Board of Parks Commissioners Meeting

Norman Board of Parks Commissioners March 5, 2020 The Norman Board of Parks Commissioners of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, met in Council Chambers on the 5th day of March, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. and notice and agenda of the meeting were posted at 201 West Gray Street, 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. ITEM 1, being: ROLL CALL Present: Chair Wright and Commissioners Favors, Isacksen, May, Moxley, Sallee, and Salmond Absent: Commissioners Dolan and Ross City Officials Present: Jud Foster, Director of Parks and Recreation Jason Olsen, Recreation Superintendent Rick Parish, Golf Professional Ralph Cagigal, Golf Maintenance Superintendent Karla Sitton, Administrative Technician IV ITEM 2, being: APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 6, 2019 MINUTES Commissioner Favors requested the verbiage on page 6, paragraph 2, under Indoor Aquatic and Multi-Sports Facility, be changed to “… Commissioner Favors said she is the Ex-Officio on the Indoor Aquatic and Multi-Sports Facility and the funding available will not even cover the current needs of those programs…” Moxley made the motion to amend the minutes and Commissioner Salmond seconded to approve the minutes. The vote was taken with the following results: YEAH: Chair Wright and Commissioners Favors, Isacksen, May, Moxley, Sallee, and Salmond NAY: None ITEM 3, being: APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Commissioner Sallee made the motion and Commissioner Isacksen seconded to approve the agenda. The vote was taken with the following results: YEAH: Chair Wright and Commissioners Favors, Isacksen, May, Moxley, Sallee, and Salmond NAY: None Park Board Regular Meeting Page 2 of 6 March 5, 2020 ITEM 4, being ANNUAL PRESENTATION FROM THE WESTWOOD GOLF COURSE Mr. Rick Parish, Golf Professional, presented the annual Westwood Golf Course to the Park Board. He said golf rounds are up, stating the February 2019 rounds were 983 rounds and $24,080 to 1,653 rounds and $57,300 in February, 2020, as well as gaining two Regular Members, 5 Regular Members with Cart, 4 additional family members, 1 Junior Annual Member, and 1 Junior Summer Membership. Mr. Parish said some of the increased rounds could be due to Broadmoor Golf Course closing in November 2019. Mr. Parish said there was a total of 17,410 rounds from July, 2018 to February, 2019 compared to a total of 19,619 rounds from July, 2019 to February, 2020 for a total increase of 2,209. He said a proposed green fee increase of $1.00; ½ 18 Cart increase of $1.00; and a range token increase of $0.25 should see an increase of revenue by at least $14,700 for FY2020. Mr. Parish highlighted the Westwood Men’s Golf stating the Saturday League is set to begin march 7th, with a 3-man scramble. He said in total there are 13 events scheduled concluding in August with the Westwood Club Championship. Mr. Parish said the Thursday League will begin this evening, March 5th with weekly tournaments (30+ weeks) with the actual league starting April 30th, (12 weeks of league and 18-9 hole tournaments), concluding in October with the Halloween Scramble. The Westwood Ladies Play Days will be Thursday morning beginning in May and the Senior Play Days will be every Wednesday kicking off with a 2-Man Best Ball Tournament beginning in April and ending in October. Mr. Parish said the Mens and Ladies Clinics are scheduled every Tuesday in May. He said the 45th Invitational is scheduled July 3, 4, & 5th and said provided the numbers for the last several years as follows: 2013: 129; 2014: 147; 2015: 158; 2016: 138; 2017: 150; 2018: 153; and 2019: 162. Mr. Parish highlighted the Ping Junior Golf University which is for players ages 12-18 stating Westwood has 2 teams (7 players per team) in 2019. He said both Westwood teams qualified for State and Westwood hosted the State tournament. Mr. Parish said First Tee occurs Wednesday nights (75 kids) in Spring, Summer and Fall. He said Westwood has become one of the more popular sites according to the US Kids director and entry numbers confirm that. Westwood hosted 3 US Kids tournaments from 2016-2018, and 4 tournaments in 2019. Mr. Parish said the South Central Section, PGA, Jr. Tour was held June 12 with 69 players in 2019. He said Westwood will host a Free Jr. Clinic on June 2nd and 3rd. The Westwood Junior Academy will begin June 16th and meets 7 times finishing with a Junior Academy Championship on July 22nd. Mr. Parish highlighted the player numbers as follows: 2013: 87; 2014: 97; 2015: 92; 2016: 82; 2017: 56; 2018: 65; and 2019: 85. Disc Golf Tournament will be during the week of aerification and Westwood made $5,000 more in 2019 than 2018. Mr. Parish said Westwood will be hosting a Disc Golf Tournament beginning April 6th through 11th and then again in September during the Fall aerification. He said the Disc golfers were very appreciative. Mr. Parish said in 2019, Westwood hosted 40 outside tournaments and 32 internal tournaments as well as hosted Norman High on Mondays, Norman North on Tuesdays, and Middle Schools (Alcott/Irving and Whittier/Longfellow) on Wednesdays. He said the 6A Girls – Sabercat JV-9hole tournament is scheduled for March 12th and a 6A Sabercat Varsity Invitational is scheduled for Park Board Regular Meeting Page 3 of 6 March 5, 2020 March 23rd. Mr. Parish said Westwood will again host the Girls 3A State Golf Tournament, 3rd year in a row, on May 6 and 7th. Mr. Parish said Westwood promotes customer loyalty to the pro shop and to Westwood Park by offering discounts at the Pro Shop to Annual Members, and to the Mens and Ladies Golf Associates. He said additional tournament incentive coupons are offered to players for $5.00 off regular fee and $3.25 off the senior fee. Mr. Parish said the Birthday Club captures emails and sends out over 1,000 emails each month promoting monthly specials. Commissioner Salmond asked how the restaurant at Westwood was doing and Mr. Jud Foster, Director of Parks and Recreation, said it is doing very well. Commissioner Moxley asked whether the Westwood Fund will cover the costs of running the golf course, not that any of the other programs ever break even. Staff said the golf course is doing well and the numbers continue to increase. Commissioner Isacksen asked about the annual financials that Mr. Parish referenced and requested the information be submitted. Mr. Parish said he would send the information to Staff so that Staff can forward to the Park Board. Mr. Ralph Cagigal, Golf Maintenance Superintendent, said he has worked at Westwood for 36 years and will be retiring on March 19, 2020. He said he looks forward to retirement but he will miss his employees who are more like family to him. Mr. Cagigal presented a powerpoint presentation highlighting the many wonderful things he has enjoyed about Westwood over the years. After Mr Cagigal's retirement, his Assistant, James Lowry, will be Acting Superintendent. Mr. Cagigal said a lot of effort is done in order to keep the greens looking good and said a new greens mower was purchased in FY2020. He said the greens roller is used in place of mowing and increases the ball speed. Mr. Cagigal said some challenges will need to be addressed in the future and include: the irrigation system has not been renovated for two decades and line breaks on the aging system occur; drainage systems are packed with tree roots; and beavers continue to be on the rise. He said the employee break room needs a new roof and will be replaced in the near future. Commissioner Salmond asked about the equipment fleet and Mr. Cagigal said two pieces of equipment are replaced each year. Commissioner May thanked Ralph for his years of service to the City and praised his achievements. The Board echoed the acknowledgement and said Mr. Cagigal will certainly be missed. The Board acknowledged he report. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ITEM 5, being ANNUAL PRESENTATION FROM THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT Mr. Jason Olsen, Recreation Superintendent, highlighted the Recreation Division Programs for the Parks and Recreation Department. He said the Recreation Division includes: 5 Recreation and Community Centers; Westwood Family Aquatic Center (WWFAC); Westwood Tennis; Westwood Golf Grill; Sports Contracts; and Special Events. Mr. Olsen said the Recreation Division has 9 full-time employees; 16 permanent part-time employees; and 100+ seasonal temporary employees. Park Board Regular Meeting Page 4 of 6 March 5, 2020 Mr. Olsen said the 12th Avenue Recreation Center offers child care, i.e., after school, spring break, summer, fall break and Christmas break; pickleball, adult basketball and martial arts and bootcamp classes. He said the Irving Recreation Center also offers child care, i.e. after school, spring break, summer, fall break and Christmas break; Junior Jammers youth sports; classes such as cooking, t-shirt design; and Athletes Global Entrepreneur classes; special events and Teens Night Out. The Whittier Recreation Center offers child care, i.e. after school, spring break, summer, fall break and Christmas break Junior Jammers youth sports, classes to include dance, Bricks for Kids and STEAM classes; and several Sports Camps where the City partners with Ex-OU players. Mr. Olsen highlighted the Senior Center stating it offers several classes to include Tai Chi, Stretching and Yoga; Tax Aide; ceramics; serves as a meal site, and Senior Games. He said the Little Axe Community Center works with the Head Start Program and the Pioneer Library; and is a meal site for weekly food distribution. Mr. Olsen said the WWFAC will open in May, 2020 and offers open swim, swim lessons, swim meets, water fitness and special events. He said the Westwood Tennis Facility continues to grow since the new indoor tennis facility was constructed and The Turn Grill at Westwood Golf offers daily specials and continue to grows as well. Mr. Olsen said the Recreation Division has several contracts with sports associations to include Norman Youth Soccer Association (NYSA); Little Axe Youth Sports (LAYS); The Ball Clubs of Norman; and the Norman Adults Sports Association (NASA). Mr. Olsen said the Recreation Division has many Special Events throughout the year to include: Daddy Daughter Dance; Earth Day; Mother Son Dance; Easter Egg Hunt; @Legacy Event Series; Independence Day Celebration; Outdoor Movie Series; Family Dance; Ugly Sweater Run; Andrews Park Tree Lighting; and Winterfest at Legacy Park. Commissioner Sallee asked whether there would be fireworks this year at the Independence Day Celebration and Mr. Olsen said yes; however, it may be smaller than previous years. He said Staff may be able to work it back into the budget and/or get private support for the fireworks display. Chairperson Wright asked if the City calendar reflects all the events and Staff said yes. Commissioner Sallee asked whether anything special was occurring for the Earth Day 50th Celebration and Staff said a parade is being discussed and special trash pickups & cleanups will be occurring the month of April. He said a Sutton Wilderness Fun Run is scheduled whereas the runners will pick up trash as they run. The Board acknowledged the report. ITEM 6, being NORMAN FORWARD PROJECT UPDATE Mr. Jud Foster, Director of Parks and Recreation gave a Norman Forward Update to the Board. Ruby Grant Work continues at the park and the trails are under construction to include the laying the base gravel on the course. The foundations for the restrooms and pavilions have been poured and Park Board Regular Meeting Page 5 of 6 March 5, 2020 masonry contractors are on site to begin the memorial pavilion. The project is scheduled for completion in the fall. Andrews Skate Park American Ramp Company (ARC) has completed the final document/design and the local engineer has applied for a flood plain permit which is scheduled at the April Flood Plain Committee meeting. Mr. Foster said construction will begin shortly thereafter. He said a Grand Opening is planned for Summer 2020. Griffin Park and Reaves Park The OKC Dodgers field maintenance contractor has begun maintenance work at the Southeast ballfield complex at Reaves Park to include top dressing. They will continue to work on those four fields and get them ready for play this spring and throughout the season. This will allow the youth baseball program to operate some of their league at Reaves instead of the north fields at Griffin Park. That will allow us to continue the soccer field conversion work at Griffin Park. Mr. Foster said City Council met at a Study Session on February 26, 2020 and regular Council meeting on March 2, 2020 to discuss all the Norman Forward projects. He said the discussions also included additional City projects to include the main City Campus renovation(s) of the existing buildings and old library as well as the EOC building on Robinson Street near Hall Park and the construction of a Bus Maintenance and Park Maintenance Facility. Mr. Foster said the overall Norman Forward projects shortfall is approximately $85 million and the additional City projects is approximately $25 million, for a total of $110 million package. Mr. Foster said Council will be discussing the need for a Homeless Facility in Norman as well as stormwater issues at a Council Study Session on March 9, 2020. Commissioner Moxley asked if the NF budget and other City projects will be presented as a G.O. Bond and Mr. Foster said that has been discussed and may be a possibility. Commissioner Moxley asked what Plan B could be if Council chooses not to extend the NF Tax and/or the voters do not approve an extension of the NF tax. Mr. Foster said Staff will continue to do what can be done with the current budget; however, we may have to cancel some of the projects, i.e., Adult Softball and Football Facility. Commissioner Moxley asked if an indoor soccer field is necessary at Griffin Park and Mr. Foster said no, and initially it was removed from the project. Mr. Foster said the Griffin Park Ad Hoc Group put the indoor facility back into the project after meeting and discussed requesting the Council consider additional funding for the project. Commissioner Salmond asked if the Adult Softball and Football programs would remain at Reaves Park if a new Norman Forward facility was not constructed and Mr. Foster said that is correct. Mr. Foster said recent Council meetings discussing additional funding for Norman Forward projects were packed and there was standing room only. He said the people in attendance said they supported a Norman Forward tax extension and requested to take it to a vote of the people. Mr. Foster said the supporters felt constructing sub-standard facilities that would not support or grow existing sports and/or activities should not be done. He felt the supporters/stakeholders will support a vote if Council calls for a G.O. Bond election. Commissioner Sallee asked what the G.O. Bond would mean for the citizens and Mr. Foster said a G.O. Bond is a property tax. He said a $100,000 home would be taxed approximately $6 to $7 per month and an average home in Norman would pay approximately $20 per month. Commissioner Moxley asked whether 60% voter approval will have to be met and Mr. Foster said he thought it was 51%, but will need to double-check. Chairperson Wright asked when Council will decide and Park Board Regular Meeting Page 6 of 6 March 5, 2020 Mr. Foster said at the Council meeting on April 14th. He said if Council approves and calls for an election, the first available election date would be June 30, 2020 and the next election date is in August, 2020. Mr. Foster said construction has already begun and will continue at Griffin, Reaves, and Ruby Grant Parks; however, the Indoor Aquatic and Multi-Sport Facility is in a holding pattern. Commissioner Isacksen said one issue to keep in mind is that construction costs will keep going up. Commissioner Moxley asked whether bridge construction is typically on street bond issues and Mr. Foster said depending on the condition of bridges, those projects are generally under our Capital projects program. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ITEM 7, being MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION Chairperson Wright asked if staff positions are frozen due to the TIF petition. Mr. Foster said the judge deemed the TIF petition was not valid; however, the plaintiffs have 30 days, or until March 30th, to file an appeal. He said if an appeal is not filed, regular positions should be able to be refilled soon; however, seasonal positions can be hired as soon as possible for the WWFAC. Commissioner Salmond asked if the TIF petition has affected mowing contracts and Mr. Foster said no. Commission Favors asked whether the homeless can go back to the City parks since the warming shelter closed and Mr. Foster said, they are allowed to go to parks but are not allowed to stay overnight. Commissioner Favors asked whether Staff is keeping an eye on Sutton Wilderness and Mr. Foster said yes, and the Sutton Wilderness Advisory Committee monitors the park as well. Chairperson Wright said she heard about a fire at Sutton Wilderness and Mr. Wade Thompson, Parks Superintendent, said there was a fire due to a cigarette butt; however, it was not at a homeless camp. Commissioner Moxely invited everyone to attend the Big Event on April 18th from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ITEM 8, being ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Isacksen made the motion and Commissioner May seconded to adjourn. The vote was taken with the following results: YEAH: Chair Wright and Commissioners Dolan, Favors, Isacksen, May, Moxley, Ross, Sallee, and Salmond NAY: None Passed and approved this ____________of ________________________ 2020 Kristi Wright, Chairperson