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P&R05-03-11Min MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD 175 WEST WARREN AVENUE LONGWOOD, FLORIDA May 3, 2011 COMMISSION CHAMBERS 7:00 PM Present: Lori Rice, Chair Abigail Shoemaker, Vice Chair Anna Rivera - Laguer, Member Alex Trauger, Member Nicole Bright, Member Shawn Anastasia, Member Dave Putz, Member (arrived at 7:05 p.m.) Commissioner Brian Sackett Fran Meli, Leisure Services Director Sarah M. Mirus, Recording Secretary 1. Call to Order. Chair Rice called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Approval of Minutes — February 1, 2011 Regular Meeting. Member Trauger moved to approve the Minutes of February 1, 2011. Seconded by Vice Chair Shoemaker and carried by a unanimous voice vote with Member Putz absent. 3. Public Participation. None. 4. Old Business. A. Director of Leisure Service's Report. Ms. Meli reported Easter was a huge success. She said they were very busy and noted it was a larger crowd than last year. She said everyone had a good time and it was estimated 12,000 people were in attendance. Ms. Meli said they were ready for Summer Camp with the exception of getting all of their counselors on board. She stated they have about half of the counselors corning back from last year, which makes for a better transition. She noted the enrollment was down and they were finding that enrollment was down in all of the Summer Camps. She said it was a sign of the economy and stated attendance was down last year as well. She then outlined the themes and activities planned for the Summer Camp. P &R 05- 03 -11 /1 Ms. Meli said they were working on their budget and working towards sponsorships and corporate sponsorships. She said if they can get more of that, they can expand the programs. She said Halloween for this year was going to be a little different and was going to be a trick -or -treat type of event. She said the children could go from booth -to -booth like they do in a neighborhood and the booths would be sponsored by a business. She noted the City would supply the candy because she did not feel comfortable with people bringing their own candy. She said the Church they partnered with for Easter may be partnering with them for Halloween. She said she would have a lot more information in the future because the details were sketchy right now. Member Putz arrived at this point of the meeting. Ms. Meli said there would be several family movies in July and will have popcorn and soda. She stated it was fairly well attended and there was a combination of "G" and "PG" movies,, so you could choose what was appropriate for your family. She said Summer Camp would only be eight (8) weeks this year due to school starting early. Ms. Meli said they will be doing National Night Out and would like to expand it and the Police Department would be more heavily involved this year. She said they will bring other vendors there and want the community to be there for that night. She said they will have children's activities located in the ball fields. Ms. Meli announced, this year they were hosting the Southeast Regional T -Ball Tournament and were very excited. She stated they were expecting about 1,000 t- bailers. She then explained how they were working with Seminole County Tourism for the hotel accommodations and described the dinner required to be held in conjunction with the Tournament. Commissioner Sackett said that he had secured $1,500 from the Police Confiscation Funds to off -set the costs. Ms. Meli continued to detail the arrangements being made for the Southeast Regional T -Ball Tournament and said summer will be very busy for the ball fields. B. Discussion of Reiter Park Master Plan. Ms. Meli said there was no news on the grant and they won't know anything until the summer. She said they were keeping their fingers crossed and would do the things in -house as they can. She said the dirt would come from the remaining six (6) unpaved roads. She then P &R 05 -03 -11/2 described in detail the Park's features and noted the :Park would be American Disabilities Association (ADA) accessible. Discussion was held in regards to the Master Plan for Reiter Park. Ms. Meli discussed the Tree Memorial Fund and how it would help offset the costs of the trees. She stated this had not gone before the Commission and was trying to get the pieces together before it went to the Commission. Ms. Meli outlined what would happen if the City did or did not get the grant. She said the money would be spent this year, if they did not receive the grant money. She said everyone from the State was vying for the money and they were looking at other grants. Ms. Meli then discussed the contract specifications with the grant writer and discussed their qualifications. She noted it was a reimbursement grant and they may not be able to start until after the first of the New Year. She stated they were anxious for the Park to get going. Discussion was held in regards to the dirt being brought over from the road pavings. Ms. Meli she stated she was confident they were moving forward now. Chair Rice inquired about sponsorships /partnerships for Reiter Park. Ms. Meli said they would have to wait until the design plans were finished. She said they want the businesses to become more of the community. She said with the changes in Administration, the plans have changed and now they were stable. She said this was a Park that was going to happen. Discussion was held in regards to the parking options for Reiter Park. Member Bright asked that as they get closer, she would like to discuss sponsorships opportunities. She then provided specific examples of possible sponsorships. Member Anastasia suggested setting an information booth at the upcoming community events and to provide information to the attendees. He then suggested setting up a database with the contact information received from the attendees, and disburse information about the Park when it becomes available. Ms. Meli said on the City's website there was information about Reiter Park. She then asked the Board to help man the booth. P &R 05 -03 -11/3 Vice Chair Shoemaker suggested having a giveaway at the booth. Discussion was held in regards to ways of getting information out to the residents about the events. Ms. Meli outlined the ways Leisure Services disburses the information about the events. She noted they were looking at other means of disbursing the information and discussed a Leisure Services newsletter that would be eight (8) pages. Discussion ensued regarding a booth being setup at the events to provide information to the attendees. Vice Chair Shoemaker said she liked what Member Anastasia had suggested. Ms. Meli said it was a great idea, and it helped people to get involved and support. Member Putz inquired about the skate board equipment. Ms. Meli said that it was in good condition and they were getting it for half - price. Said noted there was a lot of support for a skate park. Discussion ensued regarding the need for a skate park in the City. Ms. Meli said the biggest cost was for the slab. She then discussed what features were being included in Reiter Park. She said they needed the grant and it's just slowing the project a little bit. She said it was going to be a great gathering place for events. Discussion was held regarding the ideal location for a skate park and the $100,000 in the current budget for Reiter Park. Commissioner Sackett said Reiter Park was ideal to combine with SunRail. He noted Winn Dixie was going to be doing renovations to their store. Member Putz inquired about the maintenance of the water fountain in Heroes Memorial Park. He said the water was green and it spills over the sides. He said the water evaporates and it leaves calcium behind. He said it was in bad shape now. Ms. Meli said she would get with the Public Works Department to look into the matter. P &R 05 -03 -11/4 5. New Business. Ms. Meli said they were looking at making Longwood a Tree City. She said they would have to adopt ordinances and it would open the door for grants through the Forestry Division. Discussion was held in regards to the composition of the members for the Tree Board and their responsibilities. Member Trauger asked to be kept informed about the Bicycle Master Plan. He said he was aware it was in the early stages, but wanted to keep informed about the project. Ms. Meli said the Director of Community Development Services, Ms. Sheryl Bower had managed to get $100,000 from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to put together a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. She said they needed to look at ways of moving people around the City other than in cars. She said this would be a great Plan and would get a lot of connectivity. She said this got accepted by the Commission at Monday night's meeting and it was very exciting. Member Trauger noted that he bicycles to the Parks and Recreational Advisory Board Meetings and said they needed to have bicycle racks at public buildings. Discussion was held regarding the new Public Works Facility and it being a "Green Building ". Ms. Meli said there has been some discussion about a dog park. She said they were removing the playground equipment from Raven Park and outlined the new features of the Park. She said on the City's website lists the parks location and their features. Discussion ensued regarding utilizing social media as a means of communication. Ms. Meli said they were looking into this and developing a policy. She then described the Citizen Request Management (CRM) software to the Board and how it works. Chair Rice said for the next meeting, everyone was to bring their ideas for National Night Out. P &R 05 -03 -11/5 6. Adjournment. Chair Rice adjourned the meeting at 8:53 p.m. oC/ Lori Rice, Chair ATTE. Sarah M. Mirus, MMC, MBA, Recording Secretary P&R 05 -03 -11/6