Parks Advisory Board Minutes
May 4, 2011
Page 2
Minutes
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting of May 4, 2011
7:30 a.m. — Fern Forest Nature Center – Coconut Creek
Members Present: / Members Absent: / Others Present:Patrick Brochu / Keathan Frink / Dan West, Parks
Terry Danger / Catherine Minnis / Mike Harlan, Parks
Tyson Jones / Heather Moraitis / Cheryl Cayer, Parks
Marc Kiar / Stephanie Munson / Gayle Preston, Parks
Stephen Lawson / Cyndy Baker, Parks
Jack Mathison / Lou Metz, Parks
Quentin Morgan / Nikki Hochberg, Parks
Marsha Oster-Levy / Pat Young, Parks
Guy Roper / Cathy Hagen, Parks
Sheila Rose / Patrice Eichen, County Attorney’s Office
Nick Steffens / Jim Federici, HCED
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (Board) meeting was called to order by Jack Mathison, Chair, at 7:40 a.m., after which all present recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was called; a quorum was present upon the late arrival of board members.
Parks and Recreation Update: Director West updated the Board on an agenda item that was brought before the Commission at the previous day’s Commission Meeting, requesting guidance from the Commissioners on the purchase of three parcels in the vicinity of Hollywood North Beach Park, adjacent to Green Turtle Park - one of the pocket parks in Hollywood North Beach. The owners are asking $1.5 million, which is higher than the amount the County Appraiser determined as the fair value. The Commission approved up to $1.3 million for the parcels. The parcels would be important acquisitions because of the location near the shoreline. An item on the upcoming agenda for the Commission is the Miramar Pinelands project. Staff has provided additional information to the Commissioners regarding operating costs if the project is approved. The Employee of the Month award is being developed into a peer-driven Employee of the Quarter award determined by employee classifications: one employee from each maintenance, management and administrative support. The same number of employees will be recognized over the course of the year, but on a quarterly basis.
Old Business: The Board discussed changing the day board meetings are held, after reviewing results of a survey of the meeting day preferences as submitted by the members. Chair Mathison requested a motion to approve changing the day on which the Board meets in the morning to Fridays, and the day on which the Board holds public forums to Thursdays, effective with the August 2011 meeting. A motion was made, seconded, and passed – six (6) in favor of the motion and two (2) opposed to the motion.
Approval of Minutes: Chair Mathison requested a motion to approve the minutes of the April 6, 2011 meeting. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
Park Manager’s Report: Nikki Hochberg welcomed the Board to Fern Forest Nature Center and provided information about the park’s history and amenities, as well as recent events at the park. Staff is gearing up for summer. The park will be open seven (7) days a week and staff will be doing a lot of programming with summer camps. The building is scheduled to be refinished, stained and sealed. The trails are in great shape, but with very little rain recently, the wetlands are not very wet and pumping water is restricted. The Board discussed the threat of fire at the site, considering the dry conditions. Staff described the areas of the park most at risk of catching fire, stating the main hazard is from cigarette smoking and that signs requesting patrons to not smoke have been posted in areas that are at the most risk. The Board and staff discussed the pros and cons of banning smoking from the parks, including how to enforce such a ban and the impact to revenue. Staff will research what other park systems are doing to address the issue.
Bond Construction Update: Jim Federici, Planning and Design, reviewed bond projects currently under construction and provided each member of the Board with a copy of the May 2011 Project Status Report summarizing the current bond projects. The DB2 projects at Quiet Waters Park and Tradewinds Park are progressing and should be complete in about a month. Two Parks Prototypes projects are still under construction, both at Tradewinds Park. The Maintenance Facility is nearly complete, with the final inspection scheduled for May 5. The contractor of the Corporate Shelter is in talks with the Coconut Creek Engineering Department for final approval and resolution of work on that project. The Highlands Park Community Center project was designed and went to bid, after which the building codes changed. Staff went back to the architect to adapt the plans and staff advertised the job again. The architect has withdrawn from the project. The construction and maintenance of a round building are more difficult than for a standard facility. The general consultant may be asked to redesign the building to something more manageable. Staffs of Parks and Recreation and of Highway Construction and Engineering are developing a presentation, including artist’s renderings, for the County Administrator about Everglades Holiday Park. The second and third ranked bidders of the Lafayette Hart Park playground are protesting the bid, and the project is now going through a protest process.
Extension Education Update: Pat Young, Manager of Extension Education, updated the board on the responsibilities of the section, as well as the history of the facility. Ms. Young provided sets of printed materials including brochures, a list of the programs and agents, accomplishments over the 2009 – 2010 fiscal year, and the history of Extension. The facility includes four (4) programs: Urban Horticulture, Family Nutrition Program, Commercial Horticulture, and 4-H. Ms. Young described the operations and activities of each program. Extension Education works in cooperation with the University of Florida, which provides research-based, scientific information that Extension Education then provides to the public in layman’s language. Ms. Young stressed the importance of the volunteers, including Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, which work with Extension Education’s programs. In fiscal year 2009, 53,734 volunteer hours were logged for these programs. In fiscal year 2010, that figure increased to 58,551 volunteer hours. The Board discussed the State of Florida’s “right to farm” status and the contributions of the Master Gardeners to training, events, and other activities at cities throughout the county.
New Business: Patrice Eichen, County Attorney’s Office, discussed the County’s new Lobbying Ordinance with the Board, explaining what does and does not constitute lobbying under the terms of the ordinance. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s lobbying prohibition is with the Parks and Recreation Division. Board members with any questions about the ordinance may contact Ms. Eichen directly for additional information or clarification. Procedures for violations of the ordinance were also discussed.
Cyndy Baker, Supervisor of the Public Communications Group, announced the production of several videos that highlight experiences at various County parks. Ms. Baker showed videos of a skier at Quiet Waters Park’s SkiRixen and of a staff person testing the water slide at C. B. Smith Park. The clips can be viewed on www.YouTube.com/browardcountyparks.
Board member Rose asked for golfers to participate in a tournament on Saturday.
Board Meeting adjourned at 8:55 a.m.
Next Meeting: The next meeting will be held at Brian Piccolo Park, June 1, 2011 at 7:30 a.m.