Recreation Board

Approved: 032618 City of College Park Recreation Board Meeting College Park Community Center 5051 Pierce Avenue Monday, February 5, 2018 6:30 p.m. FINAL MINUTES Members Present Absent Stuart Adams X Jazs Araghi X Alan Bradford X Jane Hopkins X Bettina McCloud X Judith Oarr X Barbara Pianowski X Christina Toy X Also Present: City Staff: Scott Somers, City Manager Robert Ryan, Public Services Director Brenda Alexander, Assistant Director - Department of Public Works Ryna Quinones-Luckert, Communications Coordinator Sharon Fletcher, Executive Assistant – Public Services Department M-NCPPC: Eric Smith - Regional Manager Region 3 Northern Area Operations College Park Boys and Girls Club Shontell Wright Guests: Janice Bernache-Crocker, City Resident Santosh Chelliah, City Resident I. Call to Order Mr. Bradford called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. II. Membership a. New Members - Jane Hopkins, Christina Toy and Eric Smith (M-NCPPC) b. Resignation – Eric Grims III. Review and Approval of Agenda Mrs. Pianowski moved to amend item II - Membership on the agenda to recognize prospective members, Janice Bernache- Crocker and Santosh Chelliah. Ms. Araghi asked that discussion about the College Park Blues Festival be moved to an earlier point on the agenda. Mr. Ryan suggested that the order of the agenda, as posted be maintained. 1  Mr. Bradford motioned to accept all of the proposed amendments to the agenda. All were in favor. The motion passed 7-0-0. IV. Recreation Board Operations a. Chapter 15 b. Rules and Procedures Discussion on this item was not held. V. Use of Duvall Field Discussion – Scott Somers, City Manager and Brenda Alexander, Assistant Director Department of Public Works Mr. Somers shared information about the potential revision to use of Duvall Field to include a dog park. He indicated that members of the community had expressed interest in a dog park, with some community members indicating a desire to establish it at Duvall Field. Mr. Somers noted that other locations were also being considered, including Sunnyside Avenue, Davis Hall, and the Hollywood Park owned by Park & Planning. Mr. Somers discussed the possibility of long-term master planning for Duvall Field, the master plan has not been revised since 2008. A project is under consideration that would partner the city with a consultant and the University to redesign Duvall Field and the surrounding park. Mrs. Hopkins raised a point for a need to revitalize the Boys & Girls Club and create opportunities for community involvement. Mr. Somers mentioned changes in the city’s demographics and a need to explore methods to gather information and identify needs among the community. He also stated that the methods would be inclusive of the Recreation Board, the College Park Boys and Girls Club and other city stakeholders. Mr. Somers invited Board members to offer suggestions and ideas on how to move forward with a collective approach to assess residents’ needs. The Board engaged in discussion on the matter. Points addressed were: • An existing private dog park in the city and its proximity to Duvall Field • Options relating to the registration and vaccination processes for dogs using the park and benefits of a dog park • How to assess residents’ desire for another dog park in the area. • Safety risks to children and community members who use the field • Other drawbacks sited were placing a Dog Park in proximity to the concession stand and concerns about reducing available field space to the community. Mrs. Toy suggested to facilitate opportunities to make the entry process to the existing Dog Park easier for those who are interested. Boys & Girls Club Soccer Commissioner, Shontell Wright offered details about the demand for field use by the Boys & Girls Club to accommodate the growing number of youth soccer participants. 2  The consensus of the discussion determined Board Members are in favor of a dog park in North College Park, but opposed to it being in Duvall Field. VI. 11th Annual College Park Blues Festival (this item was moved up on the a. Ms. Araghi suggested ways to strengthen representation of Veterans during the College Park Blues Festival (CPBF). Her suggestion included a fundraiser for Veterans and other Veteran-focused events in conjunction with the Blues Festival. Discussion on the logistics included, marketing, promotion and collaborative partners to facilitate these events. Point of note were: • Opportunities to increase the city’s return on investment in the Blues Festival by combining events to include Veteran’s Day • Increased costs for city services by combining events to include of Veteran’s Day (Police, shuttle services, and trash removal) • Potential planning conflicts with regularly scheduled Veteran’s Day events. Ms. Araghi indicated that the partnership with the DC Blues Society (DCBS), should shift responsibilities of DCBS. She also indicated that she would provide suggested revisions to the Memorandum of Understanding for 2018 to reflect the city’s front-facing role in facilitating the Blues Festival. • Staging, tables, and chairs provided by M-NCPPC and Ritchie Coliseum, and the associated costs and contributions • Capacity, attendance goals, and previous trends; approximately 400 people attended the event in 2017 • Recruiting and selecting performing artists • Budget considerations for branded gear and promotional items • Supporting details for the Blues Festival’s budget allocations b. City Communications Coordinator Ryna Quinones, offered suggestions for branding and promoting the Blues Festival: • Determine ways to solidify marketing and branding of the event. • Be certain to use city guidelines for continuity of branding and Social Media marketing. • Identify Blues Festival’s target audience for advertising. • Display city’s ownership of the event through prominent representation on all print and media advertising. VII. Field Use a. Tentative Concession Building visit date to be determined Ms. Fletcher indicated that the visit would be scheduled for a later date. Ms. Fletcher also raised the issue of unauthorized field use and asked the Boys and Girls Club representative to share that information with all who have access to the light box. b. Spring Use Application submitted by Boys & Girls Club 3  The application was modified to reflect the accurate spring opening date for the field. Mrs. Pianowski motioned to approve the request for field use by the College Park Boys & Girls Club. Mrs. Oarr seconded the motioned. All were in favor. The motion passed 7-0-0. VIII. Review and Approval of December 4, 2017 Minutes (January meeting was cancelled) Mrs. Pianowski motioned to approve the December 4, 2017 minutes Mrs. Oarr seconded the motioned. All were in favor. The motion passed 7-0-0. IX. Treasurer’s Report a. December 2017 - Funds were used to purchase Santa Breakfast refreshments and reimbursement made to the account - balance remains $1,698.05 b. January 2018 Ms. Araghi motioned to approve the Treasurer’s Reports for December 2017 and January 2018. Mrs. Pianowski seconded the motioned. All were in favor. The motion passed 7-0-0. X. Recent Recreation Events a. Breakfast with Santa 12/16/2017 10 a.m. - noon at Community Center The Board discussed successes and opportunities for improvement for the event including food shortages, challenges with photos, and the availability of Santa to interact with participants. Members of the Board offered logistical details and discussed: • Food preparation and distribution options to maintain costs and reduce waste • Incorporating healthy menu options • Options to coordinate event logistics • The order of events including photographs, entertainment and appearances by Santa • Partnership with M-NCPPC to provide event space, arts & crafts, entertainment and equipment • Distribution of gift bags for children of each age group • Marketing & promotion • Participation trends of an average of 170-175 people in attendance for Breakfast with Santa Mrs. Toy volunteered to coordinate the Bunny Brunch, 3/24/2018 and Breakfast with Santa 2018. b. MLK Tribute 01/13/2018, 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Kay Theatre The event was well attended and recorded by professional Videographer. DVDs were distributed to program participants. The program is currently played on the College Park cable channel and scheduled to re-air on April 4, 2018, the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Scheduled entertainment School Rock canceled in December. 4  c. Bowling 01/28/2018 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at AMF College Park Lanes The event was well attended, 126 participants were in attendance. 10 lanes for 50 people were initially reserved and increased to 32 lanes, in response high numbers of attendees. XI. New Business a. Mrs. Oarr successfully completed the online training for the Open Meetings Act on behalf of the Recreation Board. Mrs. Oarr will forward a copy of her completion certificate to Ms. Fletcher. b. Father’s Day Ice cream Social at Duvall Field, date TBA • Mrs. Hopkins volunteered to coordinate the event. Mrs. Hopkins will check into • requirements & facility capabilities c. Mr. Smith solicited the Board for wish list items related to events. Ms. Fletcher invited Mr. Smith to view the Recreation Board’s Community Connect requests. Board members will forward wish list ideas to Ms. Fletcher who will streamline the items and send them to Mr. Smith via e-mail. XII. Adjournment Mrs. Oarr motioned to adjourn the meeting. Mrs. Pianowski seconded the motioned. All were in favor. The motion passed 7-0-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:48 p.m. 5