Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Town of Swansboro Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board July 17, 2024 I. Call to Order & Roll Call-The Swansboro Parks and Recreation Board met at the Swansboro Recreation Center for a regular board meeting on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Deb Pylypiw called the meeting to order at 5:53 p.m. Members present were Jenifer Steele, Lawrence Abalos, Debra Pylypiw, and Elena Messenger. The members absent were Matthew Prane and Debbie Harnatkiewicz. Anna Stanley and Sara Elliott were present on behalf of the Town. II. Adoption of Minutes a. April 17, 2024, Meeting Minutes- The board reviewed the meeting minutes from April 17, 2024. Jennifer S. made a motion to approve the minutes Lawrence A. seconded the motion, and the meeting minutes were unanimously passed. III. Updates a. Monthly Report b. Upcoming Programs/Events c. Updates Festivals-Independence Day Celebration had record setting attendance. Fire and Police estimated 10,000 attendees. The fireworks preparation was successful and there were no issues with the company or logistics. This year the Fire Department worked with DOT to close one lane of the highway for participant viewing. Lawrence A. commented that it was one of the best things we have done. Several of the food trucks sold out. Director Stanley is already working on securing fireworks vendor for next year. Lawrence A. suggested to have the music play till 11 pm. This may elevate some of the traffic immediately following the fireworks. Deb P mentioned that Arts by the Sea was very successful, no major incidents. Deb P and Sara E. ran the event efficiently. Fifty nine tickets were sold for the wine tasting. Next year tickets will be limited to 100. Staff needs to hold an after action meeting to review this year’s events and suggestions for next year. The festival added a Taste of the Town component to the wine tasting which seemed to be successful. Participants voted for their favorite appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Winners of the categories were The Boro Café, Preston’s Corner, and El Cigno. . The festival hopes to have more restaurants participate next year. Fifty percent of the vendors spaces were sold for the 2025 event. Elena M. asked what kind of recognition the restaurants received. Deb P. stated that each was presented a plaque at the Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting and was in the Tideland News. Lawrence suggested that announce all year end winners, sponsors, etc. at Flotilla. Page 1 of 3 Splashpad Renovation-The splashpad was closed on July 15 for renovations to begin. 811 will come out to make any electrical or water lines. There was a delay in the shade fabric. Rather than the project any longer the construction company will begin the seating wall and hopefully when that is complete the shade structures can be installed. Director Stanley mentioned that she did not want to close the splashpad during the summer, but was concerned that come September/October that a hurricane could delay construction even longer. 2023-24 Budget Review-moving to the August meeting agenda, as all the final expenses have not been finalized to close out the year. 2024-25 Budget-2024-25 Annual Budget was approved by the Board of Commissioners. Director Stanley highlighted cuts that could affect the department. Part time staff was cut by $10,000 and no COLA increase for all Town of Swansboro Staff. Special events were cut by $5000, which includes Piratefest. The event is held in conjunction with Onslow County Parks and Recreation and pays approximately 60% of the total expense. The director is concerned once the event leave Downtown Swansboro it will not return. Director Stanley is hoping to go before the Board of Commissioners and ask that Piratefest be reinstated. Training was cut by $1200 and would have been cut completely if it wasn’t for two staff members have to obtain CEU’s to meet certification requirements. Splashpad repairs and maintenance was cut by $2,000, playground equipment was cut by $1500 and Director is concerned that she will have to go back to the BOC to ask for additional funds for playground repairs. All non-capitol requests were denied. The director requested replacing another treadmill, park trash cans, and pet waste containers for the parks. No capital projects the director requested were funded. The director asked for funds to replace the Tot Lot in Municipal Park. The piece of equipment is more than 20 years old and parts are becoming obsolete. The director is hoping that repairs can still be made, if not the entire piece of equipment will have to be removed. The BOC requested $150,000 to add additional pickleball courts and was approved. Costs of the courts will depend on the location, how many courts added, and if a new stormwater permit will be needed. Elean M asked if tournaments are held at the courts, director replied that only one was held last year and it was just for the league only. Elena M. suggested to research putting in large courts and hosting tournaments to offset the cost. Jenn S. asked if the full $150,000 was not used for pickleball courts could the funds for other projects. Deb P stated the community members ask her permanent corn hole boards could be installed and disc golf. Director Stanley mentioned that the topic of disc golf has come up before and is something to definitely consider with the amount of land in Municipal Park. Page 2 of 3 IV. New Business a. Little Pink Houses of Hope- Little Pink Houses of Hope offers free vacation retreats to breast cancer patients and their families. They are also partnering with Swansboro Paddle Boarding to host this event. Ocean Cure, from Wilmington, leads kayaking and paddleboarding for families. The event will be held on August 21, 2024, 9am-12:30 pm at Bicentennial Park. The fee would be $40 for an open space permit. Little Pink Houses of Hope is asking for a waiver of fees for the event. Non- profit letter and certificate of insurance will be received prior to the event. The request was presented to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on July 17, 2024, for their recommendations. The advisory board recommended that the fees be waived for the Little Pink House of Hope event on August 21, 2024. b. Swansboro Historical Association- SHA is a non-profit organization requesting the Town of Swansboro waive the fees for use of the Assembly Room/Old Town Hall for their quarterly evening programs, occasional planning sessions, and daytime seminars. Programs planned for this year are August 21, 2024, 5-9pm (Pride of Swansboro: Boats and Boat Building), and two in November (dates and program, to be determined). The SHA has been hosting free programs to the community since 2016. The special event application was presented to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on July 17, 2024, for their recommendations. The advisory board recommended that the fees be waived for SHA programs for the remainder of the year or until a lease agreement is signed. c. Parks and Recreation Logo Ideas-Several logo graphics were provided to the board for review. Eleana M. submitted a design, which all board members liked. Suggestions were made to remove some of the elements because it was too much detail for a small logo. Sara E. will send Elena’s design and board suggestions to the graphic designer. V. Old Business VI. Comments-Deb P. stated that cars parking in vendor areas after the no parking time has always been an issue. Deb P. would like to discuss with the police chief if tickets can be issued to cars parked in areas after the road closures. Lawrence A. suggested that we have a tow truck onsite. VII. Adjournment- Elena M. made a motion to adjourn at 6:25 pm and Jennifer S. seconded the motion. All members were in favor. Next Meeting August 21, 2024, 5:30 PM Page 3 of 3