Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

City of Marco Island Florida 51 Bald Eagle Drive Marco Island, Florida cityofmarcoisland.com Meeting Minutes - Final Tuesday, March 16, 2021 3:30 PM Community Room Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Chair: Carlos Portu Vice-Chair: Allyson Richards Members: Adrian Conner, Doug Kelly, Dawn Kuhn, David Shagott, Dolores Siegel City Staff: Daniel Smith, Samantha Malloy, Heather Reed Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 16, 2021 Committee (1) CALL TO ORDER Vice-Chair Richards called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. (2) ROLL CALL Present: 7- Member Conner, Member Kelly, Member Kuhn, Vice-Chair Richards, Member Shagott, Member Siegel and Chair Portu (Note: Chair Portu arrived at 3:31 p.m.) ALSO PRESENT Daniel Smith, Community Affairs Director Samantha Malloy, Manager of Parks, Culture & Recreation Martha Montgomery, Supervisor of Parks Facilities Natasha Paniccia, Recreation Program Supervisor (3) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Vice-Chair Richards. (4) APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA MOTION by Member Siegel, seconded by Member Shagott, that the Agenda be Approved. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING VOICE VOTE: Yes: 7- Member Conner, Member Kelly, Member Kuhn, Vice-Chair Richards, Member Shagott, Member Siegel and Chair Portu (5) APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES a. February 16, 2021 Draft Minutes - Postponed to April 20, 2021 There was no comment about the postponement of the February 16, 2021 Draft Minutes. (6) STAFF COMMUNICATIONS a. March 2021 Staff Report ID 21-1430 March 2021 Staff Report Member Richards requested that only sections of the dog park be closed for resodding to prevent shutting down the entire park, to which Ms. Montgomery responded. Samantha Malloy, Manager of Parks, Culture & Recreation, gave praise for the Island Rocks Concert with over one thousand attendees. Member Shagott gave praise to the City for the efficient vaccine clinic at Mackle Park (7) PUBLIC COMMENT Susan Kline, Meadowlark Ct., raised concern about the dog park attendees, safety, activities, and City of Marco Island Florida Page 1 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 16, 2021 Committee appearance. She requested monitoring in the form of canine registration and vaccination for the dog park. Chair Portu requested the ordinance on canines be brought forth to the next meeting and sent to the Police Department to educate the public or enforcement. Member Kuhn questioned the policy on alcoholic beverages on park property and the regulation of this activity. Mrs. Malloy answered alcohol is not allowed on park property and local authorities are notified when activities are observed. (8) PRESENTATIONS Samantha Malloy, Manager of Parks, Culture & Recreation, highlighted information on the Racquet Center, including membership numbers, income, hourly player count, and court usage. Mrs. Malloy recommended the Committee hear from Racquet Center members present at the meeting to understand their feedback. Committee Members questioned the Racquet Center’s past performance, the status of resuming activities, and presented their ideas on improving the Racquet Center for the continued growth. Member Siegel questioned the cost to convert an existing clay court to a permeant pickleball hard court. Mrs. Malloy stated two estimates obtained were $60,000 and $85,000. Martha Montgomery, Supervisor of Parks Facilities, stated the estimates were from Mor-Sports Group and Welch Tennis Courts, Inc. Chair Portu questioned the cost to convert court one, a dual-purpose court, to a pickleball-only court. Ms. Montgomery stated the cost starts at $14,000 if no other issues are found. Chair Portu requested Public Comment Kirk Forest, Kendall Dr., requested that free time play during the week and weekends stay available and consistent while still performing court maintenance. He raised concern about the irrigation schedule, staff availability, and locking of the courts during free time. Following Mr. Forest, Chair Portu requested a summary of the free play schedule and court locking times be presented at the next meeting. Marie Johnson, Edgewater Ct., shared her knowledge of history regarding the Racquet Center and expressed her opposition to converting a tennis court into a pickleball court, subsequently causing more parking issues. Michael Gaynor, Seahorse Ct., informed the Committee that certain tennis leagues are still absent from the Racquet Center due to the coronavirus but will be returning. He informed the Committee that adding additional pickleball courts will negatively increase the current parking issue. Constance Gaynor, Seahorse Ct., provided the Committee with her perspective of the Racquet Center by listing past programs, events, and history. Ms. Gaynor raised concern regarding the congestion on the sidewalk that builds from the sign-up board. Marilyn Debbs, Collier Blvd., reiterated past comments that other Racquet Center members will be coming back. She expressed her disapproval in the Committee deciding without an accurate count due to the coronavirus. She continued to state that if the center is overcrowded members will seek other options. Margo Folley, Cape Marco Dr., advocated for a separate facility with proper fencing for pickleball, thus allowing Marco to be a joy for both pickleball and tennis while being competitive with other local communities. She shared her observation of how the Racquet Center tried to accommodate pickleball, although not ideal, and that pickleball cannot have league play due to the lack of courts. She requested City of Marco Island Florida Page 2 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 16, 2021 Committee the current facility to be better. Margaret Gallivan, Palm St., stated she is a long-time resident and player of tennis, and requested tennis not to be disturbed at the Racquet Center. Margaret Bramel, Bond Ct., addressing the Racquet Center, requested the fixing of the clock and handwashing station. Additionally, she requested court one be converted to a permanent pickleball court, that consideration is made before striping any future dual-purpose court, there is a change in the player queue, and court two is resurfaced. Ms. Bramel expressed support in additional windscreens as well as the fencing extended between court one and court two. Mike Hogan, Amber Dr., a current pickleball player, stated he is not currently playing at the Marco Island Racquet Center due to the congestion. He alerted the Committee to the lost revenue the Racquet Center may face from tennis and pickleball members joining off-island facilities, and stated action needs to be taken now. Daniel Smith, Community Affairs Director, informed the Committee that the fire station across from the Racquet Center will be breaking ground soon which will eliminate all parking at City Hall during construction. Mr. Smith noted that the Comprehensive Plan is currently being updated, including the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Member Kuhn reminded the public to participate in the Comprehensive Plan update, requested a workshop to discuss the Committee budget, and provided her ideas on additional land and improvements for the Racquet Center. Member Kelly requested any work done by a contractor for the Racquet Center be held responsible for their work to prevent dips and puddles. Mrs. Malloy reminded the Committee that the previous contractor informed the City that the underlying concrete for all the courts would need to be removed. Chair Portu requested a workshop to continue the discussion on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. (9) OLD BUSINESS a. Calusa Park Master Plan - Postponed to April 20, 2021 There was no comments raised about the postponement of the Calusa Park Matser Plan. b. PRAC Foundation 501(c)(3) There were no comments raised by the Committee regarding the PRAC Foundation 501(c)(3). (10) NEW BUSINESS a. Racquet Center Discussion This item was discussed under Item 8 (Presentations). b. FY22 Budget Request ID 21-1432 Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee FY22 Park Initiatives City of Marco Island Florida Page 3 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final March 16, 2021 Committee Chair Portu read through the Fiscal Year 2022 Park Initiatives, citing the Racquet Center requests. The requests listed are for consideration for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee 2022 Budget. The requests included: 1. Park Signage for Player Que 2. Park Signage for Parking 3. Fence Extension Between Court 1 and Court 2 4. Stadium Court Wind Screens Chair Portu requested each member provide their reasoning for their requests. Member Kuhn stated the partial fence would decrease the number of stray balls during play and suggested the park signage to inform members of additional parking at Mackle Park. Member Kelly requested windscreens to the amount of wind resistance during pickleball play. Mr. Smith stated City Staff would provide the estimates for the items listed. Member Richards added a new clock to the list, and Member Kelly requested the handwashing station. Mrs. Malloy stated the handwashing station was removed as it was causing a maintenance challenge and the community can use the newly renovated bathrooms available at the center. The hand sanitizer is still available outside for individuals. Mrs. Montgomery stated the shoe washing station was fixed. The Committee Members continued to discuss the locking of the gates and requested rules for player etiquette during free play be instituted at the Racquet Center, to which Mrs. Malloy responded. Chair Portu tabled the conversion of a court and resurfacing of Court 2 for a future Budget Workshop. (11) COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS None. (12) ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m. PREPARED BY: ______________________________ Heather Reed, Administrative Assistant, Parks and Recreation City of Marco Island Florida Page 4