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, January 13, 2014 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 3:01 p.m. II. Roll Call Present: 5- Chair Linda Kenfield, Joan Piper, Verna Silk, Vice Chair Charles Alfano and Cindy Hicks Absent: 2- Steve Byington and Jim Woods III. Approval of Minutes 13-0314 November 18, 2013 Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Ms. Hicks, seconded by Ms. Piper, that the Minutes of the November 18, 2013 Regular Meeting be approved as written. The motion carried by voice vote unanimously. IV. Audience Participation Monty Andrews, former board member and Venice resident, updated the board on Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) stating an 11 mile bike route on the island has been marked off by Bike/Walk Venice, a bike corral has been organized under the Venice Avenue bridge, described how they are working with the engineering department on the corral, noted eight bike racks have been added, volunteers are trimming low hanging tree branches to maintain a safe route, mentioned this and other efforts to attain the BFC gold level, reviewed bicycle friendly courses held for bike enthusiasts, and noted Mr. Christian's upcoming presentation is an important step toward attaining the gold BFC designation. He answered questions on bike rack locations in the city, the frequency of bicycle educational training classes, and whether there is a map of the 11 mile trail. Bill Jervey, 244 St. Augustine Avenue, talked about the unique history in Venice and preservation efforts by the city, commented on the many beautiful city parks, noted some parks are not being fully utilized, stated his concern with the historical markers in parks, cautioned the board on making sure the signs are accurate, and pointed to historical markers containing incorrect information on the marker. Discussion ensued on the accuracy of historical signage in city parks and around the city, and historical signage being approved by the Historic Preservation Board. V. New Business Ms. Kenfield noted Mr. Byington's absence and that he is very ill. City of Venice Page 1 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes January 13, 2014 Board 1. 13-0303 America In Bloom - Bob Vedder Mr. Vedder, representing Venice Area Beautification, Inc. (VABI), talked about the America in Bloom program, explained it is a program run by a non profit organization and helps improve the community landscape. He stated one way they help is through competition between cities of equal size, explained how the competition works, and that the city will enter the competition upon approval from this board and council. He reported the judging would take place in April or May , stated there is a symposium in September that he plans on attending, reviewed the awards categories, the object to involve as many people in the community to do some kind of improvement, and that a committee may be formed involving the city and other key stakeholders. He explained how the committee would determine a project, noted the city has ideas of what it wants to achieve, suggested looking at the current code and possibly changing the code, stated the cost to apply has been funded by VABI, explained the judging process, the benefit of the competition, and that the deadline to apply is February. Discussion followed on the amount of time before the judging would take place, the benefits of moving forward now and enrolling in the program again next year, the number of cities that compete, the Best Ideas book published by America In Bloom to help in the competition, possibly having another park clean up day in the spring, how other cities were critiqued, and needing approval from City Council. Mr. Veneziano commented on the program and staff interaction . Mr. Carlesimo stated he would bring the recommendation forward to council at tomorrow's council meeting. A motion was made by Ms. Hicks, seconded by Ms. Piper, that the board recommends the America in Bloom project to City Council for approval. The motion carried by voice vote unanimously. 2. 13-0315 Election of Chair and Vice Chair Mr. Alfano nominated Ms. Kenfield to serve as chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Seconded by Ms. Silk. Ms. Kenfield nominated Mr. Alfano to serve as the vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Seconded by Ms. Silk. Seeing no other nominations, Ms. Kenfield will serve as chair and Mr. Alfano will serve as vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board . Recess was taken from 3:44 p.m.until 3:49 p.m. These Appointments were approved. 3. 13-0316 Venice Bike Lane/Paved Shoulder Project - Steve Christian Steve Christian presented a bike lane/paved shoulder project, stated the county adopted a bike ped program, relayed the county's discussion on vegetation overgrowth on bike lanes, noted how stripes delineating bike lanes have disappeared, stated he identified the location of bike lanes and paved shoulders in the city, explained how the bike lanes and shoulders were assessed, the condition of the lanes and shoulders, and gave an overview of the needed improvements including symbols and stripes, vegetation removal and pavement repairs. He referenced the improvements to Harbor Drive, noting it is a model of what they would like to see, but stripes on Harbor Drive that delineate bike lanes are disappearing. He gave a summary of the segments with City of Venice Page 2 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes January 13, 2014 Board poor or bad ratings, asked how these problems can be addressed, reported volunteers are cleaning up the bike lanes from overgrown grass, displayed photos of the bike lane on Pinebrook Road, noted the county's help in this endeavor, the different organizations he has given this presentation to, and that more information can be found at www.bikeveniceflorida.com. He talked about bicycle safety related subjects, specifically why people ride on the sidewalk or on the wrong way in the bike lane, listed why riding on the sidewalk is dangerous, stated education and enforcement is needed to correct dangerous situations, displayed possible signage to discourage bicycling on the sidewalk, talked about the installation of shared lane markings/sharrows indicating where a cyclist has the right to ride, and displayed other signs to be posted such as a "three feet please" sign. Mr. Christian presented a plan for a North Port connector trail to ride from Venice to North Port without going on U.S. 41. He displayed maps of open space and outlined a possible trail, noted the help received by the county and North Port in this endeavor, and touched on the off road biking event held yesterday called Piggy's Revenge. Discussion followed on avid cyclists looking for cities with different types of cycling such as off road cycling, the increase of cyclists visiting Venice, people using Legacy Trail to get to work, and the number of users on Legacy Trail. Mr. Carlesimo noted this presentation was given at the joint meeting between Venice and North Port and was well received, and commented Sarasota County Off Road Riders (SCORR) clears away vegetation from off road trails. Discussion followed on a recommendation to City Council. A motion was made by Ms. Hicks, seconded by Ms. Silk, that the board recommends City Council address the issue of bike lanes, markings and safety concerns within the City of Venice. Motion carried on voice vote unanimously. 4. 13-0317 Fish Measuring Sign at Marina Park Glen Ballinger, Harbor Lights resident, noted the variety of fish caught off the coast of Venice, began the presentation with four objectives including: identifying a marketing tool for the city and county; discussing the number and types of fish brought in to Marina Park by fishing boats in coolers; discussing the value of having caught fish visible to the public; and the possibilities of expanding the overall awareness that Venice is a great place to fish. He talked about the positive reactions created by displaying the fish caught, the number and types of fish that are caught off Venice shores, and the value of publishing this information. He displayed photos of signs with fish hanging in Venice Louisiana, asked how to set up a committee within Venice to discuss and maximize this opportunity, and stated there is funding for the sign. Discussion ensued on why there are no fishing signs in the city, there being no fish cleaning station at Marina Park, people in Florida being careful with their fish in the heat to preserve the meat, people who are repulsed by seeing fish displayed as trophies, whether the fishing in Venice is that good, use of Marina Park, the future plans for Legacy Park, the primary concern in recognizing Venice for its fishing , and whether this could be included in the Legacy Park Plan. Mr. Carlesimo noted Marketing and Communications Officer Pam Johnson has been working with the county on this and the county is looking for board approval. Discussion continued regarding how much a fishing sign station would be used, the benefits of the sign, having a sign at the Crows Nest, and a possible motion. City of Venice Page 3 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes January 13, 2014 Board Mr. Veneziano mentioned the site of Marina Park is owned by West Coast Inland Navigational District (WCIND) and confirmed there are only two boat launches in the city. Ms. Kenfield restated the motion. Mr. Carlesimo stated he would delay bringing this motion forward to council until Mr. Ballinger makes the presentation to the Economic Development Advisory Board. A motion was made by Ms. Silk, seconded by Ms. Hicks, that the board recommends the fish sign concept to City Council for approval. The motion carried by voice vote with four in favor and one opposed. VI. Updates 1. 13-0318 Sarasota County Update - Pat Calhoon/Jim Wormley Pat Calhoon referenced the park clean up day, reviewed improvements to Wellfield Park, talked about possible tournaments coming to Chuck Reiter and Wellfield Parks , reported the county is restriping the parking lots at South Brohard Park, the WCIND Snake Island project to minimize the erosion started today, the historical sign at Humphris Park was removed and the pole is still in place, they will relocate the sign further inland to minimize corosion from the salt environment, and that it will take four to six months to receive the sign. He talked about the economic impact from the REV3 event, and answered questions on the relocation of the historical sign in Humphris Park. Discussion ensued on the restroom building at Caspersen Beach not having a sign indicating it is a restroom, when south county parks will get wifi, landscaping at the Venice Community Center (VCC), and the need for landscaping on the north side of the VCC parking lot. 2. 13-0319 City of Venice - John Veneziano Mr. Veneziano stated security cameras were installed at Humphris Park , noted an incident where graffiti was painted in the restrooms, stated the woman who owns the concession was able to clean the graffiti, the signs identifying the cameras have not been installed, the surveillance cameras for the fishing pier will be installed in the next few weeks, reported on the improvements at Wellfield Park including dumpster enclosures, and that the city will be taking over the maintenance of the dolphin statue at the entrance to Humphris Park. He continued stating a new slide was installed in Mundy Park, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) reviews are taking place, gave statistics on the number of participants in the REV3 event and the financial impact to the city, reported the dog ordinance will be heard by council on January 28, and there will be another park makeover day on October 25, 2014. He discussed the parks master plan, referred to the master plan outline and draft documents forwarded to the board, stated staff is researching funding and is working on the action plan items. Mr. Veneziano presented his research on memorial benches , noted Venice is at the low end of the price range, the median bench price was $1,000, bench revenue is used for funding park systems in other cities, reviewed the parameters of the research including cost, donation life, types of benches, other cities researched, and that he looked at other programs such as pavers, bricks, trees, and park stewardship programs. Discussion followed regarding whether the city should run the bench program, installation of benches, bench lifespan, inventory of benches, cigarette butts along W. Venice Avenue, possibly installing cigarette receptacles, the status of the concrete City of Venice Page 4 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes January 13, 2014 Board dance floor, vegetation management for Maxine Barritt Park, VABI coordinating the Venice Beach survey with staff, whether the bus stop in front of Venice Beach can be moved, the interlocal agreement between the city and county, and many of the streets used for biking being owned and maintained by the county. Mr. Carlesimo left the meeting at 5:43 p.m. and returned at 5:44 p.m. 3. 13-0250 Miscellaneous Reports Mr. Carlesimo reported on the county parks and recreation meeting, stated the Venetia Bay property is available once again for purchase under the land acquisition program, and noted 11% of the county residents are within a quarter mile and 52% are within one mile of the entrance of a public park. Ms. Kenfield stated she was also present at the meeting, reported on the county board planning for funding athletic facilities, there being no new sports fields in the last 15 years, the University of Miami donating Little Salt Springs to the county, the county working on their county parks master plan, and that they placed a new property on the park land acquisition plan. She explained there were two sections of property in Taylor Ranch that were given to the Venice YMCA and the county, and that the YMCA requested the county buy their property to build athletic fields. Mr. Carlesimo continued stating there are no ordinances dealing with bicycles on sidewalks, there should be a 44 inch walking path on sidewalks, talked about sidewalk dining, noted the city has received negative comments regarding outside dining, staff is preparing an ordinance with requirements for outside dining, noted the installation of the wayfinding signage will begin after season is over, reviewed the discussion at the joint meeting between Venice and North Port including wifi and bicycle trails , and stated there is an experimental surface called Flexipave installed on the corner of Nassau Street and Venice Avenue that is porous, ADA approved, and comes in a variety of colors. Discussion took place on whether 44 inches is enough room to walk a bicycle down a sidewalk with restaurant dining, and having to walk single file through sidewalk dining areas. VII. Adjournment There being no further business to come before this Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:58 p.m. ________________________________ Chair ________________________________ Recording Secretary ********** City of Venice Page 5 of 5