Loading...
PR12-01-2020MinPARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS 175 WEST WARREN AVENUE LONGWOOD, FLORIDA MINUTES December 1, 2020 Present: David Putz, Chair Judi Coad, Member Lori Rice, Member Teresa Ray, Member Samuel Friedman, Member (via Zoom) Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director Ryan Rinaldo, Recreation Coordinator Donna L. Alt -Bowes, Recording Secretary Absent: Jim Vogel, Vice -Chair Amanda Sackett, Member 1. CALL TO ORDER. Chair Putz called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m 2. PUBLIC INPUT. None. 3. ACTION ITEMS. A. Approve Minutes from November 3, 2020 Member Rice moved to approve the minutes from November 3, 2020, as presented. Seconded by Member Ray and carried by a unanimous voice vote with Vice -Chair Vogel and Member Sackett absent. B. Fall/Winter Events Chair Putz said Fall/Winter Events are here and the Staff Report is later and asked Mr. Capizzi if he would like to give his Fall/Winter Event report during his Staff Report. Mr. Capizzi said he could give it now. Mr. Capizzi said we have Celebrate the Season coming up and that he will let Member Coad speak on that since that is her event. We have the Food Trucks coming up after that on December 10, 2020 from 5:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m. at Reiter Park and that will be the same time as the Community Chanukah Celebration. He went on to describe the Community Chanukah Celebration. The Downtown Cruise -In Car Show is December 12, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in Historic Downtown Longwood and there will be a magic and dance show on December P&R 12-01-2020/1 11, 2020 called the "Winter Showcase" at Reiter Park from 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m. There will be a magician performing magic in addition to Elevate Dance Studio putting a dance show on for everyone. Movie in the Park will take place on December 18, 2020 at Reiter Park starting at 7:00 p.m. and the movie will be "Polar Express". Santa Visits Longwood take place on December 191h and 20th starting at 11:00 a.m. He said Saturday will be the east side of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Sunday will be the west side of Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Member Coad asked Mr. Capizzi to repeat the dates for Santa Visits Longwood. Mr. Capizzi said on Saturday, December 19th all neighborhoods and homes east of Ronald Reagan Boulevard will be visited and then on Sunday, December 20th all neighborhoods and homes west of Ronald Reagan Boulevard will be visited. Officer Feld from the Longwood Police Department will be putting the route in the email she sends out every Friday. He said that is something we added this year so people have some idea of when Santa will be in their particular area. He said they did not give specific times just in case the schedule changed due to the weather. Chair Putz asked Mr. Capizzi if there was any more to speak on as far as the Staff Report. Mr. Capizzi said staff was working some things at Candyland Park maintenance wise. The yellow fence toppers are going to be replaced throughout the entire park. He said within the next two (2) to three (3) weeks all of the astro turf inside all of the batting cages will be replaced along with doing some cement work. The dugouts will be painted soon and we just finished the maintenance at the skate park and pump track. We have repainted the posts on some of the batting cages and rehung nets. Staff is obtaining quotes on renovating the bathrooms completely with prison grade stuff that is up to date and indestructible. There are several minor maintenance items that are being done as well. We are going to receive a quote for red cedar trees in the cemetery to make a nice divider between the cemetery and Candyland. He said that is coming out of the City Tree Fund. He said if you have not been over to Reiter Park, all of the decorations are up and it really looks nice. We also have everything decorated around the historic district and it is looking good. Chair Putz asked if anyone had any questions for Mr. Capizzi. Member Rice said the holiday decorations do look good but she misses seeing them along Ronald Reagan. She is talking about the net lights on the bushes and the clock is not lit at this time. She said the banners look good. She asked Mr. Capizzi to give the Board an update on the other banners that will be going up along CR 427 as well as the Sunshade Grant. P&R 12-01-2020/2 Mr. Capizzi said that they were going to let Member Rice do the Sunshade Grant if that was ok. Member Rice said she did not have much of an update since she has not spoken with Mr. Rinaldo. Mr. Capizzi said Mr. Rinaldo could certainly give her an update. Mr. Capizzi said the CGI banner are going to start in January. CGI elected to wait until the holiday banners are down, upon which time then they will put up all of the business banners. The business are fine with that as long as they are going to have the same amount of time. Mr. Rinaldo said the on-line application is 90% complete. He said he has emailed Orlando Health for the dermatologist letter and gave Megan Almasi from Orlando Health a kind deadline of December 21St. He said once we have that we will be able to submit the grant. Staff took pictures of the area to show where the structure would go. The U/V region we are in is very high and he thinks we have a good chance of being awarded the grant. Discussion ensued with regard to the process for the Sunshade Grant and obtaining the letter from the dermatologist. Member Coad asked about there not being any lights at Clock Tower Park and on the ligustrums in front of the parking lot. Mr. Capizzi said they would be installed within the next week. 4. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Member Coad reported and said that Friday is Celebrate the Season and it is definitely looking different than in years past but that she is pleased we were able to provide something for the community. She said Mr. Capizzi provided us all with a map of how it will be laid out this year. She asked where we are putting the photo op structures. Mr. Capizzi said they would not be used this year due to COVID guideline concerns. Discussion ensued with regard to Celebrate the Season, the layout, the food trucks, the volunteer opportunities, fireworks and where Santa will be. Member Coad said the other thing she wanted to bring up and she has discussed with Mr. Capizzi was Santa's Breakfast. Santa's Breakfast has been cancelled and we lost our sponsor for the event, but we are still working on trying to think about next year. She talked with staff about doing the Santa's Workshop as a fundraiser for our Board because it something feasible. Orlando Health is having a Santa's Breakfast for free this Saturday morning in the lobby of the back medical building and they are providing breakfast. P&R 12-01-2020/3 Member Coad mentioned the possibility of partnering with Orlando Health next year to do the breakfast in the Community Building. Discussion ensued with regard to doing Santa's Breakfast with the hospital at the Community Building. Member Coad said she is looking forward to Friday and seeing everyone there. She asked Member Friedman if he goes by Samuel or by Sam. Member Friedman had inadvertently muted himself but advised Member Coad that he goes by Sam. Chair Putz asked Member Coad if her Board Report was complete. Member Coad said she was done. Member Friedman reported and thanked everyone for welcoming him onto the Board and said that he met with Mr. Capizzi and Mr. Rinaldo. He said the city is very lucky to have gentlemen like them working for Longwood. He knows from the last Board Meeting that every Board Member is supposed to have a project that they work on. In his profession, he is actually a fundraising specialist and can work on soliciting funding for things like Candyland Park renovations. He said his ears definitely perked up at the breakfast because that is a great way to raise money. He is very excited and would like to be helpful in any way that he can. He said he has no issues asking people for money. Chair Putz reported and said he went for a walk in Reiter Park and he is amazed at the butterfly garden and how nice it is. He gave Member Rice a book on butterflies. Member Rice thanked Chair Putz and said she could name every one of the butterflies on the book cover. Chair Putz said if you get a chance to walk through the park to stop and look at the butterfly garden. Member Ray reported that she has spoken with Mr. Capizzi about the Chili Cook -Off and is excited to start working on that. Member Coad advised Member Ray that one of our judges for the Chili Cook -Off has moved to the Winn -Dixie in Heathrow. Member Rice asked if we have made a decision on the date of the Chili Cook -Off or is that something that we need to put on the January agenda. Mr. Capizzi said we have it scheduled in March to coincide with the Car Show. P&R 12-01-2020/4 Member Rice suggested having it on the Agenda in January to discuss in detail, as we will only have two (2) meeting after that before the Chili Cook -Off. Member Rice reported and said she went to the Fall Festival and enjoyed it and spent many hours there on Saturday. She is sorry about how Sunday turned out with the weather and felt bad for the vendors. Everyone she spoke with or saw at the event on Saturday was ecstatic to have something to come and do. She saw a lot of enthusiasm for being able to get out and do something. The Saturday after the Arts and Crafts Festival, she spent a few hours at Reiter Park. She said Member Coad introduced her several years back to a native plant called the rain lily, a member of the amaryllis family. She said it does not have anything to do with a lily but it is a bulb and Member Coad donated the majority of the bulbs. She pulled some from her gardens and planted them in an area at Reiter that was predetermined with staff permission between the two (2) bridges. She planted about one hundred (100) rain lily bulbs. She thinks they will do great in that location and she will be at the event on Friday. She wished everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and whatever else people celebrate as well as a Happy New Year. She will bring up the time of our meetings again in January to see if we can have discussion in reference to considering beginning our meetings a little bit earlier. Member Coad asked if we have a financial report or a financial idea on how we did with our wonderful Fall Festival. Mr. Capizzi said not yet but they are going to be getting that to us within the next week and a half or so. He said once we do we will pass the breakdown on to the Board like we have before. 5. STAFF REPORT Mr. Capizzi gave the staff report in the beginning of the meeting. 6. ADJOURNMENT. Chair Putz made a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Member Rice and carried by a unanimous voice vote with Member Sackett and Vice Chair Vogel absent and Member Friedman attending via Zoom. Meeting adjourned at 7:42 p.m. Minutes approved by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: 01-05-2021 ATTEST: Donna Alt -Bowes, Recording Secretary David Putz, Chair P&R 12-01-2020/5 THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY P&R 12-01-2020/6