Parks Advisory Board Minutes – March 2, 2017Page 1
Minutes
Parks and Recreation Advisory BoardMeeting of March 2, 2017 - 6 p.m.,followed by a Public Forum at 7 p.m.
Plantation Heritage Park - 1100 S. Fig Tree Lane - Plantation
Board Members Present
Christina Clifford / Jack Mathison / Terry DangerDana MacDonald / Kristen Reineke (by phone) / Tyson Jones
Daniel Mulieri / Stephanie Munson / William Gilmartin
Howard Garson / Stephen Lawson
Board Members Absent
Arthur McNeil / Patrick BrochuHoward Nelson / Sumair Haroon
County Staff
Adrian Anghel / Dan West / Jim FedericiAndrew Nance / Dori Horowitz-Remillet / Lou Metz
Bruce Riahifar / Ellice Weaver / Racquel Henry
Cathy Hagen / Erik Westberg / Sarah Perkins
Cheryl Cayer / Gary Remillet / Val Wolberg
Chester Pruitt / Gayle Preston
Cyndy Baker / Jason Lester
Guests
NoneThe Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (Board) meeting was called to order by Jack Mathison, Chair, at 6:02 p.m., after which all present recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was called; a quorum was present.
Public Comment:ChairMathisondeferred this section for the Public Forum.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Tyson Jonesto approve the minutes of the January 20, 2017, meeting. The motion was seconded by Stephanie Munson and was passed unanimously.
Employees of the Quarter: Each Employee of the Quarter was introduced and presented with a framed certificate to commemorate the award, a tote bag, a personalized logo shirt, and a Division “Find it All” mug.
Employees for the 4thQuarter 2016 were: Bruce Riahifar, Senior Systems Network Analyst, Administrative Offices; Andrew Nance, Vehicle Mechanic, Division Maintenance; andVal Wolberg, Parks Manager Senior, Neighborhood Parks.
Park Manager’s Update: Jason Lester welcomed the Board to Plantation Heritage Park. He introduced newly hired ParksManager Associate, Theresa Johnson. He stated that the total revenue for FY 2016 was over $173,000, an eight percent increase over the previous fiscal year. The park attendance for FY 2016 was 383,109. Park improvements include replacing the atrium roof and installation of 31 concrete T-pads along the disc golf course. The Duck PondGazebo was once the kitchen of Frederick C. Peters, the founding father of Plantation,and is one of the oldest structures in the City of Plantation. Staff is working with the State to have the pond designated as an historic site.
Mr. Mulieri thanked the staff at Plantation Heritage for hosting the Family Night with Food Trucks. He stated that friends have enjoyed attending the event.
Mr. West thanked the staff of Plantation Heritage for their work.
Bond Construction Update:Jim Federici, P.E., Manager, Parks Planning and Design
- South Fork New River– The project has been completed.
- Deerfield Island Park –The design work has been completed. County is currently waiting on the award of a grant to proceed with construction.
- Everglades Holiday Park– The contractor will start working on the bridge in a few weeks.
- Quiet Waters Park – The Camper Cabins project will be submitted to Purchasing for bid advertisement. The dog park project, staff is working with contractor to modify the scope of the project to reduce cost, since the cost proposal is currently over budget.
- Tradewinds Park – One proposal was received from the four shortlisted firms. The selection committee will forward its recommendation to the Commission for further action.
Mr. Garson stated that the turf at the City of Hallandale Beach dog parks is being changed constantly and it may be cheaper to use artificial turf.
Parks Improvement Projects:Ellice Weaver stated that aparks project master tracker was created to document all the projects within the Division. The spreadsheet is updated quarterly, with project status and expected completion date.
Mr. West stated that the spreadsheet shows consistent progression and keeps the Division on track.
Gayle Preston introduced Erik Westberg who was selected as Parks Superintendent. He has been with the Division for 16 years and managed several regional parks.
Parks Foundation Update:
Mr. Pruitt stated that a palm card was created for the Foundation showing its mission, website address and contact information.The Foundation will be having a fundraising event, Family Fun Day at Tradewinds Park North, Saturday, April 29, 2017, starting at 10 a.m.
Parks and Recreation Division Update: Mr. West stated that Friday, March 3,2017, will be the grand opening for the Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC) at the Carpenter House at 9 a.m. Both the County and Nova Southeastern University will be introducing Captain, the sea turtle.
The annual employee meeting was a success. Mr. West thanked Cyndy Baker, her staff and others who made it possible. Approximately 300 employees attended the meeting, along with the Mayor and staff from County Administration.
Awards presented at the annual meeting included the:2016 Customer Satisfaction Award, Regional Parks - Plantation Heritage Park; 2016 Customer Satisfaction Award – Local Parks, Boulevard Gardens Community Center; 2016 Customer Satisfaction Award – Nature Centers, Anne Kolb Nature Center; 2016 Customer Satisfaction Award – Natural Areas, Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area; 2016 Customer Satisfaction Award – Aquatics, C.B. Smith Park; 2016 Customer Satisfaction Award – Campgrounds, Markham Park & Target Range; 2016 Customer Satisfaction Award – Other Services,
Special Populations Section; 2016 Volunteer Park of the Year Award, Anne Kolb Nature Center; 2016 Community Partnership Award, FLIPANY (Florida Introduces Physical Activity and NutritiontoYouth) and Urban Farming Institute; 2016 Entrepreneurial Park of the Year Award, West Lake Park & Marina;2016 Team Award, Business Operations; 2016 Cutting-Edge Award, Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium; 2016 Phoenix Award, the six neighborhood parks – Boulevard Gardens Community Center, Franklin Park, Lafayette Hart Park, Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, Roosevelt Gardens Park, and Sunview Park; 2016 Director’s Award, Pat Howell, Natural Resource Specialist,and 2016 Leadership Award, Chester Pruitt, Program Project Coordinator Senior.
The capital list with 21 projects was submitted to the Commission. Mr. West stated that the Division is almost out of bond money and will be putting together a system-wide master plan with help from a consultant. A comprehensive internal analysis was done in 2009 to look at the internal operations. There were 250 recommendations and 75% of those have been completed. In 2012 a needs assessment was done to provide an external look at the Division. Now there is a need for a master plan for the first time in 60 years. The Division has been accredited four times and will be applying for a fifth accreditation. However, a master plan is needed for accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies.The Division will be requesting additional money to complete a consultant study to be prepared for the next Bond or Penny Sales Tax initiative. Palm Beach Parks will be receiving a very large share of their Penny Sales Tax to improve their parks.
The 2nd Annual Marine Summit was a success with over 100 attendees. The Marine Advisory Committeealong with the Communications Group staff worked on the new Broward Safe Boating Guide, which is in distribution. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission will now be managing the navigational aids on the Intracoastal.
Old Business
The 2017 Goals and Objectives was revised as per motion of the last meeting.
New Business
None
Chair Mathison stated that he will not be attending the May 5th, meeting.
Adjournment:A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 7:11p.m.
Public Forum: The Public Forum was opened at 7:11 p.m. Chair Mathison inquired if there were any members of the public who wished to speak on any Parks related topic. There were none.
Adjournment: A motion was made to adjourn the meeting.The public forum adjourned at 7:11 p.m.
Next Meeting: The next meeting will be held at Tree Tops Park, Davieat 7:30a.m.on Friday, May5, 2017.