Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

401 West Venice Avenue City of Venice Venice, FL 34285 www.venicegov.com Meeting Minutes Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Monday, August 19, 2013 3:00 PM Council Chambers I. Call To Order A Regular Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board was held this date in Council Chambers at City Hall. Chair Linda Kenfield called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. II. Roll Call Present: 6- Steve Byington, Chair Linda Kenfield, Joan Piper, Verna Silk, Vice Chair Charles Alfano and Jim Woods Absent: 1- Cindy Hicks Also Present Ex-Officio Councilmember Emilio Carlesimo, City Manager Ed Lavallee, Public Works Director John Veneziano, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation representatives Jim Wormley and Pat Calhoon, and Recording Secretary Susan Schult. III. Approval of Minutes 1. 13-0082 Meeting Minutes July 15, 2013 A motion was made by Mr. Byington, seconded by Ms. Silk, that the Minutes of the July 15, 2013 Regular meeting be approved. The motion carried by voice vote unanimously. IV. New Business 1. 13-0083 Comprehensive Plan - City Manager Ed Lavallee Mr. Lavallee spoke on the master parks plan, the council discussion on current parks and their condition, council consensus that this board have an active role in updating the plan, listed the process steps to achieve the update, touched on the possibility of attracting tournament tourism to the city, and explained best practices for the community and possible participants. Discussion followed on the current parks review and rating systems conducted by the board, taking an inventory on whether the existing parks are adequate to meet community needs, the need to update the master parks plan, creating a parks stakeholder group, attempts to bring Challenger Baseball to Wellfield Park, competition for park space, the board currently conducting an inventory on all city parks and needs, the board recently making a wish list on park improvements, there being no current timeline for completion of the plan update, private entities that do volunteer work on public property, budgetary constraints, Mr. Lavallee being the point of contact for the stakeholders group, notification of board meetings, whether to work on the update by City of Venice Page 1 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes August 19, 2013 Board workshop or subcommittee, parks that are not listed on the city website or in the park sign inventory listing, parks maintained by the county, the interlocal agreement with the county, why the city does not receive revenue from the concessionaire at Venice Beach, whether the county uses the revenues in the city, and staff levels to maintain parks. Discussion continued on the number of city staff to maintain city parks, designating one board member to meet with Mr. Lavallee to work on the first steps, having more than one person visit the parks for inventorying, the need for a complete inventory of all parks, having a list of city parks and activities on the city website, parks not belonging to the city being on the website list, consolidating the different lists on parks, updating the park sign inventory list, past rating of parks by the board, previous council workshop with sports enthusiasts, researching the needs and names of people to invite to the stakeholders group, going through the county parks and recreation board, and sunshine challenges with more than one board member working with Mr. Lavallee. Ms. Piper volunteered to work with Mr. Lavallee on the first steps. Mr. Lavallee answered questions on board review of the comprehensive plan and explained the steps the board can take in doing the parks inventory. This Presentation was heard and no action was taken V. Unfinished Business 1. 13-0084 Dance Floor at Gazebo in Centennial Park Ms. Kenfield referenced the letter from staff to Ms. Cushing regarding the Let's Dance project. Mr. Veneziano stated the letter was sent last week and staff is waiting for a response before taking the project to council. Discussion took place on different finishes of the dance platform, intended use for adult ballroom dancing, having a floor finish to meet the most needs, and having an anti slip surface for safety. This Presentation was heard and no action was taken 2. 13-0085 Venice Beach suggested improvements Ms. Kenfield referenced the list of improvements for Venice Beach , distributed a photo of the beach pavilion as it was being constructed in the 1960s, talked about a meeting with Venice Area Beautification, Inc. (VABI) and county representatives on beach landscaping possibilities, discussions between city and county staff on issues around the beach, and touched on adaptations to the pavilion area. Mr. Lavallee commented on the interlocal agreement with the county and suggested the county be included when improvements are made to a park that the county maintains. Discussion followed on picnic table access, new shade umbrellas and picnic tables being added outside the pavilion, having picnic shelters on the beach, other local beaches that have such structures, using these structures in lieu of chickee huts, previous discussions on beautifying Venice Beach , staff looking at the vegetation lines to determine the location of manmade structures, using sites inland from the dunes for a picnic shelter, resolving the problem with the general public being able to use the picnic tables in the pavilion, VABI researching what the public would like to see at the beach , City of Venice Page 2 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes August 19, 2013 Board the city discussion on the north parking lot, and the feasibility of getting the parking area repaved and restriped. Mr. Calesimo stated council recognizes the need, but the project will not be funded this year, disclosed the approximate cost of $150,000 to repave the north beach parking lot, and answered questions on whether patchwork and restriping can be done. Mr. Veneziano stated the county will pay for improvements less than $5,000, he will work with the county on viable options, talked about past improvements to the beach area, bidding process once the scope of work is identified, number of required bids, when sealed bids are sought, whether the city or county would initiate bids, whether there are parks that do not use the $5,000 capital improvement expenditure, and the footprint of the north beach parking lot. Mr. Lavallee responded to discussion stating two grassy areas near the current beach parking lot could expand the current parking lot size, reported engineering concerns with adequate stormwater runoff, noted the attraction of Venice Beach in its natural state, commented on reconfiguring the lot to allow more spaces, and the status of reconfiguring the parking lot and the grassy area to the south. This Presentation was heard and no action was taken 3. 13-0086 Dogs in parks ordinance verbiage Ms. Piper distributed proposed language, reviewed a conversation with city attorney Dave Persson, stated there is no enforcement in restricted parks, read the proposed code changes, and queried the board on suggested changes. Discussion followed regarding dogs in any park being governed by the leash law, the dog restricted parks, parks heavily used by dog owners, people bringing their dogs in restricted parks regardless of the ordinance, there being no enforcement of the ordinances for conduct in parks, needing a commitment from the city on enforcement, the number of pet owners in the city, not having negative prohibitions in the code that are not enforced, making the code more positive, budgetary issues causing the police to be utilized elsewhere, and having consistency in the ordinances. Mr. Carlesimo left the dais at 4:36 p.m. and returned at 4:39 p.m. Discussion continued on parks where dogs are restricted, the location of Mundy Park, making the public aware of which facilities allow pets, how the county enforces park rules restricting dogs, the open field in Mundy Park being used for baseball, having dog stations in certain parks, whether people pick up after their dogs, the benefits of people walking their dogs, and the ordinance revision process. Ms. Kenfield queried board members on ordinance changes to forward to staff. The board discussed changing Higel and Marine Parks to allow dogs, the code not being clear, and the intent to make the code more positive and more user friendly. Mr. Carlesimo stated he had a memo from Mr. Rozansky on the observation deck at the airport, and distributed the memo and photos. Discussion followed on increasing shade for the observation area including the benches and the picnic table. Mr. Carlesimo stated he would follow up. A motion was made by Mr. Byington, seconded by Ms. Silk, that the proposed ordinance changes pertaining to dogs in parks be forwarded to staff for revision. The motion carried by voice vote unanimously. City of Venice Page 3 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes August 19, 2013 Board VI. Updates 1. 13-0087 City of Venice - John Veneziano Mr. Veneziano stated work at the Humphris Park restrooms was completed , improvements include replacement of the fixtures, electric hand dryers, lattice work was installed between the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and regular restroom stalls, and the exterior of the building was painted. He reported the contractor is still working on the restrooms in Centennial Park, the outside of the building has been repainted, the restrooms should be completed by mid September, and answered questions on whether the restrooms will be open to the public during renovations. He stated the Light Up Venice project that uplights the trees was implemented on Venice and Miami Avenues, but staff was unable to find a good location on Tampa Avenue for available electricity. He noted because the city is using temporary lighting there is a three month limitation, confirmed the uplights will be lit in the fall, the lights will be removed for holiday decorations, and then replaced for another three months. Mr. Veneziano answered questions on the new remote controlled locks for the restrooms at Humphris and Centennial Parks stating staff will be installing the locks, and he is unsure of the hours of operation. This Board Member Report was presented 2. 13-0088 Sarasota County Updates Mr. Wormley introduced Pat Calhoon, stated Mr. Calhoon will be the primary contact, but he will still have some interaction with the board. Mr. Wormley stated leashed dogs are allowed on Legacy Trail, reported on events at Venice Community Center (VCC), the generator for VCC was installed, quarterly walk-throughs with the city were completed, touched on some of the work orders submitted as a result of the walk-throughs, football started on August 1st, soccer has started, and fall softball will start in September. Discussion followed on clean up done around VCC, the parking lots losing the hedgerows, the park being on a county schedule for maintenance, the county waiting until autumn to do some of the planting, plantings and landscaping that can survive in Florida, the dead plantings at Maxine Barritt Park with the high salt nature of the park, schedule for mulching of Maxine Barritt Park, handicap railing at Service Club Park, work currently being done at Service Club Park, adding the city logo to the sign at Pinebrook Park, whether the city has to pay for the sign, how the city logo could be added to the sign, and the county subcontracting the signs. Mr. Wormley confirmed the county schedules athletic activities at Wellfield Park and talked about the struggle the county has in receiving responses from leagues. Mr. Calhoon stated the county will be increasing communication with league leaders in order to gather user input. Ms. Silk reported on a special meeting held by the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, stated the county has $10 million in the land acquisition fund, there was discussion on the kayak licensing fee program that piloted at Lido Beach, the board reviewed and supported the Venice Train Depot plan , the high priority acquisition properties were reviewed. Higelville was eliminated, and the Venetia Bay Boulevard property is still a high priority, but the owner is reluctant to sell. She added the owner is willing to donate access to the trail and wants to discuss the matter with the city. City of Venice Page 4 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes August 19, 2013 Board Mr. Veneziano volunteered to follow up on the donation offer . VII. Future Agenda Items Mr. Carlesimo queried the board on reviewing the City Council Wellfield Park Workshop meeting minutes, and the board agreed the information from that meeting would be helpful to the board. VIII. Adjournment There being no further business to come before this Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:24 p.m. ________________________________ Recording Secretary ________________________________ Chair ********** City of Venice Page 5 of 5