Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

The Parks Advisory Board met in regular session on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Annex. MINUTES Board Members Present James Hailey Mandy Edwards Kathy Boswell Kim Houston Board Member Absent Amber Kunes City Staff Present Andy Tarkington, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Terrie Ortiz, Parks and Recreation Clerk AGENDA ITEM 1.0 Call to Order Kathy Boswell called the meeting to order. The meeting began at 6:00 pm. AGENDA ITEM 2.0 Approval of Minutes Kathy Boswell called for motion to approve the September minutes. Mandy Edwards made a motion. James Hailey seconded his motion. The minutes were approved by unanimous vote. AGENDA ITEM 3.0 See the Presentation by Jeff Goodman of Kraftsman Commercial Playgrounds for Option for All-Inclusive Playground Andy Tarkington told the board that Jeff Goodman sent a design to him by email and Andy presented to the board. It was a design of a park that would be all-inclusive. Andy told the board the design only included the playground and the surfacing. Andy informed the board that the design that was presented did not include street, and parking lot work. Andy informed the board that the design he presented gave the total cost for the playground and surfacing areas. Kathy Boswell told Andy and the board that the design presented was a smaller scale than what the board had planned for Southeast Park. Kim Houston asked where the plans for a basketball court and the soccer fields where. Andy informed the board that they can add those things to the plans 1 for the park, but it is going to add to the cost. Andy told the board that the idea that he had was to look at the plans that Kraftsman playground sent. Future Mayor Regan Johnson also has a company that she has recommended that can design something and Andy would bring those ideas and plans to the next month’s meeting. James Hailey asked Andy where the rest of the stuff for Southeast Park was. Andy asked James to define “the rest of the stuff.” James told Andy the parking area, A.D.A. access, basketball court, the wall that separates from the basketball court and where the older kids would sit. The playground for the little kids, and the walking path that went all the way around the park. Andy reminded the board that the plans he brought to them were for a playground. Andy informed the board that Kraftsman was a designer of playgrounds. Andy told the board that they would have to get someone else to put all of the other things like a walking trail, basketball court, soccer field, parking lots in. James asked Andy if the over-all plan would include all of these expectations. Andy told him it would, but the design they have now is just a playground design. Andy told the board that his thought was to get the two playgrounds and then get the other things. Andy also told the board that the playground was a fraction of what the cost would be for an all-inclusive playground area. Kathy asked Andy if the design that they got last year cost more or less than Kraftsman’s design. Andy told the board that the design that Sanford Lahue presented last year was less than the design from Kraftsman. Andy also informed the board that Kraftsman’s design has a bit more to the plan than Lahue’s design. Kathy told the board that the city is going to need the master plan to be able to move forward. Kathy told the board that she believes the parks and open space plan needs to be on the city council agenda, because without a grant the parks board cannot move forward on any plan for the parks in the city. James told the board that grants for going to have to be for everything, West City Park, Southeast Park, James went on to say everything we do needs to be as much grant as possible, you make the plan based on what you identified needs are. He went on to say they do not need to worry about the money. James said we need to apply for the grants and put the money in as you can. Kathy told the board that the master park plan is going to be critical. It is a large percentage of the points that Texas Parks and Wildlife give for each grant. Kathy told the board that she feels the board firmly believes they need the parks and open space plan on the agenda for the city not just West City Park or Southeast Park. Kathy went on to tell the board that if they get this on the agenda, vote on it and have it on record then they can move forward with a grant. Mandy Edwards told the board that there are so many pieces to the park designs that it cannot be done in house. James told the board that everything needs to be open, transparent, all-inclusive, clear to everybody and a publicly-endorsed, codified multi-stake holder plan is the only way to go. Mandy added that we should pay for the master plan with the $50,000. Kim Houston told the board that if this was part of the rule and requirement of a grant application is to have a master plan then it would be silly not to get it. Andy informed the board that the $50,000 that was allocated to Parks and Recreation Department is not in this year’s budget. Andy told the board that due to all large purchases are being frozen in the city budget due to the Coronavirus pandemic the money was disburse elsewhere. Andy informed the board that you could apply for a grant, but you are not likely to get funded. Andy told the board there is no requirement to have a master plan to apply for a grant. Andy went on to tell the board that these grants are so competitive, and since the proposition 5 passed 2 last November they are taking grants up to $750,000 and they are matching fund grants. Andy told the board that to get $750,000 in a grant you have to have $750,000, it does not necessarily have to be all cash. Andy informed the board it could be someone donating land, or in kind funds counting toward the total, and if doing a cooperative thing and someone else is providing money you can count that as well. Andy informed the board it is a 50/50 deal, 50% has to raise locally and 50% the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will provide up to $750,000. Kathy informed the board that Andy put the parks master plan in the city budget and it was removed. If they want to go on record as the Parks Board that we firmly believe we need to have the master plan if we are going to move forward. Kathy told the board that if they can get the item on the agenda for next month and vote on it as an action item then it is out there. Kathy told the board if the action item is on the agenda the city will see that they need the master plan to be able to move forward. James asked Andy if they could put on the agenda for next month’s meeting. Kathy told the board let us make this an action item to get a parks plan, get it funded, and get it developed, and get it documented. James asked the board if they could add a second item on the agenda to determine if it is going to be Southeast Park, or West City Park or another third park. Kathy told the board that she drives by Southeast Park and all she sees there are older kids. She suggested maybe doing a park for older children. James said we cannot segregate the parks for older or younger children. James suggested we get an all-inclusive park and put safe playground equipment at the park and see what happens. Mandy told the board, what if citizens want to put the playground equipment at West City Park it would save this much on parking, because the parking is already established, the sidewalks are already there. These things are already there and it could save the city $20,000 or $30,000. Mandy went on to tell the board that most people would go to West City Park. Mandy told the board that she lives close to Southeast Park, but most of the time she takes her son to West City Park. Mandy told the board that at West City Park there is more room to add to, but right now the board does not have enough information to make that judgment. Kim asked where the $50,000 that was allocated to Parks and Recreation went to. Andy, Kathy and Mandy told her that it went into the city’s general fund due to the situation with COVID-19 pandemic. Kathy asked Andy what he needs from the Parks board, Andy explained that first he wanted them to see the design from Kraftsman Playground, Inc. Andy wanted to know what the boards thoughts are, would they want to change anything, or add to the design. Mandy informed the board that her little boy loves the rope climbing structure. Andy informed the board that he will bring another design at next month’s meeting. Andy showed the board what a parks and open space plan looks like. He passed around an example that he completed when he worked in a different town. Kathy and Mandy talked about how much detail went into a parks and open space plan. Kathy asked Andy if he has worked with Kraftsman Playground before. Andy replied to Kathy and the board that he has not personally worked with the company. He told the board that Kraftsman was one of the top two or three playground equipment companies in the country. Andy told the board that this company was well respected for quality playground equipment. Kathy told the board that if the city could come up with the $480,000 she would use this design and put it at Southeast Park the way it is. Andy told the board that if we could get that money and apply for a grant for matching money, it would be something to get started on. 3 AGENDA ITEM 4.0 Consider and Possibly Take Appropriate Action on a Fee Increase for the Swim Team Registration Fee Due to an Individual Sports Andy explained to the board that they could not just decide to increase the fees for swim team, they would have to put it on the agenda as an action item and vote. Kim asked what the fees were currently. Andy told the board the fees were $70.00. Andy told the board that the fee increase was approved by T.A.A.F. Andy informed the board that if a fee is paid by June 15, then the increase will not go into effect until June 15. Kim asked what the fee was raised up to, Andy informed her and the board that it went up $6.00 per person. Andy told the board that the fee was $5.00 for the state and $1.00 for the region and now it will be $10.00 for the state and $2.00 for the region. Andy told the board that they covered the new fee increase by going from $70.00 to $80.00. Kathy asked for a motion to increase the Swim Team fee from $70.00 to $80.00. Mandy made the motion. James second the motion. The parks board unanimously voted to increase the swim team registration fee to $80.00. AGENDA ITEM 5.0 Hear Parks and Recreation Report Andy read the parks and recreation report. Andy started with the Recreation Department. Andy told the board that we are running youth volleyball leagues. We are right in the middle of the season. We have thirty teams registered. Andy told the board that last year we had twenty-nine teams. Andy informed the board due to the COVID-19 pandemic that we are following protocol and requiring spectators to wear mask, trying to keep from spreading the virus. Andy told the board that we now have a device that is at the door to check people that come in the gym for their temperature. We are having people come in one direction and exiting another. Andy told the board that when the matches change, they are ushered out the back doors while the ones that are getting ready for the next games to start come in the front door. Andy told the board that we have had to cancel two matches due to players contracting COVID-19, but most of those were from having school activities. Andy informed the board that we are doing the best we can to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Andy told the board that the protocols were not being received well in the beginning, but now that we have an off-duty police officer at the facility, most people are complying with the rules. Kathy asked about the section that does not wear mask. Andy told the board that the people claim they have asthma, so they sit in the “medical condition” area. Andy told the board about our new employee Amy Gregory. She became our new gym attendant. Andy told the board that she worked in Parks and Recreation for nine years in California. Andy told the board that the parks crew have been helping with volleyball games due to the recreation staff being shorthanded. Andy informed the board that we are sanitizing the balls and rotating them every game. We are sanitizing the bleachers after each team. Andy informed the board that Melvin Flores, who has been with the Parks and Recreation Department for 18 years, has been selected to be the parks crew leader. Andy told the board that he cannot be at the park and the gym so he needs someone that can help him out with parks. 4 Melvin and George Cliett have been trimming bushes at the library, north oak and the medians. Tracy McCloud and Gary Christian have been working at the ball fields for a tournament that will took place on September 19. Melvin and George sprayed weeds downtown and at Ft. Wolters. They sprayed at the ball fields, around the gym and activity center, the West City Park, around the fence line of the Little League fields. Andy told the board that Little League started back up in September. Melvin and George cleaned up flower beds in the downtown area. Tracy and Gary weedeated the creeks at the base. Andy told the board that Gary and Tracy painted the outside of the restroom at West City Park. Andy told the board that Melvin helped with painting the bathroom as well. Gary is doing pool maintenance due to water aerobics that were taking place. Andy told the board that water aerobics will end October 16. Andy informed the board that overall we had a good pool season. Kathy asked Andy about the slopes at the little league fields. Kathy told Andy that they seem dangerous and she feels that someone might get hurt. Kathy asked Andy if there was anything they could to keep people from getting hurt. Andy told the board that he would look into what can be done. Andy told the board about the Fossil Park, and informed the board that we are still getting quite a few calls about going to the Fossil Park. Andy informed the board about the Crazy Fossil Hunt that the Chamber of Commerce were putting on in October. Mandy told the board that she talks to some of the mom’s at her job and they asked what they could do during the Coronavirus pandemic. She told the board that the number one thing that the DFW area talk about is the Fossil Park. Andy told the board about groups from the Dallas, Ft. Worth area that come to the Fossil Park. AGENDA ITEM 6.0 Hear Parks and Recreation Board Ideas for Future Agenda Items Kathy want to add to the agenda for the next meeting the parks and open space plan to be an action item and vote. James wanted to add to the agenda as a second item if we can determine whether we are going to do Southeast Park, West City Park, or a third park somewhere. AGENDA ITEM 7.0 Adjournment Kathy asked for a motion to adjourn. Kim Houston made the motion. Mandy Edwards second the motion. The parks board unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting at 6:50p.m. 5