Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Special Meeting

Town of Swansboro Swansboro Parks & Recreation Advisory Board August 13, 2025 I. Call to Order & Roll Call: The Swansboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met at the Swansboro Recreation Center for a special meeting on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Debra Pylypiw called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Members present were Debra Pylypiw, Matthew Prane, Elena Messenger, and Jennifer Steele. Members absent were Bets Love and Ryan Swanson. Anna Stanley was present on behalf of the Town. II. Adoption of Minutes a. April 16, 2025 Meeting Minutes- Matthew Prane made a motion to approve the April minutes with some corrections. He pointed out two simple edits that were typos. In the old business section, Matthew suggested changing "an aquatic facility that has a steel ore" to "an aquatic facility that has a steel or concrete dome" for clarification. In the last paragraph, Matthew requested a change to his comment about lifeguards. The original text stated that North Carolina does not require lifeguards and does not recommend it. Matthew clarified that while it's true North Carolina does not require lifeguards, they do recommend them. He emphasized the importance of safety and did not want anyone to be confused about his stance. There was a brief discussion about the wording of this section. Anna Stanley suggested removing "not" from the statement to read "does recommend it." Matthew agreed and proposed adding a clarification: "However, Matthew P does recommend having lifeguards." Matthew Prane made a motion to approve the April minutes with the discussed corrections. Elena seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. b. June 16, 2025 Minutes- The July 16, 2025 minutes were presented for approval. Anna Stanley mentioned that they were trying a new software program for transcribing the minutes, which may have resulted in some spelling inconsistencies, particularly with names. Matthew Prane made a motion to approve the July 16 minutes, Elena M seconded the motion. The motion was seconded. The motion passed unanimously. III. Reports a. Monthly Report: Anna Stanley presented the July monthly report. No questions or comments were raised by the board members. b. Upcoming Programs/Events: Anna Stanley provided an overview of upcoming events and programs for August and September. She highlighted several events that would require volunteers:  Tunnels to Tower on September 13th Page 1 of 4   Mullet Festival on October 10th and 11th  Barkfest on September 27th  National Night Out on September 19th (hosted by the police department for the first time) Anna mentioned that August's programming was lighter due to staff vacations. She noted that the theater trip scheduled for August 24th had sold out. The football door hanger program was cancelled due to low registration. Anna also mentioned that tai chi classes would be starting up again in September. Deb P. inquired about feedback opportunities for program participants. Anna confirmed that Sarah usually sends out surveys after programs and that she could share specific feedback with the board if requested. There was a brief discussion about the recent Paddles and Pizza event, which board members who attended said went well. Deb P. provided an update on the Mullet Festival, stating that all vendor spaces were full and a waitlist had been established. She estimated that about 60% of vendors were returning from previous years. Deb also mentioned that the Crystal Coast Assembly of God Church had agreed to handle the mullet again this year. c. Updates: Anna Stanley provided updates on the Mullet Festival preparations. She mentioned that all bands had been booked and she would be updating the website with this information. She also planned to set up meetings with WITN and potentially Channel 9 for television ads and sponsorship opportunities. Anna stated that the first logistical meeting for the festival would be held when she returned from vacation. She also mentioned that they were looking into incorporating QR codes for both the entertainment schedule and surveys during the event. There was a discussion about printing needs for signage, with suggestions to reach out to Patrick Larkin on the military base or the homeless shelter in Jacksonville for cost- effective printing options. IV. New Business a. Skate Park Alternative Uses- Anna Stanley requested feedback from the board on potential alternative uses for the skate park space if it wasn't converted into pickleball courts. She explained that she wanted to present other options to the Board of Commissioners to justify new pickleball courts rather than converting the existing space. Page 2 of 4  Board members suggested several ideas:  A fossil dig area (though concerns were raised about maintenance)  Shuffleboard courts  Bocce ball courts  Cornhole boards  A variety of games to accommodate different interests Matthew Prane suggested considering community service projects, such as Eagle Scout projects or high school volunteer opportunities, to help implement some of these ideas cost-effectively. Anna noted that there would still be space near the proposed new pickleball courts for additional features like a fossil dig area. V. Old Business a. Pickleball Courts: Anna Stanley presented an update on the pickleball court project. She had obtained estimates ranging from $186,000 to $200,000 for new courts, not including fencing (estimated at $10,000 to $25,000) and site preparation work. For converting the existing space, estimates ranged from $45,000 to $50,000. Anna mentioned that she still needed to get complete quotes including all aspects of the project. She also noted that lighting would be a separate project, estimated at $80,000 to $100,000. Matthew Prane suggested exploring solar-powered lighting options as a potentially more cost-effective solution. Anna outlined additional amenities she wanted to include in the project, such as wind screens, paddle racks, trash cans, benches, signage, a message board, and landscaping. She mentioned the possibility of holding a meeting with the pickleball community to get their input on desired amenities. After discussion, the board made a recommendation: A motion was made by Matthew P. to recommend new dedicated pickleball courts rather than converting the existing space. Elena M. seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. b. Swansboro Aquatics Community Survey-Matthew Prane provided an update on the aquatics community survey. He explained that the committee had revised the survey multiple times to refine the questions and improve data collection. Some key points discussed were:  The survey would now use ARC GIS, a comprehensive survey system provided by the fire department, which would allow for more detailed data analysis.  Questions about swimming abilities were refined to better categorize respondents' skill levels. Page 3 of 4   For questions with multiple options, respondents would be asked to select their top five choices rather than ranking all options, to avoid survey fatigue.  Questions about pricing were removed, with plans to conduct a separate survey on pricing once a design is proposed. Matthew agreed to make final edits to the survey based on the board's feedback and submit it to Anna Stanley for presentation to the commissioners. VI. Comments VII. Adjournment: There will be no meeting in September or regular board meeting in October. There will be a special meeting October 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM Page 4 of 4