Recreation Commission

FREDERICKSBURG RECREATION COMMISSION Minutes of February 18, 2016 The February meeting of the Fredericksburg Recreation Commission was held on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at Maury Commons. The meeting was called to order at approximately 6:34 p.m. Present: Commissioners Susan Tyler, James Bailey, Dr. Timothy Duffy, Ken Kroko, Sharon Null and Dr. Marcus Tepaske. Absent: Dr. George Foster, Dr. John Gordon III, and Brandon McVade. Also in attendance: Director Jane Shelhorse and Patricia Sparks. I. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of January 21, 2016 were unanimously approved. II. Public Comment: None III. Communications from Staff: The Commissioners reviewed the following reports: Financial Report- January 2016 Sports/Parks Report – February 2016 Leisure/Special Events Report – February/March 2016 IV. Noteworthy Dates: The Commissioners reviewed upcoming programs and trips. V. Old Business: A. Riverfront Park – Commissioner Duffy stated City Council continues to discuss and prioritize building Riverfront Park. Commissioner Duffy stated most of the discussion was about parking, and as discussed earlier, we need to coordinate both the park and the parking issue together. There is a lot of support from the community in building the park. B. Park Signs and Logo - Director Shelhorse met with the Supervisor of Marketing, Tiffany Capehart, to discuss presenting the Commissioners with a circular logo. The quadrant-circular logo presented displayed four colorful symbols that would link all the City parks together. Director Shelhorse stated the simple logo describes different categories linking all the activities to Parks and Recreation. Commissioner Tepaske stated last year the sub-committee researched/studied the park sign/logo issue and presented several options to the Recreation Commission. The Commission needs to incorporate the work the sub-committee has completed and move forward from there. Director Shelhorse stated she would like the sub-committee to meet within the next two weeks and have 1  a design/concept presented to the Commissioners at the March 17th Commission meeting. C. Memorial Day Parade – Director Shelhorse reported that in trying to coordinate a parade with other scheduled events in the City, the Memorial Day Parade would not be held this year. Staff will be working to schedule the Memorial Day Parade in 2017. The Commissioners agreed that this item could be taken off the agenda. D. Radio Controlled planes, drones and rockets in parks - Commissioner Duffy said he had spoken to the City Attorney in reference to the issue of flying radio controlled planes, drones and rockets in city parks, but to date she had not responded. Commissioner Duffy will report any findings to the Commission at the March meeting. E. Commission Retreat – Director Shelhorse made several suggestions in regards to scheduling a retreat. One suggestion was to schedule the retreat on a Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. On Friday, the Commissioners and staff would break into small groups discussing goals, concerns, priorities, and future plans for the department. The Commissioners feel strongly about ending that night with dinner and/or a social event. On Saturday, the Director and Commissioners would meet to discuss their findings, suggestions and concerns. The Commission recommended hiring an energetic facilitator to keep the retreat on course. The Commissioners want to look at their role as commissioners and how they relate to the department (i.e. how the Commissioners can assist staff to reach department goals). Commissioner Duffy recommended taking the time at the end of the retreat for the Commissioners to discuss who will take the lead on issues discussed. The Commissioners agreed the retreat should be a positive, team-building experience for all participants. The City Manager, Bev Cameron, has asked for a strategic plan from the department on how the Commissioners, Director and staff envision the department moving forward. Director Shelhorse was asked to provide the Commissioners with an outline for the retreat. F. Meet the Director Night – Director Shelhorse would like to combine “Meet the Director” night with a “Summer Camp Preview Night”, and a Soccer/Field Hockey Coaches meeting at the Community Center on March 8, 2016. Director Shelhorse presented the Commissioners with a one-page summer camp brochure to be distributed through the City schools (per approval from Dr. Gordon). The Commissioners would like to change the brochure to have the “Meet the Director” announcement on the front page of the brochure. The announcement for “Meet the Director” will be published in The Free-Lance Star. VI. New Business: A. Changing of hours for Dorothy Hart Community Center – Director Shelhorse recommended changing the closing hours for the DHCC. 2 Currently the building is open Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and on Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration is from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Most programs end before 9:00 p.m., and the front desk receptionist stays in the building by herself until 9:30 p.m. Director Shelhorse is recommending that the center close at 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. If a class or rental extends past the 8:30 p.m. deadline, the receptionist would stay until the participants leave. A motion was made by Commissioner Duffy, seconded by Commissioner Null and unanimously approved closing the Dorothy Hart Community Center, Monday through Thursday at 8:30 p.m. Commission Concerns and Topics: Commissioner Tepaske asked about the public hearing on Washington Avenue Mall’s tree planting concerns. Commissioner Tyler stated that The City did an excellent job in regards to the Public Hearing. The comments and recommendations received will be reviewed by a design team appointed by the Clean and Green Committee. Commissioner Duffy stated that City Council would like to offer some options on where to go to from here. Commissioner Bailey asked if Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities supports the Women’s Forum. Director Shelhorse stated that we have brochures on the Women’s Forum at the center and it was not included in our brochure. Director Shelhorse will ask Tiffany Capehart to promote the Women’s Forum on social media. Commissioner Kroko asked if the Commissioners and the City should consider making the Washington Avenue Mall into a City park. We currently maintain the area, and if there is a reason that we should or should not make Washington Avenue Mall into a park then we need to know that too. Commissioner Kroko stated that might help some circumstances by declaring it a park. Commissioner Null asked if there was a Fredericksburg Alert for City meetings. Some of the residents have stated that they were not aware of City meetings. Commissioner Duffy stated you can get alerts from the City’s webpage for different meetings, but he was not sure if all City meetings were available on the City webpage. ______________________________________ Jane C. Shelhorse Date Director Next Regular Meeting March 17, 2016 6:30 p.m. at Maury Commons, Suite 111. 3