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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 2/14/2011CITY OF GLENDALE, ARIZONA PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES 7 P.M., MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 FOOTHILLS RECREATION AND AQUATICS CENTER 5600 W. UNION HILLS DRIVE MEMBERS PRESENT: Rod Passmore, Chair Jonathan Liebman, Vice Chair Dana Dale Danielle Silvas Donna Williams Margaret George MEMBERS ABSENT: Edgar Hernandez Elizabeth Fernandes Gary Parr OTHERS PRESENT: Becky Benna, Director Karen Hesser, Deputy Director Bill Schwind, Deputy Director David Seid, Recreation Manager Mike Gregory, Project Coordinator Roger Boyer, Project Coordinator Christine Frederickson, Management Assistant CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Passmore called the meeting to order at 7:08 P.M. I.APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 24, 2011, MEETING Commissioner George motioned to approve the January 24, 2011, meeting minutes as written. Commissioner Williams made the second. The motion passed 6—0. II. FOOTHILLS RECREATION AND AQUATICS CENTER UPDATE Mr. Seid and Mr. Schwind provided a presentation on the operations at the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center, which included the following information: Opening Day for the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center was on Saturday, September 30, 2006 Current Hours of Operation and Summer Aquatic Hours Overview on the areas of operation, recreation pass amenities, staffing levels, classes, special activities/,events, leagues, revenue sources, facility rental opportunities, and summer aquatics activities Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting February 14, 2011 Page 2 Percentage of cost recovery for the facility: FY 2009: 76%, FY 2010: 82%, FY 2011: 62% (to date). The annual goal is approximately 75% - 78% Chair Passmore complimented staff on the excellent programs and great condition of the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center. Chair Passmore thanked Mr. Schwind and Mr. Seid for their presentation. III. PARK SITE VISITS The Commissioners reviewed the park site visit updates on the report distributed by Ms. Hesser. Ms. Hesser stated that the tree and shrub pruning will be progressing as the weather warms up. Ms. Hesser added that there has been playground shade canopy damage from recent winter storms. The canopies are being assessed and a priority list of repairs/replacement is being made. Commissioner Liebman commented that Sierra Verde Park is well-used and may need some extra care. Ms. Hesser stated that staff has been working with the HOA near Sierra Verde Park in hopes that they will participate in the Adopt-A-Park program. Chair Passmore inquired about the implementation status of the more efficient toilet paper rolls, as presented at a previous Commission meeting. Mr. Gregory stated that staff is researching an alternative method of building the toilet paper dispensers for additional parks, as they are time-consuming to fabricate in-house. Commissioner George inquired about a large opening in the chain fence at Bonsall South and asked if this gap would be closed. Mr. Gregory replied that this area is not City of Glendale property. The property is owned by Glendale Steel. Chair Passmore expressed concern regarding the overuse of Murphy Park. Chair Passmore felt that due to the many events held at Murphy Park, the grass really never gets time to grow and/or recover from an event. Chair Passmore suggested that some of the event tents should be set up on the street surfaces instead of on the grass. Ms. Benny commented that staff has made some improvements over time regarding the managing and planning of events at Murphy Park. However, it is still a challenge to find a balance between holding city-wide events downtown and giving the park a rest. Ms. Hesser noted that during the past two years, Murphy Park has been blocked out from events for over-seeding from the first Saturday in October to the Monday preceding Glendale Glitters. Chair Passmore commented that the contractor who has been removing the holiday lights from the trees in Murphy Park has been destroying the leaves and some of the tree limbs in the process. Staff will follow-up on this comment. Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting February 14, 2011 Page 3 Commissioner Liebman asked if staff has done a study to determine if the cost of artificial grass would be less than the maintenance, watering and over-seeding of the grass at Murphy Park. Mr. Schwind added that artificial grass works well for use as a sports field. However, Mr. Schwind explained that for a public, multi-use purpose, artificial grass does not work well because trash, debris, gum, cigarette butts and other garbage left behind are a maintenance challenge. Commissioner George stated that the revenue from Murphy Park events was important, but a balance must be found. Commissioner Williams commented that when speaking with visitors during park visits, many park visitors exuded a feeling of ownership of the park. Ms. Hesser thanked the Commissioners for their participation in the park site visits. IV. COMMISSION GOALS Agenda item tabled for discussion after Agenda item VI. V. CITIZEN COMMENTS None. VI. STAFF REPORTS Ms. Hesser provided the following report: Construction for the O'Neil Park improvements will begin this month and is scheduled to be completed in April. The Sahuaro Ranch Sports Complex renovation is approaching 90% complete. Major items that are in place include the fencing, lights, new sod and infield mix. Construction continues to progress and is expected to be complete by mid March. Plastic grocery bag depositories that will be used for the dog bag dispensers in parks are scheduled to be placed in the libraries including Foothills, Velma Teague and the Main Library. Other facilities included the Glendale Community Center and Community Center North, the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center, Field Operations, both Glen Lakes and Desert Mirage golf courses, the Adult Center and the main parks and recreation office. An intern from ASU, who worked closely with Mr. Gregory and Ms. Marcheta Strunk, designed the dispensers. While still in the preliminary stages, staff is working closely with two active military officers to solicit funding to restore the military jet static display at Bonsall Park North. While in town, Lt. Col. Matthews called staff after visiting the display. Lt. Col. Matthews flew F100 Thunderbolts in the Vietnam War and Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting February 14, 2011 Page 4 was disappointed in the condition of the display. Lt. Col. Matthews has been deployed to Afghanistan, but gave staff two other contacts to work with regarding raising funds for the renovation of the display. The Parks Division partnered with the Neighborhood Partnership Office and Christ Church of the Valley to perform minor maintenance and cleanup projects at several parks and trails throughout Glendale on January 17. It is estimated that over 500 volunteers participated in painting ramadas and walls and picking up trash and leaves. There were 2,175 hours of time donated which is the equivalent of 54 weeks of staff time. As part of the annual gleaning event organized by the Neighborhood Partnership Office and the staff at Sahuaro Ranch Park, a total of 41,750 pounds of citrus was donated to the St. Mary's Food Bank. Mr. Schwind provided the following report: Adult Center o King and Country entertained a crowd of over 175 people today at the Valentines' Day Luncheon. Councilmember Knaack attended the show as well. o The St. Patrick's Day event is scheduled for March 17. Sports and Health o The Paseo Sports Complex is scheduled for youth softball tournaments every weekend for the foreseeable future. o The Youth Little League programs have an Opening Day Ceremony scheduled for March 5. Youth and Teen o Staff submitted a grant application through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and is awaiting official funding notification expected in July regarding the $65,000 requested for program supplies for summer activities to be shared by each of the Centers. Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center o Staff is currently putting the final touches on the Splash Book — the summer aquatics activities guide. o 44 vendors participated in the Annual Health Fair held on January 29, with 375 people estimated in attendance. o The annual West Valley Cancer Connection partnership event plans are well underway and the event is scheduled for Saturday, April 9. Ms. Benny stated that the final version of the Master Plan Update will be distributed to the Commissioners at the March meeting for review, discussion and vote on recommendation for City Council approval. Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting February 14, 2011 Page 5 VII. COMMISSION GOALS (revisited) The Commissioners discussed the status of goal completion. The Commissioners agreed, regarding Goal #4, to attend the Green Festival on March 26, 2011, in order to achieve the goal of promoting the Commission's purpose and activities in the Parks and Recreation Department. Ms. Benna will provide options on dates and times for a tour of the Oasis Water Treatment Plant in March for completion of Goal #5. VIII. COMMISSION COMMENTS Commissioner Liebman attended the Adopt-A-Trail meeting for Thunderbird Conservation Park and signed up to work on the trails. Commissioner George attended the Mayor and Council installation and volunteered for the Glendale Ambassadors program. Commissioner Dale was looking forward to receiving the completed Master Plan. Ms. Benny announced that Chair Passmore's Commission term is expiring in April, 2011 and announced that Commissioner Liebman was appointed the new Chair of the Commission and will be sworn in on February 22, 2011. Chair Passmore stated that he will Chair the Commission meeting in March and will still attend the April meeting, but will not act as Chair at the April meeting. IX. NEXT MEETING SUGGESTED AGENDA ITEMS Master Plan presentation by Consultants Commission Goals#4 and#5 Options X. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner George motioned to set the next Commission meeting as Monday, March 7, 2011. Commissioner Dale made the second. The motion passed 6—0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:21 p.m. by consensus. The next regular meeting will be Monday, March 7, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, Room B-3, Glendale, Arizona. Respectfully submitted, Denise Kazmierczak