Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, May 2, 2018; 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Jennifer Colton, Terrell Kingwood, Norman Merrifield, Steven Raudman Absent: Shawn O’Keefe, Tara Wilcox, Kelly Wilson Staff Present: Kellie Godfrey, Kevin Myers I. Welcome and Call to Order – Kevin Myers a. Introduction of members II. Purpose and Overview of the PRLS Board a. To create well-rounded and enhance facilities, programs, services, and amenities for the citizens of the City of Hampton. III. Selection of Officers a. Chair – Terrell Kingwood b. Vice Chair – Steve Raudman IV. Placemaking Committee Report – Alison Eubank a. Placemaking works in conjunction with PRLS to focus on the City’s public spaces, not just parks. b. There is a placemaking committee which has both staff and citizens. They talk about ways to improve the public spaces as well as other projects. The committee has put out a call for artists. The City wants to get some art installations and sculptures, to be placed in some parks. The idea has to go before Council for approval to move forward. c. An extensive placemaking project has been the inflatable water park and the summer food vendors at Buckroe. d. Looking for opportunities to tie the bike and pedestrian initiative in with placemaking. The information regarding the City’s bike plan is located at hampton.gov/bikewalk. V. Assessment/ Master Plan Project a. The department’s master plan and service assessment will be the focus of the Advisory Board during the next year. The last master plan was done it 1998 and has not been re- visited. The goal is to create a master plan to include programs, facilities and services, and to have an assessment to fit Hampton; where we are now, where we would like to go and how we can get there. VI. Facilities/Projects Update: a. Overview – PRLS has a 10 million dollar budget; a CIP budget on an annual basis between 2 – 3 million which rotates each year. The current year is 3 million so therefore FY’19 will be 2 million. Approximately every 4 years the department receives a larger amount designated based on what the community needs. The department is looking at 5 to 7 million in CIP for FY’19. Kevin proposes having the board meetings at different facilities so the board can see what the needs are and better advocate for where the money should be spent. b. Boo Williams – The facility was a private/public venture 10 years ago. In the past few months the City purchased the facility and now completely owns it. Boo Williams still runs his basketball operations through the facility, and there is a lease agreement in place regarding what he plays each month. PRLS runs the facility and does limited activities Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348  from there. The facility is need of a new track and the department is looking into prices. The track is open to the public Monday – Friday each day until 2pm for citizens to utilize. High schools are allowed two free uses of the track twice per year but have to pay for all other usage including any meets that they have there. Questions regarding who is responsible for facility upkeep and ensuring that it is completed correctly are addressed; the lease agreement spells out this issue. The department’s facility division oversees upkeep as well as the City’s Facility Department. c. Darling Stadium – The high school football stadium on Victoria Blvd. The stadium is in decent shape however the track needs major work. There has been assessments done and the cost of repair is approximated at $500k to 1.2 million. The track was done incorrectly when the stadium was renovated in 2004/2005 and has uneven wear and drainage issues. There have been discussions of laying turf at the stadium; however the cost has been a deterrent. As of now Darling has only been used for football but if the field can be utilized for other sports, such as soccer and lacrosse, then the cost of turf would be worth the investment. d. Gosnold Park – The most improvements have been done at the park. Last year four pavilions were renovated and this year the remaining four will be renovated and a new one will be built. The new pavilions are steel structures with grills replacing the old wooden pavilions. PRLS also runs the campground, the BMX track, and the boat launch area. A new exercise vita course is being built along the walking trail replacing the old equipment. e. Buckroe Beach – There will be two mobility chairs and a mobi mat this upcoming season for people with disabilities to be able to access the beach. The Wibit, the inflatable water playground, has been pushed back for a year due to concerns over several things, including prices and parking. PRLS operates the lifeguard stations at Buckroe Beach and Fort Monroe. f. Fort Monroe – The Fort Monroe Authority owns property including the camp park which is leased to a private operator. The City leases the community center and the police station, otherwise it is state owned. PRLS maintains and operates the beach and the community sailing pier. VII. Community/Neighborhood Centers a. Mary Jackson – Newly named facility after one of the women from Hidden Figures, is replacing the Old Hampton Community Centers that was torn down in 2016. The facility will be built from the ground up. b. Fox Hill – A new center which was purchased and transformed from a church into a community center. Once all the inspections take place the sale will final. c. YH Thomas – Community center which operates under the neighborhood center model. VIII. Parks, Trails, & Dog Parks a. The Bark Park located on Mercury Blvd. was closed for eight weeks for renovations. There were drainage issues that had to be addressed and the area was re-sodded. IX. Updates & Announcements a. The opening of Central Park Water Walk is Saturday, May 12th. The trail is located behind Air Power Park and is a multi-use trail for bike and pedestrian. X. Adjourn a. Meeting was adjourned at 7:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kellie Godfrey Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348