Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Advisory Board Meetings

PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL SERVICES June 14, 2023 ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES Members present Charlene Rios, Jamie Umana, Chuck Perry, Troy White, Isaac Valdez, and Rebecca Johnson Members absent Staff present Doug Coutts, Dollie Boyd, Bill Aukett, Carrie Hoiness, and Stefanie Dunn 2023 MEETING ATTENDANCE RECORD Name Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Charlene Rios C X X A X X Chuck Perry C X X X X X Isaac Valdez X X X Rebecca Johnson X X X Troy White C X X X X X Jamie Umana C X X X X X C = Meeting Cancelled X = Present A = Absent E = Excused R = Resigned Call to Order The regular meeting was called to order by Ms. Rios at 6 p.m. Introduction of Guests/Visitors/Board Member Mr. Coutts introduced newest Board Member, Brad Harshman, whose appointment was confirmed by City Council effective July 2023. Approval of Minutes Mr. White moved to approve the minutes dated April 12, 2023. Motion seconded by Mr. Perry. Motion unanimously approved and passed. Correspondence/Communication/Committee Reports 1. Creative District – Ms. Boyd shared that committee is working with several community organizations to plan events this summer, including a Juneteeth Celebration, 4th of July Celebration, and Umani Festival. She also shared the committee has recently revised their comprehensive plan and is working on the website design. Ms. Boyd also shared that the Creative District encompasses the downtown Moses Lake Area. 2. Arts Committee – Ms. Boyd shared that the committee met on June 5, 2023, where all public art within walking distance of the museum was visited and the condition of each of the pieces was assessed. Ms. Boyd shared that any updates that may be needed for each of the pieces will be brought to the meeting and reviewed by the Committee to develop recommendations. 3. Code Development & Design Standards Committee – Mr. Coutts shared that committee individuals have met with planning department to begin diving into the specifics of design and code moving forward. He went onto say that the goal is to standardize design and code standards throughout parks and playgrounds, as needed for the area. Mr. Coutts advised that code standards as they are right now provided to the committee members, and they should meet up again end of June or early July. Museum Update 1 PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL SERVICES June 14, 2023 ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES Ms. Boyd advised that there is a new show up in the main gallery, which features macrophotography by Walter Klockers. She also shared that visitation numbers at the museum continue to up-trend compared to previous years and where the folks are from has been interesting to see, with visitors from international places. Ms. Boyd also shared that classes are going well this summer and Mobile Rec will continue to be a great way to interact with the community and spreading the word about what the museum offers. Ms. Boyd also shared that there will be a new lighting upgrade in the museum, which will be more energy efficient. Mr. Perry asked how the Rusty Mammoth sale went, which Ms. Boyd shared it went very well. She shared that they met their fundraising goal and there will be another one in the Spring. Recreation Update Ms. Hoiness shared that recreation programs and camps are busy. She shared a few upcoming activities and camps, including a tennis clinic for both teens and adults, Mobile Rec program and Explorer Day Camp. Ms. Hoiness shared that tournaments are in full swing at the ballfields. She also shared that staff are working to promote group fitness classes at the Larson Recreation Center (LRC). Ms. Hoiness mentioned that rentals at the LRC have been slow but anticipating a few more as the summer progresses. Ms. Hoiness shared that the Surf ‘n Slide Water Park is busy, and she mentioned that this year saw one of the best opening weekends (Memorial Day weekend), which is likely linked to the hot weather. Ms. Hoiness mentioned that swim lessons are very popular, as usual, and there are 16 rentals booked so far this year at the water park. Ms. Hoiness shared that she is working the Trails Planning Team to create a new water trail map for Moses Lake and greater Grant County. She also shared that the Food Truck Court is going out to bid soon and is excited to see that move forward. Ms. Hoiness shared that Special Olympics continues to move forward with summer sports and there are quite a few Special Events scheduled throughout the summer. Mr. White asked about other new recreation programs and activities offered this year, which Ms. Hoiness shared that staff are getting creative, including pickleball, spike ball, and tennis clinics. Maintenance Report Mr. Aukett shared that crews are working hard to get the Surf ‘n Slide water park up and running for the season. He also shared that there was a great post-SpringFest meeting to review how the event went. Mr. Aukett also mentioned that he is proud of his crews for all the work they are doing throughout the City with our facilities. He went onto say that crews will shift gears and start landscaping and weed control throughout facilities, also. Mr. Aukett shared that water conservation remains an important topic for the division. He mentioned that there are some well issues that feed Lauzier Complex, which will be long-term water pressure issues that will cause some re-engineering of the irrigation for that complex. Mr. Perry asked if all the parks adjacent to the lake are irrigated with lake water, which Mr. Aukett explained that they are indeed. 2 PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL SERVICES June 14, 2023 ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES Mr. White asked about maintenance staffing this season, which Mr. Aukett explained that they are doing well now, however, there were some hiring delays due largely to the large volume of seasonal staff to be added in a short period of time by HR. Mr. Coutts went onto say that a debrief will be done at the end of this season with HR to see how we can improve the seasonal hiring process in the future. Ms. Johnson asked about the security service recently acquired and whether it has helped with vandalism. Mr. Aukett explained that there is some vandalism, however, there is less time for this kind of activity to occur with the frequent rounds made by the security company. Mr. Coutts added that there is a decrease in the presence of homeless folks in some of the previously frequented parks, like Civic Center Park. Director’s Report 1. Maple Grove Park Acceptance Recommendation – Mr. Coutts shared a presentation with the Board about the Maple Grove Park, which is on the corner of Grape Drive and Maple Drive. He shared a few specifications of the park itself, including a Grant County PUD fiber box, which could allow for wireless irrigation in the future. Mr. Coutts advised that this park meets the requirements of what we would ask for in a park created by a developer, so he asked the Board to vote on making a recommendation to accept this park. There was some board discussion about the park itself, which Mr. Aukett and Mr. Coutts collaboratively answered, mainly pertaining to some design feature updates related to both ADA accessibility and water conservation efforts. Mr. White moved to recommend acceptance of this park. Motion seconded by Mr. Perry. Motion unanimously approved and passed. 2. Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services New Board Member – Mr. Coutts shared that City Council approved the recommendation of Brad Harshman as our newest Board member. He went onto say that Mr. Harshman has background with PUD and recreational facility development, which will be a value for this board moving forward. 3. Pickleball Courts – Mr. Coutts shared that he has been approached about adding pickleball courts at McCosh tennis courts, which is an option and recommended that the board think about options and possibilities of meeting the community feedback, although he cautioned to keep in mind that tennis and pickleball sometimes have trouble getting along. Ms. Rios advised that there has been community talk about creating an indoor tennis facility, which would be a bigger undertaking. Board discussion around the new tennis facility the school district built, and Mr. Harshman chimed in to say that the old facility was and remains rundown, making it unusable. Mr. Coutts mentioned he could follow up with the high school tennis coach to inquire about this. 4. SpringFest Follow-up – Mr. Coutts shared that a follow-up meeting with SpringFest folks related to the event was had and there have been some lessons learned, including inviting Mr. Coutts to the planning of the next year’s event much sooner in their planning process to help it be more collaborative. 5. Red, White, & Boom - Mr. Coutts shared that this event is moving forward. He shared that City Council voted to approve a fee waiver for vendors and sidewalk sales fees to increase the number of vendors at this event, especially when this is a City-hosted event. 6. Sound System – Mr. Coutts advised that staff are working on the sound system at the LRC. Currently, we are unable to page at the facility, which we do need for healthy operations and notifications throughout the facility. He went onto explain that he is having conversations with the 3 PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL SERVICES June 14, 2023 ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES installing company, EvCo, and another viable company to see how we can improve the functionality of the sound system moving forward. 7. Irrigation – Mr. Coutts shared that Larson Playfield, LRC, and BMX complex is currently on City water, which is costly. He went onto see whether there is a way to change over the irrigation of the complex to utilize lake water or install a well. 8. Budget – Mr. Coutts shared that he and division leaders are beginning the budget process discussions in preparation for 2024 budget review and approval. 9. City Council Subcommittees – Mr. Coutts shared that there are subcommittees for City Council, and one of the changes recently is there is now a Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services subcommittee for City Council. Council members, Schwartz, Madewell, and Eck are assigned to this new subcommittee. 10. Recreation Conservation Office – Mr. Coutts shared that there is a local parks maintenance grant, awarding projects between $50,000 - $100,000 with $0 match. He went onto say that grant requirements have not been issued yet, so he is working with Mr. Aukett to review a few projects ahead of time; options include replacement of restroom at Montlake Park or Blue Heron Park, and upgrade of the infrastructure of the pond at Japanese Gardens. Mr. White suggested looking at repaving entrance at Blue Heron Park as a project option. Commission Questions/Comments Ms. Umana asked about Bird Scooters project discussed last year, which Ms. Boyd shared that the company decided they were no longer interested in pursuing the area for their product/service. Ms. Umana also mentioned seeing a free training for design of a walkable community, which Ms. Hoiness advised she will be participating in this and shared that board member participation is encouraged. Adjournment Ms. Umana moved to adjourn, seconded by Mr. White. The meeting adjourned at 7:08 p.m. Minutes approved by Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Advisory Board on 12th of July 2023. By: _____________________________________________ Stefanie Dunn, Office Manager Moses Lake Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services 4