Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Town of Swansboro Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board February 18, 2026 I. Call to Order & Roll Call The meeting of the Swansboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for November 19th was called to order at 5:30 PM by Deb. P. Roll call was conducted with the following members present Deb Pylypiw, Matthew Prane, Jennifer Steele, Elena Messenger, and Bets Love. Ryan Swanson was absent. Anna Stanley and Sara Elliott were present on behalf of Swansboro Parks and Recreation. II. Adoption of Minutes a. Adoption of Minutes November 19, 2025- The board identified that there were spelling errors in the first paragraph of the minutes, specifically with Deb P’s and Ryan's name being misspelled. After noting these corrections, Jenn S. made a motion to accept the minutes as corrected and Betts L. seconded the motion and they were approved unanimously. III. Reports a. Monthly Report- Anna S. presented December and January monthly reports, explaining that since the board did not meet last month, both reports were included. She noted that social media metrics frequently change as platforms modify what information they display, resulting in some variations and blank fields in the reports between months. b. Upcoming Programs/Events- Sara E. outlined several upcoming events: Easter Egg Hunt on April 2nd (requesting volunteer help), Touch-A-Truck on April 25th, and Pirate Fest on May 9th. A meeting with Onslow County is scheduled to finalize entertainment details for Pirate Fest. The Cherry Point Air Show is pending but may conflict with Pirate Fest as it has in previous years. Starting in April, new Tiny Olympics and Sprout Olympics programs will launch, funded by a $4,800 youth sports grant from the state's gambling revenue allocation. These quarterly programs will introduce toddlers to sports through obstacle courses and basic athletic activities with parental participation. Earth Day programming will partner with Swansboro High School's Eco Club to create sun catchers from reusable materials and potentially host a clothes swap. Pickleball programming continues with themed tournaments including "Luck of the Paddle" for St. Patrick's Day and "Cinco de Dinko" for May. A new walking program called "Walking Through Swansboro" will begin in March, led by staff member Brehmer on Tuesday mornings at 9 AM, with registration required and a 10-person capacity limit. Page 1 of 4  c. Updates- Anna S. reported that the Mullet Festival won "best t-shirt" at a medium event competition. She is preparing TDA grant applications for both Onslow County ($20,000) and Swansboro TDA ($6,500) for the 2026-2027 cycle. Regarding the skate park, preliminary approval has been received to remove the equipment, though the official letter is pending. Legal concerns about liability prevent selling the equipment, so it will likely be scrapped for metal recycling. IV. New Business a. 2026-2027 Budget- Anna S. reviewed the comprehensive budget review that was previously shared with the Board of Commissioners. She stated the department is performing well overall. Revenue shortfalls are primarily due to the absence of summer camp, which would have generated approximately $15,000. The department struggles annually with instructor contract budgeting due to unpredictable program demand. Expenditure challenges include exceeding budgets for splash pad repairs (due to a major computer module replacement) and playground maintenance (due to aging equipment requiring costlier repairs). The department may need budget amendments or fund transfers to address these overruns. Staffing challenges persist due to competitive wages in surrounding areas. The department lost potential summer camp staff when candidates declined positions after learning salary details. Anna requested a full-time recreation coordinator and the return of a recreation assistant position to provide programming backup and reduce dependence on a single staff member. Current part-time staff lack programming responsibilities in their job descriptions and compensation levels, making it difficult to expand their roles without additional pay. Anna decided future hires must be willing to work with children and assist with programming. Capital requests include tennis court resurfacing ($30,000 over two years), new fitness equipment based on member surveys, playground equipment replacement, increased splash pad repair funding, and the possibility of establishing a capital reserve fund for major repairs, a vehicle replacement, and a shared tablet for on- site registrations and maintenance documentation. b. 2026 Festival Sponsorship- Anna S. reported a 73% increase in sponsorships for 2025, bringing in six new sponsors. The Swansboro Festivals received $20,000 from Onslow County Tourism and is requesting $6500 for the 2025-26 fiscal year Page 2 of 4  and in-kind sponsorships totaled approximately $39,000. The cancellation of Mullet Festival will create a $30,000 revenue shortfall since vendor fees were rolled over rather than collected. Budget requests include additional shuttles due to parking challenges, overtime pay for part-time festival staff, enhanced WiFi capabilities, and increased marketing funds for website improvements, new photography, and video content for television advertising. Sara E. presented separate Parks & Recreation sponsorship packets, designed with assistance from Christian, featuring different sponsorship levels and benefits for various programs and events. V. Old Business a. Pool Committee Survey - Matthew Prane presented the swimming pool committee survey results and recommendations. He began by summarizing the committee's history for newly elected commissioners, noting that the community had been requesting aquatic programs for nearly two decades. The survey received 415 total responses, representing approximately 1.6 percent of the total population when including Swansboro and ETJ, with additional responses from Hubert and surrounding areas. Over 300 respondents indicated they would use a community pool, supporting the hypothetical 300-membership model previously discussed. Top program interests included aquatic aerobics, recreational use, and learn-to- swim programs. Prane noted the demographics showed strong representation across age groups, with particular interest from families with elementary and middle school-aged children. He presented economic impact information including revenue retention in the community, reduced travel time and costs for families, and health and wellness benefits. The presentation emphasized alignment with drowning prevention initiatives and diversity programming for all ages. Prane outlined a draft concept comparing their proposal to the YMCA in Jacksonville, using half the acreage and focusing on essential programming. He estimated minimum land requirements at 5 acres, noting that parking takes up the majority of space and suggesting dual-purpose development for additional town parking. The presentation concluded with key questions for commissioners: whether the survey demonstrated sufficient interest, if the town would prioritize the project, Page 3 of 4  and whether suitable land was available. Without land availability, Prane indicated the project could not move forward. He suggested that if the town determined it lacked resources, the discussion should shift to county-level leadership and partnerships. Prane emphasized that while one consultant's report suggested the project was too large for Swansboro alone, he believed a municipal pool was achievable if the town committed to it, having seen similar projects in smaller communities. He requested direction from commissioners on next steps and offered to disband the committee if there was no support for moving forward. b. Pickleball Courts- Anna indicated she has updates, but the advisory board wanted to end the meeting due to time constraints. She mentioned that the previous proposal discussed is no longer viable and that she plans to present new information to the Board of Commissioners soon. VI. Comments- No public comments were made. VII. Adjournment- Elena Messenger moved to adjourn the meeting. Jennifer Steele seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:49 PM. Next Meeting March 18, 2026 5:30 PM Page 4 of 4