 2022, 6:30 p.m.
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PRESENT: STAFF:
Julie Mondello, Chair Kacy Young, Recreation & Parks Director
Elizabeth Pierce-Roe, Vice-Chair Franky Lazo, Asst. Recreation & Parks Director
Charles Kanter Jennifer Oh, Recording Secretary, Prototype
Eugene Fagan
Frando Patterson
ABSENT:
Sean Conklin
James Jenkins
Dan Winters, Sr., Alternate
Geoffrey Campbell, Alternate
GUESTS:
I. Call to Order
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.
11. Pledge of Allegiance
111. Roll Call
Roll was called and a quorum was present.
IV. Agenda Approval —April 25, 2022
Motion was made by Mr. Kanter, and seconded by Mr. Patterson, for the April 25, 2022,
agenda approval with two items added to New Business. In a voice vote, the motion
passed unanimously (5-0).
V. Approval of Minutes — March 28, 2022
Motion made by Mr. Kanter, and seconded by Vice Chair Pierce-Roe, to approve Minutes
for the March 28, 2022 meeting. In a voice vote, the motion passed unanimously (5-0).
VI. Unfinished Business — None
VI 1. New Business
a. Selection of Recreation & Parks Advisory Board Chair & Vice Chair
Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
Kacy Young, Recreation & Parks Director, indicated selections were made during the last
meeting, which were approved by the Commission. Ms. Mondello will continue as Chair
and Ms. Pierce-Roe will move forward as Vice Chair. He explained the Board is
responsible for selecting Chair and Vice Chair, but the Commission does must approve
those selections.
b. Park Assessment Survey Discussion
Director Young indicated there was discussion during the March meeting about having a
park tour and doing an assessment. He put this item on the agenda for the Board to
discuss an assessment tool or to discuss items to be added to the assessment tool.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented in the past, there were five questions regarding each
park and each member would write what they felt about the park,which they could discuss
together and bring to the Commission to let them know what might be best for the park
as citizens.
Chair Mondello thought only a few questions were needed to determine if the parks were
meeting the needs intended.
Mr. Patterson asked if any standards are listed for the park.
Chair Mondello believed it is different for each park based on the intended use. People
walk through passive parks, which have benches, but there would be a different set of
standards for parks such as Hester Park.
Director Young stated benchmarks are followed as far as the NRPA and FRPA, which
are Recreation Associations. Currently, the department uses a survey tool, which is
geared more towards programming, so when participants attend their programs or events,
they are handed a survey to assess if the park is safe, clean, and if it meets the needs of
their visit. If the Board would like, an assessment tool can be developed. If there are a
couple of questions they would like added, they can develop a tool to be ready for the
tour at the next meeting.
Mr. Patterson commented there are two different assessments; the National Standard
and what the citizens want. He asked if it is like a five-question survey.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe indicated when it was used, it was like a recommendation to
improve the park. She mentioned Oceanfront Park since there is a different type of
parking set up with permitting and questioned if they could make sure there are enough
handicap areas because Building codes are changing yearly.
Mr. Patterson asked if any surveys were sent out in the past via email or whatever vehicle
they can use or if that will be done in the future.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe advised surveys were sent out three years ago just before the
pandemic. Every five years, they hire a person to come into the City to make sure they
reach everyone through email and/or mail.
Chair Mondello remembered the discussion because they talked about when to send out
the mailers because they did not want to interfere with the election. Once a time was
determined and they got around to it, they were in the pandemic.
Mr. Patterson mentioned previous data gathered and questioned how it was used.
Director Young indicated the data has been used to try to better the parks. Questions
were asked about recreation trends and time of usage, and they tried to gear some of
their programming around those times or to develop programming requested in the
surveys. Part of the agenda tonight is the Park System Master Plan, which will provide a
survey or ask for community input.
Mr. Patterson asked if there will be a written report of the outcomes after everything is
done.
Director Young replied yes, that will be the final product of the Park System Master Plan,
which will have to go before the Commission for approval.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned if this would be like what was done in the past where
they look to see if there are enough facilities or programs in one area. A few years ago,
private and public facilities were taken into consideration and included communities as
well as the park system.
Director Young advised that would be part of the process. A Needs Assessment goes out
and a statistically validated survey goes out to randomly selected residents throughout
Boynton Beach and another survey will be available to all residents of Boynton Beach. A
report will be provided on both options to make sure the correct information is captured.
It will be an entire system assessment of the park system in Boynton Beach where they
will look at recreational activities at private communities, in the park system, and in
surrounding communities; a report will be done, so they can develop their system for the
next 10 to 20 years.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe mentioned the Board was taken to Calusa several years ago and
they were showed how to play Pickleball prior to getting courts ready. One of the
questions was, "What do you think could be useful in this park?"
Chair Mondello commented as far as the park assessment and survey discussion, she
thought they were good.
Director Young needs the Board to discuss what parks they would like to visit during the
tour.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
Chair Mondello would like to visit a couple parks and asked what the members would like.
Mr. Kanter suggested visiting Quantum Park.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe wants to visit Boat Club Oyer Park and Hester Park.
Mr. Fagan stated he would like to go to Oceanfront Park.
Director Young suggested selecting a neighborhood park to visit as well, because most
parks chosen are larger parks.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if there were any changes at Pioneer Park and Meadows
Park.
Director Young stated ADA accessible sidewalks were put in at Pioneer Park and the
walking trail was repaved at Meadows Park.
Chair Mondello questioned where the Community Green Planting was held.
Director Young stated they did Boynton Lakes and Forrest Hills Park.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if there were rabbits at Pioneer Park.
Director Young saw rabbits at Eco Park, but he was not sure about Pioneer Park. He
noted the plan is to provide a tour for the next two meetings, so five parks can be visited
at each meeting.
Chair Mondello commented they might only be able to get to two to three parks. Perhaps
they could start with Oceanfront, Oyer, and Hester Parks, so they do not have to drive
back and forth. They could also visit Pioneer Park if there is time.
c. Recreation & Parks Meeting Time Discussion
Chair Mondello stated the meeting time would be 6:00 p.m. for the next two months. They
would meet from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and then visit parks from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Director Young suggested not putting a time limit.
Chair Mondello commented the meeting would start at 6:00 p.m. and there would be
minimum things on the agenda.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe mentioned making sure the calendar is updated, so if anyone else
would like to attend the meeting, they know the Board will be traveling.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
d. Recap of the April 20, 2022 Eco Park Public Input Meeting
Chair Mondello explained the first phase is making sure all the vegetation type of things
are taken care of and putting in a walking path; making sure nothing is disturbed from an
Eco portion and that turtles can move about, removing overgrown exotics, and putting a
fence around the entire park.
Mr. Kanter mentioned a minor problem with the orientation; the park was oriented
improperly; west is where north should have been. The park has several trails, which
need simple maintenance; many organizations want to participate. They need a
continuing plan.
Chair Mondello stated they are still waiting for funding to come through from the Grant.
Director Young advised the top priorities for Phase 1 include a lot of cleaning, removal of
the invasives, trail repair or enhancements, and fencing for security. The front of the
boards showed the Phase 1 Conceptual Plan along with the Master Plan of what the
future might hold for that park. Input received from the Community Input Meeting will be
added to the plan.
Mr. Kanter suggested telling the public if they have a request to give the Board that they
give a way to do it.
e. Child sand lot toolbox
Mr. Patterson noticed a lot at Oceanfront Park; kids leave their toys around, and rather
than throwing them away, he suggested a wooden or plastic box be filled with toys that
could be used for the day and put back.
Chair Mondello stated there are bins.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented there is garbage area and a library.
Director Young indicated there are beach clean-up buckets.
Mr. Patterson asked if there is any liability involved.
Director Young advised they would have to look at that since COVID is not gone. He can
pose that question to their Risk Department to see if there are any concerns.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe did not see any difference in that and having a library; books are
coming in and out and it is basically the same thing.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
f. Park System Master Plan
Director Young provided a brief update as follows:
• There was a kick-off meeting about two weeks ago with the Consultant, which is
2GHO, along with Perez Planning Design LLC, and ETC Institute. They will all
serve as part of the Parks System Master Plan team to move this project forward
with 2GHO being the lead Consultant.
• Regarding the approach for the Park System Master Plan, an analysis will be
conducted of all the parks, programming, staffing, an assessment for future
development, and a Needs Assessment where questions will be asked of the
community for input, along with interviews of certain stakeholders, and community
surveys to provide feedback. There will be a long-range vision, which they will
review for the future of the Park System Master Plan and what it could be in the
next 10 to 20 years.
• There will be an implementation strategy where suggestions would be provided to
what was learned from the Needs Assessment, surveys, and strategies to
implement within the system. The final adoption will be the Fifth and Final Phase
of the Park System Master Plan.
• The Consultant requested a Steering Committee be developed, which will be
stakeholders and community members who will have to attend up to four meetings
throughout the process that will take between eight to ten months. The Final Plan
should be completed and presented to the Commission some time in February
2023, which is the current timeline. It will also meet Capital Standards, as the
department is going through the Reaccreditation process, so those two things will
work together.
• The Consultant is looking for up to 25 members from the community and different
organizations, which include non-profits, Advisory Boards, Community Influencers,
other City Departments, the Clergy of Coalition, Elected Officials, nature lovers,
Affordable Housing, Mobility, members from sports providers within the City,
developers, and key influencers from the City. During this process, there will be
Focus Groups and community meetings where the public will be invited to provide
feedback or answer survey questions to gain information about the makeup of their
City.
• Because of Sunshine Laws, all members of the Advisory Board will not be able to
be part of the Steering Committee, but the Board can appoint one member.
• The last part of this is project branding and a few examples were provided. The
Consultant provided a list of potential names, which were distributed for review.
He noted he is open to suggestions.
Chair Mondello asked if anyone would like to be part of the Steering Committee.
Mr. Fagan volunteered.
There was a consensus for Mr. Fagan to be a member of the Steering Committee.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if branding could be put on next month's agenda for review.
VIII. Public Audience
Ron Pacacha, from Delray Beach, mentioned Pickleball and stated it is not just a game,
it almost a way of life, especially for older people. The Board needs to understand the
more Pickleball courts in the community, the healthier the community will be. He also
mentioned emotional and social health and distributed information for review.
Mr. Kanter suggested Mr. Pacacha visit the 55+ communities and talk to the
Homeowner's Associations because those are the people the Board never reaches.
Chair Mondello reminded everyone that each speaker has three minutes for public
comments. She was not sure what Mr. Pacacha was looking for from the Board unless
he was just making a public comment.
Lynn Brancato, Parkside Village, indicated she is not 55 years old, so she cannot go to a
55+ community to play Pickleball, she is relying on the City because she is a City resident.
She currently goes to Delray or Boca to play. Pickleball is an incredible sport, and it has
a lot of health and social benefits, and she thinks they can help the youth get more
involved. The top three Pickleball players this year, on a national level, are from the
Boynton Beach community. Pickleball is growing and the City needs to get on board.
Chair Mondello understands they want to add courts in the City of Boynton Beach.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe stated she is interested.
JR Oliveri resides in Leisureville, and she has played Pickleball at Hester Park for nine
years. She noted there are three courts inside and two default tennis courts outside and
questioned if the outside courts could be turned into Pickleball courts.
Ernest Mignoli, resident, 710 NE 7t" Street, Unit 407, Boynton Beach, Harbor Hall Inlet
Club 1, next to Harbor Hall Inlet 2 where they have Pickleball. He mentioned the parties
with alcohol and vaping in the park during Pickleball. He commented that Oceanfront Park
is a disgrace with all the drinking, smoking, and vaping. He suggested the Board look at
the crime in the parks.
Neil Kohlsberg, lives in Boynton, commented that seniors benefit in Pickleball, and
Southern Florida is a heavily involved senior area. Unfortunately, some live in
communities that do not have the space or cannot afford recreation facilities, so they
come here to maximize what they have. He advised he has never seen alcohol at any of
the Pickleball places; power drinks are about all they can handle, especially at their age.
He asked the Board to consider this; Pickleball is currently the biggest money gainer in
sports.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
Emily Stepner, 450 North Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, mentioned that she heard
Barrier Free Park and the Boynton Beach Tennis Center were going to convert their four
courts into six courts and questioned if that is true.
Director Young advised that is a project the Parks and Recreation Department have been
looking into; a start date has not been received. The project is turning two of the hard
courts at the Tennis Center into six Pickleball courts. Currently, there are temporary
Pickleball courts set up at the Tennis Center, which are available with a reservation for a
daily fee.
Ms. Stepner asked if they are getting permanent nets.
Director Young stated if the project goes through, it is turn to the two hard courts into
permanent Pickleball Courts.
Ms. Stepner commented it is frustrating to beg for additional courts and noted that Port
St. Lucie has 39 Pickleball courts. She would like to compete with other areas in Florida.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe indicated she is 100% in favor and understands Pickleball is for all
ages.
Dr. Flo Russell, 450 North Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, advised her area of
specialty is mental health. She stated Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America,
and it is good for all ages. Perhaps someone who knows the Pickleball community, and
the parks well could be part of the discussion of what parks to visit. Pickleball could
blossom into something that is emotionally, physically, and spiritual healthy.
Tom Branigan, 2026 SW 19th Avenue, Boynton Beach, Leisureville, stated he rides his
bicycle to Calusa an hour and a half every morning. Pickleball is not just about playing
the game, when players are off the court they are socializing. This is something for
everyone, young and old. He does not recall anyone having anything but water out there.
At times, he plays at Hester Park and noted they need more courts.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented that her sister resides in one of the 55+ communities
and their shuffleboards are going to be made into Pickleball courts.
IX. Items for the City Manager's Attention — None.
X. Future Agenda Items
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe requested information regarding permits and fees for Oceanfront
Park and what the revenue is compared to post and pandemic. Before that, they only did
permits and now they do permits and hourly meters.
XI. Next Meeting — May 23, 2022, at 6:00 p.m.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2022
VII. Adjournment
With no further business to discuss, upon motion duly made and seconded, Chair
Mondello adjourned the meeting at 7:40 p.m.
[Minutes transcribed by C. Guifarro, Prototype, Inc.]
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