Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission

City Hall City of Harrisonburg 409 South Main Street Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Meeting Minutes - Final Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Monday, November 21, 2022 7:00 PM Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center 1. Meeting Called to Order A meeting of the Harrisonburg Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission was held on Monday November 21, 2022 at 7 p.m. at the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center. Obie Hill called the meeting to order with the following commission members present: Obie Hill, Chance Ebersold, Sandy Bopp, and Kevin Gibson. Present from Parks and Recreation were Brian Mancini, Vic Garber, Donna Scott, Scott Erickson, and Matt Muterspaugh. I. Welcome - Obie Hill welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Obie Hill read a letter from PRAC member Jim Logan announcing his resignation from the Advisory Commission. 2. Approval of October Meeting Minutes II. Approval of October Meeting Minutes- Kevin Gibson motioned to approve the October 2022 minutes. Chance Ebersold seconded the motion. The October 2022 minutes were approved by a unanimous vote. October 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes Click here to enter the action/summary (insert the summary from the memo here 3. Director's Report & Project Updates III. Director’s Report & Project Updates- Brian Mancini a. The Department’s new Assistant Director, Vic Garber, was introduced. b. Erik Dart and the Parks and Recreation Department was presented an award on 11/21/2022 at the Hotel Madison for National Philanthropy Day. Over the past 20 years, the Department has held events that brought in $225,000 in donations to RMH for mammograms and other female exams. c. New signage has been placed at Ralph Sampson, the Dog Park, and Smithland Athletic Complex. Next to receive signs will be Westover Park and Morrison Park. Interior signs will be updated as well. d. An ARPA Workshop is scheduled for 11/22/2022, and several Parks and City of Harrisonburg Page 1 Printed on 12/13/2022 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final November 21, 2022 Commission Recreation projects will be discussed. e. The hiring process is going outstanding. The Department has reduced vacancies from 14 to 2 vacancies. We still need custodians and part timers. 4. Action Items 4.a. Upcoming Events 4.b. Holiday Parade IV. Action Items: a. Upcoming events: The Holiday Parade is scheduled for December 3, 2022. Please contact Matt Little if you would like to help. Parks and Recreation will be driving City Council members in the parade and offered the PRAC members to walk alongside the vehicles. The parade starts at 7 pm. 5. General Public Comments V. General Public Comments: a. No public comment. VI. PRAC Questions/Comments-Highlighted Questions/Comments: a. Can the department accommodate a rec room at the CAC where kids that do not play sports can hang out. Response: The Programming Staff will be consulted on finding ways this can be done. b. Is the Activity Guide being mailed out? Are they located at the library? Is the guide in Spanish? Response: Due to printing costs, the Activity Guide is available online, and printed copies are in the lobby of the CAC. This seems to be effective, as most activities are full, with waiting lists. The guide is currently not available in Spanish; however, the Department is interested in partnering with the school system’s translators to make this available. c. Can Soccer practice goals be installed at local parks? Response: The needs of sport teams must balance with the public’s need for open spaces. Additionally, there are safety concerns with installing goals in open spaces that are not designated as soccer fields. There are designated soccer fields available in the city. d. Are ARPA funds for Smithland Athletic Complex all or nothing (because the numbers presented are high)? Response: No, it is not all or nothing, however, it will need to be all for turnkey. e. When is the next Sweetheart Dance scheduled? The next dance is scheduled for February 11, 2023 at 5 p.m. City of Harrisonburg Page 2 Printed on 12/13/2022 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final November 21, 2022 Commission 6. Next PRAC Meeting-January 30, 2023 at Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center VII. Next PRAC Meeting - The next meeting will be held at the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center on January 30, 2023. There is no meeting in December 2022. 7. Adjourn VIII. Adjourn - The meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m. Notice to Public Residents/Media will be able to attend the meeting. City of Harrisonburg Page 3 Printed on 12/13/2022