Parks and Recreation Board

222 West Main Street City of Pensacola Pensacola, FL 32502 Meeting Minutes 3 - Final Parks and Recreation Board Thursday, August 19, 2021 8:00 AM Hagler-Mason Conference Room Members of the public may attend the meeting in person. City Council encourages those not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings that cover their nose and mouth. 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL Present 7- Chairperson Rand Hicks, Vice Chair Maranda Sword, Renee Borden, Antonio Bruni, David Del Gallo, Alejandra Escobar-Ryan, and Leah Harrison Absent 1- Michael Wolf APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3. MINUTES FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD JULY 15, 2021 Attachments: July 15, 2021 Minutes Unapproved A motion was made by Del Gallo, seconded by Vice Chair Sword, that this Action Item be Approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Chairperson Hicks, Vice Chair Sword, Borden, Bruni, Del Gallo, Escobar-Ryan, and Harrison Absent: 1- Wolf PRESENTATIONS 4. NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT (NRDA) PRESENTATION Attachments: NRDA FLORIDA RESTORATION PLAN GRANT FUNDING Funds from BP oil spill will pay for the two projects. Money was allocated originally to the fish hatchery, but the project was cancelled and the funds returned. Funds were granted for the Kayak Fishing Trailhead Project and the Fishing Tournament Marina Projects. Both projects received more than was applied for due to inflation, changes in scope, and Fish/Wildlife for admin of the grant. The projects must be environmentally friendly with no public marinas, fueling, etc. The project will be audited for 2 years to be sure it is being used as intended. The marina will be able to be handicap accessible. City of Pensacola Page 1 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes 3 - Final August 19, 2021 The Sanders Beach Corrine Jones ramp will be converted to accommodate paddle craft. Marina is 90% designed and will be out for bid soon. The paddling trail will be 9.5 miles. The concept is subject to change. The estimated time line is that it will be fully permitted in Sept/Oct or later. Construction of the project will also take into account the Sturgeon migration season. Construction should begin next spring with completion expected in 2023. At this point Baars Park neighborhood has voiced some concerns about the park being included on the paddling trail, so a final determination whether or not to include it has not been made. Parts of these projects are listed on the City's website on the Capital Improvement webpage. 5. HOLLICE T. WILLIAMS PARK AND SKATE PARK DESIGNS Attachments: Hollice Williams Park Plan Matt Posner (RESTORE Program Manager at Escambia County, Florida) and Allen Vinson (HDR Engineering) brought the presentation. Mr. Vinson walked the board through the conceptual drawings. As many as 200 children practice football during the fall in this area. The players also bring parents and siblings. What will those people do during practices? HDR incorporated a fitness trail and obstacle course. He continued discussing the park including skatepark and community gardens, places to display art, demonstration kitchen and restrooms, amphitheater, historical landmarks, and vendor booths in the shape of train cars that will be available during events. The project will also include multiple stormwater areas. Questions included possible how the project will be funded. The plan will be phased in beginning with the skate park. The funding sources will designate what order the different aspects of the project will be completed. Robyn Tice spoke as a concerned neighbor. She is excited about the project. But she still has a few concerns such as parking, location of parallel parking, noise and lighting issues. Bike lanes for street and sidewalk riders will also addressed as well as shade for the playground. 6. DIRECTOR'S REPORT * Estramadura and Operto playgrounds have been installed. Granada Square and Longhollow Parks will be next. City of Pensacola Page 2 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes 3 - Final August 19, 2021 * An architect for the new community resource center has been selected - Carter Quina[Quina Grundhoefer]. * Playgrounds are being ordered for Sanders Beach and Bayview Parks. * The waterfront repairs at Bayview Park are underway. Sanders Beach is not far behind it. * Soccer may be starting Monday at Hitzman Park. * Roger Scott Tennis Center design is almost complete. * Hunter Pool construction will begin later this year. * Director Cooper explained that since the inception of the skatepark, the funding for it has changed. He went into details. * The Pensacola Police Department (PPD) is being reorganized, and Officer Bell will be transferring to the street and pulled off special projects, such as acting as park ranger. The parks will be added to the beat for regular visitations by PPD. Director Cooper thanked him for everything he was able to accomplish. STAFF REPORTS 8. PARKS PRESENTATION Attachments: Parks Presentation Superintendent Bill Kimball brought a brief presentation about Parks. * Parks is broken up into three sections - Parks Crew, Tree Crew, and Trash Crew. * Out of the four boat launches that we operate, one is currently open, and another one is being used, the other two are awaiting repairs caused by Hurricane Sally. * Currently we have three dog parks, with a fourth one that will be added soon at Kiwanis Park. * We have added another park with a splash pad, both of which are not currently open. * We remove on average about 80 trees per year, and prune over 200 trees. 7. CITY OF PENSACOLA BASKETBALL COURTS Attachments: City of Pensacola Basketball Courts Director Cooper had asked Assistant Thorsen to email the board members a map showing all of the basketball courts in the City limits. Discussion followed. It was mentioned that the basketball courts outside of Woodland Heights Resource Center have been moved to the nearby Calloway Park in order to make space for additional parking. The additional parking has not been built due to a change in Council priorities and the bids coming in way over budget. Only one basketball court has lights. Lights could be added IF the courts are not surrounded by homes, and if parking would not be an issue. City of Pensacola Page 3 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes 3 - Final August 19, 2021 Where else could lights be added? Who is using the courts, how are they getting there, where do they live? Discussion followed. The Board discussed whether to place the lights in the neighborhoods where people live, or ask the Neighborhood Associations where would be a good location. Different parks were discussed. If lights are added, add timers to the lights to turn them off at 7:30 to correspond to Daylight Savings time. What about Hollice T. Williams. Blair Stephenson - Put in lighting in Operto on timers. Corrine Jones park is used by County. Operto is a neighborhood league. Based on Off Bell. How to get public opinion on the subject? Could we allow them to play until 7:30 pm? Maybe the P&R Brd can poll the NA's they are working with for their input. Can the users give feedback as well? Can the results be reported back to 1 person (HT)? Only place we get complaints is at Operto, and it is due to parking. Question of funding was also raised. Member Harrison volunteered to draft a plan to reach out to the users of the basketball courts to get their opinions as well. A motion was made by Del Gallo, seconded by Harrison, that this Action Item be Approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Chairperson Hicks, Vice Chair Sword, Borden, Bruni, Del Gallo, Escobar-Ryan, and Harrison Absent: 1- Wolf NEW BUSINESS 9. PARK AMENITY DEDICATION - DR. PHILIP A. PAYNE Attachments: Park Amenity Dedication Form - Dr Philip A Payne Blair Stephenson mentioned that Dr. Payne began the Bayou Texar preservation foundation and was a big supporter of the storm water fee. Aug 23 will be the 20th year that Council enacted a storm water utility fee. The water quality has greatly improved since that time. The foundation will pay for the plaque and bench in Bayview Park. A motion was made by Del Gallo, seconded by Harrison, that this Action Item be Approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Chairperson Hicks, Vice Chair Sword, Borden, Bruni, Del Gallo, and Harrison Absent: 2- Escobar-Ryan, and Wolf 10. PARK AMENITY DEDICATION - DANNY WILLIAMS Attachments: Park Amenity Dedication - Danny Williams A motion was made by Del Gallo, seconded by Borden, that this Action Item be City of Pensacola Page 4 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes 3 - Final August 19, 2021 Approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Chairperson Hicks, Vice Chair Sword, Borden, Bruni, Del Gallo, and Harrison Absent: 2- Escobar-Ryan, and Wolf 11. PARK AMENITY DEDICATION - DENNIS BROWN Attachments: Park Amenity Dedication - Dennis Brown Several people requested to speak regarding the merits of both Danny Williams and Dennis Brown. Both men are highly respected by both the parents and the children that they interact with. A motion was made by Del Gallo, seconded by Borden, that this Action Item be Approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6- Chairperson Hicks, Vice Chair Sword, Borden, Bruni, Del Gallo, and Harrison Absent: 2- Escobar-Ryan, and Wolf 12. PARK AMENITY DEDICATION - ELWOOD Attachments: Park Amenity Dedication Form - Elwood Zam This Action Item was Postponed. OLD BUSINESS 13. PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD DUTIES A motion was made by Chairperson Hicks that this Action Item be Postponed. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 4- Chairperson Hicks, Vice Chair Sword, Borden, and Bruni Absent: 4- Del Gallo, Escobar-Ryan, Harrison, and Wolf 14. OPEN FORUM 15. ADJOURNMENT The City of Pensacola adheres to the Americans with Disabilities Act and will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs and activities. Please call 435-1606 (or TDD 435-1666) for further information. Request must be made at least 48 hours in advance of the event in order to allow the City time to provide the requested services. City of Pensacola Page 5