04/05/2000BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE MEETING
CITY OF CLEARWATER
April 5, 2000
Present: Jean Stuart Chair
Candace Hider Vice Chair
Marcia Blakemore Committee Member
Brooks Hammac Committee Member
Also Present: Kevin Dunbar Parks and Recreation Director
Art Kader Assistant Director,
Steve Miller Superintendent, Recreation Programming
Leroy Chin Parks, Planning & Projects Manager
Steve Sarnoff Associate Planner
Bobbie Downs Staff Assistant II
Absent: Steve Brown Committee Member
Vacancies (2) Committee Members
The Chair called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. at the Municipal Services Building.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes of March 1, 2000 – Member Hammac moved to approve the minutes as recorded and submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded
and carried unanimously.
3. Correspondence –
E-mail from Birgitt Dowd reported Kmart Manager Ron Llewellyn thanked Parks and Recreation for delivering the Beautification Award to him at his store.
4. Parks Master Plan –
Mr. Kader said meetings will be held within strategic areas of the community to gain public input toward the master plan. Members gave the following input to questions (in bold):
What do you want your Parks and Recreation Department to be and provide?
After school care service, athletics/sports lessons environmental hands-on education; science museum; art; intergenerational programs; cultural center; create, enhance and preserve wildlife;
more open space; trails; roadway beautification; passive parks; utilize natural settings; innovative alternative designs; skatepark; water theme park; linkage with colleges, schools,
and library; joint utilization of property and resources; environmentally sensitive; butterfly garden; provide safe environment; extended operating hours; and, open holidays.
How would you suggest funding recreation facilities and services?
Impact fees; taxes; park district tax; self-assessment; pay for use; enhancement of recreation fee cards; non-residents fees; improved funding from Pinellas County; federal grants; state
grants; corporate sponsors; City operated vs. privatization; outsourcing and privatization; general fund dollars to Parks and Recreation; wedding chapel; rentals of public facilities;
private auctions; Pennies for Pinellas; getting a share of the bed tax.
What are your primary issues, or concerns you have, regarding Parks and Recreation services?
Funding; importance of Parks and Recreation by the community; lack of knowledge regarding what Parks and Recreation does; protection of park resources; development vs. Parks and Recreation;
how are we going to get water to maintain Parks and Recreation property; Parks and Recreation infrastructure maintenance; qualified staff to run recreation programs (recruitment and
retention); volunteers; serving low-income; leadership to maintain quality; citizen apathy; and, citizen involvement.
Members compared their answers with those of the programming staff then ranked their answers in first through fifth importance. Mr. Chin said results would be available at next month’s
meeting.
Old Business --
a) Nominations for Beautification Awards – none
Members discussed AutoWay on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard as a possible nominee.
New Business –
Mr. Chin showed members a colored site plan of Allen’s Creek proposal that incorporates suggestions made earlier by committee members.
Member Hammac expressed concern that the City was willing to sell its reclaimed water to Palm Harbor. He asked how much reclaimed water is used in parks. Mr. Dunbar said the reclaimed
water is used wherever the piping network is available. The area in question is offering to fund the expansion of the piping to allow for the reclaimed water discharge.
Adjournment - The meeting adjourned at 10:07 a.m. The next meeting will be May 3, 2000.