Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 11/17/2014 CITY OF GLENDALE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING 5850 W. GLENDALE AVENUE—B3 NOVEMBER 17, 2014 6:00 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: John Krystek, Chair Barbara R. Cole, Vice Chair David Moreno Robert Irons John Faris Manuel Padia MEMBERS ABSENT: Manuel S.Padia, Jr. Chase MacKay OTHERS PRESENT: Erik Strunk,Director Lori Bye, Operations Manager Paul King, Parks &Recreation Manager Michelle Yates, Senior Recreation Coordinat \ '0 VI Kyle White, Recreation Coordinator I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Krystek called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Chair Krystek took roll. Absences were noted. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Vice Chair Cole motioned, seconded by Commissioner Moreno, to approve the October 20, 2014 meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 5—0. IV. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR None. V. AMENDMENT OF MEMORIAL PLAQUE GUIDELINES Mr. Strunk presented a revised version of the Plaque and Amenity Naming Guidelines, which now includes the requirement of final review and approval by City Council. Vice Chair Cole noted that adding the requirement of Council approval will add more time to the approval process and wondered if this would be acceptable to various groups. Mr. Strunk agreed and added that a specific group or organization could still celebrate an impending important date, such as a birthday, without the memorial plaque if they so choose. 1 Vice Chair Cole asked if this policy would be advertised to the public. Mr. Strunk replied that direct mail advertising would not be utilized; however,the information will be on the City website. Vice Chair Cole motioned, seconded by Commissioner Moreno, to approve the amended Plaque and Amenity Naming Guidelines which includes the requirement of final review and approval by City Council. Motion carried 5—0. VI. SONORITA PARK UPDATE Mr. King gave an update on the progress of the improvements at Sonorita Park, located at Market Street and 58th Drive,which included the following: • Background o Sonorita Park • One acre neighborhood park constructed in 1975 • Provides active and passive recreation opportunities for the area south of Glendale Avenue • Current amenities include basketball court and playground • The park is identified in the department's capital plan to be renovated, however, there has been no funding available o Conducted site assessment in 2003 and 2012 and both assessments identified similar recommended improvements. • Benches • Shade Trees • Lighting • Artificial Shade • Playground Improvements • Refurbished Basketball Court • Site Challenges o Homelessness o Vandalism o Graffiti o Utility Infrastructure Conflict o Landscaping • Scope of Work o Applied for and received a$61,500 Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) o Scope of Work • Demo of Playground- Completed • Rough Grade—Completed • Establish Irrigation System—Completed • Re-grading of the Site—Completed • Concrete Walkway/ADA Accessibility—Completed • Trees and Shrubs—In Progress • Landscape Rock& Boulder Installation—In Progress • Resurface Basketball Court—Start date being negotiated with vendor. • Park Furniture: Benches, Table, and Grill — To be installed within the next six weeks or more. • Solar Lighting—Design Phase • Playground Build Day-December 13th 2 • 6 hours: 8:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m. • Approximately 20-30 volunteers needed ■ Shade Structure Installation • Visual Diagram of Pre- and Post- Improvements • Pictures of the Following Were Displayed o Irrigation Installation o Digging of the Extension Area for the New Playground o Grading and Landscaping Preparations • o Concrete Installation o Fine Grading [Commissioner Padia entered the meeting at 6:24 p.m.] Mr. King noted that the trenching and digging were done by in-house staff, while the concrete installation was done by RBI, a private contractor. Commissioner Moreno asked if there was a drinking fountain included in the plans. Mr. King did not have that information at hand. Mr. King will follow up on the suggestion. Commissioner Faris commented that the City's Christmas Parade is also scheduled for December 13th, which might impact the availability of volunteers. Mr. King stated that a dedication for the park will be planned. Chair Krystek wondered who to contact in order to volunteer and asked for clarification as to the tasks the volunteers would be handling. Mr. King stated that Ms. Yates is the contact person for volunteering. Mr. King explained that volunteers would work on putting together the playground equipment and also on landscape mulching and beautification. Chair Krystek asked how the basketball court would be improved. Mr. King explained that the court would be hard sandblasted,re-coated with a heavy paint material and then re-striped. VII. SUMMER AQUATICS FINAL REPORT Ms. Bye introduced Mr. White, who is the new full-time Recreation Coordinator for the Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center (FRAC) and the Rose Lane Aquatics Facility. Mr. White gave a presentation on the results of the 2014 aquatic programming and facility statistics, which included the following: • Background o Aquatics facilities constructed in 2005 and 2006 o Approximately 400,000 gallons of water in each pool • Aquatics Operations o Rose Lane Aquatics Center o Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center o Splash Pad at Heroes Park o Splash Pad at Sycamore Grove o Murphy Park Fountain o Elsie McCarthy Sensory Garden Fountains 3 • Aquatics Operations Staff o 3.30 Full Time Staff • 1 Recreation Coordinator—Aquatics • 2 Aquatic Maintenance • Portions of 2 FTE Supervisors o 100 Hourly Staff • May—August • 40 Hours or Less o 30 Hourly Winter Staff • September—April • 19 Hours or Less • Aquatics Programming and Maintenance o Purpose: To program and maintain safe and clean aquatic environments which operate at maximum capabilities at all times o Maintenance Objective: To raise the level of service in relationship to repair time, preventing aquatics shutdowns and minimize equipment downtime o Programming Objectives: • Provide a safe and fun aquatics environment for the residents and visitors of Glendale to enjoy • To increase customer satisfaction in the area of customer service • To raise the level of service in the area of teaching lessons • Keep the aquatics area clean and aesthetically pleasing • Aquatics Programs o Swim Lessons • Sponsorship donations received from FAST Foundation, Anthony Holly Foundation and the Drowning Prevention Coalition o Recreational Swim o Private Swim &Dive Team—Swim Neptune o Adult Fitness o Lifeguard Training o Water Safety Instructor(WSI) o Guard Start o Family Fun Night o Verano Sano (Safe Summer)Event for the Spanish-speaking Community • 2014 Statistics o 1,633 Group Swim/Dive Lessons: $45,832 in revenue o 52,481 Recreational Swim Patrons: $171,674 in revenue o 893 Participated in Verano Sano and Family Fun Night o 300 Private Swim/Dive Lessons: $10,376 in revenue o Over 1,500 Water Aerobics Patrons at FRAC for the summer alone o Aquatics Rentals for Summer 2014 resulted in $34,327 in revenue Mr. White noted that some of the patron numbers were down from 2013; however, they are bouncing back from the increased fees instituted in 2012. Vice Chair Cole asked if there were aquatics programs occurring after the summer. Mr. White stated that year-round programs include water aerobics and swim lessons for adults as well as use by a private swim and dive team. Ms. Bye clarified that the Neptune Swim Club and Deer Valley High School rent the facilities at this time. 4 Mr. Strunk stressed the safety focus at the aquatics facilities and praised staff on another exceptionally incident-free summer season. Mr. White commented on the decrease in aquatics turnover this summer. Mr. White stated that in 2013, only 36% of summer staff returned, while in 2014 there was a 65% retention rate. Mr. White attributed the higher retention to an increase in pay as a result of a valley wide pay analysis. Mr. White added the higher staff retention rate also results in a more experienced staff and therefore can lead to a safer season as well. VIII. STAFF UPDATES Ms. Bye provided the following information: • Wednesday, December 17: Glendale Adult Center will hold the annual Holiday Luncheon from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. • Saturday, December 13: Santa's Workshop will be held at FRAC from 10:00 a.m.to noon. • All are welcome and encouraged to attend the next Theater Kidz performance, which is put on by participants in the Adaptive Program. Ms. Yates distributed a diagram of the new KaBOOM! playground to be installed at Bonsall Park. Further details offered included the following: • The play set itself is called "The Power Play" and will include the team colors of the Coyotes and team logos as well. • Feedback from the AZ Coyotes, the pubic and staff were utilized in design. • On November 6th, various children participated in the playground Design Day. • Friday,December 5th and Saturday, December 6th are the Site Preparation Days. • Monday, December 8th is the actual Build Day. • Volunteers are still needed for all days. The City needs to provide 75 volunteers and the Coyotes organization needs to provide 125 volunteers. Commissioners are encouraged to volunteer. • Saturday, November 22nd: A Community Youth Engagement Outreach event will be held on site from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This will consist of a free hockey clinic hosted by Desert Hockey Development, and arts and crafts. The Fire Department will provide water and Gatorade. Ms. Yates announced that the City received an NFL Forestation grant of$3,000 via the Arizona Super Bowl Committee which will be used to replenish citrus trees at Historic Sahuaro Ranch Park. The planting project will be held on site on January 24, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Ms. Yates announced that the Serve Day Fruit Gleaning project at the park will be done on the same day. Mr. King encouraged the Commissioners to enjoy the hiking trails at Thunderbird Conservation Park. Vice Chair Cole inquired as to when the new hiking trail signs would be installed. Mr. King stated that the signs are still being developed and should be installed in the January/February 2015 time frame. Mr. King noted the signage project is courtesy of grant funds. Mr. King also commented on the following: • The search for new Parks Manager and a Service Worker III has begun. • Staff has been taking an online Defensive Driving Training Course. This past Thursday, staff participated in a Found Waste Training class which discussed how to handle specific types of waste such as batteries, hypodermic needles, and paint. 5 • On December 7th, the regional Punt, Pass and Kick event will be held during the morning. At the halftime of the Cardinals game that same day, some of the participating children will put on an exhibition of their skills. Mr. Strunk gave a briefing,which included the following: • This upcoming Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., Council will review the Consolidated Plan for CDBG federal funding.All Commissioners and public are invited to attend. • This upcoming Saturday, the City Health and Resource Fair will be held at the Glendale Civic Center. Families and residents in need can meet with various service providers and receive free medical screenings. 200 free turkeys will be distributed at the event. • At the November 24th Council meeting, staff and Chair Krystek will present the Parks and Recreation Department's National Accreditation Award to Council. All Commissioners are invited to participate. • December 2nd from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.: At the Council Chambers gallery, a formal appreciation and farewell gathering will be held for Councilmembers Knaack, Martinez and Alvarez. • December 3rd from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.: At the Glendale Adult Center, an Archery Open House will be held. • The Glendale Civic Center was voted the number one venue in the state for the third year in a row. • December 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.: Sierra Verde Park's annual holiday event will be held and staff will run a booth to meet with residents and distribute information. • The new amphitheater lights were installed by the Civic Center staff. This new lighting will function better and save on energy cost. It is hoped that with improvements to the amphitheater, more events will be booked at the site. IX. COMMISSION COMMENTS Commissioner Faris requested a list of Parks staff contact information, the cost of five decorative gas lamp street lights and the cost of the Marty Robbins Memorial Plaque. Commissioner Moreno commented that there are still repairs to be done due to the heavy storm damage. Mr. King stated that staff has been waiting for the final approved plans for repairs to exposed PVC piping and damaged curbing. Mr. Strunk added that staff has just recently received details on the insurance settlement which was necessary to move forward. Vice Chair Cole has submitted two park inspections and wondered if staff would provide a formal response. Mr. King will go through the inspections and ensure that items noted will be addressed. Chair Krystek praised the staff for its expediency and attentiveness while he was there for his daughter's ballet class. Chair Krystek suggested the installation of televisions that could be viewed while running the indoor track at FRAC. Commissioner Padia attended and volunteered at the Trick or Treat off the Street Event at FRAC. Commissioner Padia stated that the event was a lot of fun and well run. Chair Krystek announced that the next Commission meeting was scheduled for December 8, 2014. Chair Krystek noted that this was the KaBOOM! Build Day and staff and any volunteering Commissioners 6 would be especially busy that day due to the project. Chair Krystek asked the Commissioners if they would like to consider vacating the December meeting or re-scheduling for another evening. Commissioner Faris motioned, seconded by Commissioner Irons, to vacate the December 2014 meeting. Motion carried 5—0. Commissioner Moreno announced that his term expires in December. Commissioner Moreno stated that he has enjoyed working with staff and the other Commissioners. X. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:34 p.m. by consensus. Respectfully submitted, Denise Kazmierczak 7