Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES SWANSBORO PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD February 15, 2023 The Swansboro Parks and Recreation Board met at the Swansboro Recreation Center for a regular board meeting on Wednesday, February 15, 2022. Jennifer Steele called the meeting to order at 5:37 p.m. Members present were Jenifer Steele, Debbie Harnatkiewicz, Nancee Allen, and Debra Pylypiw. Anna Stanley and Robby Fellows were present on behalf of the Town. Members absent were Patrick Larkin and Lawrence Abalos. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Debbie H. made a motion for the current officers to remain in their current positions and was seconded by Nancee A. All members were in favor. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The board reviewed the meeting minutes from the November 16, 2022, and corrected the first paragraph that Deb P. called the meeting to order. Deb P. made a motion to accept the minutes with the correction made, Jenn S. seconded and the meeting minutes were unanimously passed. REPORTS Managers’ Report: The December 2022 managers’ report was provided to the board for review. The advisory board had no questions or comments. Upcoming Programs: Robby Fellows provided an update on previous and upcoming programs. Holiday camp had 8-12 kids per day. The Down Syndrome Network will continue to offer programs in 2023. The Teacher Workday Camps in January were full. At the end of January, the department celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Recreation Center. Program instructors and community partners (Pound! Fitness, Art instructor/educator Carol McDearmon, Tennis Bloc, Mandala Yoga, Hammocks Beach State Park, Swansboro Soccer Association, Trillium, Jessica's Dance Academy & more) will be on site to demonstrate and share information about their respective programs offered. During the event there was live music in the park along with Kaiyo Hibachi and Two Crazy Donuts food trucks. The 2023 pickleball league began and league time is Monday-Saturday, 9 am-noon. Lessons with Tennis Bloc are going well, and another session will begin in March. Pound fitness class continues, and participation is increasing, Music Therapy, Fellowship Night, Seaside Book Buzz, and theater trips continue. Summer Day Camp registration will open March 1, 2023. The next event the department has is the Easter Egg Hunt on March 31. Comprehensive Master Plan- Director Stanley previous sent a draft of the plan to the Parks Board for review. Jenn S. made a comment that in the inventory section, Riverview Park, there was no mention of repairs needed and the possibility of Pineland Park becoming a passive park once the equipment was aged out or needed repaired. Anna S. replied that when the original assessment was done, the repairs of Riverwalk Park were not known. Anna S. made a note regarding Pineland Park and would make the recommendation. Directory Stanley wanted a recommendation of approval, however not all the board members had reviewed the document. Festivals-Sponsorship packets were sent out in December and are beginning to come in. The department has collected $10,000 in sponsorships to date. A couple of new sponsors have committed and a few previous had increased their donations. 1 Arts by the Sea-Vendors applications are being accepted and will accept until a few weeks prior to the festival or sold out. The department is proceeding with the Wine Tasting event again and reaching out to wine vendors to design a wine label dedicated to the festival. July 4th Celebration-The event has been moved to July 3 and a new fireworks vendor has been hired. The new vendor conducted a site visit prior to being hired to ensure that the site could be utilized and no unforeseen issues. The Tams were able to move to July 3 to accommodate the new date. Mullet: Deb P provided updates on the Mullet Festival; the department would like to add amusement rides to this years event. Deb P has contacted a few vendors and is waiting to hear back from them. Vendors applications are coming in as well. NEW BUSINESS Special Event Application-Director Stanley revised the current special event application to include more detailed questions and information. The previous application did not contain enough information that was needed to process the application. Staff always needed to go back to the application and ask additional questions and gather more detailed information. Some new fees may need to be added which would include charges for not removing trash and if electricity was needed. Deb P. asked events with food or wine vendors would need to provide a certificate of insurance (COI). Anna S. will confer with the Town Manager but feels that is necessary to require the event to have a COI, and there is a Town ordinance that no alcohol is allowed in the parks. The board agreed and supported the revisions of the special event application. Dog Park Features-Director Stanley consulted with a professional dog trainer for suggestions of what type of features may best suit the department’s dog park. The professional suggested before adding any features, that a smaller fenced in area (within current area) for smaller dogs. Staff reached out to surrounding parks and recreation departments to inquire if they had a separate area for smaller dogs and in fact most departments did have separate areas. An initial assessment was that it would cost approximately $1800. The board was in favor of adding a separate area for small and large dogs. Budget-Director Stanley is currently drafting the budget for 2023-24 fiscal year. A full time Program and Event Coordinator and additional dock attendants were requested. Additional staff hours were requested to operate the concession stand on the weekends during May-September. Additional funds for festival marketing were requested since we are receiving funds from the county and Swansboro TDA. Director Stanley has met with Onslow County Tourism Director to discuss new ways to advertise and bring people into the area. OLD BUSINESS ARP Funding-The Town of Swansboro was awarded funds from the American Rescue Plan and our department submitted capital projects, items, and equipment the department needed. Items funded were a UTV/gator, splashpad enhancements, cameras for Church Street Dock, replace toilets in park 2 restrooms, convert water fountains to have a bottle refill component and purchase a new parks maintenance truck. The rope climber has arrived and waiting for an installation date. The UTV has been ordered and is expected to arrive in the next month. Cameras for Church Street Dock have arrived, and installation will begin next week. Director Stanley is working with a dealership for the park’s maintenance truck. The state contractors available for purchase either have not responded to inquiries, are not able to purchase trucks, or only have 1-2 models available. Director Stanley is working with a couple of vendors that have state contracts/Co-op for the splashpad improvements. Replacing outdoor restrooms and upgrading water fountains has been stalled due to no response from plumber. Public works is having the same issue and both departments will have to secure quotes from other plumbers. PUBLIC COMMENTS OTHER COMMENTS ADJOURNMENT Deb Pylypiw made a motion to adjourn the meeting and was seconded by Debbie H. and was unanimously approved and adjourned at 6:22 p.m. 3