Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

City of Marco Island Florida 51 Bald Eagle Drive Marco Island, Florida cityofmarcoisland.com Meeting Minutes - Final Tuesday, July 20, 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, Miguel Carballo, Heather Reed Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final July 20, 2021 Committee (1) CALL TO ORDER Chair Portu called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. (2) ROLL CALL Present: 6- Member Conner, Member Kelly, Member Kuhn, Vice-Chair Richards, Member Shagott and Chair Portu Not Present: 1- Member Siegel ALSO PRESENT Daniel J. Smith, Community Affairs Director Samantha Malloy, Parks, Culture & Recreation Manager Miguel Carballo, Fleet & Facilities Manager Martha Montgomery, Facilities Supervisor Becky Irwin, Marco Island City Councilor (3) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Chair Portu. (4) APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Chair Portu requested a motion to approve the Agenda with the modification of moving Item #8a. (Presentations), a virtual presentation from Food Forest Abundance, to Item #6 (Staff Communications). MOTION by Member Shagott, seconded by Member Kuhn, that the Amended Agenda be Approved. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING VOICE VOTE: Yes: 6- Member Conner, Member Kelly, Member Kuhn, Vice-Chair Richards, Member Shagott and Chair Portu (5) APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES a. PRAC Draft Minutes May 18, 2021 ID 21-1687 PRAC Draft Minutes May 18, 2021 MOTION by Vice-Chair Richards, seconded by Member Connor, that the Meeting Minutes of May 18, 2021 be Approved. MOTION CARRIED BY THE FOLLOWING VOICE VOTE: Yes: 6- Member Conner, Member Kelly, Member Kuhn, Vice-Chair Richards, Member Shagott and Chair Portu (6) PRESENTATIONS a Calusa Park Garden Presentation with Food Forest Abundance ID 21-1692 Calusa Park Garden Presentation by Food Forest Abundance Community Affairs Director Daniel Smith introduced consultant Jim Gale with Food Forest City of Marco Island Florida Page 1 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final July 20, 2021 Committee Abundance to present options, strategy, and pricing for his company to assist with the development of the Calusa Park Garden, also known as the Fruit and Spice Garden. Mr. Gale introduced his executive team and shared a brief presentation of the positive impact of food forests and the opportunities available to Marco Island. Design costs for Calusa Park would be $12,500 with a planting and maintenance plan. He addressed questions from the Committee and Councilwoman Irwin and provided clarification on issues that were raised by City Staff and the public. Mr. Gale agreed to update his proposal to include costs for design, trees, plants, materials, and labor. Chair Portu called for Public Comment Margaret Bramel, Bond Ct., questioned if there was any food forest within the vicinity of Marco Island to view and walkthrough. Vice-Chair Richards responded that Florida Gulf Coast University has a food forest called ECHO, and Councilwoman Irwin stated Homestead FL also contained a Fruit and Spice Park. (7) STAFF COMMUNICATIONS a. July 2021 Staff Report ID 21-1685 July 2021 Staff Report Vice-Chair Richards complimented City Staff for the Fourth of July fireworks and provided public feedback requesting additional lighting on the walkway at night. The Committee discussed different ideas such as cell phone lights and raised concerns for turtle nesting season. Community Affairs Director Daniel Smith informed the Committee that Marco Island Academy had generously donated its shade structures to Parks and Recreation. He stated City Staff has ideas for locations but will continue to measure and arrange the details. Facilities Supervisor Martha Montgomery stated a change order with Creative Solutions was approved for larger shades, with an estimated start in October. b. Dog Park Update from Miguel Carballo Fleet and Facilities Manager Miguel Carballo, following up on his previous Dog Park presentation recommending mulch, relayed that significant grading would be required with the addition of a retention wall, causing an increase in cost. He proposed an alternative plan consisting of resodding the large dog park, installing shade trees and benches, and implementing seeding twice a year to evenly distribute wear and tear for the ground. Vice-Chair Richards inquired with Mr. Carballo on the status of a few issues to include moving the dividing fence and the gravel around the water fountains, which he addressed. (8) PUBLIC COMMENT None. City of Marco Island Florida Page 2 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final July 20, 2021 Committee (9) OLD BUSINESS None. (10) NEW BUSINESS a. Mackle Park Bocce Courts Discussion ID 21-1686 Mackle Park Bocce Court Discussion Facilities Supervisor Martha Montgomery shared estimates from Mor Sports Group Inc. and Sports Surfaces, LLC. to replace court four at Mackle Park. She explained court four is shorter with a pitch but is used every day from January to March. Mrs. Montgomery and Mrs. Malloy continued to provide background and additional detail to address the questions raised. Chair Portu requested City Staff’s recommendation and questioned the driving force for the discussion, of which Mrs. Malloy stated the current bocce courts meet recreation needs. Chair Portu recommended donations be submitted to the Marco Island Community Foundation if the community desires to reconstruct a new bocce court. b. Veterans' Community Park Gazebo Relocation ID 21-1691 Veterans’ Community Park Gazebo Relocation Parks, Culture & Recreation Manager Samantha Malloy provided the Committee with details on relocating the Veterans’ Community Park Gazebo, which was constructed and donated by the local Marco Island Boy Scouts, to a different park, specifically recommending Leigh Plummer Park. Mrs. Malloy requested to use the remaining Committee funds for the 2021 fiscal year to assist with the gazebo relocation. The Committee unanimously agreed and approved Mrs. Malloy’s request. c. Leigh Plummer Park Fleet and Facilities Manager Miguel Carballo reported that an engineer is developing site drawings for Leigh Plummer Park to provide multiple options for parking. Community Affairs Director Daniel Smith notified the Committee that he has requested $25,000 to develop Master Plans for additional parks. He expressed to the Committee that having a Master Plan provides direction and participation for future development and provides opportunities for matching grants for improvements. Chair Portu called for Public Comment Margaret Bramel, Bond Ct., complimented the park walkway and provided her insight on the current happenings at Leigh Plummer Park. She requested the ambiance be preserved when considering improvements. Mr. Carballo informed the Committee of the new asset management system that will track all maintenance and repairs. (11) COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS City of Marco Island Florida Page 3 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final July 20, 2021 Committee Responding to Member Kelly’s name tag suggestion, Mrs. Malloy assured the Committee that all park staff members have name tags available to them. Community Affairs Director Daniel Smith stated the Veterans’ Community Park contract had been signed and groundbreaking would take place in August 2021. Mr. Smith relayed the PUD San Marco Park, ‘Wellness Way’, groundbreaking would be taking place shortly as well. Chair Portu provided a brief update on the Marco Island Parks Foundation and reiterated the meeting details. (12) ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:46 p.m. PREPARED BY: ______________________________ Heather Reed, Administrative Assistant, Parks and Recreation City of Marco Island Florida Page 4