Parks & Recreation Commission

MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Via GoToMeeting March 15, 2021 5:30 PM A. CALL TO ORDER Chair JaneAnn Oldrup called the March 15, 2021 meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. B. ROLL CALL The following Members were present: JaneAnn Oldrup, Barry Mathison, Becky Joyce, and Kim Elliott. The following Members were absent: James Edwards, Maegan Sanders, and Megan Patterson. Staff present: Jim Burress, Special Services Director; Louis Najar, City Engineer, Stephanie Mervine, Interim Recreation Director; Juanita Jennings, Public Affairs Director, and Sharene Brooks, Parks Administrative Assistant, Sr. Guests present: Juno Ogle and Vicki Burress. C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Member Joyce motioned to approve the agenda, Member Elliott seconded; a voice vote was unanimous. Motion passed, with Members Edwards, Sanders, and Patterson being absent. D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Member Elliott motioned to approve the minutes of the January 11, 2021 meeting, Member Joyce seconded; a voice vote was unanimous. Motion passed, with Members Edwards, Sanders, and Patterson being absent. E. REGULAR ITEMS (ACTION ITEMS) 2. Approve 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Member Joyce had previously met with Louis Najar, City Engineer, regarding possible grants for different projects around Roswell. Grants would be easier to get if the City had an approved plan when applying for funding. The 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (the “Plan”) has not yet been adopted by City Council. Louis Najar added that the Plan had not been carried forward for resolution and needed to be approved so that he, as well as others, can go out for funding. RTP and Transportation Alternative Programs will have a Call for Projects around July. The City has reopened bids on the Spring River Trail Project that will consist of an overlay with some repairs and will cost $200,000-$250,000 per mile. He has $150,000 to work with for the Hondo Trail, from 2nd St. to Virginia. The Committee needs 1 to recommend the Plan to Infrastructure or General Services to get it started for adoption. City Council heard the presentation of the Plan in April, but it stopped there. Member Joyce motioned to approve the 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and to send to General Services for further adoption; Member Elliott seconded. Motion passed, with Members Edwards, Sanders, and Patterson being absent. After the vote, there was further discussion as to the Plan being only a guideline and whether an amendment was needed to the motion made by Member Joyce. Louis Najar responded that he would add more action verbiage in his abstract to City Council for the Plan and that the Commission should be attending the General Services meetings to help push their agendas through. Access to all the committees, agendas, and minutes are on the City webpage. Members will be notified when this master plan is on the General Services agenda. F. NON-ACTION ITEMS 3. Discuss the Upcoming 3/25/2021 NM SCORP Virtual Town Hall Meeting. Jim Burress, Director of Special Services, explained the purpose for the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) meeting set for March 25th. People in the southern part of the State need to participate, as it is an invitation to give opinions on what is needed. Roswell parks need to be updated and the trails need to be extended and connected. Member Elliott added that this update is done every 4-5 years and has been very instrumental in the funding for Roswell in the past. It is important for this group to join the meeting, as it is an opportunity to let your voice be heard. 4. Discuss the Location of the Next Park and Recreation Commission Meeting. Chair Oldrup would like the Commission to be able to meet in person at the next meeting. The possibility of using one of the rooms at the Recreation and Aquatic Center was discussed. The Boys and Girls Club will probably still be using the rec center until April. If the rec center is not available, Chair Oldrup will try to have it scheduled at another location. 5. Report on Aquatic Center. Interim Recreation Director, Stephanie Mervine, gave the aquatic report and a brief introduction of her new interim position. The center can currently allow 40 guests to swim in the pool per session following the latest Governor’s COVID-19 Order. They are working on Lifeguard Certifications for the summer. The aquatic center is hoping by Memorial weekend to open the outdoor pool, but does not have anything definite yet -- not until the Governor makes an announcement. 6. Report on Recreation Department. Interim Recreation Director, Stephanie Mervine, gave highlights of the recreation center. They had 553 members come to the center last week. They are moving forward as the recreational side of the center has opened up. Member Mathison and Interim Director Mervine discussed the possibility of changing the pool hours earlier/later, as citizens have requested. A swimming team uses the pool after 6:00 p.m. and the pool has to be cleaned, so time needs to be allowed for that. The pool is still under restrictions. Member Joyce inquired of Stephanie as to her current interim position. Director of Public Affairs, Juanita Jennings, stated that the Recreation Director position would be evaluated in the future. Members Mathison and Edwards will meet with Stephanie to discuss sports tourism. Director Jennings gave updates on the Zoo. The 2 Zoo has started taking admission fees and now has a store to sell merchandise. They are working on a new platform for memberships that can be used at any of the facilities that are participating in the program. Most of the Zoo attendance is from outside of Roswell -- TX, CO and OK, as well as Artesia, Carlsbad, and Capitan. A Safety Inspection is scheduled to ensure the zookeepers and guests, as well as the animals, are safe and taken care of. Enrichment programs are coming up in the spring in compliance with COVID-19 restrictions. They are still in the process of finding a Zoo Director and have the goal of having someone onboard by mid-May. 7. Report on Parks Department. Jim Burress, Director of Special Services, gave the report on the Parks Department. The new splash pad continues to be worked on. City Engineer, Louis Najar, provided status information on the new All-Inclusive Park. A kick- off meeting was held with the design team. There will be a stakeholders meeting planned and groundbreaking will probably happen in 2022. Director Burress added that the Parks Department is working on the duck pond at the Zoo. He is putting numbers together and will need to relook at the funding. Member Mathison asked about repaving the cart paths at the Golf Course. Negotiations had started last week to put black top on the roads from 8th St. to the service area. Director Burress also addressed the issue of porta-pots at the parks. They are $100 per unit per month and are cleaned once a week. There is no COVID-safe way to put them out -- that is why they were removed. He may start with putting out a few, but is hard-pressed at those costs. If you want the pots cleaned more than once a week it costs even more. They may put signs on the outside of the units to show when the last time each was cleaned. G. OTHER BUSINESS 8. Public Comments. Guest Ogle asked where the 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was posted on the website. H. ADJOURN Member Mathison motioned to adjourn the meeting, Member Joyce seconded; a voice vote was unanimous. Motion passed, with Members Edwards, Sanders, and Patterson being absent. The meeting adjourned at 6:15 p.m. Next Commission meeting: April 19, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. 3