Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Town of Swansboro Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 18, 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, September 18, 2024. Deb Pylypiw called the meeting to order at 5:30 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. August 21, 2024 Meeting Minutes- The board reviewed the meeting minutes from August 21, 2024. Jenn S. made a motion to approve the minutes, Lawrence A. seconded the motion, and the meeting minutes were unanimously passed. III. Reports a. Monthly Report- Director Stanley said that the August monthly report was in the packet and asked if there were any questions. No questions from the board. b. Upcoming Programs/Events-Sara E. reviewed upcoming programs Barkfest-September 28, Adoption first will attend and have dogs up for adoption. K9 demonstrations, dog crafts, and a water station will be at the event. In the case of rain, the event will be moved to the parking lot area. Halloweenie Roast-The event is October 26, 6 pm and will be a little different this year. The event is moving back to the Recreation Center and adding a Truck or Treat. Sara E. invited all the Touch a Truck participants to come and has had a good response. There will be a craft area and will still provide hot dogs, chips, and water. Lighthouse Realty is sponsoring the event providing funds to purchase the food and supplies and is also providing the prizes for the contests. This year there will be a costume contest, dog costume contest, and pumpkin pie contest. The Mayor and two Board of Commissioners will judge the contests. Sara asked the board for volunteers. Santa Fest-Event is December 7, 10am-1pm. Sara is looking to revamp the event and asked for Christmas event ideas. Lighthouse Realty will sponsor Santa Fest. New holiday programs-Sara E. is creating a new series of craft programs themed around the holidays. She is looking at creating 4-5 new programs for the series. Boulder Designs, one of the festival sponsors, may conduct a holiday program with small decorative boulders to paint. Page 1 of 4  Tiny Trekkers and Sprout Scouts will continue and be Halloween themed in October. Director Stanley mentioned that Elf in the Woods is a popular program and would like to offer that again and have two options available, one during the week and one on a weekend. Deb P. asked about Snow Up the Park that was done many years ago. Director Stanley stated that the company went out of business and all the equipment was sold to the city of Jacksonville. Deb P. asked if the city would be willing to hold the event. Director Stanley stated that she could look into it for the next budget cycle. IV. New Business V. Old Business New logo design-The logo design went from very detailed to a simpler version. Director Stanley wanted the font to be changed. Lawrence A. liked the design, but suggested to put some initials on the building so that people would know that it is the Recreation Center. Deb P suggested printing the logo in a smaller size to see how it would look. Mullet Festival activities-Deb P. reviewed the current activities we have; in the First Citizens parking lot there will be inflatables, and the boy scouts will have fish painting crafts. Deb P asked what type of activities the board wanted to provide. Elena M. is looking to provide more sedentary activities, or some fishing activities. Lawrence A asked where the activities would be held, Deb P. stated that it would be at the Schuller lot and would have an information tent. Lawrence suggested having a fossil dig but would have to find a location for it. Director Stanly asked if the board was still interested in having net casting activities. Deb P. is trying to find individuals to conduct those demonstrations. Lawrence A. suggested having the small rubber ducks to pick up and have numbers for prizes. Sara E. can get the supplies for the activities. Director Stanley informed the board that the Jacksonville Onslow Sports Commission will host the Movin Mullet 5K on Oct. 5. Currently there are 170 registered, and roads will be closed for runners. The race should be over by 9:30, so the streets will not be closed for too long. Letters will be delivered to downtown businesses and residents. Deb P. informed the board that Blessing of the Fleet will be held Friday evening, October 11, at 6 pm at Caspers Marina. A trumpet player from Swansboro High School will play Taps, a wreath donated from Blooming Florist, a pastor from One Harbor Church will conduct the prayers, and the mayor will read the list of names of commercial fisherman who have passed. Flyers were distributed to all the marinas. For the 70th anniversary the department has been working with the Swansboro Historical Association to offer special activities and displays. A boy scout troop is building a replica of a mullet hut. Static displays will be moved to Main St and the fish Page 2 of 4  fry will be moved to the parking lot across from the Heritage Center. The Marine Corps Band has been confirmed for the parade. The Tideland news has been publishing historical articles written by Lee Schuller and will be posted on the festival Facebook page. Field Rental Rates-Director Stanley met with the Town Manager and reviewed the recommendations the board made. The Town Manager agreed that prices should increase but not the regular rental rates because it would be a drastic increase. The contract will be a one-year contract at $75 per week. This is an increase from the last contract period of $30 per week and have set the expectation that the fees will continue to increase until the full rental rates have been reached. The Swansboro Adult Soccer League also requests to use the fields for their games. There will also be a one- year contract with the same rate as the youth league. Director Stanly created a new field use agreement that was modeled after other recreation departments agreements. The Town Manager will present the new agreement to the Board of Commissioners at the next meeting. ARP Projects-Director Stanley reviewed each of the ARP projects. The seating wall is complete, shades have been installed, and the amenities will go in once the season is over. New sod had to be laid. The quotes for the basketball court re-paving have been received and quotes for new equipment are being submitted. VI. Comments Several pickleball members were present. Ruth White stated that members were told that money was set aside for six dedicated pickleball courts. Director Stanley informed the group that no specific number of courts has been determined or the scope of the project. Anna S. also stated that the project could begin once the ARP projects were completed. ARP project funds must be encumbered by the end of the year and that was a priority. Anna S. has received preliminary research from other recreation departments that have recently had courts renovated or new courts installed. She has collected approximately 6-7 contractors, and the project costs were $75,000-$300,000. Cost will be dependent on the scope of the project. Some options to consider are renovating the existing courts to multi-use, adding new courts, or converting the skate park into courts. If new courts are added, it is likely that a new stormwater permit would have to be obtained, which could be a lengthy and costly process. Ruth White asked if there was anything the league could do to assist, such as reach out to contractors to obtain quotes. Director Stanley replied she would need to be involved in the process of obtaining quotes. Director Stanley stated that they could create a survey for the league to inquire about particular amenities which would be helpful. Ruth White asked if the funds set aside would expire at the end of the fiscal year and Anna S replied that she would ask for the funds to be reallocated since the project would not be completed by the end of this fiscal year. Page 3 of 4  Ruth White asked what the process was if the league wanted to add fixtures to the courts. Anna S. replied that information should be given directly to her before any work is to be conducted. All work and items added need to be approved by the Director and possibly discussed with the Town Manager. Anna S. explained that needs to be reviewed for safety precautions and liability issues. Anna S. told the league it would be helpful for them to research grant opportunities for the courts. A member of the pickleball league asked why pickleball revenue is not part of the budget and why there was no expense line item listed for pickleball. Anna S. explained that there is, but it is combined with program supplies, just as camp, class, and art supplies. The revenue from pickleball is under the revenue line item of programs. Ruth White asked what to do on a holiday when the courts were not unlocked. Anna S. instructed them to call the non-emergency police number and to let her know. The police are supposed to unlock them on weekends and holiday’s when the Recreation Center is closed. Ruth White asked about the message board the league had asked for by the courts. Anna S. replied that it was added to the budget, but all non-capitol equipment was removed from the park budget. A question was asked about the corner shades in the courts, if they could be replaced. Anna S. informed them that they were not purchased by the department and could possibly put in the budget for the next fiscal year. VII. Adjournment-- Jenn S. made a motion to adjourn at 6:323 pm and Elena M. seconded the motion. All members were in favor. Page 4 of 4