01/23/2018 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes January 23, 2018
City of Clearwater
City Hall
112 S. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33756
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Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
6:30 PM
Council Chambers
Parks and Recreation Board
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City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes January 23, 2018
Roll Call
Present 6 - Vice Chair Norene M. Marlow, Board Member Michelle Ramirez,
Board Member Emilio Gonzalez, Board Member Kristin Langley,
Chair Mark Rodriguez, and Board Member Jennifer Wood
Absent 1 - Board Member Lisa Tuttle
Also Present: Jim Halios — Planning & Project Manager, Patricia O. Sullivan - Board
Reporter
1. Call To Order
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed in that order.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve the Minutes of the October 24, 2017 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting
Member Ramirez moved to approve the minutes of the October
24, 2017 Parks & Recreation Board meeting as submitted in
written summation. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda: None.
4. New Business Items
4.1 Review Parks and Recreation Projects Update
Planning & Project Manager Jim Halios reported construction of the
Morningside Recreation Center was on target for a May 29, 2018
opening. Staff reviewed 4 finalists for the Crest Lake Park design and
recommended the City Council award the design contract to DixHite of
Orlando. The construction schedule will be determined. In response to a
question, Mr. Halios reviewed the City's bid process. Two public meetings
were held over 2 years of community outreach asking area residents what
elements they wanted. The dog park will be spruced up. Drought tolerant
and easy to maintain Florida friendly plantings will provide a low
natural barrier between the grass and water. A natural barrier by the
playground will mitigate noise while maintaining good visibility.
It was commented that Crest Lake Park dog park fountains were
problematic.
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City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes January 23, 2018
4.2 Review Parks and Recreation City Council Items
In response to questions, Mr. Halios said the Hyatt Hotel was paying all
costs to construct a pedestrian overpass from its 2nd level over S.
Gulfview Boulevard to BeachWalk. The overpass will alleviate pedestrian
traffic crossing the street.
Traffic Engineering will remove pavers near the roundabout to
discourage pedestrian crossings there.
4.3 Provide Direction on the Renaming of Parks and Recreation Special Events Office
Mr. Halios said a Parks & Recreation Board duty was to recommend names
for Parks & Recreation facilities to the City Council. Frank Dixon
submitted a proposal to rename the Special Events Office the "Freddie S.
Dixon Sr. Special Events Office,"in memory of Mr. Dixon. The proposal
said Mr. Dixon worked at the facility for more than 30 years, helped others
get jobs, helped many kids, teenagers, young adults, and adults stay out
of trouble, had football, basketball, and softball leagues to keep residents
busy and teenagers and kids had a great time at the facility during summers.
Mr. Halios said the City traditionally did not name facilities after
employees with 2 exceptions: Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex and the
Ream Wilson Trail. Both men were Parks & Recreation Department
directors who had the foresight to purchase the facilities'large tracts of
land. City administration did not support the request. Mr. Dixon ran a
basketball league out of the armory as a City employee, many others
also worked more than 30 years for Clearwater.
Discussion ensued re naming criteria, complications associated with
setting precedent, the possibility of renaming a portion of the facility,
installing a plaque, or issuing a certificate the family could display at home,
the City's history of naming facilities after community leaders, the lack of
community input and background information, and that Mr. Dixon was
well known in the community.
Mr. Halios said the City Council recognized employee anniversaries.
The City did not accept trees or benches to honor an individual due to
ongoing maintenance and replacement costs.
Consensus was to deny the request because it did not meet Code criteria
and to express the Board's appreciation for Mr. Dixon's service to the
city.
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City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes January 23, 2018
4.4 Provide direction on lighting for the Morningside Tennis Courts.
New business item requested by Board Member Norene Marlow to provide
direction on installing lighting at the Morningside Tennis Courts.
In response to questions, Mr. Halios said Morningside's tennis courts
previously had lights, all City tennis court lights were disconnected during
the financial downturn, lighting at some tennis courts was reactivated,
tennis court lights were set by timer and designed to be night sky compliant
and to not affect adjacent neighbors. Lighting installation would have to be
budgeted, he estimated Morningside tennis court lighting would cost
between $50,000 and $75,000.
Member Langley moved to recommend adding lighting for the
Morningside tennis courts to the FY (Fiscal Year) 2018/19 budget.
The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Mr. Halios will prepare a memo for Chair Marlow's signature and
forward it to the City Council for consideration.
4.5 Appoint Chair and Vice Chair of Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Member Christou-Wood moved to appoint Mark Rodriguez as
Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Member Rodriguez moved to appoint Norene Marlow as Vice
Chair. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
5. Old Business Item: None.
6. Director's Report
Mr. Halios reviewed planned renovations at Pier 60 which should be
completed by March 1, 2018. The City operated the pier, which earned
between $1.5 and $2 million annually for the General Fund. Beach
concessions were leased to vendors via public bid.
Mr. Halios said construction of the trail overpass on SR 60 at Bayshore
Boulevard was rescheduled from 2023 to 2020. The City leased the
former FDOT(Florida Department of Transportation) building on SR 60.
The Clearwater Chamber of Commerce will operate a Welcome Center
there and provide bathrooms and water for trail users. With little space
along the Causeway trail for amenities, air pumps will be installed at the
Welcome Center and at the midpoint of the Clearwater stretch of the
Causeway trail. Security along the trail was not a problem.
7. Board Members to be Heard: None.
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City of Clearwater
Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes
8. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.
City of Clearwater
January 23, 2018
Chair
Parks &
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Board