Recreation Commission

FREDERICKSBURG RECREATION COMMISSION Minutes of May 18, 2017 The May meeting of the Fredericksburg Recreation Commission was held on Thursday, May 18, 2017 at the Dorothy Hart Community Center. The meeting was called to order at 6:30p.m. Commissioners Present: Mrs. Sharon Null, Mr. David Dorsey, Dr. Tim Duffy, Dr. John Gordon, III, Dr. Marcus Tepaske, Mr. Ken Kroko, Mr. Brandon McVade Absent: Mr. James Bailey, Mrs. Susan Tyler Also in attendance: Director Jane Shelhorse, Mrs. Patty Sparks, Mrs. Janice Lasker, Mr. Blanton Massey, Mrs. Michael Roberson, Mrs. Kim Herbert, Mr. Sammy Walker I. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of April 20, 2017 were unanimously approved. II. Public Comment – none III. Presentation from Blanton Massey: Blanton Massey gave a presentation on John DeBaptiste, a Fredericksburg native and free Black man, whose family played a significant role in the Underground Railroad. The Baptiste family has ties to a plot of land abutting Mr. Massey’s property which the City owns. Mr. Massey is looking for an endorsement to do something with the plot. He proposed that the land be used for a Pocket Park to enhance the life of Fredericksburg. He asked the Commission to consider the request. IV. Introduction of Department Staff –Sammy Walker, who started as a part time seasonal employee five years ago, is Special Event Field Supervisor. Sammy works closely with Kim Herbert on special event needs from equipment to logistics. He does the scheduling and staffing, coordinates all park rentals, sets up for rentals at the DHCC and oversees the lawn maintenance in some of our parks and other sites. Kim Herbert, Special Event Coordinator, helps in the planning and coordination of all public events held in the City. Block parties, walks/runs, festivals, the Marine Corps Historic Half, and concerts at Celebrate Virginia are just a portion of the City’s events. Kim reviews the Special Event Applications, ensures they are complete, and channels them to the appropriate City Departments for review before giving the green light for the events to proceed. In 2016, Kim received over 180 Special Event Applications which resulted in about 300 events. With Kim and Sammy working together, the Department has facilitated the event process by creating a one-stop shop for event organizers. V. Communication from the Director: A. Financial Report – April 2017 – Director Shelhorse asked the Commissioners for feedback on the type of report they prefer to receive. The Commissioners prefer the graphs comparing Expenditures Actual vs. Budget and the Revenue by Category vs. Actual. Commissioner Tepaske asked if Director Shelhorse could  occasionally review the specifics included in maintenance to keep the Commissioners up to date on park maintenance. Commissioner Dorsey asked why Motts is listed separately since it was not on past reports. This is the first year that Motts was given its own budget because it has its own revenue stream which separates it from the parks maintenance budget. Commissioners McVade and Tepaske requested that a detailed overview of the budget vs. the previous year be shared for our July meetings. B. Leisure Report – The Department’s first Mother/Son dance had 40 couples attend, and due to its success, the Department is considering holding a holiday ball to include entire families. The pool will open Memorial Day weekend. C. Special Events and Marketing - Picnic in the Park has started. We are gearing up for Soap Box Derby. We have 76 cars, which is down from last year, so the Department will have to look hard at the feasibility of holding the event next year. Only five participants are city residents. The Commissioners expressed concern about our advertising and offered suggestions such as, asking the participating kids why their friends are not participating, gearing it to Scouts or teams, finding a sponsor to generate more advertising, and finding a way to tie it into the STEM programs in the schools. Registration has started for the Christmas Parade. D. Sports and Parks – April 2017 – Registration for several fall sports is currently open. A memorial bench was installed at Hurkamp Park, and the resident was extremely pleased with the process and the result. All of the bollards along Washington Avenue have been replaced and painted. All Community Garden plots have been filled. E. Earth Day was a success in spite of the weather. The event is managed by Linda Bailey and put on by a staff of all volunteers. V. Noteworthy Dates – The Commissioners reviewed upcoming programs. Director Shelhorse stated that the Grand Opening of Snowden Park previously scheduled for June 7 has been delayed due to some unresolved concerns the Department has with the project. The Department has addressed the issues with the contractor. The poor quality soil is unacceptable for a park and the basketball courts and playground are too close together for safety and other reasons. VI. Old Business: A. Hurkamp Park and Memorial Park Restrooms – no update B. Rental Fees – no update C. Snowden Park – see noteworthy dates D. Foundation for Parks – no update VII. New Business: A. Long Range Plan for Parks and Recreation – Judie Talbot who facilitated the staff/Commission retreat last year, will work with the staff on June 13 to come up with a department plan. Director Shelhorse will send a copy of the previously developed strategic parks plan to the Commissioners for review to determine if the  Commission wants to move forward with that same plan or if adjustments need to be made. A. Commission Vacancies – Commissioner Gordon will be replaced by someone from the school system. Commissioner Bailey would like to stay on the Commission and has submitted his application for a new term. Commissioner Kroko will be completing his term. Michael Roberson has submitted an application for a position on the Commission. She attended the meeting to see what issues are discussed and what types of concerns the Commission addresses. B. Ficklen Island – Director Shelhorse stated that the Department is in the process of cleaning up the island as it is owned by the City and is somewhat dangerous to access. Signs and rules have been posted on the island. It is not a park, but since the City owns it, the Department has decided to address the graffiti and is working with Friends of the Rappahannock to address the issue. A soy-based graffiti remover is being used on the rocks in the area near the island. VIII. Director/Commission Concerns: Director Shelhorse shared that the Department met with some marines who were walking through Fredericksburg to raise awareness of PTSD. The Department arranged for free lodging and three meals for the marines, and some of the staff accompanied them on a short city portion of their journey. Commissioner Dorsey stated that he loves the idea of pocket parks and would like to continue the discussion. He raised the idea of having a Heritage Mud Run along the canal to raise awareness of the canal and Heritage Trail. Commissioner McVade has been in discussion with the head soccer coach at James Monroe. The coach would like to partner with the Department to set up a summer soccer camp using his varsity players as coaches. He feels it would be a win-win for both the soccer team and the Department. Commissioner Tepaske would like to revisit the idea for updated signs at our parks. He asked if we could get the parks map sign from the Heritage Center to move to the Dorothy Hart Community Center. Commissioner Kroko stated that there is a study of all the properties and parks in existence. He would like the Commission to revisit the parks plan to get people familiar with it and to get neighborhood involvement. Commissioner Gordon has enjoyed his time on the Commission and he feels that the partnership with the schools has really benefitted the schools. He emphasized that we need to get a logo finalized in the near future. He stated that we have a lot of traditions in the City, and while some of them are good, the Department needs to take a closer look at the group we are targeting. We are targeting kids, yet our current programs are not necessarily what kids today are looking to do. We may want to redesign our programs to include more technology so that kids will want to participate in more Department programs. Commissioner Duffy thanked Dr. Gordon for his time on the Commission and for making the town stronger with his commitment. Commissioner Null stated that her grandson participated in a program involving Motts, Stafford, and Ferry Farm, and he was pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed it. Commissioner Null noted that some of the fence slats at Memorial Park have fallen out of the posts. Meeting adjourned at 8:08pm. ______________________________________ Jane C. Shelhorse Date Director Next Regular Meeting June 15, 2017 6:30pm at the Dorothy Hart Community Center