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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 4/14/2014 CITY OF GLENDALE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING 5850 W. GLENDALE AVENUE, B3 APRIL 14, 2014 6:00 P:M. MEMBERS PRESENT: John Krystek, Chair Barbara R. Cole, Vice Chair David Moreno Robert Irons Yesenia Rascon Manuel Padia Manuel S. Padia, Jr. MEMBERS ABSENT: Samantha Johnson OTHERS PRESENT: Mike Gregory, Parks and Recreation Manager Eugene Kraus, Parks Manager Gwen Benoit, Senior Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Krystek called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Chair Krystek took roll. It was noted that Commissioner Johnson was absent. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Padia Jr. motioned, seconded by Commissioner Moreno, to approve the March 10, 2014 meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 7—0. IV. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR None. V. REVIEW MEMORIAL PLAQUE INSTALLATION Mr. Gregory stated that the proposed plaque in honor of Marty Robbins has been verified for historical accuracy as requested by the Commission at the March meeting. The Commission reviewed the final information on the proposed Memorial Plaque in memory of Mr. Marty Robbins. Mr. Ron Short, President of the Glendale Arizona Historical Society was present for any questions. Vice Chair Cole motioned, seconded by Commissioner Moreno, to recommend the installation of a memorial plaque in Murphy Park in honor of Marty Robbins as presented in the final draft documents. Motion carried 7—0. 1 VI. NEIGHBORHOOD PARK SIGNAGE Mr. Gregory commented on the ongoing issue of organized sports groups using neighborhood parks to conduct practices and games. The activities often consume the open space and create parking issues on the neighborhood streets. Mr. Gregory noted additional concerns of damage to the park turf from overuse and lack of restrooms. Mr. Gregory stressed that education of these user groups will continue to be used as a major tool to combat this issue. Mr. Gregory stated that the current park signage used at the neighborhood parks in regards to this issue will be modified. The city code reference will be removed and a phone number for field reservations will be inserted. The Commissioners viewed the current sign and the proposed modified sign. Vice Chair Cole asked if a sign could be put up in the parks indicating which user group has reserved the area. Mr. Gregory stated that this would not be doable in the neighborhood parks, because they are not reservable. However, this could be considered for the sports complexes. Vice Chair Cole asked for direction as to how a field could be reserved. Mr. Gregory stated that a user can call the department for a daily reservation or attend the bi-annual meeting for a long-term seasonal field reservation. Vice Chair Cole inquired as to how a user group should handle an incident when another group is using a reserved field. Mr. Gregory stated the group should call a park ranger immediately. Mr. Gregory stated that this has happened in the past, but not as frequently anymore. Commissioner Moreno asked if the coaches are provided with paperwork confirming the reservation. Mr. Gregory explained that for a daily reservation, a receipt is provided. Mr. Gregory stated that for a long- term reservation, the reservation information is provided to the group organizer to distribute to the individual coaches. Commissioner Padilla commented that the signage is good, however, wondered if offending groups are contacted directly. Mr. Gregory replied in the positive and stressed that over the past year, staff has increased educational efforts in regards to field reservations. Mr. Gregory commented that the educational approach is necessary as there is no longer a city code for enforcement of the issue. Vice Chair Cole wondered how many parks will have the signage regarding field reservations. Mr. Gregory stated that there are 52 parks and the number of signs in each park depends on acreage and the flow of traffic in and out of the park. Mr. Gregory stated that each park will be assessed independently. Mr. Gregory noted that the current signs can be re-used and the new verbiage can be re-screened over the old. All Commissioners supported moving forward with the new signage. VII. GRAND CANAL LINEAR PARK—DISC GOLF COURSE Mr. Gregory gave a presentation on the possibility of the construction of a disc golf course at the Grand Canal Linear Park and Trail, which included the following information: • Disc Golf is similar to golf,but uses a Frisbee and baskets attached to a post. • Disc Golf is starting to pick up speed in popularity in the valley. 2 • There are ten courses in the valley currently. There is one course at Thunderbird Paseo Park which is the furthest west in the valley and is fairly popular. • Contact has been made with two different interested parties. • Both parties are willing to up front some or all of the cost of design and infrastructure. • If constructed, the project will not increase staff maintenance costs as the area is being maintained currently. • The linear layout of the Grand Canal Linear Park and Trail is optimal for the course and would utilize the open space well. Commissioner Krystek inquired if the baskets were removable. Mr. Gregory replied that they could be either permanent or removable. Commissioner Krystek asked if the course would inhibit other activities. Mr. Gregory replied in the negative, but noted that an errant Frisbee is always a possibility. Commissioner Padilla Jr. commented that at one of the disc golf courses in Phoenix, sometimes the Frisbees would interfere with other park users. Commissioner Padilla Jr. did not want the activity to interfere with the walkers along the canal. Mr. Gregory stressed that the layout of the Grand Canal lends itself to disc golf easily and did not expect issues with the pedestrians. Mr. Gregory will review the layout and design of the park to which the Commissioner was referring. Commissioner Irons expressed concern over the installation of a new park activity during this tough economic time for the City. Commissioner Irons thought it might be the wrong time to consider this issue. Mr. Gregory stressed that Council will not approve this project without funding from either of the interested parties. Mr. Gregory added that there must be zero or extremely minimal cost to the City for the project to move forward. Mr. Gregory stated that staff will continue discussions with the two interested parties and will keep the Commission apprised of the findings. VIII. STAFF UPDATE Mr. Gregory gave an update on the following: • On April 23rd, an Open House will be held at the Glendale Adult Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be free events and a health fair. A flyer was distributed to the Commission. • The City signed a new one-year lease with Westgate for the Gallery Glendale space with the same terms as the previous lease. The lease will go to Council for approval. • The new operator of the Glen Lakes Golf Course is doing a great job. Recently, a new outdoor patio deck was installed. Mr. Kraus gave an update on the following: • On Saturday, April 5th, a Partners 'N Parks clean up event was held at Glendale Heroes Regional Park which Parks Crew Leader, Bryan Wagner, organized. Five or six people worked with Mr. Wagner to clean up the east side of the park and they did a fantastic job. • On, Saturday, April 5th, a survey was conducted at the following dog parks: o Foothills by Mr. Kraus and Commissioner Irons o Sahuaro Ranch Park by Ms. Bye o Northern Horizon by Vice Chair Cole 3 • The dog park survey was conducted between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The users were questioned about the frequency of visits, pros and cons of the dog parks as well as suggestions. A lot of great information was gathered. • Mr. Wagner continues to monitor the use of canola oil as a substitute lubricant in place of WD40. Canola oil is less costly than WD40, appears to last longer and does not damage the turf on the first cut when used on mowing blades. Currently, the use of canola oil is being tested as a cost- effective replacement for chainsaw oil. • At the April 8th City Council meeting, the Council approved the new custodial contract with Caretakers, Inc. for the cleaning of all restrooms at the public parks, libraries and Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center. The contract begins on May 1st. Caretakers, Inc. utilizes a digital reporting system whereby issues or damage can be photographed, documented and sent to staff for direction and/or resolution. • On Saturday, April 26th, the Party for the Planet will be held from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. This is a partner event with the City of Peoria whereby volunteers will clean up the New River channel between Deer Valley Road and Beardsley. Approximately 200-300 volunteers are expected. A pancake breakfast will be hosted by the Fire Department. Vice Chair Cole asked Mr. Kraus to send her information on the Party for the Planet as she would like to volunteer at the event. IX. COMMISSION COMMENTS Commissioner Padilla suggested that the flyer for the Open House at the Glendale Adult Center should include a contact phone number and pertinent Facebook and Twitter information. Vice Chair Cole enjoyed conducting the dog park survey and stated that the visitors shared a lot of good information. Chair Krystek thanked all volunteers who came out to the Partners 'N Parks clean up. XI. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:06 p.m. by consensus. The next regular meeting will be held on Monday, May 12, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. at the Desert Mirage Golf Course, 8710 W. Maryland Avenue, Glendale,AZ 85305. Respectfully submitted, Denise Kazmierczak 4