Parks Advisory Board Minutes
December 1, 2010
Page 3
Minutes
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board
Meeting of December 1, 2010
7:30 a.m. — Anne Kolb Nature Center – Hollywood
Members Present: / Members Absent: / Others Present:Terry Danger / Patrick Brochu / Dan West, Parks.
Sharon Kent / Quentin Morgan / Mike Harlan, Parks
Marc Kiar / Howard Nelson / Cheryl Cayer, Parks
Stephen Lawson / Jack Talabisco / Sarah Perkins, Parks
Jack Mathison / Gayle Preston, Parks
Stephanie Munson / Matt Berman, Parks
Marsha Oster-Levy / Adrian Anghel, Parks
Guy Roper / Laurel Person, Parks
Sheila Rose / Joanne Howes, Parks
Jim Federici, HCED
Patrice Eichen, CAO
Ryan Flaherty, Parks
Cathy Hagen, Parks
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.
Approval of Minutes
Chair Mathison requested a motion to approve the minutes of the November 3, 2010 meeting. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
Employee of the Month
Ryan Flaherty was congratulated as December’s Employee of the Month. Mr. Flaherty was applauded for his accomplishments and work ethic, and he was awarded a framed certificate of appreciation as well as a gift certificate to a local restaurant.
Park Manager’s Report
Laurel Person, Park Manager V, welcomed the Board to Anne Kolb Nature Center. Ms. Person is the park manager for Anne Kolb Nature Center, West Lake Park, and Hollywood North Beach Park. Ms. Person described amenities and popular activities at the three sites. Parks Naturalist Joanne Howes provided an update about the volunteer base at Anne Kolb Nature Center, which has provided 1800 hours of volunteer service this year. Ms. Howes also described recent and upcoming programs.
Parks and Recreation Division Update
Director West announced plans to invite the Division’s section leaders to provide brief updates to the Board in the coming months. The Efficiency Report is in its final form, and will be released after a workshop is scheduled with the County Commission.
Bond Construction Update
Jim Federici, Planning and Design, reviewed projects currently under construction and provided each member of the Board with a copy of the Project Status Report, which summarizes the current bond projects.
Projects nearing completion include the corporate shelter and the maintenance facility at Tradewinds Park. Construction has been completed on the Tree Tops Park maintenance facility, the corporate shelters at CB Smith Park, TY Park, and Markham Park, and the covered basketball courts at several neighborhood parks. The Carpenter House project is nearing completion. The Board was invited to visit the Carpenter House immediately following the meeting. Construction has commenced on a new restroom and a park gate house at Quiet Waters Park. At Tradewinds Park, the ball fields are undergoing renovation and a concession building is under construction. Ball field lighting improvements at North Broward Park are 95% complete. Boardwalk renovation at Deerfield Island is 95% complete. A consultant is preparing plans and specifications for bids for Phase 2 at Fern Forest to strip and re-stain the building’s exterior. A number of new projects are in the Design or Planning Stage. The Board discussed projects at natural area sites in the north part of the county, including Hillsboro Pineland Addition Natural Area, and connecting them to the Greenways and Trails System. Mr. West noted that the County Administrator has approved funds to complete a community needs assessment next year, which likely will provide recommendations for a comprehensive county-wide model, linking together the patchwork of parks with greenways and trails.
Technology Section Update
Technology Section Manager Adrian Anghel provided an overview of the section’s responsibilities, an update on the projects currently underway, and the ongoing challenges in a system such as Parks with locations spread throughout the county. Mr. Anghel briefed the Board on the installation of security cameras, a new lightning protection system, the RecTrac software application rollout, providing Wi-Fi access in the parks and campgrounds, training staff, and procuring and maintaining technical equipment.
Old Business
Staff provided the Board with a spreadsheet showing when Secret Shopper visits to the various parks have occurred over the past few years and which parks would benefit from visits in the near future. The Board was invited to volunteer to visit parks of their choice. Staff will e-mail the Secret Shopper evaluation form to all Board members, and Board members will respond to staff which site(s) they will visit. The Board will make efforts to complete the visits by February 2011.
Staff has rotated the suggestion boxes to different park sites, and the suggestion box program is ongoing at this time. Staff apprised the Board on the few suggestion forms that are returned. It was noted that the suggestion box program is a duplication of effort since Parks’ Customer Satisfaction Surveys are completed by park patrons in larger numbers. Staff utilizes the information provided by the Customer Satisfaction Survey forms, and will highlight the information to the Board every couple of months. The Board proposed alternate uses for the boxes and suggested incentivizing the forms to offer a token benefit to patrons who complete them.
Chair Mathison drafted a letter to each of the new commissioners. Copies were circulated among the Board for review. Mr. West will meet with the new commissioners over the next few weeks to brief them on the status of the Division. Chair Mathison suggested inviting the commissioner in whose district the Board meeting will be held in any given month, to share his or her thoughts and philosophy on Parks and Recreation as part of the regular meeting agenda.
New Business
Parks’ NRPA membership package includes ten Citizen Memberships. Staff will determine which Board members will be included as part of the package.
The Board discussed ways to increase attendance at the two annual public forums. Staff will post an announcement in the kiosks at park sites. Parks’ publications already include announcements of upcoming public forums.
Staff announced the passing of Board member Tim Watts, (former) Commissioner Jones’ appointee.
The schedule of meetings for 2011 was accepted by the Board without discussion.
Other Business
Board member Roper brought up the recent news stories about an infestation of hookworms associated with the feral cat population on Miami Beach. Discussion was held about various programs that are already in place to manage the feral cat populations, including a recently awarded $30,000 PetSmart grant and a county sponsored low cost sterilization program.
Board member Roper announced that the 2011 Firefighter Olympics will be held in Broward County in either May or June, and will utilize Parks’ facilities including ball fields and the Target Range.
The 28th Annual Toy Run will be held this Sunday morning, starting at Coconut Creek Casino and ending at Markham Park, with approximately 35,000 motorcycles participating.
Meeting adjourned at 8:51 a.m.
Next Meeting: The next meeting is scheduled to be held at Secret Woods Nature Center, January 5, 2011 at 7:30 a.m.