Recreation & Parks Advisory Board

Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks Meeting November 8th, 2023 MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF THE ADVISORY BOARD OF RECREATION AND PARKS FALLS CHURCH COMMUNITY CENTER, KENNETH R. BURNETT BUILDING, 223 LITTLE FALLS STREET, FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA 22046 1 & 2. Call to Order & Roll Call Charley O’Hara (Chair) called the meeting to order. Members present were Jenna Schroeder (Vice Chair), Brendan Kelly, Kathleen Tysse (School Board), Sharon Friedlander (Planning Commission), Caroline Lian (City Council Liaison), Caroline Carmody and Anand Colby (Student Representatives). New members, Bill Ackerman and Michael Bracken, who have not yet been sworn in, were also present. Staff members present were Danny Schlitt, Director Recreation & Parks (R&P), and Katharine Wakeley, Senior Administrative Assistant R&P. All present introduced themselves, and Charley O’Hara clarified voting rights – the School Board and Planning Commission representatives are members with voting rights, the City Council Liaison is not. Katharine Wakeley informed the group that she will be leaving City staff. Charley and Danny thanked her for her work. 3. Receipt of Public Petitions and Board Member Petitions None. 4. Minutes for Approval: Draft minutes from October 11, 2023 were reviewed. Jenna Schroeder moved to approve October minutes, seconded by Brendan Kelly, and approved by unanimous voice vote. Recreation & Parks Director’s Report Danny Schlitt reported the following: i. The Halloween Carnival was held outside, as it had been during COVID. About 3000 people attended. The new Special Events Program Supervisor, with many part-time helpers, ran a seamless event. ii. The Veterans Day Ceremony, on November 11th, will be on a Saturday, restricting parking access for a limited time during the Farmers Market. iii. The Holiday Gift and Craft Show is expected to attract about 1200 visitors. Vendors appreciate the opportunity, and we plan to continue the event in future. iv. Watch Night will be run by the CATCH Foundation, but the City will be providing more support. v. The Winter/Spring brochure will go to the printer towards the end of this month. 5. New Business i. Student Representatives Project Caroline Carmody and Anand Colby presented a proposed campaign based on the Y Street Foundation “Share the Air” initiative to eliminate smoking, vaping and the associated litter in parks. Virginia law does not allow us to implement a ban, but the City Council could be asked to sign a contract committing us to strongly encourage people not to smoke or vape in the parks. The foundation will provide ten signs, five decals and two toolkits if we can get a contract signed. Danny offered to investigate further and discuss informally with the City Attorney to determine whether the organization is one we want to work with, and what procedure would need to be followed to get to Council signature. 6. Old Business Administrative updates: The draft of updated Rules and Procedures presented to the Board in November was discussed. Charley O’Hara noted that motions have to be passed by a majority of members present at a meeting, not by a majority of Board members. It was recommended that some clarification of the student members’ role should be added, and the word “body” changed to “Board” throughout. The purpose of the annual report to City Council should be clarified. Kathleen Tysse proposed a motion that the Rules should be adopted with the proposed amendments. The motion was seconded by Jenn Schroeder and voted for unanimously by all voting members present. Park Projects: i. Fellows Property Park Name – Board members were invited to consider what process would be best for naming the park: recommendation from the ABRP, a naming contest, a naming subcommittee, or public vote. The process will be discussed at our next meeting. The next step in the park planning process is for Al Astorga to present to the Planning Commission. It was suggested that Oak Street Elementary School should be actively engaged in the public engagement process. ii. Berman Park – the pipebursting project on adjacent streets is now complete, and the new boardwalk has been installed. The permanent shelter is once again available for use. The next Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budget will include funding for playground improvements within the existing footprint. We may go with our existing playground vendor, to ensure interchangeability of parts between parks, or consider inviting a new vendor to see if we can get some fresh ideas for equipment. iii. Sports court lighting – the project has not gone as planned, but the lights at Meridian High School are now working. Cavalier Trail Park court lights will be out for at least a month. All new sports court light installations should be complete and operational by spring 2024. iv. Cherry Hill Park playground shade – the equipment has been bought, and the new poles installed. The shade will be added in April. It will not be readily removable. 7. Adjournment Kathleen Tysse moved to adjourn, Sharon Friedlander seconded the motion. All approved, and the meeting was adjourned.