Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION REGULAR ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 16, 2019 (Monday) at 12:00 PM McGuire-Dent Recreation Center 2222 28th Street, Galveston, TX 77550 (409) 797-3700 MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 12:06 PM BY CHARLYN VAIANI. PRESENT: Rose Tijerina (Mayoral), Charlyn Vaiani (District 1), Jami Durham (District 3), Shane McDermott (District 4), Marlee Williams (District 5) ABSENT: Tad Lewis (District 2), Dyann Polzin (District 6), Amy Bly (Council Member Ex-Officio) CITY STAFF: Mario Rabago, Director of Parks & Recreation Barbara Sanderson, Executive Director of Community Outreach Clarence Swannegan, Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation Megan Pierce, Administrative Manager & Special Events Coordinator Review and Approval of Board Minutes: Motion made by Jami Durham to approve the July 2019 meeting minutes with grammar and spelling corrections noted. Seconded by Charlyn Vaiani. Unanimous Approval by Board Members present. Motion Passes. Discussion / Action Items: Update on Revenue Producing Parks & Programs Mario Rabago provided an update on Revenue Producing Parks as the City nears the end of the fiscal year. Beach Pocket Park revenue is currently sitting at $191,000.00. They were budgeted to bring in $158,000.00 so they are ahead of what was forecasted and expenses are also in line with the budget. That revenue will increase the amount of reserves that they have those Parks, and that the money that is made at the Beach Pocket Parks must stay at the Beach Pocket Parks for improvements. The money is ineligible for transfer to other parks but available to be used on additional amenities at those Beach Pocket Parks. Lasker Park Pool is at about $83,000.00 in revenue from Membership Fees, so that is doing well. Their expenses are in line with their budget. Mario met with IDC a week ago, and discussed proposed plans from IDC to reduce their contribution to Lasker Park Pool budget in the next fiscal year from $400,000.00 to $300,000.00. Mario and IDC Board Members continued to discuss the Pool budget including reserves that may be needed in the near future for capital expenditures related to replacing maintenance equipment there, and the IDC Board remained open to the idea of keeping the contribution the same. The membership fee revenue for McGuire-Dent Recreation was forecasted to bring in $6,000.00 but currently the department has brought in $31,000.00 so it has exceeded expectations. To date no one has approached staff stating they can’t afford the annual or daily membership fee. Discussion turns back to Lasker Park Pool regarding the Deck Build Out for rental reservations, and support from staff to continue process during Pool off-season, as well as coordinate with Priscilla Files at the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy on the well-being of the large oak in that proposed rental area. Charlyn Vaiani stated that Staff was moving in the right direction by trying to increase revenue at the Pool which could help decrease IDC contribution there (and allow additional IDC Funding to be spent at other locations). Marlee Williams stated that she was aware of some people who were upset that the Pool was closing at 1:00 PM instead of 5:00 PM, and she feels that working people who sign up for water aerobics classes are missing out on opportunities. Her understanding is that the schedule is set the year before so that staff had to “stick with it” but proposed that the 2020 season include afternoon/evening aerobics classes later throughout the Pool season. Mario explained that lifeguard staffing later in the season is part of the issue (as most of their part-time lifeguards return to school). Another issue is the number of months the Pool is open, because the longer season here means that employees can’t be hired as “Seasonal Employees” and must instead be hired as “Part-Time Employees” so that limits the number of hours lifeguards can work per week. This causes the department to need to hire more lifeguards as they can only work a limited number of hours. Mario did state that they would look into it further and asked that any complaints or concerns received be forwarded to him so that they may be addressed. Update on Better Parks for Galveston Initiatives Barbara Sanderson announced that the next Advisory Board Meeting would be a joint meeting with Better Parks for Galveston, who would be providing a pot luck style luncheon for all members, staff, and public in attendance. This meeting would take  place at the next regular scheduled Advisory Board meeting on Monday, October 21 st at 12:00 PM (Noon) in the front room / community room at McGuire-Dent Recreation Center. Better Parks for Galveston would like to make a presentation on all the projects they are involved in currently and those they are working on, as well as future projects, and ways for the two boards to work together. Barbara mentions that the next projects for Better Parks for Galveston include writing grants and fundraising for improvements at Jones Park and Shield Park. An invitation to this meeting has also been extended to IDC Board Members. Barbara also spoke about Better Parks for Galveston sponsoring Pool Admission fees for children that attend Wright Cuney Recreation Center, and how successful that one-day “Back to School” event was. The kids were excited and enjoyed their time there, and members and supporters of the Galveston Police Department also provided the children with meals and scuba/water safety training by the Dive Team. Additionally, Better Parks for Galveston is sponsoring Pool Admission fees for Sunshine Center members coming up at a later date (rescheduled due to weather). Charlyn Vaiani mentioned that she had spoken with Shelia Smith regarding Better Parks for Galveston sponsoring a “Senior Bingo” event at Wright Cuney Recreation Center. She stated she may ask for volunteer assistance for that event from Advisory Board members. Update on Maintenance Division Clarence Swannegan provided an update on the Maintenance Division, beginning with reorganization details that include dedicated crews for specific Parks. Crew leaders are now assigned to specific projects, assignments, and parks. There is also a tree watering crew that use a water trailer on a truck. That crew has been working on watering along Broadway and 61 st Street. Clarence stated that all 3 Splash Pads are currently operational, and that repairs needed were a large undertaking but finally completed. He explained that there is also a maintenance crew that is trying to keep the cemeteries maintained at least once a week now. The Causeway feeder roads, and Ferry Road are also maintained by the division. Clarence explains that their division has a high turnover because it is often hot outside and that some new employees will say they are ready to work, but then aren’t fully committed, or do not anticipate the amount of work the division does on a daily basis. On a good day, he has about 29 employees working maintenance on average (the division is budgeted for 34, but hiring is ongoing at about $12.00/hour and outside construction and contractor competition is high). Another difficulty the division has is maintaining the equipment they utilize and making sure everything is in proper working order. They try to make repairs in house when able, so that the repairs are completed more quickly than if they had to be outsourced. He stated he is often responding to emails and comments received as they come in and having crews address those issues as they arise. Charlyn Vaiani suggested that the department post a list of areas that they mow and maintain on the website for the public to view, so that they may better understand all that the Maintenance division has to complete. Update on Special Events Megan Pierce provided those in attendance with a list of recently completed and upcoming events. She stated that there have not been many events held in the last month and a half and that is primarily because of the weather and heat and that many events take place outdoors or are held on private property, inside where it is cooler. During this time, the Special Events team continues planning for numerous Fall events. There are many held in October and some including Bike Around The Bay, and Lone Star Rally are considered very large events. She also mentioned that the Parks and Recreation Department partners with the City’s Families, Children, and Youth board on an annual event called “Ed Fest For All” which is geared towards all ages and families on Education, Career, and Health and that event will take place on Saturday, October 5th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. She encouraged board members to attend if they are interested and mentioned that other organizations such as UTMB, Galveston College, and Texas A&M would have booths, activities, demos, and information on hand and there would also be some local entertainment from Ball High and Fanfare! Lutheran Music Academy. Outside of that, there are several other October Special Events on the list that are being planned for which at least one event occurring every weekend in October. Additionally, September 30th is the end of the City’s fiscal year, so Megan is responsible for ensuring all of the events held prior to September 30th are reconciled in a timely manner and reimbursements to various City departments are completed before the fiscal year end. Public Comment: N/A Council Report: N/A Director’s Report: Mario Rabago mentioned that the City anticipates receiving a signed Interlocal Agreement from the Park Board of Trustees by the end of next month. The agreement updates and encompasses other agreements and provides for checks and balances on City-owned assets managed by the Park Board. It could also bring in more funding from the Park Board to the City each fiscal year. Board Member’s Reports / Comments: Rose Tijerina commented that the joint meeting with Better Parks for Galveston is a good idea because both boards share common goals and working together could be beneficial to everyone. Jami Durham asked about the status of the fountain at Kempner Park, and Mario explained that we could operate the fountain with a couple days’ notice with what is currently in place. In order to really complete the needed repairs, there would need to be a full professional assessment of what is out there including what is underneath the fountain. His understanding is that there is some voidance underneath and the fountain cracks because it keeps settling underground. Additionally, the system that pumps the water is different. For many years there was an exterior pump to keep the water flowing, but now there is a sub-pump that is in the middle of it, so determining which is the best system moving forward. The fountain also sits under a lot of trees so leaf debris fall in it all day, and those leaves get caught in the pumps and it slows down the pumps and could potentially burn them out. The powdery substance on the leaves also clogs up the pump. The current status is that there is some funding available from IDC to do an analysis of what it all would take to complete full repairs, but the department does not anticipate that cost being an inexpensive fix. Megan mentioned that Barbara and she are working on writing a grant application for a Boat Access Ramp on Skymaster Road to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Barbara invites letters of support to include if any member chooses to do so. The grant application is due on October 1st. Charlyn Vaiani asked about any policy regarding usage of the fields at Crockett Park Complex. Mario mentioned that City Council had approved a fee structure for tournament usage, but league usage was different and they were not being charged. For inquiries on things like birthday parties, the department is encouraging those making the request to utilize Hooper Field at Schreiber Park or Naschke Field at Lindale Park so that there is not a lot of wear and tear on the new ball fields. The weather has caused the grass at Crockett Park to struggle in growing, and a lot of water is being used to bring it back. A contractor, TruGreen, has been hired to help maintain that complex and it is starting to improve more and look much better. Discussion Items for Inclusion on Next Agenda: N/A Next meeting: 12:00 PM (Noon) on Monday, October 21, 2019 at McGuire-Dent Recreation Center, 2222 28th Street Joint Meeting with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Better Parks for Galveston There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:57 PM Minutes prepared by: Megan Pierce Administrative Manager & Special Events Coordinator