Recreation & Parks Advisory Board

Regular Meeting of the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks Held at the Falls Church Community Center 223 Little Falls Street, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 Minutes February 1, 2012 1. Call to Order Mr. O’Hara called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Members present were Charley O’Hara, Kathy Chandler, Lori LaFave, Ruth Rodgers, Leslie Rye, Steve Selby, and Lawrence Webb. Staff members present were Danny Schlitt, Director of Recreation & Parks, and Krissy Loerch, Senior Administrative Assistant. 2. Receipt of Public Petitions and Board Member Petitions Mr. O’Hara asked if there were any petitions from the public or board members. There were none. 3. Minutes Mr. O’Hara moved to postpone the approval of the January 11 minutes to the March 7 meeting. 4. Recreation Director’s Report • The Summer Camp Brochure is available in print and online. Registration begins on February 6 for City residents and February 13 for Non-city. We continue to offer an extensive variety of camps for a wide age range. • The April advisory board meeting will be moved to April 11th due to Spring Break plans. • The preschool program at the Community Center is undergoing a change in the lead teacher. Alison Collins taught the program for 6 years and no longer working with us. The department has hired a new teacher that will begin next week. In the interim, Debbie Woodbury, was teaching the program. Ms. LaFave remarked that Ms. Collins was a great teacher to both of her children. • The City Manager asked department leaders to create a top 10 list of needs and wants over the next two years. The items discussed included a new 15 passenger van, completing park projects, the turf and tennis courts at GMHS, and the possibility of a swimming pool. Mr. Webb recommended that the list consist of realistic possibilities instead of a wish list. Ms. Chandler suggested including painting the Community Center if the funds are not available through Public Works. Mr. O’Hara proposed that board members e-mail their suggestions to Mr. Schlitt by this Friday. • The Fall registration statistics indicated that we generated 18% less than the previous fall. At this time Winter/Spring registration is approximately 10% down from the prior year. Last fiscal year we exceeded the overall projected revenue by $170,000. Mr. Schlitt reported that he expects the department to meet the revenue projection for FY12 but not greatly exceed it as in FY11. • The City’s Fire Marshall informed us that all vendors at our Special Events using gas or propane will be charged a $40 inspection fee per vendor. Jenny Paxton, Special Events Coordinator, has taken this into account and increased the Memorial Day food vendor fees accordingly. Mr.Schlitt and Mrs. Paxton are in the process of reviewing the impact on  restaurants at the Taste of Falls Church event and how to proceed. This new permit may have an effect on the Farmers Market in the future. • Four lights at Madison Park are still out and the Lawton Street lights are back on. There are some additional lights out at Frady Park & Cherry Hill Park. The City has an appointed liaison with Dominion VA Power that we are working with to resolve these ongoing issues. • This year the City’s Civil War Day (Saturday, May 19, 10am-3pm) will host a traveling Civil War mobile. It is a large tractor trailer with Civil War artifacts that will be placed on Park Avenue facing the Cherry Hill Farmhouse. This will likely shut down Park Avenue from that Friday until the event concludes. The department is working in conjunction with the Police Dept. and Public Works to ensure a successful event. 5. New Business a. Operating budget • Mr. Schlitt submitted the budget with a 0% increase as advised. It is currently being reviewed by the CFO and will be examined further in future work sessions. The budget documents also provided an opportunity to highlight important department initiatives and impacts. Mr. Schlitt presented an initiative to adjust the preschool teacher’s position from a 20 hour a week to 32 hours. The teacher is already working a 32 hour week and this would adjust her benefits accordingly. b. Memorial Day Grand Marshal • Jenny Paxton requested that board members form a subcommittee review the nominations again this year. Board members will meet at 7pm on March 7 and review the nominations before the official advisory board meeting begins. 6. Old Business a. Open Space Report • Mr. O’Hara presented the report which was well received. The historical narrative and data was added to the report as requested by the board. Mr. O’Hara noticed that the purchase of Sherrow Ave. property was not in the report. Mr. Schlitt will e-mail a copy of the revised report to members and to the City Clerk. Mr. O’Hara and the board thanked Mr. Selby for all of his work on the report. b. CIP • Mr. Schlitt attended the recent Planning Commission meeting. One member recommended that we combine the $200,000 from last year and this year to build the additional rectangular field at Madison Park. • The Recreation & Parks Advisory Board needs to begin setting priorities as recommended by the City Council last year. The board has discussed the following priorities; City Tennis Courts (GMHS courts not eligible), a permanent stage at Cherry Hill Barn, and replacement of playground equipment as well as surfaces. • In order to utilize CIP funds the life cycle of the project must last 5 years. Also the project can not be considered routine maintenance. However, maintenance can be included if the project requires it during the process. Overall, funds for maintenance need to be increased in the operating budget to address issues the in the parks including new equipment and beautification. • Mr. Schlitt will create a top 5 list of CIP projects to present to the board. The $200,000 from the CIP is valid for 3 years from the date of issue. Once we begin to 2  spend the funds, it is valid for 3 years from the last date that money was spent. The board can either assume that we only have $200,000 to spend or move forward on the premise that we will receive and additional $200,000 in FY 13 and prioritize projects accordingly. • It will only be possible to complete the Madison Park field project with the funds from both fiscal years. However, the design process can commence with funds already allotted. Also, Bermuda grass can be installed at Madison Park to insure the durability and longevity of the field. This process would result in closing the field for a season. • Several board members suggested the department seek greater publicity concerning our parks. Members also expressed an interest in the possibility of perusing a public/private or non-profit partnership to assist in reviving the parks. 7. Other Business • Mr. O’Hara requested information on the easement into West End Park off of Falls Avenue as well as the easement to Roberts Park through Poplar or Spring Street. 8. Adjournment Ms. Rye moved to adjourn the meeting; Mr. Selby seconded the motion. Following a unanimous voice vote, Mr. O’Hara adjourned the meeting at 8:27 p.m. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in alternate format upon request. Call 703-248-5077 (TTY 711). 3