Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services Advisory Board Meeting Tuesday, October 3, 2023 | 5:00 p.m. | 5th floor City Hall, Canty Conference Room Members: Steven L. Raudman, Chair Michelle Griffin, Vice Chair Dr. Irina A. Gorbunova-Ford Katherine G. Dermanis DeRocke Croom Jennifer R. Parker Remi Travis B. Wright Dr. June G. Javier [One Vacancy] Opening Business  Welcome, Introduction and Call to Order Attendees: DeRocke Croom, Katherine Dermanis, Dr. Irina A. Gorbunova-Ford, Dr. June Javier, Jennifer Parker, Remi Travis B. Wright, David McCauley, Angela King, Absent: Michelle Griffin, Steven Raudman, Dr. June Javier called the meeting to order at 5:01pm, welcomed the attendees, and advised that a quorum was present.  Approval of August 8, 2023 & September 12, 2023 Minutes Dr. Javier gave the board members an opportunity to review the minutes from August 8th and September 12th. A motion was made and seconded to approve the August and September minutes as written. New Business Board Member Updates Deputy City Attorney Angela King shared that according to the bylaws, elections are usually completed in July. Due to circumstances such as not being able to meet and new board members being appointed; elections had not been scheduled. The office of positions that are up for election are Chair and Vice Chair. Angela opened the floor to nominations for Chair. A motion was made and seconded to nominate Michelle Griffin as Chair. All voted in favor to elect Michelle Griffin as Chair. Angela also opened the floor to nominations for Vice Chair. A motion was made and Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 seconded to nominate Dr. Javier as Vice Chair. All voted in favor to elect Dr. Javier as Vice Chair. Angela also addressed that according to the roster, that there are some reappointments that have deadlines by the end of the year. The reappointments to be considered include Michelle Griffin, Dr. June Javier, and Jen Parker. The attendance policy was also addressed. During the last Council meeting, an ordinance was provided for all boards, committees, and commissions with the exception of those that might have specific attendance removal policies outlined like state code. It was determined that attendance is required for 75% of the meetings of the year. The PRAB bylaws will be amended to reference the new city ordinance. Attendance will be tracked according to one’s board term instead of the calendar year. Department Updates Director Dave McCauley re-emphasized the idea of including theme related meetings such as the following: Special Events, Athletics, Parks Projects, Golf Courses, Buckroe Beach Summer Plan, Hampton City Schools, Hampton History Museum, Program Planning (community/neighborhood centers), and an end of the year report to showcase all components of PRLS throughout the year. Themed Meeting—Special Events Director McCauley introduced the Special Event’s team including Sunny Deming, Karen Harden, and Korey Page to present at the meeting. Sunny began the presentation by indicating that they will be giving an overview of all of the events, permitting process, misconceptions, and etc. The Special Events team is involved with programming and entertainment. Sunny shared that Special Events work closely with the Hampton Police Department regarding crowd management, parking, and logistics for events. Procurement is also a component in reference to getting all the purchase orders in place to be able to buy and rent items. Licensing, insurance, risk assessment, and food vendor management are also components to the Special Events process. The team handles permitting to include fireworks, alcohol, inflatables, electrical, and etc. Many events within the city are free to the public. Listed below are some of the events that are available within Hampton. ▪ The Crabtown Seafood Festival started in 2018 where it’s typically held on a Labor Day Saturday. The Crabtown Seafood Festival is a way to promote the seafood industry in Hampton. In recent years, it has expanded to not only include local bands but also to Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669  regional bands to get a higher level of entertainment. They are always looking to add new seafood vendors and community partners. ▪ The Hampton Holidays Parade was on pause until 2019 due to COVID. The Special Events team will be bringing back the parade this year on December 9th. There will also be a brand-new outdoor Holly Days Market and Downtown Block Lighting on December 8th. Another addition to the holiday events is the Holiday Wonder Walk. The Holiday Wonder Walk will be held nightly on December 16th through December 25th. This event will include food vendors, stations for children’s activities, entertainment, and giveaways. ▪ The Hampton Mosaic Festival was a new event that began last year in 2022 where it was a combination of the International Children’s Festival, Heritage Day, and Earth Day. ▪ The Blackbeard Festival is an annual event that is held in June. ▪ The Bluebird Gap Farm Festival began in 2016 and it is an event that lasts over two days. This year’s Bluebird Gap Farm Festival will be held on October 21st and October 22nd. ▪ Groovin’ by the Bay is another large event that is held at Mill Point Park during the summer promoting live entertainment. Special Events also created bike walk events that occur throughout the year. The Tour de Fort bicycle event occurred recently where cyclists go around Fort Monroe and continue through Buckroe Road. Special Events are also involved with the permitting process such as city permits, promoters license, music license, etc. The team also offers a rental program such as the rental of crowd control barricades, mobile stage, and trash cans. Storage equipment includes procurement functions for equipment also has various permitting that goes through the health department and risk management. Anytime that there is an event that involves fireworks, special events must work with the Coast Guard, Marine Patrol, and FAA. Special Events are also in support of other events (Non PRLS Sponsored) throughout the year such as Buckroe Beach Farmer’s Market, triathlons, half marathons, Fort Monroe, and Phoebus. The team coordinates with the Convention and Visitor Bureau, the Libraries, Risk Management, and the City Attorney’s Office. Most of the funding for Special Events comes from the general fund and is appropriated every year. Special Events contribute to the general fund through food vendor fees, merchandise fees, vendor fees, sponsorship fees, and equipment rentals. Karen began to explain the Special Events allocation process and permitting process. There is a process that individuals must go through when including outside organizers who want to do Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669 events in the city. The purpose is to make sure organizers involved are legal and safe. Karen presented the board with information about specific rules, regulations, policies, and procedures that must be followed. An individual must complete the neighborhood scale if they have an event on city property with the following items: 249 or fewer participants in attendance, no alcohol, no inflatables, no street closures/sidewalk closures, no food vendors, and no merchandise vendor. The neighborhood scale application is a $25 fee and must be submitted to the PRLS administration office. An individual must complete the city scale application fee if they have an event on city property with the following items: 250 or more participants in attendance, alcohol, inflatables, street/sidewalk closures, food vendors, and merchandise vendors. The city scale application is a $50 fee and must be submitted to the PRLS administration office. Any event that involves alcohol requires an approval letter from Parks & Rec Administration Office and an approval from the ABC agent. The Special Events committee consists of nine individuals from different departments in the city which have their own requirements. Food vendors require insurance and endorsement. The city of Hampton must be named as the second additional insured. Food vendors also must be approved to operate in the city of Hampton. Anything related to amusements in a public park must receive a permit from the 6th floor of City Hall to get the inflatable device permit. Special Events requires all applications to be submitted within 30 to 90 days of the scheduled event. Once the permit is executed in one’s email, the permit must be on site during the whole time of the event. In addition, there will be Park Rangers on-site that will request the permit for verification purposes. The team concluded their presentation and opened the floor for questions. Director McCauley thanked the Special Events teams for the informative presentation. Open Discussion The board decided to have Hampton Clean City Commission as the next themed meeting in November. Adjourn: Dr. Javier made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 6:26p.m. Next Meeting: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 @ 5:00 p.m. 5th Floor City Hall, Canty Conference Room Parks, Recreation & Leisure Services 22 Lincoln Street | Hampton, Virginia 23669