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11/24/2003CITY OF CLEARWATER PARKS & RECREATION BOARD MEETING November 24, 2003 Present: Jonathan Wade Sr. Chair Thomas Fletcher Vice Chair Larry Lindner Board Member Steve Swanberg Board Member Allen Weatherilt Board Member Sarah Wiand Board Member Also Present: Kevin Dunbar Director, Parks and Recreation Dept. Bobbie Downs Staff Assistant Absent: James Appelt Board Member To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. ITEM #1 - Call to Order – The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Dunbar pointed out this was Mr. Lindner's final meeting as a board member and thanked him for his eight years of service. Members also expressed their appreciation for his commitment, time, diligence and preparedness. ITEM #2 - Public Hearing to Suggest Names for Downtown Lake - No representative of the public was present. Four names were submitted in advance for consideration. Discussion ensued. Member Lindner moved to reject the four names that had been submitted as they were the same names that had been submitted in the past public hearings. The motion was seconded and passed, with member Wiand abstaining. Member Lindner moved to reaffirm the board's decisions made at Public Hearings on March 24 and August 25. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Mr. Dunbar said the issue would be brought to City Commission in January. ITEM #3 - Approval of Minutes of Parks and Recreation Board Meeting of October 27, 2003 - The minutes were approved as submitted to members. Ms. Wiand questioned an item concerning Clearwater Players. Mr. Dunbar said City Players is not going out of business, Ms. Pucci is still on the payroll, and Players have access to Ruth Eckerd Hall but they are looking to develop other partners. The new wing of Ruth Eckerd Hall would be a desirable spacious home; it is expensive to warehouse the numerous props accumulated. Ms. Wiand reiterated her earlier suggestion to fill the board vacancy with someone who is familiar with the cultural and performing arts activities the city offers in recreation programs. She also suggested cultural arts as focus of a board meeting next year. Mr. Dunbar said he would ask Ms. Margo Walbolt, Cultural Affairs Manager, to speak at a meeting. ITEM #4 - Correspondence - None ITEM #5 - Old Business - a) Capital Projects Update - Mr. Dunbar updated the following projects: Community Sports Complex - Hope to have substantial completion by Dec. 15 prior to Phillies moving in Jan. 1. They will start selling tickets from the new ballpark Jan. 15. Phillies Phan Fest and ribbon cutting is Feb. 27, and first game is March 4. Board will meet there Feb. 23. Concrete Sidewalk, Pad Repairs & Replacement - Providing resurfacing of basketball courts at Woodgate Park and improvements at Norton Park. Community Sports Complex Infrastructure Repairs and Improvements - Improvements outside actual complex including improved fencing and driveway areas. Crest Lake Park Improvements - Awarded State grant as a partial reimbursement for acquiring Park Lake Motel. Preliminary plans are to create a cul-de-sac at southwest corner of Glenwood Avenue and create a landscaped parking area of 40 spaces to support the Dog Park. The parking lot would be accessible only via Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard to minimize traffic on residential streets. In response to a question, Mr. Dunbar said it might be possible to purchase the shopping strip nearby if it becomes available. He added the dog park is highly successful and users have been responsible in keeping it clean. Park Amenities Purchase and Replacement - Ongoing at various sites. Tennis Court Resurfacing - No courts scheduled for resurfacing in this FY. Playground & Fitness Equipment Purchase & Replacement - Playgrounds to be replaced in FY 03-04 will be Forest Run Park, Country Hollow Park, Montclair and below McKay. McKay Park - Forming of concrete sidewalks in progress. Long Center - Met with architect and engineer to review expansion. Maintenance and landscaping is ongoing. Currently, the pool is shut down for two weeks to repair corrosion and repaint beams, primarily on the north side. Holiday swim meet of approximately 1,000 swimmers expected the second weekend in December. Will have to address over-all roof concerns in the near future. Ross Norton Complex - Opened bids last Thursday. Pricing exceeded architect's budget; currently working with architect and contractor to bring down cost. Goes to Commission Dec.18 to award construction contract. Work begins in January with a 10-month construction window. Fencing and lighting replacement and repair completed. - Projects under way at Sid Lickton, Carpenter, and Country Hollow Park. At Sid Lickton, the department gave up an open field area for Public Utilities Department's reverse osmosis plant but gained a new driveway and angle parking from Public Works, valued at $130,000. Light Repair and Replacement - Relocating Del Oro Park lighting system, lighting the half-field area at Jack Russell Stadium, and installing new lighting at Sid Lickton #6 and #7. East-West Trail projects continue to move forward. McMullen-Booth pedestrian bridge is first. E.C. Moore 8 & 9 - Project moving forward. Anticipate completion end of calendar year. Games begin first of January in time for U.S. Olympic softball games in February. Bayview Park - Working with county on access easement agreements. Glen Oaks Park - Still moving forward with design. Some concerns with transients. b) Upcoming Recreation Events - Mr. Dunbar pointed out Turkey Trot is this week. Coming up in December will be two concerts at Coachman Park: "Gathering of Friends" on Dec. 5 and "Next Best Thing III" Dec. 7. Charlie Daniels will lead the Holiday Parade Dec. 12 as Grand Marshal then present a concert Dec. 13 at Coachman Park. ITEM #6 New Business – a) Election of Officers - Discussion ensued as to whether officers could serve more than one term. Staff will research. In absence of by-laws to the contrary, members re-elected Mr. Wade as Chair and Mr. Fletcher as Vice Chair for next year. They will take office in January pending the outcome of research. Not on the Agenda Mr. Dunbar distributed the City's Annual Report, published as a 2004 calendar. Parks and Recreation's July feature of North Greenwood Recreation and Aquatic Complex has been selected as the best page. The Fall issue of the city's Capital Improvement Newsletter also was distributed. Mr. Wade asked about the status of rental cars parked behind the Jack Russell Stadium fence. Mr. Dunbar said they are being removed. Mr. Wade inquired if city staff was utilized in the Mt. Carmel initiative at Kings Highway. Mr. Dunbar said the city is paying the first year of utility cost, and will take care of CIPs and grassy areas, but no recreation staff is involved. In response to a question regarding status of Joe DiMaggio complex at St. Petersburg College, Mr. Dunbar said the city has proposed to pay $1.6 million for the field house. Payment terms would be $1 million at time of signing, then $200,000 each of three years, which would come from impact fees. Mr. Dunbar said city has rebuilt its Web site, which is now wwww.myclearwater.com. Also, the department has hired its first I.T. staff member to maintain the Parks & Recreation Web page, be in charge of the photo ID system, and look for software systems to perform various tasks, including on-line program registration. Mr. Dunbar said the piece downloaded most often from Parks & Recreation's Web site is Adult Softball Standings. Ms. Wiand questioned the purpose of the horizontal boards erected on top of the seawall at the end of Mango Street. Ms. Wiand feels that maintenance should be done to protect the erosion of the sand as you step off onto the beach. ITEM #7 Adjournment - Members adjourned at 8 p.m. The next meeting will be January 26, 2004, at MSB.