Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Town of Swansboro Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board August 21, 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, August 21, 2024. Deb Pylypiw called the meeting to order at 5:29 p.m. Members present were Jenifer Steele, Lawrence Abalos, Debra Pylypiw, Matthew Prane, Debbie Harnatkiewicz, and Elena Messenger. Anna Stanley and Sara Elliott were present on behalf of the Town. II. Adoption of Minutes a. July 17, 2024, Meeting Minutes- The board reviewed the meeting minutes from July 17, 2024. Elena M. made a motion to approve the minutes Jennifer S. seconded the motion, and the meeting minutes were unanimously passed. III. Updates a. Monthly Report a. Director Stanley. said that the Monthly Report was in the packet and asked if there were any questions. Deb P. mentioned Mullet Festival being full for vendors, but Director Stanley said that this is July’s report, and festivals would be reviewed later in the agenda. b. Upcoming Programs/Events a. Tunnel to Towers held a logistical meeting and everything is on track for the event. The Board Members were encouraged to sign up with a QR to volunteer for the event. Sara E. discussed Summer Camp and how the camp had to close due to the hurricane for two days. BarkFest is coming up on September 28th from 10 AM – 2 PM. It is a free dog event and have secured two local K9 demonstrations, dog competitions, food vendors, dog photographer, and a craft tent for the dogs. Elena M. asked about the liability, but since it is in the park, all dogs must be leashed. Participants will need to follow normal park guidelines it will be strongly encouraged to leash their dogs and have vaccinations. All vendors are required to have some sort of dog giveaway. Elena M. asked about charging vendors, Sara E. replied that vendor fees are in place, but it is much less expensive than normal events/festivals. The goal is to have the splashpad open for the dogs on BarkFest. Matthew P. mentioned using the base dog handlers, Sara E. responded that the base had been contacted but were denied due to other dogs being at the event. Deb H. mentioned using a different dog rescue for an adoption event. Sara E. will research other possibilities. Tiny Trekkers and Sprout Scouts continues each month. Before Tunnel to Towers, the department is hosting a Wreath for Heroes class. Deb P. also mentioned Seaside Buzz Book Club is starting again in September and there is a waitlist. There is also a blood drive happening at the Recreation Center on Thursday, August 29th. Page 1 of 3  c. Updates Festivals-All vendors are full for Mullet Festival. All entertainment is confirmed. Director Stanley is doing another round of confirmation with everyone, and the first logistical meeting will be in the second week of September. Deb P. stated the need to get more boats involved for the Blessing of the Fleet on Friday night. There are usually about 15 boats but would like to increase the number of pleasure and commercial boats. The ceremony is broadcasted through VFH radio. The window clings for our Festival Sponsors came in and are being mailed out this week with the Mullet Festival VIP tent invitation. Deb P. discussed the Mullet Festival t-shirt with the new update of the historical SMF flag. The Jacksonville Onslow Sports Commission will host the 2nd Annual Movin’ Mullet on October 5th. IV. New Business a. Mullet Festival Activities- Director Stanley stated at a previous meeting the board had had discussed offering activities that were fishing related. A. Stanley told the board that the mullet activities would need to be overseen by them, since all park staff have other festival duties. The location for the new activities would be down by the Mattocks Stage and have added food vendors and music entertainment at that site. Volunteers can be used, but as long as the advisory board is able to facilitate the activities. There was discussion to have an informational booth or use a QR on A-Frame signs to give locations and entertainment schedule. b. Swimming Pool Committee- The Board of Commissioners has officially approved a swimming pool committee. Matthew P. discussed the committee and how there are two other people on the committee and what the next steps are. The next step is to establish a meeting schedule and have an initial meeting with committee responsibilities and expectations. Other steps include finding a location and a having feasibility study completed. Several board members expressed their concerns about financial commitments and the pool can be managed and sustained once it is opens. The advisory board would like to review research of smaller towns having a community pool to understand how it was funded, managed, and sustained. Deb H. mentioned that there are ongoing projects that need financial support. Elena M. discussed that the Parks and Recreation Department needed to grow (in terms of programming and staff) and then could show that it may be feasible to build, operate, and manage a pool facility. Matthew P. said that the Master Plan used a case study incorrectly about the pool not being supported, when in fact the case study, does approve it. The pool committee will need to have public meetings with an agenda and minutes recorded just like any other Town Committee. V. Old Business a. Field Rental Fees- Director Stanley met with the Town Manager about the Soccer Association field rental fees. They are currently paying $3/hour and Director Page 2 of 3  Stanley would like to increase the rate. The last contract was for three years and would like to change to an annual contract invoicing the fall and spring seasons separately. Director Stanly provided field rental rates from many other departments in the surrounding areas. After much discussion of rates compared to other departments, the advisory board recommended the rate should be $10/hour and with an increase in spring to the actual price of $20/hour. The advisory board felt that since the association is only using our fields for practice, they should be paying the normal resident rate. The advisory board did agree that it should be increased in increments so it would not be a drastic increase. Elena M. made a motion to charge $10/hour in the fall with an increase to $20/hour in the spring to match the current rate. Deb H. seconded the motion, and it was unanimously passed. b. Logo- The design from Elena was sent to the graphic designer. The advisory board decided to remove the birds, boat, mullet, and bench. Elements to add; a woman and dog with the child walking, suggested to move the sun to the sky and zoom in on the entire image to make the recreation center and swan larger. Sara E. will send notes to the designer for another revision. c. ARP Projects- Splash Pad had some delays due to weather and shades being back ordered but is on track and the goal is to open in the next two weeks. Director Stanley already ordered two picnic tables: one ADA accessible. There were different examples of metal and concrete benches, but the advisory board did not think metal was the best option. Director Stanely presented colorful single concrete stools to order with the picnic tables and the advisory board all agreed the small concrete stools would add a nice pop of color. It was also determined that one more picnic table would fit under the shade, so there will be three picnic tables in total. Once those tables are in place, Director Stanley will determine how many single concrete seats to order. Director Stanley is getting new quotes on all other ARP projects including the water fountains, outdoor restrooms, and basketball courts. This will be discussed at the next meeting. VI. Comments- VII. Adjournment- Lawrence A. made a motion to adjourn at 6:55 pm and Jennifer S. seconded the motion. All members were in favor. Next Meeting September 18, 2024, 5:30 PM Page 3 of 3