Parks and Recreation Meeting

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Meeting Minutes Date of meeting: March 01, 2023 Call to order: 6:01 PM Meeting Location: Town Hall I. Roll Call • Commissioner Sheldon Zatkin - Present • Commissioner Jeff Allen - Absent • Commissioner Jeff Ahern - Present • Chairperson Diane Huckins - Absent • Vice-Chair Erin Thomas - Present • Commissioner Michelle Ahern - Present • Commissioner Gina Anderson - Absent II. Call To The Public • None III. Approval of Meeting Minutes • Approval of Minutes of December 07, 2022, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission Meeting Minutes o Motion to approve – Commissioner Zatkin o Second – Commissioner Jeff Ahern IV. Business • Director Update presented by Devin Stalder o Director Updates will be recurring section at these meetings o Devin Stalder is the new PRCS director and began in his new role at the beginning of February o PRCS Monthly Update is our “playbook” in the department and will be sent out to the department and commissioners o It includes: current events, event and recreation updates, parks updates department kudos, financial updates, and strategic goals updates o Respond to Devin with any adjustment you see are needed in the director updates o Spring 2023 Program Guide has been published. It covers March through June • Physical copies are available at Town Hall and the Rec center • Digital Copies are on our website o Sponsorships are now active • We are starting to see support from the community • Everything is available online on our sponsorships page o The Community Resources Page went live recently • This area of our website represents the community services branch of our department • Components: a. Assistance services b. Sports c. Community calendar d. STAC e. Parks Stewardship f. Services o Department Organization Chart Update • We currently have 32 part time and full time staff • There are 4 legs in our department: admin, events, recreation, and parks • There is a currently a vacancy in the Recreation Manager position • March 9 interviews begin and March 20 we hope to fill the role o Questions: • Commissioner Zatkin: Quail Creek is growing quickly It might be a nice idea for our staff to do a presentation with other city services in that location for the older community out there. If that community knew more of what was going on, we would get more involvement in our activities and programs. • Devin Stalder: We will take that note and act on it. • Commissioner Zatkin: We could make it a town service once a year. • Stalder: We will report back on that at our next meeting. • Vice-Chair Thomas: What is the date of the fiesta Sahuarita? • Stalder: Saturday April 15th from 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Lacey our special events coordinator will present on that later in the meeting. • Vice-Chair Thomas: Will there be a booth at that event for the department? • Stalder: Yes, there will be. • Vice-Chair Thomas: Let me know if there is anything I can do to help with the booth. • Vice-Chair Thomas: How are events put on the new Community Calendar? • Lilly Nelson: There is a submission form on the page where we receive information. Once it is approved it will be added to the calendar. • Commissioner Zatkin: What can the commission do besides coming to these meetings? • Stalder: With the master plan, there will be more action items for the commission. Moving forward from here, there will be more actionable items that we will be taking to the commission including on our CIP initiative. • Master Plan – Virtual presented by Teresa Jackson o Pending commissions approval, this will move to adoption by the council in April o Redundancies in goals were made more clear o The language discussing Partnerships and event sponsorships was clarified to differentiate o There were no substantive changes, but changes to clarity and ease of use o Trails Master Plan • In the trail maps, our goal was to increase connectivity because of the value of trails in Sahuarita • Trails master plan connects trails North at De Anza and South towards Llano Grande • Area connected for increased connectivity – 12 segments of trail for the town to pursue to increase connectivity were identified • There is currently not a lot of awareness about the current connectivity A critical step is to create a way finding program and signage to make the community aware of existing connectivity • Action item is to connect De Anza to Llano Grande trailhead o Questions: • Commissioner Zatkin: Will the additional map from your presentation be in the trails master plan? • Teresa Jackson: Ch. 7 has maps and descriptions of all 12 segments • Vice-Chair Thomas: From top to bottom, how many miles are in the trail system. From De Anza to Llano Grande? • Jackson: I don’t have the answer this evening. I will get that distance from J2. That is something we can include in the document before it gets to council. • Vice-Chair Thomas: With the Boy Scouts, we have to do so many miles. So, being able to find out how many miles we would travel on those trails would be very important. Have you talked about color coding parts of the trail for way-finding? • Jackson: The way-finding is a short term recommendation for the next 3 years to be implemented in the next 4 to 7 years. The teams next step would be to develop what that plan looks like. Mile markers is a common part of plans • Stalder: The master plan is our playbook of the projects we want to pursue. Where is comes to what we actually want to take action on, that is where the commission comes into that process. • Thomas: I frequent that trail and I know there are parts where you have to cross over dirt in the river or cross over the river. I have a child with special needs and a three wheel bike, and some parts are very treacherous. I think for those trails, it is important to take into consideration the accessibility for the elderly and people with special needs. That might be some ideas to consider when we get to that point.  • Stalder: One point we have found in the master plan is the large percent of the population lives with some kind of disability. We are in conversations with Pima, who maintains some of the trails, with getting those developed. • Thomas: I am willing to sit on those meeting if needed. • Stalder: We are also looking to get a position open that will be more informed on ADA requirements in the future. Your attendance would be appreciated at any future trails meetings. • Commissioner Zatkin: Do you ever take the master plan to stake holders at other meetings we have had? • Stalder: It is a standard practice in PRCS that as the document is finalized, it is a public document and will be available to the public on our website. We have gotten feedback, and are about 90% complete. • Stalder: Staffs recommendation is for Commission to motion for approval o Motion to recommend the Master Plan to commission for approval – Commissioner Zatkin • Second – Commissioner Ahern • Vote: unanimous o Stalder: Thank you to Teresa, Berry Dunn, and our staff on the work on the master plan • Parks Update – CIP o March is over seeding operations beginning at Anamax next week • March 6 – 17 Anamax Dog Park is closed • Quail Creek Dog Park will be closed March 20 – 31 o April will be occupied by CIP projects pending council approval • Maintenance office building is tentatively to be • March 13th will be when the engineer is onsite • Twin Buttes Unpaved Trail Construction is also coming up. o Completed projects include: Anamax Sewer Project and the Parque los Arroyos Playground replacement o Pending projects include: • Anamax Splash pad. A site design will begin shortly pending March 6 Council approval • Anamax Scoreboard project is 99% complete • Equipment Replacement includes the rotary cutter attachment, ABI Inforce groomer for the ball fields, and a 2020A Gator • Maintenance Office Building Replacement tentative date is March 13 o Outstanding Projects • Twin Buttes Trailhead and Restroom is currently over budget • Maintenance Office Building Replacement is also over budget. Council authorized funds transfer from Trailhead project to maintenance building project  o Ranked CIP projects. The responses from commission were largely in agreement with current ranking • There have been changes in how CIP projects are handled. All recurring projects will be classified as such and will come straight off the top before we discuss where CIP funds will go. • Vehicle Acquisition is its own line item in the CIP projects now • Community Projects will include the remaining CIP projects. Most of these are tentatively slated to be funded • Stalder: After the feedback from the commissioners, leadership advised how to present CIPs to council. We decided the priorities were in what we already own and need to maintain at a high level. Community Projects are things that would get us something new. We don’t have funding now, but the next council meeting is when this will be discussed. The new components presented did not change the order of CIPs. • Vice-Chair Thomas: When you say recurring projects, does resurfacing playgrounds mean replacing the material? • Dylan Pruitt: Yes, we will be replacing them with a rubberized surface that is more ADA compliant. o Future CIP Discussion • CIP Projects through 2028 • To facilitate pickle ball development and more dog parks, other projects have been shifter around. • Stalder: This information is uncategorized because we don’t know how these will be funded. In fiscal year 25, we will lean on commission to rank these projects. o Questions: • Commissioner Zatkin: The Pecan Company moved out the their large building. Is there talk of the town using that building? • Stalder: We have property acquisition as a priority for this fiscal year. We are coming to Council about the town’s long term property acquisition strategy. We are currently experiencing space issues with our programs. We are approaching council for feedback. We haven’t considered the Pecan building. • Commissioner Zatkin: It won’t be cheep but it still might assist with facility needs • Stalder: By Tuesday, after the council meeting, we will have an update about how the property acquisition discussion is going. • Recreation Events/Programs o Recreation Updates: • Austin Campbell, recreation coordinator, is presenting with Joseph Ornelas. Lacey Simmons, events coordinator, is also presenting. • Camp Sahuarita and Seasonal Camps  a. These include: Rodeo, Spring Break, Fall Break, Winter Break, Camp Sahuarita b. Camp Sahuarita is 8 weeks long c. The kids are ages 6 – 12, and the camps runs from 8 – 4 PM with before care options • Camp Field Trips a. We visit areas in Tucson. Last year we went to the zoo, bowling, to the pool, and the movies b. We allow the local community members to swim at the pool while we c. 150 mile radius for our field trips • Day to Day at Camp a. Our camp schedule includes morning announcements, free time, STEM, Cooking, Crafts, Camp Games b. Check in and check out at the front desk with an ID check. c. Depending on size of the camp and staffing, we split into 2 to 3 groups d. Capacity is limit to 30 kids due to facility limitations e. Staff come up with each of the rotations. For example, we have themed weeks like Olympics, video games, etc. Activities are based off the theme of the week • Paint and Craft and Sip a. This is a very successful program b. The capacity is 16 participants c. We keep the cost low: $15 for paint class, $20 for craft class • Tot Time and Sports FUNdamentals a. Geared towards 2 – 5 year olds b. Parents are participating in these programs c. Tot time is 12 participants. There are 2 sessions and usually has a waiting list. It includes movement, song, STEM, craft, and other themed activities d. Sports FUNdamentals: 8 is the capacity but moves to 20 because of demand. It is a feeder program for our camps. Participants in these programs stay for camps • Other programs: a. These include arts and craft and cooking class. All these programs fill quickly b. Park and Play is when we take these out to our parks with activities for families and kids to play with c. Fitness Court is staff led by Rosemary d. Senior Bingo hour begins next Monday • Upcoming Programs include Co-Ed Softball. This filled up in less than a week last year. Kickball league is also doing well.  a. More programs we plan to add include pickle ball and after school programs b. We are working on recreation sponsorships to mirror event sponsorships o Event Updates: • Fiesta Sahuarita April 15 2 – 8 OM at Anamax • Overview a. 100 vendor spots open. 25 currently sign up b. There will also be food trucks, live music, kids zone, and more • Information booth a. We will hand out information, answer questions, and hand out t shirts • Vendors a. There will be local organizations, business, non profits b. There are 20 food trucks sports with 15 filled c. Vendor area on fields 1, 2, and 3 • Live music a. Mariachi will play for 2 hours to kick of the event on the stage b. There will be a dance floor for performances • Kids Zone a. This will include wet and dry inflatable, an obstacle course, bounce house, rock climbing, and more • Beer garden a. It will be spaced out throughout the event b. Harbottle and Coppermine Breweries will be servicing with a special blend for fiesta • Drone Show a. This will include the town logo and top five sponsor logos b. It will 12 – 13 minute presentation c. The show is completely customizable d. We will begin working with them nest week to run through ideas o Questions • Stalder: Lacey and her event team has been increasing event attendance significantly due to their creative ideas. Maintenance staff are also working hard in the background to make sure the field are ready for these operations • Vice-Chair Thomas: I am impressed by the work you have put in. • Commissioner Zatkin: We have come a long way. It is very impressive. Many people moving here for that reason. • Stalder: We are community driven. We enjoy putting on these events to highlight the community. • Park Name – Parcel 30 o Site plan for parcel 30  • This is a partnership with Tohono O’odham, BP, and PRCS to develop reclaimed mine land for the community • 9,000 lineal feet of trails to be put in including about 6 acres of pollinator gardens and 2.3 acres of gathering place for events specifically targeted for educational gatherings • There will be signage about history, animals, and plants in the area • Ramadas and historical Tohono O’odham shade structures for demonstration • We hope the park will be given over to the town in late May or early June • There will be a ribbon cutting soon. Once the date is solidified, we will share it with the commission o Parcel 20 Park Naming Process: • We gathered a list of names from individuals from the town, Tohono O’odham and BP. • We are hoping to have all of the prospective names translated in to Tohono O’odham • Once they are translated, it will be narrowed down through a social media vote to the top 3 names to be presented to commission for recommendation to council • Council approval of the final name will be on 4/10/23 • We will need a special virtual session to vote. • Vice-Chair Thomas: Wednesday would be best • Commissioner Zatkin: Wednesday works for me as well o Stalder: We will move forward with the special commission meeting being on March 22 at 6 PM virtually o At the ribbon cutting, there will be a trail blessing by the Tohono O’odham o Stalder: when we go out to social media about the names, that will be our announcement of the project to the public. Parcel 30 was historically a zinc processing facility. BP and Tohono O’odham has developed the site and handed it over to the town as a new park facility for the community. • Questions o Commissioner Zatkin: Are you going to require more maintained people to do this? o Pruitt: We are definitely a few maintained staff down currently. We are looking to bring on more pending approval o Stalder: For this need, we are working on positional requests within the CIP process. o Commissioner Zatkin: Do you envision anything along the new road Quail Crossing? o Stalder: That is currently zoned for Low density residential. Shopping facilities are unlikely. We are looking to acquire property adjacent to Quail Creek Park for further parks development.  o Pruitt: We would be able to increase the scope of Quail Creek Park through the park development of that potential acquisition. o Stalder: The Quail Creek area is seeing increased activity and population. We have discussed that Quail Creek Park is seeing the most increase in usage among our park locations. o Commissioner Zatkin: Having the car show, soccer games, and dog parks will have that park see more use. o Stalder: To let you in on our elements, we have taken the last year to develop our services to ht community. We are looking at Quail Creek as a potential for being a more premier facility for fields . The potential adjacent acquisition would open up more green space for the community to use. o Vice-Chair Thomas: Are the fields booked quickly? Is there a waiting list? o Austin Campbell: Our field are fully booked. We have a 6 month allocation period for about 16 sports organizations who use the fields in an RSO process. When they are not booked, they are open on a calendar for others to use. o Thomas: When are they booked? How far out are reservations? o Campbell: We go month by month to accommodate the changes in needed allocations. There is a trickle down effect for field usage. o Stalder: Over a year ago, our process was scattered. We now require our RSO organizations to provide documentation to get RSO field priority. We are working internal on our policy. The next step now that RSO has been figured out is to see if we can open more fields up for community use. Potential field developments will offset that need. This community has not prioritized open green space which is something we are looking to focus on moving forward. o Vice-Chair Thomas: I have heard it is hard to get field space for sports organizations. My family used green space and it is hard to find a space to go. V. Adjournment Adjourned at 7:29 PM