Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Tuesday, March 3, 2020 | 6:30 p.m. | 5th floor City Hall, Canty Conference Room Members Present: Steven L. Raudman, Katherine G. Demantis, Velva L. Goodman, William C. Kotheimer, Jr., Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, Jennifer Parker Members Absent: Shawn O’Keefe, Jennifer Colton, Michelle Griffin Staff Present: David McCauley, Alison Eubank Opening Business  Call to Order – Mr. Raudman called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.  Approval of Minutes – Ms. Demantis motioned to accept the February 4, 2020 minutes and Dr. Merrifield seconded. Minutes accepted as written. Events & Items of Interest Event Date Time Location Beautification Committee Meeting March 9 10:00am – 11:00am Clean City Commission Campfire Fun and Wetlands Hayride March 13 6:30pm – 8:00pm Sandy Bottom Nature Park Oyster Gardening March 14 11:00am–12:00pm Sunset Boating Center Poisoned Dwarf March 18 6:00pm – 8:00pm Hampton History Museum All About Knots March 29 1:00pm – 2:00pm Sandy Bottom Nature Park Director McCauley:  International Children’s Festival – Will be held in April. Currently have 28 countries so far this year which is seven more than last year.  Corona virus - City is taking it seriously. The Emergency Operation Center has made that one of their focus areas. The Taskforce is ensuring each department and division has appropriate supplies. Looking to add additional sanitizing stations in our public buildings. How to deal with the local medical facilities for any kind of quarantines. The virus does not seem to affect animals but they can be carriers. Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348   Re-organization – Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services has launched a re-organization plan and is currently in the middle of the process. Director McCauley’s intent was to flatten the organization. We have been studying High Performing Organizations for the last year and a half and one of the things you want to avoid is layers, you need to streamline systems and processes in order to become more efficient and effective and to enhance communication. That is the goal of this re-organization. Director McCauley explained the previous organizational layout and shared the new organizational chart. He reviewed the new design structure, positions and how this will enable a streamlined process by eliminating unnecessary layers within the department. Re-Organizational Chart 2.18.20 Names.vsdx Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services (PRLS) landscaping crew were doing a lot of right away grass maintenance. Their responsibility is to maintain parks, recreational areas and schools. Director McCauley has worked to have Public Works take over all right of way maintenance. Currently in that process of phasing right away maintenance from PRLS to Public Works (Jason Mitchell). This will allow PRLS to focus their assets on parks and the City will look better overall. Discussion was held regarding the new Aquatic Center: Jen Parker – Need to offer more classes for seniors. She will provide Director McCauley information on pricing and number of classes available to seniors in other jurisdictions. Steven Raudman – Shared the need for school age aquatics to teach larger numbers to swim along with providing multiple places for them to swim. This will allow more than just private swim teams in our high schools and gives us the ability to cross compete between the schools therefore allowing for the opportunity to go to state. Director McCauley advised the focus group for the Aquatics center has talked about the need which he supports. Alison Eubank / Updates:  Parks Master Plan The public meeting date was moved due to inclement weather and is now scheduled for March 31, 2020, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in rooms A, B & C. Please attend and invite all your friends and neighbors to come and provide input. We will go over the survey results and talk about our parks review analysist. We will then ask for thoughts and ideas on the layouts for five of our major parks (Briarfield, Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348  Bluebird Gap Farm, Buckroe, Darling Stadium & Eason Park, and Gosnolds Hope). The landscape architect will draw up conceptual plans from the feedback. Those drawings with be shared at the public meeting on May 5, 2020 for final review. Additionally, the GreenPlay consultants will provide a briefing to council on March 11, 2020, during the afternoon session at 1:00 p.m. (can be viewed online). The information shared will be the same as during the March 31 meeting.  Buckroe Board Walk / Improvements We are working on some smaller improvements to completed before beach season. Starting the week of March 23, 2020, we will be re-grading the sand that has migrated over the years. Also working to replace the bike path between Old Point Avenue and Buckroe Avenue. o Dr. Merrifield requested Alison to ask someone in the City to turn the lights on around the Buckroe park. There are about a dozen that are out. Several members of the board have spoken to the City but no one seems to know who is responsible for the lights, Parks Department or Dominion Power. Director McCauley advised that Parks is responsible for the lights (green) around the park. Director McCauley took notes on which lights are out. Alison advised they will look at the lights and see what they can figure out. Dr. Merrifield also stated that police should patrol the area at least once a night. The lights along the boardwalk will be replaced as part of the Buckroe Board Walk improvements which includes plans to underground the wires. o Not part of the Boardwalk project but in the feedback from the October 2019 meeting, was to see more art or artistic bike racks. Currently working on a mural that will be done on the Lifeguard building at the end of Tappan Avenue. A couple of options will be put out for public vote around March 30 – April 10. Director’s Updates:  Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) – At the last council meeting, 69 of the CIP’s were presented to get guidance and a prioritization list from council. Director McCauley talked about the eight topics he presented. Still in process of how the priorities will be ranked. Council was very interested in improving Parks and adding amenities, leisure services and attraction for the public. 1. The Birth Place of America Trail (Bike Trail) / Alison is lead – Richmond to Williamsburg – then takes two spurs - one to the peninsula which cuts through the City of Hampton (to include the Central Park or Water Walk Trail) into Fort Monroe. The other spur goes southside, the ferry in Jamestown to Suffolk and then to Virginia Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348  Beach waterfront. There are six different segments and will be funded separately. The City of Hampton’s 16-mile segment will cost between 29 to 31 million depending on cost of inflation at the time. There are different funding streams, will look at grants that the City would match approximately 20%. 2. Enhancing Youth Programs at Community Centers and Neighborhood Centers – Make sure we are moving in the right direction and providing the right theme classes. Master Plan surveys received good results. Highest number of replies were from the schools. There top three wants were:  High adventure parks / challenge courses  Dog Parks  Mini Golf The values they embrace the most were to protect the environment and access for all. Have added Pickelball (Fort Monroe Community Center), Reconnect program, different programs to our aquatic classes to try to get more kids involved and attract seniors, arts and craft classes. Some are free as part of the membership and some are contracted. Most are included in the membership. Discussion held: Director McCauley will have members review proposed fee structure. Dr. Merrifield suggested establishing an enterprise for the department. Allows for classifying programs/classes differently. Director McCauley - Contracted classes are self-sustaining; staff run classes are subsidized. 3. Artificial Turf at Darling Stadium – Questions: Convert natural turf to artificial turf. Keep the current configuration of football field with full track & field events or do a football field and add an international size soccer field (size would result in losing space for track & field). There would be no outdoor space for track & field. The Boo Williams Sportsplex would be the only track which is indoor. Director McCauley suggests artificial turf and keep the original configuration. You get more use, special events, soccer (up to high school), lacrosse, full track and field. We currently have natural turf and cannot do special events past mid-June due to prepping the field for football. 4. Buckroe Dog Park (710 Buckroe Ave) – Use the old Buckroe school site. Will need permission though Hampton City Schools. Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348  Kathy Demantis w/Buckroe Improvement League – Advised that the committee is preparing a presentation for the school board about it not just being a dog park but also a learning park. With a butterfly garden, benches, a sanctuary park. They are prepared to do fund raisers to help support the cost. Director McCauley advised they need to work in unison and present the presentation together. 5. Buckroe Trolley – Replace the existing PRLS bus that services Buckroe. Idea would be to get a Trolley that has room for visitor’s items (beach chairs, coolers, etc.). 6. Hamptons Golf Course / Woodlands & Hamptons – The idea for Hamptons is to hire a contractor to do a capital cost study for a possible redesign. Possibly making it smaller to appeal to our larger group of golfers which is mainly seniors. It would remain a competitive golf course. May add chipping green, driving range and other features. 7. Parks Master Plan – To move forward once the plan comes out in October and be able to fund the plans which will includes the five major parks. 8. New Neighborhood Center Cost – To run Fox Hill Neighborhood Center and Old Hampton Neighborhood Center will be approximately 35,000 a year which would include utilities and some initial program cost. Does not include staffing cost. They are insured by the City. Kathy Demantis:  Consensus is to really think hard about not raising rates at J.T. Wilson Fishing Pier when it reopens. You can go to Fort Monroe for free. Director McCauley advised he will not be raising the fees. We do not want citizens to feel they are being penalized for what happened at the pier.  Ms. Demantis has visited all the parks and is working on going to the community centers. She reported illegal dumping at the dumpsters at Briarfield Park. She will send Director McCauley pictures. Director McCauley is considering removing the dumpster. The dumpster was put there with good intentions but it attracts illegal dumping. She stated that Bluebird Gap Farm looks really good and her granddaughter loves going. William Kotheimer:  Recently walked the Air Power Park Trail to Coliseum and back. He thought it was really nice. There was one stretch of sidewalk where he felt the direction to take was not clear. Alison is working on way finding signs for that area. Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348   Mr. Kotheimer mentioned that some of the jets at Air Power Park look half painted. Director McCauley advised that some of the jets we own and some are on loan. PRLS is responsible for the maintenance. Mr. Kotheimer will provide an email on his recommendations. Director McCauley:  For the next meeting, he requested members to think about the request for a High Adventure Course (challenge/ confidence course) and let him know their opinion of what it should consist of and where they feel would be the best location.  Director McCauley expressed his appreciation for members visiting the parks and centers and providing feedback. Meeting end – There being no further business, Dr. Merrifield motioned and Mr. Kotheimer seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:03 p.m. Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 @ 6:30 p.m. 5th floor City Hall, Canty Conference Room Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 www.hampton.gov | P: (757) 727-6348