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Minutes 08-22-22 CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH RECREATION&PARKS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING 100 E. Ocean Avenue Boynton Beach August 22, 2022, 6:30 p.m. hA)p PRESENT: STAFF: Julie Mondello, Chair Kacy Young, Recreation & Parks Director Elizabeth Pierce-Roe, Vice Chair Franky Lazo, Recreation & Parks Asst. Director Eugene Fagan Gary Dunmeyer, City Engineer Frando Patterson Justin Johnson, Marketing & Outreach Manager Geoffrey Campbell, Alternate Jennifer Oh, Prototype, Inc. ABSENT: Sean Conklin James Jenkins Dan Winters, Sr., Alternate GUESTS: George Gentile, President of 2GHO Carlos Perez, Perez Planning and Design Carl Frumenti, Project Manager I. Call to Order Chair Mondello called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. 11. Pledge of Allegiance 111. Roll Call Roll was called and a quorum was present. IV. Agenda Approval —August 22, 2022 Kacy Young, Recreation & Parks Director, requested an item under New Business be added; Item E, Niagra Perk Your Park Contest at Pioneer Canal Park Update. Motion was made by Mr. Fagan, and seconded by Vice Chair Pierce-Roe, for the July 257 2022, agenda approval. In a voice vote, the motion passed unanimously. (6-0) V. Approval of Minutes — July 25, 2022 Motion made by Mr. Patterson, and seconded by Mr. Fagan, to approve Minutes for the July 25, 2022 meeting. In a voice vote, the motion passed unanimously (6-0). VI. Unfinished Business Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 a. Results from Board Park Surveys Chair Mondello advised she has not visited any of the parks this past month, but she did put the sheet together that was mentioned last month. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe noticed one of the palm trees at Oyer Park fell down and broke in half next to the loading dock where the bench is. An Arborist said there was a lot of wind and a lot of coconuts on the tree, so it was too heavy and went down. Someone might want to check to see if anything else in that area is top heavy. Mr. Young stated they were there this afternoon doing park evaluations with Park Superintendent, Wesley Norwood, so they are aware of the situation. Chair Mondello indicated she would send out the updated sheet. Mr. Young requested Chair Mondello send the sheet to him as well, so he can share it with the consultants. VII. New Business a. Recreation & Parks Department New Staff Introductions Kacy Young, Recreation and Parks Director, introduced new staff members, Yimarie Rivera, Cultural Arts Program Manager, and Justin Johnson, Marketing and Outreach Manager. Mr. Young indicated since Ms. Rivera has been here, she hosted a Team Takeover event, where she took about 20 teams from the Arts and Cultural Center to the Norton Museum of Art. He noted one of their initiatives is to expose residents to art and build the Cultural Arts Program for Boynton Beach. b. Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park Boat Ramp Closure Gary Dunmeyer, City Engineer, introduced Carl Frumenti, Project Manager. Mr. Frumenti advised he was assigned to the project at Harvey Oyer Jr. Boat Ramp Park. Two of the ramps are closed; slots #2 and #4 are barricaded. They are going to replace the ramps, floating docks, abutments, and repave the area in front of the Coastguard Auxiliary Building. They need to close the park on September 11, 2022, at midnight and work will begin on September 13, 2022. The first week of the project will be a core relocation and the contractor will be bringing in all the precast materials, planks, and piles needed to repair the floating docks, etc. The project will run for approximately two months; the finish date is November 18, 2022. He presented a brief Power Point Presentation and highlighted the following- 2 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 • An aerial picture shows the area where they will be working. • The car lot is where the six ramps are currently located, and two floating piers will service the different bays. • A schematic from the architect shows a different view and what it looks like in the Plan, and a comparison to the lagoon, which will be dewatered. • Different methods can be used to dewater the lagoon, and this will be the sheet pile method. • There are currently some buildings and a vendor there, so Mr. Young will have to coordinate to get the vendor moved in time. • Preliminarily, they looked at that area for staging. There is some flexibility there and that is going to be up to the contractor, their methodology, and how they can be most efficient in getting this done. • A timeline of when the project starts and ends. They will be running September through November, with a start date on September 11, 2022, and tentatively finishing on November 18, 2022. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned if any funding is going into this project and if any money is from the County. Mr. Dunmeyer stated they applied for a FIND grant, so the City is paying half of the replacement costs and the FIND grant will cover the other half; it is a 50/50. He clarified the FIND grant is not from the County. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if Phase 2 is budgeted for the fishing pier that has been closed for two years. Mr. Dunmeyer indicated the pier was recently closed and a fence was installed to keep people off. They have a permit for removal, so the pier will be removed this year and in the upcoming year, he will have it designed and push as fast as he can to get it permitted and constructed. The pier will be replaced with a concrete pile structure with a concrete deck and aluminum rails, which will last 70 years. He is also trying to put the fishing pier over the water as opposed to on top of the concrete rip rap. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented when the pier first opened, they tried putting in an area to clean the fish or to cut the bait and asked if there will be something like that. Someone complained when they had a cleaning station because people did not turn off the water. Mr. Dunmeyer advised that a cleaning station adds to the expense, but it makes sense to consider these things if they are going to build something that will last 70 years. He mentioned the line disposal and noted those will be on the trashcans. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented that when a survey was conducted many years ago, it was one of the City's highest priorities because they did not have a fishing area. When 3 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 asked where a good place to fish was, she did not realize JC Park has all species coming in during low and high tides when fishing directly across from the inlet. Mr. Fagan mentioned hurricane season and asked if the contractor has a contingency plan. Mr. Frumenti stated most of the materials are precast concrete and are rather heavy, so the likelihood of them blowing away is impossible. If they know a storm coming, there is protocol they go through on all their jobs to be certain no airborne debris goes flying; they have a list to make sure everything is anchored. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned if they would be using the Coast Guard building since no one else will be using it. She commented that the building will not be used for polling. Mr. Frumenti advised some of the adjacent property or parcels might be used to stage a few construction tools, supplies, or lumber, but not the building. Mr. Young indicated in anticipation of this project the voting site has been moved from the Oyer building to the Intracoastal Park Clubhouse. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if the President of INCA was contacted because that is their location. Mr. Young stated the Supervisor of Elections sent out a Notice directing anyone who uses that site for voting to go to the Intracoastal Park Clubhouse (IPC). Regarding Oyer Park, there will not be any access to the park; it will be closed and considered a construction site. c. Parks System Master Plan Presentation by 2GHO, Inc. and Perez Planning, LLC. George Gentile, President of 2GHO, Inc., was present. They are excited to work on the Parks Recreation and Master Plan program to get them certified by CAPRA, which is the Commission Accreditation for Recreation Agencies. They have been working diligently for quite some time and are at this meeting to get input from this Advisory Board. Carlos Perez, Perez Planning and Design, was present. He provided a brief overview of their purpose, process, and schedule, as follows: • This process was branded to be "Reimagined Recreation Boynton Beach", which is an opportunity to think how Parks and Recreation Systems can be an asset in ways people have not thought about it before. • They will be assessing the system, looking at programs, recreation facilities, services, funding, staffing, etc. 4 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 • They visited and evaluated many parks, which they will continue doing throughout the week. • They will be looking at Parks and Recreation trends, needs, and priorities. • Based on the finding and trends, recommendations will be provided looking at resiliency, sustainability, and other aspects. • This is an important part of CAPRA and achieving that accreditation for the City. • Their typical process for completing these Master Plans starts with a Context Analysis, Planning Context, Demographic Contest, Park System Context, and Needs and Priorities. Based on findings of Phases 1 and 2, they will go to the Long- Range Vision and to the Implementation Strategy. • The Needs and Priorities Assessment uses different techniques; they use a triangulated approach, qualitative, observation, quantitative, and the findings from those identifies the Needs and Priorities. • They are visiting and evaluating all the parks; they are also looking at trends and demographics. From a quantitative perspective, their strongest technique is their statistically valid survey, which is out in the community. The survey is sent to thousands of households, and it is also available online. • Regarding the schedule, they started in March, and are wrapping up the Needs Context Analysis Phase. They look forward to returning in October to meet with the Steering Committee and then move onto the next phase. That will take them to the Long-Range Vision, and they anticipate finishing by February 2023. Chair Mondello mentioned the City demographic population size and asked if they compare it to others that are similar. Mr. Perez advised they will benchmark Boynton Beach to communities that have a similar population and population density. In addition, the Commission and staff have identified comparable systems of peer Cities, so they will also benchmark Boynton Beach to those. What is unique about Parks and Recreation is that they do not have standards. Parks and Recreation is fluid, so it is all about benchmarking and based on the needs of the community, determining what is best and most appropriate for the community and its changes. That will be part of the opportunity through the Visioning Workshop. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if they have looked at any things to see what other Cities they are compared to within the area. Mr. Perez did not have the information available. He thought one City was West Palm Beach. Franky Lazo, Recreation and Parks Assistant Director, commented other Cities were Deerfield Beach, Delray, Doral, and West Palm; maybe Fort Myers Beach. Mr. Perez provided an overview of the questions as follows- 5 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 • Parks and Recreation needs. • Broader City needs not related to Parks and Recreation. • Top three priorities. • Different funding opportunities. Parks and Recreation needs: Board members mentioned the following needs: • Pickleball Park • Playgrounds • Tennis courts, not all Pickleball courts • Places to fish • Outdoor workout stations • Kayaks • Water activities • Splashpads • Mountain bike trails • Dog park for dogs who live in condos • Connectivity to other areas • Environmental education and community gardens Vice Chair Pierce-Roe is not sure how funding works anymore. There is a place called Girl Scout Park, and they keep looking at that area. It was a passive park because of the community, but it is on their blue way work out, and putting kayaks for fresh water is important like they are doing at Pioneer Park. Chair Mondello stated that park has the ability to connect with a lot of other things. Perhaps they can get some things going at Quantum Park. There was talk about teaching students outdoors since there are several schools over there, such as butterfly or recycling areas, as well as some sort of kayak drop-off. Mr. Young advised there are plans for Eco Park and the second phase has plans for a kayak launch. They have not look at permitting issues in that area. Mr. Campbell suggested environmental education and a community gardens. Chair Mondello stated the problem with community gardens is that they start out great, but they do not stay maintained. Mr. Patterson thinks with a strong message and outreach out to the community, a community garden could be supported. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe mentioned fruit, not just vegetables; there could be a need for fruit trees. 6 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 Mr. Campbell commented there can be a heavy need for pesticides for some of the species, so they have to be carefully selected and coordinated with maintenance. Community Needs/Challenges: Board members mentioned the following community needs and challenges: • Drainage east of Federal Highway stopped around the spillway and never continued further north to the Gateway area. • Legalize golf carts with tags. • Create small linear parks to draw people in, especially in some neighborhoods that look terrible. Perhaps free activities could be provided. • Palm B or Palm C, behind Casa Costa, used to have a pizzeria or a band set up. There is a lot of construction in that area, but it could be made into a nice, walkable area. Mr. Lazo mentioned the Casa Costa and stated that project is going out to bid and construction is expected to begin in January 2023, to revamp the area. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe stated one of the issues was the sails. She asked if they are going to have canopy trees instead of sails. She noted the walkway is frequently used. Mr. Lazo indicated they are going to look at the area and see what the options are. Mr. Campbell commented if there is land that is being under utilized there could be more signage or branding. Top 3 Priorities: Board members mentioned the top three priorities as follows: • Fishing pier at Oyer Park • Playgrounds • Specialized pocket parks Mr. Patterson thinks playgrounds are a priority. Regarding workouts, Caloosa Park has a Ninja Warrior type thing, so there is an opportunity to work out. The exercise equipment makes people truly engage without having to go to the gym. Chair Mondello stated Caloosa Park is huge; it is a South County Regional Park and has everything that keeps people coming back. It is so big that we cannot accommodate that huge of an area. The top priority would be to draw people in and keep them coming. She thinks teens and seniors need a place to go. 7 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented that Barrier Free is a progressive park with great things. Mr. Fagan thinks specialized pocket parks are a priority. He suggested getting one of the 20 CRA lots they have accumulated so they can put up a playground for the neighborhood kids. They could also put up a dog park for the dogs in condos that have nowhere to go. Funding Sources that are supported: Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned how the City uses Park funds. Chair Mondello thinks people would be willing to pay for more even if the millage rate had to increase. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe stated people are paying to go places, so they would be willing to pay to put things into the City. She noted that the Senior Center is one of the most used locations, but it is the City's lowest priority. Mr. Fagan commented that the Community Redevelopment Agency is tasked by buying land and redeveloping the neighborhood and they own a lot of land throughout the City. He asked if there is any way to get them to throw their land in, so the cost will go way down, and the City just have to buy the equipment or leave it as an open field. There is a huge mangrove area at Woolbright and the Intracoastal where a ten-story apartment building is being built, and to the south, there are legally unbuildable mangrove areas. Perhaps the CRA could offer a deal to donate the land to the City for a tax break or something along those lines. He thinks they need to get creative. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe stated originally, the City was trying to some sort of a walkway. Mr. Fagan reiterated the land can never be built on. d. Park System Master Plan Online Survey Kacy Young, Recreation & Parks Director, advised the survey is online and encouraged all residents and park users to go onto the ReimagineecreationBoynton.com website and participate. If a Needs Assessment Survey was not received, this is an opportunity to provide feedback. The survey will be live until September 12, 2022. All information collected will help develop the Park System Master Plan, which will be their Plan for the next ten years. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned if they reviewed some of the old Master Plans to see what the difference was of what people want. Mr. Perez stated they looked at previous plans to see what they can extract and how they can implement it in this Plan. They will look at the previous surveys as well. 8 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 Mr. Gentile reminded everyone to go to the website. He thanked everyone for their participation; they took notes and will incorporate them into their assessment. e. Niagra Park Update/Perk Your Park Contest at Pioneer Canal Park Justin Johnson, Marketing and Outreach Manager, reported as of last week, they were in fifth place, approximately 2,200 votes out of third place. They are continuing to push, posting on social media, and awaiting additional printed materials. There will be two 4 x 8 signs with a QR Code, so those interested in voting can participate; there will be one in front of City Hall, and another at Pioneer Canal Park itself. They are encouraging everyone to vote; vote once per day per email address. They are a little behind but are confident they can make up for time. Mr. Young advised the top three projects will receive $75,000 towards their project and they were one of ten projects selected. This is a National contest and they have been doing a lot of advertising. This is good opportunity for the City to revamp the boat launch and as mentioned earlier, it is one of the only freshwater boat launches in the City. If anyone is interested in seeing a conceptual design of the renovations, go to Boyntonbeachboating-beach.org. Voting closes September 12, 2022. VIII. Public Audience Rick Nocar, 348 Boynton Circle, stated he has picked a park and needs more tangible materials to work with. The idea is a motocross park for those who drive trail bikes on the street. There is between 13 and 17 acres that are not being used next to Interstate 95, Rosemary Scrub. His proposal to help fund this is permits issued to all the trail bike riders who use the park at a set amount per year, so they may have unlimited use of the park and to and from the park. No one realizes all the gasoline the trail bikes use come from the service stations and they pay road taxes, so they should at least have some sort of road use if they are paying. His proposal is to take that tract of land, put a novice track in for beginners, and a more experienced track for guys with larger bikes and more experience, and have it fenced, so the only vehicles that can use it are no wider than a side by side, but have them movable for maintenance because a person will need to be trained on how to manicure this because dirt bikes are going to tear it up. It needs to be manicured. He suggested having this as close to competition useable as possible so if they wish to use it in a professional manner to have races, it will add to the income this piece of property would give. He needs zoning for how many parking spaces, how big of a wall, how much lighting, and if they can get an easement for the convenience store's parking lot for excess parking. Chair Mondello stated the demand is there. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented there is a BMX place in Lake Worth. 9 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 Sandra Watson, Boynton Bay Circle, heard how the Senior Center used to be used with transportation. She sits on the Senior Advisory Board, and they are looking for things for the seniors because they are left out. Perhaps with the Senior Center, the Recreation and Parks can extend the hours at the Senior Center because there are active seniors who still work and would like to do things in the evenings, but there are no activities strictly geared to seniors at that time. Maybe the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board members can look for something that will give a little more quality of life to seniors as the Senior Advisory Board tries to come up with things as far as what seniors can do. She mentioned that Boca and Delray keep their seniors active and commented that most people at the concerts on the First Friday are seniors. The Senior Advisory Board has been conducting research and neighbors are saying one of the issues is transportation and the cost; seniors live on a fixed income, so the cost must be reasonable for them. While doing recreation and parks, they should think about something that will draw other people to Boynton Beach because that is revenue. Mr. Patterson asked if the Senior Advisory Board has done any type of survey for the senior citizens to see what they want. Ms. Watson stated they are in the process of getting a survey together, which will hopefully be distributed during the next couple events. Mr. Patterson asked if there is any chance of doing a digital survey with a QR Code. He noted it would help get a better response, so they can set their goals. Ms. Watson replied yes, if Mr. Young could help them. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe thinks the library has something this week about how to learn to make your own codes. Mr. Young stated some of the advice to the Senior Advisory Board is to push the Park System Master Plan Online Survey, so they can see and review the responses. If there are any questions or information they want to add to the survey that is missing from the online survey, they can take it and create their own survey. Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned if I one of the computers at the Computer Lab can be set up for seniors to do the survey. Mr. Young advised the Senior Advisory Board members have decided to volunteer at the Senior Center to have a table set up out front in the lobby area where they can assist seniors with taking the online survey. Mr. Lazo stated in the Master Plan they had a program workshop to see what main programs are offered for seniors 55 and older. Programs available are water aerobics, tennis, and different programs that are accessible. They want to make sure they are marketing senior activities and working with the Senior Advisory Board as well. 10 Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 22, 2022 Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented that a lot of the regular seniors at the Senior Center are in their 80's and 90's and transportation is starting to be an issue. Perhaps a bus could pick them up and take them to a park for a barbecue or something. Previously, they spoke about trying to get gifts for their Bingo games. She appreciates that they have a weekly Tai Chi class with 12 to 15 people attending. Bethesda brings in a certified instructor with music and teaches everyone to do Tai Chi. They are trying to stimulate the seniors. Ernest Mignoli, resident, 710 NE 7t" Street, Unit 407, Boynton Beach, stated as of July, there is a new law that no one is allowed in the children's parks where kids play with their parents that is a single male or female and he does not see it enforced. The FIND is a Federal grant, but CRA money is being used to put in the City's half, which is taxpayer money. In his opinion, the City is building parks that most people in Boynton Beach do not want. Most people, children, and seniors,want a beautiful clean beach. He mentioned Ocean Front where there are people smoking marijuana and driving reckless. He thinks that park and every park is a disgrace. Now, they are going to build a dock during King Tide and hurricane season; that project should not start until February 2023, when they are past the King Tide. Mr. Patterson requested Mr. Mignoli take pictures when he sees the things he is complaining about. IX. Items for the City Manager's Attention — None. X. Future Agenda Items a. Pickleball Courts — October 24, 2022 b. Dog Friendly Parks — September 26, 2022 XI. Next Meeting — September 26, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. VII. Adjournment With no further business to discuss, upon motion duly made and seconded, Chair Mondello adjourned the meeting at 8:03 p.m. [Minutes transcribed by C. Guifarro, Prototype, Inc.] 11