Minutes 11-28-22 CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH
RECREATION&PARKS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
100 E. Ocean Avenue Boynton Beach
November 28, 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, Recreation & Parks Asst. Director
Eugene Fagan Justin Johnson, Marketing & Outreach Mgr.
Frando Patterson Jennifer Oh, Prototype, Inc.
Alison Pandev
ABSENT:
Sean Conklin
James Jenkins
Dan Winters, Sr., Alternate
Geoffrey Campbell, Alternate
GUESTS — None.
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 — November 28, 2022
Chair Mondello questioned if members who have missed more than two or three
meetings will be replaced.
Kacy Young, Recreation and Parks Director, advised that is being added to the agenda
as Advisory Board Appointments as Item C under New Business.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if they have member guidelines.
Director Young stated he did not have a copy of the guidelines available, but he will
email a copy to the Board. He will provide an update under Item C, under New
Business.
Motion was made by Mr. Fagan, and seconded by Vice Chair Pierce-Roe, for the
November 28, 2022, agenda approval. In a voice vote, the motion passed
unanimously. (5-0)
Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
V. Approval of Minutes — October 24, 2022
Motion made by Mr. Fagan, and seconded by Vice Chair Pierce-Roe, to approve
Minutes for the October 24, 2022 meeting. In a voice vote, the motion passed
unanimously (5-0).
VI. Unfinished Business
a. Results from Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Surveys
Chair Mondello reported that she visited the new Pickleball courts at the Tennis Center
at Barrier Free Park.
Kacy Young, Recreation and Parks Director, indicated those are not the new courts,
they are temporary courts. The nets will be removed on the temporary courts and then
the courts will be surfaced and realigned for six permanent Pickleball courts.
Chair Mondello mentioned how dark it is at night and questioned if there is a solution.
Director Young indicated there are currently no lights on the courts, but that might be
something they can consider in the future as far as adding lights. They have not
investigated to see what the project would cost.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if any of the lights from the old football field could be
pulled and moved over to the Pickleball courts.
Director Young did not know if lights from the Hester Center could be removed. They
are going to retrofit the fixtures on those poles and the field is going to become a turf
field, which will remain in the same place.
Mr. Patterson questioned if it would be an environmental impact if lights are out there;
he did not know if any wildlife was in the area.
Director Young did not think there would be an environmental impact. There are lights
on the other 17 clay courts, just not on the four hard courts.
Chair Mondello commented that perhaps there is a way to rent lights and the company
could bring them over as needed.
Director Young thought the solution would be to look at the project and see what it
would cost to add lights and have a breakdown from there.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned if they could get solar grants; maybe they could get in
touch with FP&L. She asked who is currently doing the grants for the parks.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
Director Young replied possibly. Tessie LaCroix is the Grants Manager and works in the
Finance Department.
Franky Lazo, Assistant Recreation and Parks Director, stated moving lights is more
difficult because it has to go through the permitting process.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe thinks FP&L might be able to help when it comes to solar.
Director Young indicated he will reach out to FP&L to see if they have those types of
grants since it will be an addition. They have met with companies about retrofitting the
lights at the Tennis Center to convert them to LED lights because they are more player
friendly, but as far as adding lights to courts that do not have lights, they have not
researched any cost estimates.
Mr. Fagan mentioned a tour he took at Palm Beach Gardens where they lit a baseball
field with three poles; they were using less poles and more LED high-powered lights.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned the status of the lifeguard stands at Ocean Front
Park.
Director Young commented that two years ago, pre-pandemic, funding was allocated in
the CIP funding for a project to replace the lifeguard stands. Unfortunately, that money
had to be pushed out. At the last meeting, it was noted that the lifeguard stands may be
on the docket for 2024. A renovation project was done in March; it was not to replace
the lifeguard stands, but a lot of areas of concern were repaired and painted.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned how they had money for guards during the pandemic
and then it was pushed to a different project. She did not recall being advised that they
were no longer doing the project. Ocean Front Park was always one of the gems of
Boynton Beach, but it seems like money for some of the parks that are money makers is
being reallocated to different areas. She noted that they may also want to check on the
grass/sand dunes, which were cut down. They need to make sure the people
maintaining the beach understand the importance of the grass and how long it takes to
grow.
Mr. Fagan clarified Vice Chair Pierce-Roe was talking about the sea oats, the seagrass.
He mentioned when the Board talked about using the Miami Beach style lifeguard
stands because lifeguards do not like the plastic bubbles. He looked it up and Delray
bought some from a company out of Miami and the cost started at about $75,000, which
in his opinion is overpriced.
Director Young stated they spoke with a vendor regarding changing the style of the
lifeguard stands and the cost was close to about $200,000. The lifeguard stands are on
the list of CIP projects for the future; money will be allocated.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned if new projects are going into the parks that were not
in the ten-year plan. She mentioned the new baseball field and did not recall that was
ever a suggestion. She requested an update on that project.
Assistant Director Lazo explained they had a proposal for someone to build a
comprehensive facility at Little League Park and the agreement they are working on
with them was approved by the Commission. They are going to build the building; they
will have a ground lease and will provide improvements to the park.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe feels like the Advisory Board is here, but staff is going to all the
communities and having different meetings and not bringing any information to the
Board to hear their concerns and suggestions. She feels like the Board has been left out
of many things since the pandemic.
Director Young advised it is a public private agreement.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented that when one of their parks is being made public
private, it should be discussed with the City, not just with the Commission.
Chair Mondello asked what it means when they say public private because the City
owns that land. She questioned if that means they are leasing out the land.
Director Young indicated they are leasing out part of the park to allow an indoor training
facility to be built, which is of no cost to the City. The lease is for 50 years according to
the agreement.
Mr. Fagan mentioned that Ocean Front Park is a draw for the snowbirds, so as a
business entity, they want that park to be as nice as possible.
Director Young advised he will make sure upcoming projects are brought before the
Board. They do their best to bring projects before the Board before things take place,
but some projects are more like renovations and repairs. Currently, at Ocean Front
Park, the Boardwalk is being done. Those are CIP projects that do not necessarily come
before the Board, it is already on a scale where a project is listed to be done. He looks
at this Board as being the voice of the community. The Parks System Master Plan was
a good exercise for the Board, not just for the Board, but for the community to have an
opportunity to bring input.
Chair Mondello asked if they could get a list of all the CIP/Park projects going on this
year.
Director Young stated they can have the CIP Committee come in and provide a
presentation. When presented to the Commission, it is stated that the project or item
came before the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. If there are certain projects the
Board wants to know about, they can provide updates on those as well.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
b. Parks System Master Plan
Mr. Fagan questioned when the new parks might be implemented.
Kacy Young, Recreation and Parks Director, explained that he kept this as an item on
the agenda, so he could continue to provide updates. A Visioning Workshop was
hosted, and the information the consultants compiled from Advisory Board meetings,
Focus Group meetings, community surveys, and the Needs Assessment, were brought
back to discuss some of the findings from all the information gathered. This was really a
staffing meeting, where staff from other departments were able to attend, comment,
discuss, and have open dialogue with the consultants about some of their findings. The
consultants will take information from that meeting and bring it back to the Steering
Committee, which is compiled of members of the community, for discussion. All that
information will help develop the actual plan, which is on track to be adopted by the
Commission in February 2023. As far as projects being discussed in the Parks System
Master Plan, when the plan is finalized, recommendations will be made from the
information compiled to help the City prioritize where the deficiencies are and to say
which direction they should go. It would be a list of recommendations and part of the
recommendations are also for funding. Part of the discussion has been possibly having
a Parks Bond come before the citizens since it must be voted on. They are compiling
that to get a feeling if residents of Boynton Beach would be interested in approving a
Parks Bond that would help all the projects being discussed throughout the process.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented that in the past it worked out very well as Boynton
Beach was slowly building. First it was land and then another project came up. She
thinks they need to invest the money where it brings in the most money, which is at
Ocean Front Park and Boat Club Park. During the pandemic, she was disappointed
when fees were changed from $50 to $400 for boat ramp parking and it was not
discussed with the public. Then it was found out that the funds did not go to that park,
they went to a different park. She hopes the City will have a true General Fund.
Mr. Patterson questioned who does the allocation of the budgets. He asked if the
Advisory Board recommends what needs to be done with the budget or if the
Commission decides. This Board only gives a recommendation, and it is up to the
Commission to take the recommendation. If they do something else, hopefully they give
some type of justification. He thinks bringing the CIP projects in front of the Board is the
most important thing.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe mentioned the baseball park and questioned the benefit to the
City.
Director Young reiterated the baseball park is a project that is no cost to the City.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe commented the baseball park is costing the City 50 years of not
having their own property.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
Ms. Pandev thought Vice Chair Pierce-Roe was questioning the benefit of the City going
private.
Director Young clarified the City is not going private. The building that is going on the
site will be a privately operated building, which was negotiated with the company
coming in to build the project. The benefit to the City was that they were able to add
projects to that, which would improve the entire park.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe questioned what was making this a great option for the City.
Director Young stated they can bring the scope of that project to the Board in January
2023 and go through the projects being done and the benefits to the City. A public
private partnership is a statute of how that was procured to the City. It is not that the
City is giving up part of their property; they have to give up space in order to build the
facility, but the other part of that discussion was that they were able to negotiate
projects they feel will benefit the entire park, such as turfing the fields and adding a field
and lights to make it more of a destination park.
Mr. Patterson thinks that will give the Board a clear picture of what exactly is going on.
Assistant Director Lazo indicated they are going to operate in an area that was
previously unused, so it will not have an impact to the actual park. It is a 30-year ground
lease with two ten-year renewals, but once the lease is over, the City owns the building
and will be able to operate the building as they please.
VII. New Business
a. December 26th Advisory Board Meeting
Chair Mondello advised it was decided prior to the meeting that they were going to
cancel the December meeting.
Motion by Mr. Patterson, seconded by Vice Chair Pierce-Roe, to cancel the December
267 2022 Advisory Board meeting. In a voice vote, the motion passed unanimously. (5-
0)
b. Upcoming Recreation & Parks Events
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
Chair Mondello questioned if there will be Camp during Winter Break. In the past, kids
were allowed to attend camp whenever they wanted; she asked if they have to sign up
for the entire week.
Kacy Young, Recreation and Parks Director, replied yes. There is not an option for daily
registration, but it is something to consider. As far as planning purposes, it makes it a
little difficult.
Justin Johnson, Marketing & Outreach Manager, presented upcoming Recreation and
Parks events as follows:
• This Friday is the Holiday Tree Lighting.
• This Saturday is the Holiday Parade.
• The Pearl Harbor Ceremony is next Wednesday at Veteran's Memorial Park at
11:00 a.m.
• Saturday, December 10, 2022, is the Annual Breakfast with Santa at the
Intracoastal Park Clubhouse.
• Three Saturdays from now will be the Ocean Front Bark at Ocean Front Park at
9:00 a.m. There will also be a manned videogame tournament at Hester Center
at 10:00 a.m.
• The ribbon cutting of the Grand Reopening of the boat ramps at Oyer Park will be
on December 17, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. The park itself will reopen on Thursday,
December 1, 2022.
• There will be a Holiday Yoga Class during the second Wellness Wednesday on
December 14, 2022, at Intracoastal Park.
• A Holiday Hoops Tournament will be on December 10, 2022, geared towards
teams of middle schoolers at Ezell Hester from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• The Gold Coast Band will have their Holiday Concert at First Baptist Church of
Boynton on December 15, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Mr. Fagan mentioned the boat parade is on December 9, 2022.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if the City of Boynton Beach is doing a toy collection
during the boat parade.
Director Young stated it is a CRA event, so he did not have that information. He
indicated the Fire Station is collecting to give to residents throughout the City and the
Police Department is having a collection for Toys for Tots and there will be boxes at the
Arts and Culture Center, Hester Center and Sims Center. The Marina is a CRA facility,
so he will have to find out what the CRA is doing.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe suggested the CRA provide a quarterly update on their activities.
She asked if they could give INCA's email address, so they can be included in updates.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
Director Young indicated if the Board has any contacts they want to provide to the
department, information can be sent out regarding Recreation and Parks Advisory
Board meetings along with upcoming events.
Franky Lazo, Recreation and Parks Assistant Director, mentioned the Holiday Parade
and noted that they are still accepting volunteers. If anyone is interested, contact
Gabriella at 561-742-6034 or email v .r�t. .crbbflleus.
c. Board Member Appointments and Guidelines
Kacy Young, Recreation and Parks Director, provided a brief overview of Board
member appointments and guidelines. To become a member of an Advisory Board, the
person must be appointed by a Commission. They must fill out an application, which is
reviewed and goes to the Commission; whoever had a seat available will make the
appointment. If someone is an Alternate and wants to become a regular member, they
must go back through the process or send the City Clerk an email stating that they
would like to become a regular member and their information will be reviewed. All
appointments must be appointed through the Commission. If a member has three
unexcused absences, they can be removed from the Board. The City Clerk reviews the
attendance and anyone with attendance issues who has been reported will receive a
letter letting the member know they are in jeopardy of being removed from the Board.
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe asked if Mr. Fagan's information has been updated. If not, she
suggested it be updated.
Mr. Fagan stated he filled out a form at least a year ago and he believes he has a two-
year term.
VIII. Public Audience
Ernest George Mignoli, resident, 710 NE 7t" Street, Unit 407, Boynton Beach, FL,
telephone 561-788-3888, email .....................................
R .I�.ii.gng iiP_ maiiI com. He would like to volunteer his
services to this Board. He stated the Commission does not listen to anyone. He is a
member of the Ocean Front Beach Club, and is an expert on all the crime, corruption,
abuse, dangers to children, and he knows all the rules. None of the Park Rangers,
Ocean Ridge Police, or Boynton Beach Police enforce anything. It is frightening to see
what goes on at most of the parks within the City compared to what the Recreation and
Parks staff report to the Board. He would like a chance to make a few presentations to
the Board.
IX. Items for the City Manager's Attention
Vice Chair Pierce-Roe suggested inviting INCA to their Christmas party.
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Meeting Minutes - Recreation and Parks Advisory Board
Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2022
Director Young requested a list of why they want to invite INCA and he will see if they
can facilitate the request.
X. Future Agenda Items
• Upcoming CIP projects
XI. Next Meeting — January 23, 2023, 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 7:42 p.m.
[Minutes transcribed by C. Guifarro, Prototype, Inc.]
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