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, February 10, 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 3:00 p.m. II. Roll Call Present: 4- Chair Linda Kenfield, Vice Chair Charles Alfano, Jim Woods and Cindy Hicks Absent: 3- Steve Byington, Joan Piper and Verna Silk Also Present Public Works Director John Veneziano, Sarasota County Parks and Recreation Supervisor Jim Wormley, and Recording Secretary Susan Schult. III. Approval of Minutes 1. 14-0379 Minutes A motion was made by Ms. Hicks, seconded by Mr. Woods, that the Minutes of the January 13, 2014 Regular Meeting be approved as written. The motion carried by voice vote unanimously. IV. New Business 1. 14-0380 Rehear 'Let's Dance" proposed dance floor in Centennial Park Ms. Kenfield reviewed previous actions taken by the board and city council on this item. Kat Quast, Venice MainStreet (VMS) Director, displayed an aerial photograph of Centennial Park, reviewed the types of events held in the park, noted there are not many dancers at the concerts held in Centennial Park, talked about the different types of portable dance floors that could be used, displayed photos of the Easter egg hunt in the park showing the number of children who participate, commented on the other organizations that use the park, and expressed her concern with removing green space for concrete. She pointed to the mulch around the gazebo that could be used for a dance floor and asked the board for their reconsideration of the dance floor. Ms. Quast answered questions on the storage of a portable dance floor, musical events held at the gazebo in Centennial Park, expressed safety concerns with a concrete floor and the need to light the dance floor for evening concerts. Jean Trammell, VMS Design Committee Chair, noted the efforts being taken to green up the downtown, stated the green areas downtown are a part of the city’s ambiance as City of Venice Page 1 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes February 10, 2014 Board well as a place to gather, VMS does not want to see a green play area removed, commented on a previous problem with skate boarders, and pointed to the extra paving at the children’s interactive fountain that was designated as a dance floor for the gazebo, but has never been used. She answered questions on current problems with skate boarders using Centennial Park, and the litter problem downtown. Andrea Cooper, VMS employee and resident, spoke about Centennial Park being the only green space left downtown and her concern with destroying the green area, explained why she was unaware of the approval from council on the dance floor, displayed a photo of the book fair and writers festival that takes place in Centennial Park, commented on the amount of time to install the potential concrete floor, and how it would affect events during the construction. She requested the board rethink the approval, and questioned why stakeholders of the park were not notified of the dance floor project. Discussion followed regarding vendors being able to set up on concrete, possible city liability, and notification of the agenda. Kathy Cushing, Let's Dance promoter, commented on the city's vision, the number of events held at the pavilion, the amount of children during the Easter egg hunt, talked about safety issues with parking near the exits to Centennial Park, reported she has taken people who twisted an ankle on the grass to the emergency room, and questioned the conditions under the gazebo for storing a portable floor. She reviewed different methods in pouring a concrete dance floor for slip resistance, stated the people who signed the petition are waiting for the dance floor, talked to the dance studios who are willing to give dance lessons, noted all the possible uses for the dance floor, how congested Centennial Park is during a festival event, mentioned the dangers of children running around Centennial Park, suggested moving some of the events to a safer place, and answered questions on moving the dance floor beside the gazebo, or possibly moving the dance floor to Blalock Park. Discussion took place on concerns with maintaining green space downtown, the process to lay the portable floor, whether the dance floor will be handicap accessible, the contractor being willing to wait until next year, the tradition in Venice to keep events downtown, and the issue with night time events in Blalock Park that is surrounded by residents. Ms. Quast answered questions on the downtown merchants that participate in the Easter and Halloween events, stated VMS does not want to move the children's events to Blalock Park, the Easter egg hunt area is roped off during the event, the purpose of a downtown event is partially to bring people into the downtown area, suggested holding the afternoon concerts in Blalock Park, and talked about the ease of installation and the light weight of a portable dance floor. Mr. Veneziano answered questions on the feasibility of storing items under the gazebos , stated he has not worked with a portable dance floor, the dance floor project was vetted by staff including risk management, and touched on the challenges in notifying all possible affected parties about meeting topics. Ms. Cushing gave a brief professional history related to construction, commented on the weight and amount of work to put together a portable dance floor, conditions to store a portable floor, and types of floor that will not deteriorate. The board discussed moving the dance floor to Blalock Park, the portable floor information submitted, the ease in setting up portable dance floors, possibly moving the afternoon concerts on Tuesday and Wednesday to the Blalock Park gazebo , no one City of Venice Page 2 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes February 10, 2014 Board dancing at the Friday night concerts, whether people would use a concrete dance floor in the hot sun, having concerts at both gazebos, and concert noise levels. Ms. Kenfield stated due to discussion, this item will be continued until the next meeting, and clarified more information will be coming forward from Ms. Quast and Mr. Veneziano. Discussion continued on whether Ms. Cushing would fund a dance floor in another location, or fund a portable dance floor. 2. 14-0398 Downtown Flower Project Bob Vedder, Venice Area Beautification, Inc. (VABI), commented on the previous agenda item and whether more events could be held at Blalock Park. He began his presentation stating one project will consist of using pots and fountains for plantings along with in-ground plants, remarked on the hanging basket project downtown, and suggested the elevation of the hanging planters be changed. He displayed photos of the areas where shrubbery was removed along W. Venice Avenue, reported a fountain planter will be provided by MRT, displayed a photo of the fountain planter, described the height and installation, stated water can be supplied to the fountain, and noted project funding will come from the Ehrhart Foundation. Mr. Vedder stated the next project involves the installation of four different terracotta pots, on Tampa Avenue, displayed a photo of the proposed pots, described the height of the pots, answered questions on whether the pots would obstruct a pedestrian’s view for crossing the street, and suggested installing a hibiscus tree. He went on to say project three is near founders walk, they have something in mind, but is not finalized, the next project involves a horizontal planter along Nassau Street and Venice Avenue , and another location would be in front of Sea Pleasures and Treasures . He reported the Venice Area Garden Club will purchase all the plants . Discussion followed regarding watering the proposed plantings, whether there is irrigation in the proposed places, why planters are being proposed, repositioning the pots in the second project to the west side, the animals that lived in the bushes, the median on the west side of the Venice Avenue bridge, and other in-ground places to plant. A motion was made by Ms. Hicks, seconded by Mr. Woods, that the board supports the Downtown Flower Project, and is recommended to City Council for approval. The motion carried by voice vote unanimously. V. Unfinished Business Ms. Kenfield updated the board on the Venice Beach survey to ascertain improvements visitors would like to see. Discussion followed regarding how parks are named, having a plaque in parks with the naming information, naming information being on the city website, and whether this is a part of the parks master plan. VI. Updates 1. 14-0381 Sarasota County Update Mr. Wormley introduced Sarasota County Athletic Supervisor Cindy Turner and Venice Community Center (VCC) Director David France. City of Venice Page 3 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes February 10, 2014 Board Ms. Turner gave a brief professional history, reported on the grand opening dates for Miss Venice Fast Pitch and other spring leagues, talked about potential tournaments that may be held at Wellfield or Chuck Reiter parks, and answered questions on the small fields at Wellfield not being used. Mr. Wormley commented on the use of fields at Wellfield Park stating there is no additional space except field three, the field could be used for baseball and softball, and noted a bigger trend of travel ball teams coming to the county. David France reported on the mulching and landscaping efforts on the VCC campus and reviewed upcoming events. Mr. Wormley gave the follow up information from Mr. Calhoon on the consolidation of the bus stops in front of the Venice Beach pavilion , stated the city would be responsible to provide a staging pad, curb cuts and bench, noted the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, the city is doing further research, and on another issue, stated the sign at Marina Park is the city's obligation. Discussion followed regarding the county building signs for the city at cost, and signage that the county contracts. Mr. Wormley noted the "Say I Do" event will be taking place at Siesta Key this weekend and answered questions on expanding the event to Maxine Barritt Park. 2. 14-0382 City of Venice Update Mr. Veneziano reported new bike racks were installed at Centennial Park and city hall , noted because of the increase in labor to build a wood bench, the cost between a wood and synthetic bench is about the same, stated the estimated cost is about $400 per bench, and that the composite bench lasts longer than a wood bench. Discussion took place regarding the city controlling the type of plaque on memorial benches, average price for benches in other cities, lifetime of a bench, perpetual care programs, the bench price not including the plaque, cost and composition of the plaques, a possible recommendation to council, whether memorial benches are a fund raiser for the city, researching the cost of maintaining a bench in perpetuity or for ten years, and whether current benches would remain if a new program were put into place. Mr. Veneziano continued his update referencing the fountain at Fountain Park that will need to be replaced, reported city council had a presentation on Challenger Baseball at Wellfield Park, noted the concern with overflow parking, touched on the parks master plan, the need for a master plan of Wellfield Park, and stated the process to select a consultant to work on the master plan is taking longer than anticipated. The last item Mr. Veneziano discussed was the phone app program to be used in the solid waste area, stated he will make a presentation to council tomorrow, explained how the app would enable residents to report problems in the city, and if approved, the app should be running live next week. Discussion ensued on the county having smart phone symbols that give information in county parks, whether the city could have a similar app, parking apps, potholes in the Venice Beach parking lot and on The Esplanade, and the lease with Anita's Sandcastle. A motion was made by Ms. Hicks seconded by Mr. Woods that the board recommend to city council that the city develop a policy on memorial items. City of Venice Page 4 of 5 Parks and Recreation Advisory Meeting Minutes February 10, 2014 Board Motion carried on voice vote unanimously. 3. 14-0383 Miscellaneous Updates Ms. Kenfield distributed a list of written suggestions she asked to be included in the record of the think tank meeting held earlier today. VII. Adjournment There being no further business to come before this Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:25 p.m. ________________________________ Chair ________________________________ Recording Secretary ********** City of Venice Page 5 of 5