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PR04-06-2021Min PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS 175 WEST WARREN AVENUE LONGWOOD, FLORIDA MINUTES April 6, 2021 Present: David Putz, Chair Samuel Friedman, Member Amanda Sackett, Member(Arrived at 6:35 p.m.) Judi Coad, Member Lori Rice, Member Teresa Ray, Member Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director Ryan Rinaldo, Recreation Coordinator Donna L.Alt-Bowes, Recording Secretary Absent: Jim Vogel, Vice-Chair 1. CALL TO ORDER. Chair Putz called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. 2. PUBLIC INPUT. None. 3. ACTION ITEMS. A. Approve Minutes from March 2, 2021 Member Coad moved to approve the minutes from March 2, 2021, as presented. Seconded by Member Rice and carried by a unanimous voice vote with Vice Chair Vogel and Member Sackett absent. B. Banners Chair Putz asked if everyone received the letter from Mr. Rinaldo about the Sunshade Grant and the Banners. Member Coad said she sent Mr. Rinaldo some pictures with her thoughts and what she would like to see them doing in the park. She referred to the photo provided by Chair Putz and talked about the picture of the crane. She said they have talked in this group many times about the crane being representative of the park and said that the picture was from a local artist. She would love to request from the artist the use of this picture to be the welcome sign in the park. She thinks it is colorful and covers the seasons and they could put "Welcome to Reiter" or "Reiter Park" at the bottom. She realized per Mr. Rinaldo's letter, they have to postpone this due to the grant. P&R 04-06-2021/1 Discussion ensued regarding the banners at Reiter Park,the banners from Orlando Health at Reiter Park,the placement of the banners at Reiter Park, and the cost of the banners. Mr. Capizzi advised the Board they had been approved for the full amount for the Sunshade Structure in the amount of$8,000.00. Discussion ensued regarding the Sunshade Structure Grant and when the money would be available for the banners. Discussion continued with regard to the type of banners for Reiter Park, sponsorship for the banners at Reiter Park, when the banners will go up at Reiter Park, how and when they get installed, and how many banners will be placed at Reiter Park. The Board decided to table this discussion for the next Board Meeting wherein the Board Members will bring back their ideas and Member Friedman will bring back ideas for sponsorship of the banners. 4. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Member Friedman reported he had a new assignment as just discussed. Member Ray reported and said she did attend the Pirate Festival and it was awesome. She said she spoke with some of the vendors and they were not happy with listening to the A- Tribe for two (2) days. Member Rice said she attended a webinar in March put on by the Seminole County Extension Service Center entitled Butterfly Gardening. She said it was a Zoom meeting and talked about butterfly scaping using year-round hosts and nectar plants and trying to incorporate natives where possible. She said it was a nice informational session. The Extension office does offer a weekly webinar across all different types of topics. She also attended the Pirate Seafood Festival and it was great to see the additional vendors. There were lots of seafood choices which addressed the feedback from the last event. The pirate encampment replaced the ship and was awesome. It took up some space and gave some visibility to what it must have been like to be a pirate on land. She said she had a conversation with staff, as we host more events they become more populated, they attract more people, and we want to make sure we do everything to ensure the safety of our guests, vendors, and our staff. This could be done with a well thought out action plan that integrate all city departments and resources, where applicable. It is a good idea to pre-plan and prevent, mitigate and protect those invited to come to our city. She spoke to Mr. Rinaldo about the value of an information booth at larger events,which would be an opportunity for a volunteer at an event to share information about upcoming events. It could also serve as a command post if there were a lost child, a lost and found, or a shade structure. It was a good idea to have the splash pad open and she appreciated seeing the sunscreen available. She attended the Easter Service put on by Sanlando United Methodist Church at Reiter Park. It was packed and great to see the whole field full of people. Many P&R 04-06-2021/2 brought chairs, blankets, and their own pop-up tents. She said there was a brass band, a vocalist, acoustic guitar player, and then afterwards they had some games and four (4) food trucks to enjoy. She thought everyone enjoyed the day. She asked staff if there would be a summer concert series this year and if under staff report they could fill them in. Member Sackett reported and said she went to the Seafood Festival as well and it was nice. She said the only complaint she heard was some vendors thought it went until 6:00 p.m. so they stayed a little later. She noted there must have been some confusion on time because the website said until 5:00 p.m. She asked if they were doing the banners on Ronald Reagan Boulevard (County Road 427) before events like they used to do. She said she attended Longwood Babe Ruth and it was somewhat sad because she was expecting the flag banners. She said she found a book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear"that is not copyrighted so they can use that book for the walk around book. She said she met with Mr. Rinaldo and saw the area where they are thinking about doing it, which is near the meditation garden. Member Coad reported and commented to Member Sackett that she would like to see a book story around the park for the Celebrate the Season event and possibly something seasonal in the park. Member Sackett said the plan was to have a book set in the Zen Garden area and then change out as time goes on. Member Coad asked how the Easter event went. Mr. Capizzi said it was terrific. There was a great turn out and they had some people ask if it could move for good instead of held at the park. There were also people asking if it was going to be back at the park next year. He said they will be getting with the Church next week as well as Magic 107.7 to see what their feedback was but it was actually a great event and very well attended. He continued to advise the Board of the outcome of the event. Member Coad asked staff about the Camp Out and if they were going to be able to pick that back up again this year. Mr. Capizzi said not at this time, that it was probably not going to happen until next year because of COVID guidelines, and some worry from the public. Member Coad said she was at the Pirate Seafood Festival and it was wonderful and the day was perfect. She said she had some conversation with Mr. Capizzi and Mr. Rinaldo that she thinks the timing on Saturday be extended to 7:00 p.m., simply because many people might come just to have a dinner meal while the sun is going down. They could wrap it up a little earlier on Sunday instead. She said her husband got a call from a friend of theirs that attended and they loved it. Their only complaint was there was nowhere to get some shade or sit down. She said she thinks it did well and was looking forward to a big boat and more kid things next year. P&R 04-06-2021/3 Mr. Capizzi replied hopefully, in reference to the boat. Member Coad said she also liked the pirate's camp out and thought it was there last year. Chair Putz reported and said the mermaid told him the vendors were so happy and he just loved the seafood. He said they had friends from Deland and from Tampa park at his house to attend the event. He actually sat down in the sun on the aluminum benches and was able to explain about the sail that was going up over it to people from New York. He was wondering about the lawn in front of the stage and asked about the irrigation coming on the night before because the ground was pretty wet in that area. Mr. Capizzi said the irrigation accidentally came on which is why the lawn was wet. Chair Putz said the pipe on the filter in the misting area was leaking on Sunday. Mr. Capizzi said they noticed and it would be taken care of. Chair Putz showed his City of Longwood Parks and Recreation Advisory ID Badge to the members of the Board and suggested they all get new ones. Mr. Capizzi said he would talk to Human Resources and see if he can get some of them for the Board. Discussion ensued with regard to the ID Badge for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. 5. STAFF REPORT Mr. Capizzi said Sunday was way more crowded than Saturday but he attributed that to the heat and no cloud cover on Saturday. He said there was decent attendance on Saturday but with the passing clouds and the breeze, kicking up on Sunday people came out in droves. The vendors on Sunday were very happy. WTDI, Brian and Janet, talked about getting a tent specifically for the purpose of shade for next year. They wanted to do it this year but it was too late to rent the appropriate size. Staff will be coming together with WTDI to talk about next year. The advertising on the radio goes out to a broad spectrum of geographic locations so they have people from as far as Tampa and Jacksonville. It really got the word out nicely and next year the banners would be out too. The Easter event went really well and we were happy with that. Staff was not sure how attendance would be for that event because it was such a different event, and some people were still hesitant to come out if there was going to be crowd. He announced the following events: Food Truck Event on April 8, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.;Tartan Day on April 10, 2021 from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.; Senior Matinee on April 13, 2021 at the Community Building from 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. and the movie will be Wonder Woman 1984;the HEROES Ceremony/Celebration on April 17, 2021 at Reiter Park from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and the Movie in the Park on April 23, 2021 at Reiter Park at 8:15 p.m. P&R 04-06-2021/4 Mr. Capizzi said the Candyland Skate Park was going to be getting some nice new obstacles. Mr. Chad DeGroot was working on a quarter pipe and some donated jersey barriers. They would be brought in by crane then someone would come and concrete them in. Mr. DeGroot has done so much with the skate park, he cannot say enough about what he was doing. He said they are getting brand-new custom-made material over there because they want to replace the modular equipment. He noted the equipment was getting worn out and would not last forever. He said they were also going to be shoring up the portion of the hill on the pump track where it meets the current asphalt especially in areas that have a steeper incline. He noted they are going to be adding asphalt in an effort not to maintain it so often. Currently, it was hard to grow grass on the steeper inclines because the kids walk up them and destroy the grass. The addition of the asphalt would be a good addition and help preserve the life of the track. He said they are waiting for the company to let them know when they are going to be able to do it. Once notified, we will give a two (2) week notice before we close. He said Mr. DeGroot would spread the word as well. Member Rice asked if the work between the pump track and the skate park will happen at the same time. Mr. Capizzi said the skate park will probably happen sooner, but they could overlap. Discussion ensued with regard to the work being done on the pump track and the skate park in the coming months. Mr. Capizzi said they have added several new cedar trees in the cemetery. That project was done with money from a tree fund in the city budget. The trees will eventually make a nice border between the cemetery and the park. They received the Sunshade Structure Grant and Mr. Rinaldo was currently talking with the companies. He said they are waiting to get one (1) more quote. The one they have is from a well-known company but they are required to get more quotes because it is over a certain amount. They should have the third quote within the next week and should be able to give them the green light and start the process. He hopes they can complete the project within the next few,months and get reimbursed for it. He said that we did apply for the Florida Wildflower Grant. Discussion ensued with regard to the Wildflower Grant, the removal of the Dade Palms, the plants at Reiter Park, and the butterflies in the Butterfly Garden at Reiter Park. Mr. Capizzi said it was cool doing a bunch of different things from tree projects, grants, working on the events, etc. He said they were doing more events between the spring, fall, and winter. They are also forming a great partnership with the Scottish Society. He advised the Board they received a copy of the 131 Fund. He stated that under Special Events/Board Promotions there was $11,948.00 available for the Board. Member Rice asked if Mr. Rinaldo wanted to tell the Board about Summer Camp. Mr. Rinaldo said they confirmed the rental of Lyman that morning. He said some of their advertising had been delayed because the school was navigating through COVID. This will P&R 04-06-2021/5 be his fifth (5th) Summer and within two (2) days they registered twenty (20) people. He said that does not usually happen until the two (2) week mark. They are finalizing the field trip calendar now. He said they hired Coury Knowles back again as their Camp Director and it will be his sixth (6th) Summer our Director. They have one counselor hired and are looking to hire two (2) more. He said it was going well and they will get to go swimming again at the Lyman pool. Discussion ensued regarding the meals and activities at Summer Camp. Member Rice asked about the Budget for 2021—2022 and what month staff would be able to update the Board where he would like to go with that. Mr. Capizzi said he can update the Board at the next Board meeting. Member Coad asked about when the shade structure goes in and if they are going to buy more picnic tables and items to put under there. Mr. Capizzi stated they have plenty of picnic tables currently. Member Rice said they did recently purchase some tables for Reiter Park. Mr. Capizzi said they have several and advised Member Coad about the way it works. He said they would be able to put two picnic tables to each side. There may be a little portion of the table not under shade on one end of the table, but the vast majority of each table would have shade. He noted they should be able to put anywhere from five (5) to six (6) tables under the new shade structure. He said the tables are aluminum, lightweight, and have held up really well the last couple of months. Since they are aluminum they will not rust. Discussion ensued with regard to the tables at Reiter Park. Chair Putz asked if they would have to take the shade structure down if there was a hurricane. Mr. Capizzi advised that the shade structures are rated for hurricane winds. They have never had to take the Reiter Park sails down. He said he believed they were rated up to 120 miles per hour (mph) winds. 6. ADJOURNMENT. Chair Putz moved to adjourn. Seconded by Member Coad and carried by a unanimous voice vote with Vice-Chair Vogel absent. Meeting adjourned at 7:58 p.m. P&R 04-06-2021/6 Minutes approved by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: 05-04-2021 David Putz, Chair ATTEST: Donna Alt-Bowes, Recording Secretary P&R 04-06-2021/7 THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY P&R 04-06-2021/8