Parks and Recreation Commission

MURFREESBORO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2022 12:00 NOON Call to Order Prayer and Pledge Consider for Approval the Minutes of the May 4, 2022, Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Old Business I. Consider Siegel Soccer Affiliate Team Program and Fees New Business II. Special Olympics Update III. Miracle League Update IV. Miracle League All-Star Games Update Other Business  MURFREESBORO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2022 12:00 NOON MPRC Members Present: Mr. Eddie Miller, Chair Dr. Gloria Bonner, Mr. Leroy Cunningham, Mr. Trey Duke, Mr. Rick LaLance, Mr. Ronnie Martin, Mr. Ricky Turner, and Mr. Don Turner (ex officio) MPRC Members Absent: Mr. Tim Roediger MPRD Staff Present: Mr. Thomas Laird and Ms. Rachel Singer, Asst. Directors Ms. Brittany Garrett, Ms. Susan Hicks, Ms. Mitzi Hughes, and Mr. John Powers Others Present: Ms. Katie Driver, Staff Attorney Ms. Ali Jones (MTSU Intern) After the meeting was called to order, Mr. Ronnie Martin led the commission in a prayer and in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Eddie Miller then presented for approval the minutes of the March 2, 2022, Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Commission minutes. Mr. Rick LaLance made a motion to approve the minutes as read. Dr. Gloria Bonner seconded. Motion passed by unanimous vote. Mr. Laird announced that MPRD is hitting all revenue expectations and is confident the department will exceed revenue goals fast. He said the Senior Center has normal revenue for this time of year and will receive some grants later in the year. Mr. Martin mentioned that he noticed substantial increases in revenues for Richard Siegel Park and for athletic summer camps. Mr. Laird said that as turf fields get completed, the fields get rented and bring in more revenue, and the number of participants allowed in the summer sports camps is 60 for each week of camp (8 weeks total), which brings in more fees. Mr. Cunningham asked if a new baseline is established in the expected revenues each year due to the year before. Mr. Laird said that was correct. Mr. Cunningham also asked about the designated donations at the Senior Center being between $1,800-$4,000. Mr. Laird said that many patrons and their families like to give back to the center and do so in the form of helping buy benches and other items needed for the facility. The donation amounts always vary. Ms. Rachel Singer presented the current Special Use Policy Agreement for approval with revisions that have added stipulations for having food trucks at events where food will be distributed to the public at large. Mr. Martin made a motion to approve the changes as indicated in the agreement. Dr. Bonner seconded. Motion passed by unanimous vote. Ms. Ali Jones, an MTSU intern with MPRD, developed a Coaches’ Code of Ethics Policy for MPRD as part of her MTSU course work in hopes of preventing some conflicts at games, since coaches should be positive role models for the players. Mr. Martin asked if there were any specific instances that prompted the policy. Ms. Jones said that when she helped at the ball fields, she heard some unnecessary comments made towards referees. Mr. Laird added that we all see inappropriate behaviors happening at sports events frequently through coaches, parents, and fans. He said that the department was trying to be proactive by having Ms. Jones develop this policy. Mr. Rick LaLance and Mr. Cunningham thought the language in the policy should be very specific and consistent for everyone. Mr. LaLance added that people interpret things differently, such as what might seem appropriate to one person might not seem that way to another. Mr. Laird mentioned that the department has a discipline policy that applies to all patrons and volunteers that would also come into play should things get out of hand or inappropriate. Dr. Bonner commended Ms. Jones for recognizing the need to establish a moral compass for coaches and recommended a diagnostic instrument be used to determine specific criteria for coaches to follow, possibly through a rubric format. Mr. Turner asked if parents were supposed to follow particular ethics at practices/games. Mr. Laird said parents were expected to behave a certain way as well and that a lot of the coaches are parents. Mr. LaLance encouraged staff to check the language regarding the Coaches’ Code of Ethics and to make clear-cut instructions for them to follow. Mr. Trey Duke recommended setting a list of expectations for the coaches rather than a policy. Mr. Laird understood that staff should present the information more like a pledge than a policy. Mr. Duke and the other commission members agreed. Mr. Turner asked if thorough background checks were done for coaches. Mr. Laird said they were. Mr. Miller entertained a motion to approve a Code of Ethics Pledge for Coaches rather than a policy. Mr. LaLance made a motion to approve said pledge for coaches, and Mr. Duke seconded. Motion passed by unanimous vote. Mr. John Powers, Siegel Soccer Park Facility Coordinator, thanked the commission for sharing a prayer and saying the Pledge of Allegiance before the meeting, since those things were not done at government meetings he attended in California. He then proposed for approval an affiliate organization partnership program for Siegel Soccer Complex which would be targeted at youth organizations using the fields, although staff is open to other organizations. The goal of the program will be to help promote the City’s mission statement of “providing a safe, progressive, and healthy community for its citizens to ensure the highest possible quality of life.” Mr. Powers added that the City will continue to partner with local youth soccer organizations in the implementation of this affiliate partnership, and he pointed out the benefits of the partnerships as follows: permanent established practice times during the spring and fall seasons; one-half grass field and one-half turf field practice weekly (exclusion of indoor Turf Field 5), no charge, Monday- Friday; priority scheduling for TSL games and scheduling of tryouts held Monday- Thursday during regular seasons; and meeting space and scheduling of grass field 2 games at no charge, depending on availability. The associated fee chart for the affiliate organization partnership program indicates prices per season per player and prices per year per player, depending on what each organization prefers to do. Additionally, Mr. Powers said that the Athletics staff was proposing a city resident discount of $15.00 per player per season or a $30.00 city resident discount per player per year. Mr. LaLance said that the discount for city residents was not enough. He added that non- city residents do not pay to use the fields and that even with them paying sales tax in the community, they still do not pay anything near what city taxpayers do for construction and upkeep of parks and recreation facilities. Mr. Laird shared that the soccer park brought in 7 million sales tax dollars last year, which helps city residents at least see a return on their investment to parks when some residents do not care anything about the soccer park. Mr. Laird clarified that the affiliate partnership program was for select travel soccer and that the benefits are primarily for Monday-Thursday guarantees of field space, which would help staff “have regular field rentals, instead of a convoluted schedule for practices each week.” The fees would be the same per individual player across the board, no matter how many players are on a team, whether per season or per year. Also, it would make clear to parents exactly what part of their child’s overall soccer fee is for them to train on City fields. The league would have to break down the rest of their fees for the parents. Mr. Duke said it was his understanding that one reason to have the affiliate organization partnerships is to help teams to consistently get practice fields. Mr. Laird agreed and said that currently they get fields on a first-come, first-serve basis, with about 65 teams using the outside fields now. Ms. Brittany Garrett with Athletics said that 80 teams would be the maximum number of teams the park could accommodate for practice times during the week. Mr. Laird explained that affiliate team practice slots would be determined through a draft to give a fair chance to all teams involved. Mr. Leroy Cunningham asked how many new teams are being added a year. Ms. Garrett said usually about 5-10 teams. Mr. Cunningham understood that in another year the 80- team maximum could be reached. Mr. Cunningham questioned if a more substantial fee difference came up in discussions among staff and, if so, he wanted to know what the dialogue was. Mr. Laird said that staff had considered a bigger discount for City residents, but he and Ms. Garrett explained that staff just decided to be consistent throughout the department with that discount. Mr. LaLance and Mr. Cunningham discussed the percentage of non-city residents who play at the soccer fields. Mr. LaLance thought it was about 50%. Dr. Bonner asked where the non-city participants were from. Mr. LaLance said the majority are from Rutherford County, just not from the City limits. Mr. Laird said that some of the other non-city residents come from Franklin, Smyrna, Manchester, Tullahoma, and even from Davidson County. 3 Mr. Laird indicated that staff would be open to increasing the discount for City residents but would need to charge more on the top side for the non-city residents in order to meet expected revenue goals for the facility, which would be $100,000 per field annually. Mr. Cunningham asked if the County has had opportunities to contribute to the parks and recreation facilities. Mr. LaLance said that they have always had the opportunity. Mr. Cunningham understood the problem of non-city residents enjoying the benefits of the soccer park but not contributing to the park’s costs. Mr. LaLance mentioned that the soccer park was a different kind of site than Barfield Park. Mr. Duke asked if the City fees would be incumbent on the organizations to collect. Mr. Laird said that was correct. Mr. LaLance asked how the City would determine which teams to accept. Mr. Laird said that the organizations to be considered for the affiliate partnership program must have a governing board with Murfreesboro citizens as part of the team. He added that only two organizations qualify right now, the Murfreesboro Soccer Club and the Tennessee Soccer Club, with another group, Legacy, working on the requirements to become an affiliate partner. Mr. Miller asked if the commission wanted to accept the Siegel Soccer Affiliate Team Program and Fees as presented or if they’d prefer to table the issue until the next meeting. Mr. Ronnie Martin stated that the issue warrants more discussion and added that the soccer facility was a different type of facility than Barfield Crescent Park or Sports Com. Mr. Laird agreed and said it was more like the Adams Tennis Facility. Mr. Martin mentioned that Old Fort Golf Course was in a similar category and added that the soccer, tennis, and golf facilities were very specialized places that have a different capital outlay than the general MPRD parks and facilities. Mr. Martin also said that being consistent across the board works sometimes but not always. Mr. Laird asked how staff should proceed with this matter. Mr. Martin thought that due to the greater participation at the specialized sites, it would be beneficial to determine how the county could come into play to help the City reach its revenue expectations. Mr. Martin further told MPRD staff that their work on the affiliate team program and fees was appreciated. The commission agreed to discuss this issue again at the next commission meeting after staff has worked on it further. Ms. Rachel Singer requested approval for staff to reduce the Wilderness Station operating hours from 80 to 56 hours per week from mid-May to mid-October. She added that four part-time operations staff are budgeted for the facility, but due to other staffing trends and pay scales in the area, it has been hard to keep/hire the staff needed to run the facility for 80 hours. Ms. Singer also mentioned that there will be a fiscal impact with the reduction in hours, but staff believes they can make up lost shop revenues through programming and events. Mr. Cunningham asked if there might be some pushback from patrons. Ms. Singer thought there probably would be from the park patrons whose usual hiking/walking schedules will be affected by the restrooms being closed and/or the shop not being open 4 for them to get water/snacks. Mr. Cunningham asked how many staff members were working at the facility now. Ms. Singer said two in shop operations, but a number of programmers work at the Wilderness Station as well. Mr. Cunningham also asked about the current pay of the operations staff and what it needs to be. Ms. Singer said they are making $12/hour, but the department needs to pay $14/hour to compete with Walmart and Chick-fil-A wages. Mr. Martin wanted to know if staff has attempted to modify wages across the board. Mr. Laird said that staff has requested more pay for all part-time positions, but July 1st will be the soonest that any increase might be seen. Mr. LaLance made a motion to approve the changes in hours at the Wilderness Station as requested with a caveat that he and Mr. Martin will see if there is any possibility that higher part-time wages (for the operations staff and other City part-time positions) could be put into effect earlier than July 1st. Mr. Martin seconded. Motion passed by unanimous vote. Ms. Susan Hicks, MPRD Cultural Arts Supervisor, requested dropping the annual Perform Murfreesboro Membership fee of $25 and instead charge $25 per play to each participant in order to cover the costs for cast gifts and t-shirts (prices have gone up from $8 to $16). Ms. Hicks further explained that Perform Murfreesboro now provides play-specific t-shirts, as requested by families. Mr. Miller verified that the department’s financial assistance will be available to the city residents who need it. Ms. Hicks said that was correct. She also shared that she has discussed the cost change with families, and the majority were agreeable. Mr. Duke asked how many plays there were a year. Ms. Hicks said there were four to five a year and that kids 10-12 could audition for all the plays due to the parts being available for their ages in all the productions. Mr. Cunningham asked how many were in each play, and Ms. Hicks said 40-50. Mr. Cunningham also asked about the fee being the same for 10 years. Ms. Hicks said it has actually been that price for 30 plus years. Dr. Bonner stated that all children should be able to perform, and it is important for them to have opportunities. Mr. Miller asked if there were a motion to approve the change in fees for Perform Murfreesboro. Mr. Cunningham made a motion to approve the fees as presented. Dr. Bonner seconded. Motion passed by unanimous vote. Ms. Hicks next announced that the first Battle of the Bands at Patterson’s Washington Theatre was a success, with seven bands in the competition. The entry fee had been $50, and tickets for the event sold for $10. Each band was required to perform two original songs which were judged by industry judges and the audience. The winning band received a $250 stipend and bragging rights. Ms. Hicks said that it was a family-friendly event which staff plans to host again. Mr. Thomas Laird reminded the commission that the Special Olympics would be held May 9-10 at MTSU’s Dean Hayes Stadium with high school and adult athletes competing on the 9th (Monday) and elementary and middle school kids competing on the 10th (Tuesday). Mr. Laird said he hoped the commission members would come and serve as dignitaries handing out awards with Ms. Singer. Mr. Duke said that the schools are happy to have this event back, and the athletes are very excited to get to compete again (their last competition was in 2019). 5 Ms. Singer gave the MPRD Programs/Events update starting with the Coffee Marathon. Registration is open, and participants have until the end of May to walk/run 26.2 miles by following eight specified routes to participating coffee shops and getting their “passports” signed. Once finished with all eight routes, participants may take their signed passports to Patterson Park Community Center to receive a Coffee Marathon mug. Another event will be the Free Community Bike Day on May 7th at Barfield Crescent Park, sponsored by MPRD and MOAB. All kinds of tips on bicycling will be given. Homeschool Days will be held at Cannonsburgh on May 12th with a water works theme. Participants will get to experience some old-fashioned chores using water. The registration deadline is May 5th and $3.00 per person. The annual Barfield Beach Party (free) is set for May 13th at Barfield Crescent Park starting at 5:00 p.m. where over 60 tons of sand will be used for a beach party that includes games, music, dancing, and various activities. World Turtle Day will be celebrated on May 21st at the Wilderness Station from 1:00-3:00 p.m. where there will be lots of activities, music, and live demonstrations . The event will be followed by a concert with Farmer Jason (a PBS favorite). Memorial Day Madness is set for May 30th from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at Boro Beach (Sports Com). There will also be music, fun, games, and activities for that event as well. Admission will be $7 for adults/$5 for youth. Ms. Singer further announced two upcoming running events: Run Together (for Global Running Day) on June 1st at the Gateway Island beginning at 6:30 p.m. and The Middle Half (scheduled October 8th), with its registration starting at 6:00 a.m. on June 1st. Registration for both running events is through www.runsignup.com. The final event shared by Ms. Singer was for Juneteenth, which will run three days again this year at Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center, June 16-18. Authors’ Night will be on the 16th from 5:30-7:30 p.m.; Kaleidoscope will be on June 17 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. for patrons to witness a diverse collection of resources for mind, body, and soul; and the Freedom Day Celebration is set for June 18th, with activities, vendors, art, music, and dancing, . Ms. Singer said more information on the mentioned programs/events and other MPRD happenings may be found at www.MurfreesboroParks.com and on the department’s many Facebook pages. Mr. Miller said that the community is blessed to have so many programs and events to choose from. Being no more business, the meeting was adjourned. Meeting adjourned: 1:10 p.m. Meeting approved: ______________________________ ________________________________ Eddie Miller, MPRC Chair Nate Williams, MPRD Director 6 May 27, 2022 For Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Commission: RE: Siegel Soccer Complex Affiliate Organization Partnership Program As an item for the agenda of the June 1, 2022, MPRC meeting, it is recommended that the Parks and Recreation Commission approve the Siegel Soccer Complex Affiliate Organization Partnership program, effective for the Fall 2022 soccer season. Background The goal of the Siegel Soccer Complex Affiliate Organization Partnership Program is to promote the City’s mission statement of providing a safe, progressive, and healthy community for its citizens to ensure the highest possible quality of life. To this end, the Parks and Recreation Department will continue to partner with local youth soccer organizations in order to achieve the City’s mission in such a way that benefits the City, Murfreesboro residents, and all partnering organizations. Fiscal Impact The partnership program will financially operate on a per player basis, while promoting participation of Murfreesboro residents with a City-resident discount implemented. The cost per season (Spring/Fall) will be $120.00 for residents and $165.00 for non- residents, with an option for a yearly partnership at $240.00 for residents and $330.00 for nonresidents. Recommendation It is recommended that the commission approve this partnership program to be implemented beginning in the Fall 2022 soccer season. Attachment Siegel Soccer Complex Affiliate Organization Partnership Program Description Sincerely, JP Powers Siegel Soccer Facility Coordinator Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department 697 Veterans Parkway * P.O. Box 748 * Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37133-0748 Phone 615 890 5333 * TDD 615 849 2689 * www.murfreesborotn.gov  Siegel Soccer Complex Affiliate Organization Partnership The goal of the Siegel Soccer Complex Affiliate Partnership Program is to promote the City’s mission statement of providing a safe, progressive, and healthy community for its citizens to ensure the highest possible quality of life. To this end, the City is continuing to partner with local youth soccer organizations in the implementation of this affiliate partnership. Benefits of the partnership to the partnering organization include the following: • Permanent established practice time during the Spring and Fall seasons • One half grass field practice per week at no charge Monday-Friday • Priority Scheduling for Tennessee State League (TSL) games • One half turf field practice per week at no charge (excluding indoor turf field 5) • Use of meeting space per availability at no charge • Priority scheduling for tryouts held Monday-Thursday during regular seasons • Scheduling of grass field games at no charge, depending on availability The pricing of the Affiliate Organization Partnership is indicated on the table below, and broken down on a per season and per year basis. The option to pay per season or per year is up to the discretion of the partnering organization. Pricing is on a per player basis, and is dependent on the residency of each respective player. Complete rosters of all partnering organization’s teams will be due to the Siegel Soccer Complex Coordinator no later than one month prior to the start of each season (fall and spring). Complete rosters must include first/last names of all players on each team, as well as residency status to include complete primary home address. Only teams submitted to the Siegel Soccer Complex Coordinator will be permitted to utilize fields as specified above under the partnership. Any additional field usage outside of this agreement, or any additional teams outside of this agreement will be required to pay the full reservation fee for field usage. Siegel Soccer Complex Affiliate Organization Partnership Program Fee Outline Murfreesboro Non-Murfreesboro Resident Resident Season $120.00 $165.00 Year $240.00 $330.00  Below are the new proposed fees for grass field usage, beginning with the implementation of this program. Standard Rate TSSA Discount RLP Provider Rate Full day rental per field $215.00 $183.00 $194.00 Half day rental per field $145.00 $123.00 $131.00 Full Field Single Match $90.00 $77.00 $81.00 Full Field Double Match $135.00 $115.50 $121.50 Small Sided Field $45.00 $38.00 $41.00 1.5 Hr Practice (Full) $30.00 $25.00 $26.00 1.5 Hr Practice (Half) $20.00 $17.00 $18.00 Below is the current fee schedule for turf field usage, which is not changing under this program. Standard Rate TSSA Discount RLP Provider Rate Full day rental per field $720.00 $612.00 $648.00 Half day rental per field $480.00 $408.00 $432.00 Hourly Rental rate per $120.00 $102.00 $108.00 field