Parks, Recreation & Tourism Advisory Board

CHESAPEAKE PARKS, RECREATION AND TOURISM ADVISORY BOARD Meeting Notes June 1, 2023 This meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Advisory Board was held on June 1, 2023, at the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Administration Office. Chair Leedom called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. ANNOUNCEMENTS Mr. Barber updated the board on the staff member that was injured in the accident at Indian River Community Center. She went home today and is recovering although it will be a very long recovery process. ROLL CALL Ms. Fuqua took the roll. Attendance did not reflect a quorum with 8 voting members present, 9 were absent. Members Present: Christine Arrasate, Donna Cannatella (non-voting ex-officio/CCC), Susan Dixon, Phil Johnson, Annette Kelley (Vice Chair), Bob Leedom (Chair), Chris Lowie (non-voting ex-officio/GDSNWR), Patti McCambridge, Terrence McDuffie (non-voting Youth Liaison), Richard Pippin and Casey Shackleford Members Absent: Catina Bondhill, James Brown, Bryan Carey, Jean Carideo (non-voting ex- officio/GBBWHF), Kevin Cole (non-voting ex-officio/CPS), Paula Faivre, Deloras Freeman, Susan Starkey, Neta Stephens, Michael Williams and Jessica Woodyard City Staff Present: Mike Barber, Kim Murden, Shawn Hopson, and Cori Fuqua MINUTES: Since a quorum was not present, approval of the May minutes will be tabled until the next meeting where a quorum is present. HEARING OF CITIZENS: None. SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Urban Forestry Mr. Kevin Kaul, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Urban Forester, gave a PowerPoint presentation with an overview of special events coordination and event permitting. REPORTS: a. Ex-Officio Reports: • Chesapeake Conference Center – Ms. Cannatella gave the following updates: o Then the Conference Center is now closed for a few months for HVAC and other renovations from June 1– November 2. Most staff will be reassigned to work in  different PRT divisions including community centers, grounds and housekeeping. The office is still open, so we are continuing to assist customers and book events for later in the year. • Chesapeake Public Schools – None. • Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge – None. • Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Museum – None. b. Tourism Report – • Ms. Murden gave an overview on Zartico, a Destination Operating System that provides insights and data intelligence to subscribers. This is the service that we used a portion of the ARPA funding for. Lots of interesting data and information! • Please refer to the Tourism section in the Department Report for additional updates. c. Parks and Recreation Reports – For more information, refer to the Department Report and Park Project Updates. d. Director Updates: Mr. Barber gave the following updates: • Events, Recreation & Misc. o Paddle for the Border and BikeFest events were back-to-back on May 6 and 7. May 9 was Bike Month and Seniors Month proclamations in City Council chambers. May 18-21 was Jubilee with their best fireworks show to date! May 23 was the CEIC Clean and Green Poster Contest winners’ ceremony at City Hall. o Memorial Day weekend there were three events: ▪ Sunday, May 28, the ceremony dedicating the Gold Star Memorial at Chesapeake Park. ▪ Monday, May 29, was the annual Memorial Day ceremony at City Hall which took place indoors, and we worked with Dr. Alexander and other groups for the United States Colored Troops Descendants 23rd Founders Day in Hampton Roads Observance at the Unknown and Known Afro Union Civil War Soldiers Memorial. o The Great Bridge Community Center gym has been closed for the gym floor replacement and it will reopen next week with new padding and interior paint as well. The Deep Creek Community Center gym opened last week with new floors, padding and interior paint. o A few of the Chesapeake Conference Center staff are coming over to work for us for a few months and we are very excited to have their assistance. o There is a Town Meeting next week, Tuesday, in the South Norfolk area at Rena B. Wright Primary School. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: • Bylaws and SOPs have gone through the City Attorney’s office and are now with the City Clerk for consideration. 2 NEW BUSINESS: • Mr. Barber presented Terrence McDuffie, Youth Liaison, with a Certificate of Appreciation. His term is up and this will be his last meeting. He is graduating from Indian River High School in June and then heading off to college in the fall at William and Mary with a full scholarship. He plans to study government. Best of luck to him! • July Board Meeting – Traditionally the July meeting has been cancelled in past years. After discussion, board members agreed that they would support cancelling again this year so Mr. Barber proceeded to cancel the July meeting. PRT staff will send out the appropriate notifications. We will look at doing a board bus tour in the fall or have some further discussion on it. • The August meeting will be the Athletic Rules meeting and there will not be a PRT staff presentation. Mr. Leedom is willing serve on the rules committee at least in an advisory role so if anyone is interested and willing to serve, please let Mr. Leedom know. HEARING OF BOARD MEMBERS: • Mr. Pippin reported on the Jubilee. It was one of the most successful Jubilees yet and the weather was practically perfect. Fireworks were spectacular. Very minimal damage to the park which everyone was thankful for. Many thanks to all the volunteers and the City. • Ms. McCambridge said the Paddle for the Border event and boat ride was amazing. Food was great, everybody seemed happy and smiling. She met people from all over. • Chair Leedom agreed. He and his wife paddled their kayaks - this was their second year participating. • Vice Chair Kelley went on a couple of the spring bus tours with Monica, and they were wonderful. • Mr. Johnson congratulated Terrence. He also complimented Mr. Kaul and said what an asset he was to PRT and the City. Also, thanked Ms. Murden for her staff supporting GoChesapeake and their recent activities. Also, he noted that the Gold Star Memorial is just unbelievable. Coming up on June 15th – Rock the Park at Chesapeake City Park, a fundraiser for GoChesapeake. Gates open at 5:00, concert starts at 6:00. Tickets can be purchased on GoChesapeake’s website (GoChesapeake.net/rock-the- park/). The lead band is Buckshot. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m. NEXT MEETING: The next meeting will be on Thursday, August 3, 2023, at Western Branch Community Center. Notes submitted by Cori Fuqua, Secretary 3