Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

The Parks Advisory Board met in regular session on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Annex. MINUTES Board Members Present Kathy Boswell Mandy Edwards Kim Houston Amber Kunes Neil Mesler Board Member Absent None City Staff Present Andy Tarkington, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Terrie Ortiz, Parks and Recreation Clerk Guest Present Dionna Garrett AGENDA ITEM 1.0 Call to Order Kathy Boswell called the meeting to order. The meeting began at 6:02 p.m. AGENDA ITEM 2.0 Approval of Minutes Kathy Boswell called for motion to approve the November minutes. Mandy Edwards made the motion. Neil Mesler seconded the motion. The minutes were approve by unanimous vote. AGENDA ITEM 3.0 Hear Cost Estimate for a Solar Powered, Automated Access Gate for the Mineral Wells Fossil Park Andy started with asking the board if they remembered when the C.E.O., President of the Chamber of Commerce, David May and the Tourism, Marketing Director, Rose Jordan came to the September meeting. David May asked Andy about having the hours for the Fossil Park extended. Andy told David and the Parks Board members that it would be expensive to have the hours of the Fossil Park extended. Andy went on to explain that the city would have to pay the parks crew overtime to close the gate at a later time. Andy also told the board and David that city policy requires employees to be paid a minimum of two hours after their regular shift. He said it would cost us in overtime and the gas for the vehicles to and from the Fossil Park. Andy asked the board if they remembered that David suggested a gate that will open automatically. The board said they did, so Andy went on to tell the board that he contacted some companies that will come give an estimate on a solar powered gate that could be on a timer and close at sunset. Andy told the board that a company from Weatherford, TX could do the gate for $5,000-$5,500. Andy let the board know that he reported his findings to David May. David told Andy that the Tourism Board would be meeting and he would let the board about the estimate to see if they would be willing to pay for half. Andy also let the board know that he spoke with Dean Sullivan, the Police Chief and Interim City Manager. Dean thinks if we put in front of City Council they may approve the expenditure. Kathy Boswell asked if Andy was speaking about the Chamber of Commerce meeting. Andy told her it was the Tourism Board at the Chamber. He informed the board that the Chamber is the one that promotes the Fossil Park. Kathy told the board and Andy that she felt the quote was reasonable. She also said that it would probably pay for itself by saving on wear and tear on the city vehicles plus gas and overtime. Andy informed the board that at this time we do not pay overtime and that is why the Fossil Park closes at 3:30 p.m. Andy also let the board know that if there are people in the Fossil Park we do not close the gate. AGENDA ITEM 4.0 Consider the Mineral Wells Little League Financial Statement and the Mineral Wells Little League Utility Usage and Costs and Consider Taking Appropriate Action The Advisory Board had a discussion about Little Leagues financial statements. Neil Mesler made a motion to table any further discussion of Little Leagues financials until they have more of a detailed explanation of the financial statement. Kathy Boswell asked for a second motion. Mandy Edwards seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous to move this agenda item to the next meeting. AGENDA ITEM 5.0 Hear Information and consider Taking Appropriate Action on the Status of the Mineral Wells Aquatics Center Pool Filters Andy told the board that former City Manager, Randy Criswell, contracted Mr. Sanford Lahue a landscape architect, to examine the pool filters. Mr. Lahue reported back to Mr. Criswell that the filters would last the pool season this coming up year. Kathy asked what Mr. Lahue’s qualifications were to examine the pool filters. Andy told her he was considered the city’s engineer. Neil asked if the money that was budgeted for the pool filters was still available or has the city used it for something else. Andy informed the board that as far as he knew the money was still available. Kathy feels that a landscape architect is not qualified to know about pool filters or understand fully what is needed at the pool. Andy reminded the board that in 2019 an engineer that only deals with pools, Brian Ziegler, from Aquaeous Engineering. Andy told the board that he was hired by the firm that came in and evaluated all of the city facilities back in 2019. Mr. Ziegler looked at the pool and the filters. Mandy Edwards asked if we have a report from Mr. Ziegler. Andy told the board that we do and he also sent one to the City Council. Mandy asked if that was how we received the money in the budget for the pool filters. Andy explained to the board that it was, he had went to the City Council with his budget request and the first time in 2020 it was denied. Andy went on to explain that the pool filters were funded in this year’s budget. Kathy and Neil both wanted to know why we are still talking about the pool filters instead of getting them replaced. Andy told the board that he spoke with Dean Sullivan, the Interim City Manager, and he told Andy that we need to do the items Mr. Lahue identified first. Andy went on to tell the board that those items were sacrificial anodes, which keep rusting from happening, and for them to examine and replace the media in the filter. Andy told the board that Sunbelt Pools gave a quote to replace the filters in spring of 2020 at $149,000. He went on to tell the board that another company, Progressive Aquatics, gave a quote as well of $108,000. Andy explained to the board that he gave these quotes to City Council and they decided to wait until we could afford one the top companies to replace the filters. Andy went on to explain to the board that we would not be able to get the filters replaced due to the fact that these companies are booked from the end of a pool season until the next pool season starts. He told the board if we do not get on the schedule in the fall we would not be getting on one. The board feels that the pool is on borrowed time when it comes to the filters. Kathy asked Andy if he would let Dean, the Interim City Manager and the City Council know the Parks Advisory Boards concerns. AGENDA ITEM 6.0 Hear Update on the Southeast Park Improvements Andy started to tell the board about the parks crew getting ready to take down the old structure. Neil told Andy and the board that there a lot of people excited about what was happening at Southeast Park. Andy told the board that we at Parks and Recreation were excited too. Andy explained that the parks crew and the Public Works Department were going to start working on tearing out the old playground structure at Southeast Park on January 3, 2022. Andy explained that Whirlix is going to provide a board with the rendering of what the park is going to look like, they will have that up around January 3, 2022. Andy told the board that Whirlix is planning on starting on Southeast Park on January 24, 2022. He told the board that they are expecting to have the equipment by the second week of February. Andy informed the board that at the last City Council meeting they signed the agreement and ordered the equipment from Whirlix. Andy told the board that due to supply and demand problems it will be a little longer than normal. Andy explained to the board that Whilix is in charge of the drawings and structures being put at Southeast Park. Andy told the board that we will be going out for bids to have a permanent restroom put in at Southeast Park. Andy informed the board that we will go out for bids for the restroom in early 2022. A concerned citizen, Dionna Garrett, attended the Parks and Recreation meeting. Dionna had some concerns about Southeast Park being all-inclusive. She asked the board members and Andy a few questions about Southeast Park having wheelchair accessibility. Dionna wanted to know if there were going to be any playground equipment for children in wheelchairs. Andy and the board explained that the park is being done in phases. Kathy told Dionna that the all- inclusive park was going to be at West City Park. Dionna’s other concerns were that the restrooms were going to be wheelchair accessible. She also wanted to know that there would be a changing table in the restroom. Kathy asked Andy if we were going to get the splash pad at Southeast Park. Andy told her that it was not going at Southeast Park. He told the board that the Mayor, Regan Johnson, does not want it at Southeast Park. Andy also told Dionna and the board that he would speak with David Rushing of Whilix and confirm that the new equipment is A.D.A. compliant. Kathy asked Andy if the swing that Sanford Lahue put in his design would be a part of Southeast Park. Andy informed her and the board that it would not. He went on to tell her that all of the new playground equipment would be from Whirlix. Kathy explained to Dionna that the equipment that we will be replacing at this time is costing the city $179,000 just for that one piece. Andy explained that the board decided to make West City Park the all-inclusive due to the lack of parking at Southeast Park. Dionna asked the board if they are the ones that make the decisions on the parks or does City Council make the final decisions. Kathy and Andy told Dionna that the parks board is just an advisory board. The City Council make the final decisions. Andy informed Dionna that David Rushing gave a presentation to the Parks Board and the City Council. Kim Houston told Dionna that she also serves on the Planning and Zoning board. She went on to tell her that they as a board can approve or disapprove but the City Council has the final say. She pointed out that the boards make recommendations and City Council will approve or disapprove. Dionna asked the board how they decided to go with Whilix. The board let her know that the original set of plans that they looked at, it was going to be too expensive so the board went out for bids from other companies. Kathy explained that City Council told the board to look at other places. The board told her they looked at proposals from Whirlix, and Kraftsman. Kathy told Dionna that the board looked at all the pieces and parts, listen to the presentations and considered the costs. Mandy Edwards told Dionna it was the board’s decision to go with Whirlix. She went on to tell her the board felt like Whilix had the most to offer and were willing to put the equipment in at no extra cost. Andy told the board and Dionna that Kraftsman Inc. would have brought the equipment and charged for installation. Mandy let her know that the board wanted Whirlix and so Whirlix made a presentation to the board and City Council. Mandy told Dionna that the City Council made the ultimate decision. The board and Dionna discussed thoroughly about Southeast Park being A.D.A. compliant. Andy informed the board that he will be attending the January meeting for City Council to get the RFQ’s (Request for Qualifications) for the Parks and Open Space Plan. Amber Kunes read to the board about the Southeast Park’s new playground equipment, and it will be A.D.A. compliant. AGENDA ITEM 7.0 Hear Parks, Recreation and Fossil Park Report Andy read the Parks, Recreation and Fossil Park report to the board. He talked about future projects the parks crew were going to be working on. He added that the parks crew along with Public Works Department will be working on getting the Southeast Park ready for the new structure. Andy also told the board that the parks crew would be adding another set of steps to the Little League fields. The board let Andy know they were happy about adding another set of steps at the Little League fields. Andy went on to read the rest of the report to the board. AGENDA ITEM 8.0 Hear Parks and Recreation Board Ideas for Future Agenda Items The board moved to discuss Little League’s financials in detailed at the next meeting. AGENDA ITEM 9.0 Adjournment Kathy asked for a motion to adjourn. Mandy made the motion. Kim second the motion. The parks board unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 p.m.