PR07-05-2022Min PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS
175 WEST WARREN AVENUE
LONGWOOD, FLORIDA
MINUTES
July 5, 2022
Present: Amanda Sackett, Vice-Chair
Judi Coad, Member
Lori Rice, Member
Teresa Ray, Member
Rachael Carroll, Member
Larissa Morgan, Member (arrived at 6:33 p.m.)
Chris Capizzi, Leisure Services Director
Ryan Rinaldo, Recreation Coordinator
Donna L. Alt-Bowes, Recording Secretary
Absent: David Putz, Chair
1. CALL TO ORDER. Vice-Chair Sackett called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
2. PUBLIC INPUT. None.
3. ACTION ITEMS.
A. Approve Minutes from June 7, 2022
Member Coad said there was a correction on page 19. She said the first paragraph
should say Member Rice and not Member Coad.
Member Coad moved that page 19 be corrected with the paragraph that starts
with Member Coad and it should say "they were laying off to the side with
Member Rice." Seconded by Member Carroll and carried by a unanimous voice
vote with Chair Putz and Member Morgan absent.
Member Coad moved to approve the minutes from June 7, 2022, as corrected.
Seconded by Member Carroll and carried by a unanimous voice vote with Chair
Putz absent.
4. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS.
Member Morgan reported and thanked Mr. Capizzi and Mr. Rinaldo for their help with the
Luau. She thought it was great and something that can grow. She said it was nice to see
people come to the Luau dressed in luau gear. She said the entertainment was off the chain
and the performers were awesome. She also said the other event'that she loved was the
4th of July event and asked how many people staff thought were there.
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Mr. Capizzi replied a minimum of 5,000 to 6,000 people.
Discussion ensued concerning the people in attendance at the July 2, 2022 event and
building the Luau event going forward.
Member Carroll reported and said in the past month she went to a couple of events outside
of Longwood. She stated she went to a couple of Hob Nobs, one (1) in Casselberry and one
(1) in Oviedo. She went on to say her family got to go to Reiter Park for the 4th of July event,
it was very good, and they had fun. She said they did get some feedback as well if anyone
was interested.
Discussion ensued about the placement of the food trucks at the July 2, 2022 event.
Member Carroll said they tried Jack the Dipper ice cream and, if others have not tried it,
they should give them a try. She stated it has received a lot of good feedback from the
community.
Discussion ensued regarding the location of Jack the Dipper.
Member Carroll asked if the staff was aware that the picnic tables at Reiter Park are being
moved.
Mr. Capizzi replied yes, they know about the tables being moved for parties and rentals and
that they are returned to the correct pavilions as soon as possible when that occurs.
Discussion ensued about the tables at Reiter Park and the homeless people at the park.
Member Carroll stated her daughter said the women's bathroom was closed towards the
end of the July 2, 2022 event.
Mr. Capizzi replied that the bathrooms were open until he left the park around 11:30 p.m.
and there might have been an attendant in the bathroom cleaning and restocking when
Member Carroll's daughter went to use the facility. He noted sometimes,the bathroom is
locked temporarily when an employee is servicing the restroom.
Discussion ensued concerning the bathrooms being closed at Reiter Park.
Member Carroll asked about the rock updates. She said she was hoping to get the Summer
Camp to do them this week. She said if there is an opening, they can get together to have
them paint this week since the painted rocks are starting to take off within the park.
Mr. Rinaldo said this week always has low attendance. He noted there are only about
twenty (20) kids this week and that he had ordered eighty (80) rocks from Oriental Trading
that will arrive later this week or the first part of next week. He said once the rocks arrive,
they can touch base. He said it was the whole kit, all self-contained.
Discussion ensued about the rock painting and rocks at Reiter Park.
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Member Rice said happy Parks and Recreation month of July.
Member Coad said they need to get the Commission to recognize that.
Member Rice said hopefully Commission will and that she has asked the last couple of years
to have it on the agenda. There should be time to get it on the agenda unless it was already
being taken care of. She said Seminole County was promoting visiting three (3) of the parks,
taking a picture, and then showing up at a couple of different parks where they have offices.
Then a poster of one of the parks can be chosen. One of the posters is Big Tree Park which
sounds like fun for them or anyone that wants to visit any of the Seminole County parks.
She also attended the Luau and said it was lots of fun, lots of heat, and had lots of good
music. She brought up that Member Coad probably hasn't seen that the Farmer's Market is
going to be relocating back to the Ronald Reagan Boulevard (County Road 427) area. She
said when she first read that the market was relocating, she thought about the construction
and if they were going to move at the same time that the project was starting. She felt this
would be aggravating. She said she recognizes that many things are on hold because of the
cost of goods and mentioned the fire department project. She explained, what was
potentially going to be $3.5 to $5 million for a new firehouse is now estimated at$9 million,
so maybe the plans that have been in the works for many years for Ronald Reagan
Boulevard are being pushed out as well. She stated the Leisure Services Department has co-
located a lot of events at Reiter Park with the Farmer's Market and it has been mutually
beneficial to both the market and the events. She said she was not sure she understands
the move, but she would like to give Mr. Capizzi the chance to explain the reasoning behind
it in his report.
Member Rice said she also attended the Juneteenth event. It was very well organized and
there were a ton of vendors there. She said the music was awesome and that she enjoyed
the band. She thinks the heat kept the people away during that event as well as the rain.
Mr. Capizzi said he thinks people are getting a nice picture of why generally summer is not
the event season.
Member Coad agreed.
Member Rice said June was such a busy month and then there was the Flag Retirement
Ceremony and that was a beautiful event. The only thing she heard about the event was
that there were lots of flags and smoke. She proposed maybe they can have a different
type of cauldron or incinerator for the future.
Mr. Capizzi said they have discussed that and are going to bring that up next time it comes
around.
Discussion ensued concerning the Flag Retirement Ceremony.
Member Rice said there was then the Rock, Freedom, and Fireworks event. She said she
held out until towards the end,due to the rain. She said she had the view from between the
palms, so it was pretty close. She said Andre was kind and asked her if she wanted to get
under the pavilion because last year the ash hit his hair.
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Discussion ensued regarding the Rock, Freedom, and Fireworks event and other events
around the country and in Central Florida.
Member Rice asked staff, during their report, to give the Board an update on if the
discussions have come to a close on Babe Ruth.
Vice-Chair Sackett reported and said she went to the Luau event and it was great. She said
she had the poke bowl and it was delicious and the Farmer's Market was nice as well. She
said if this event continues to grow, perhaps they could have the shade tent out there, like
the pirate event. She felt that might help with some of the heat and the direct sun. She
said she doesn't want to think about changing the time of year because as we go forward
into the fall and winter we tend to have more events for those seasons and she would not
want to have to cram in something more. She said keeping it annually in the summer is kind
of a nice thing, but maybe they could add some shade. She said she went to the fireworks
and thought it was great. It looked like there was a pause for a second and she heard there
was a fire. The only thing that threw her off a little bit was some of the songs were long
during the fireworks display. She thought they should have shortened one (1) song in
particular and thrown in more music variety. She said it was still a great show and she had a
great time. She stated it looked like everybody came out after the rain because it seemed
like there were around 8,000 people there. It was nice to see how everybody was still
spaced and being nice. She said all of the parks looked good when she went and checked
them out and, as always, she'd like to hear a pickleball court and parking spaces update at
Candyland Sports Complex.
Member Sackett said she knew Member Coad had mentioned using money in reference to
banners, but she did not know if perhaps there was money that could be set aside for bike
repair stands at parks. She said maybe that was something that could be looked into.
Member Ray reported and said she went to the fireworks and was there early. She said it
was raining but everybody seemed very happy and she talked to a bunch of the vendors.
She left and then came back and said it was packed when she returned. Everybody was
very happy and the fireworks were good. She said she had to back up because she felt that
she was almost too close to the fireworks when they were going off.
Member Coad reported and said she went to work the booth at the 4th of July event
because she did not get the message right away about the booth being canceled. She had
twisted her knee so since she did not have to work the booth, she went home. She did not
get to see the fireworks but she did make a point to see the vendors and by the time she
was ready to leave people were just starting to come into the park. She said
congratulations and understands that it was a good event. She said she was glad Mr.
Rinaldo was back, and she missed him while he was out sick.
Member Coad inquired about how summer camp was going.
Mr. Rinaldo replied that camp was good and this week was always slow because of the
holiday and short week. He said the school board does not run the buses this week so this
was the only week they don't do field trips.
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Member Coad said he could do rock paintings twice if they come in this week. She
addressed Mr. Capizzi and said their budget has been presented to go to the budget
meeting and asked if he was comfortable with what they are going to see. She said he can
talk about that under the staff report because the Commission has its budget meeting
coming up. She asked about costumes, which she had brought up before, what they could,
and what they thought they might have. She wanted to let staff know that she found some
ornaments at Oriental Trading and asked Mr. Rinaldo if he was looking. She explained they
were little candles with a card that tells you what a candle means at Christmas. She said
they usually need about 300 to 350 ornaments/giveaways and they are $5.97 for twelve
(12). She said she would send that information to Mr. Rinaldo. She said she did not know
the market was moving.
Mr. Capizzi replied tentatively, that it was not 100%.
Discussion ensued about the Farmer's Market moving back to Ronald Reagan Boulevard
(County Road 427.)
Member Coad asked if the Farmer's Market Manager was interested in co-oping every
quarter or something with having the Longwood Garage Sale.
Mr. Capizzi said he did ask and it sounded like he was not interested in that.
Discussion ensued about having the Longwood Garage Sale and continued on the Farmer's
Market moving back to Ronald Reagan Boulevard (County Road 427.)
Member Coad said they were talking about fireworks and she understands they are
wonderful and they received a wonderful price. She said it might seem early to everybody
but they're still deciding the ending of the evening for Celebrate the Seasons and whether it
should be with fireworks or lasers. She said whatever was chosen, has to be booked soon.
She said they have to get someone in line or it just isn't going to happen. She asked staff
what they see out there price-wise that fits in the budget for that evening.
Discussion ensued regarding Celebrate the Season and what was in the budget for that
event, local school choirs, and costumes.
Member Coad said she saw the posting about the job opening in Parks and Recreation and
asked if they might fill the position.
Mr. Capizzi replied they did fill it and the person quit two (2) days later.
Member Coad said she just knows what she saw on the Friday email/newsletter. She asked
if they still have that opening.
Mr. Capizzi replied they do.
Member Coad said the other thing she wanted to ask about was seating in Reiter Park. She
said she would like to have staff give her a game plan as to where some benches could be
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placed. She said she knows some people who might like to purchase a bench, but the space
they want as a memorial is taken. She said if we get a donation to purchase another bench,
it is just an addition to the park.
Discussion ensued concerning additional seating/benches in Reiter Park.
Member Rice said somebody asked her about the amphitheater lawn and why it looks
striped.
Mr. Capizzi said it was the way the machine sprayed the fertilizer.
Discussion ensued concerning the spraying of the fertilizer on the lawn in front of the
amphitheater at Reiter Park.
Vice-Chair Sackett said she wanted to add on to the Celebrate the Season and asked if there
was a way to get feelers out on sponsors, so then they could do more. She noted potential
sponsors could be Duke, Florida Hospital, etc.
Discussion ensued about getting sponsors for the Celebrate the Season event and other
events.
Vice-Chair Sackett said it was probably time to start thinking about the next meeting and
the Chili Cook-Off because that was coming up quicker than they realize. She asked if they
are doing chili and BBQ or only chili because she knows that was a discussion last year.
Discussion ensued regarding getting ready for the Chili Cook-Off event, sponsors, and
cookers.
Member Carroll asked staff to give an update on Barkfest.
5. STAFF REPORT.
Mr. Capizzi said they have the Food Truck Battle coming up the following weekend. They
have a band and the bar for that one as well. The Downtown Longwood Cruise-In Car Show
was this weekend. He said the Senior Matinee was going to be on July 20 from 1:30 p.m.
until 4:00 p.m. and the movie is Dream Horse. He stated August 6 is the Concert in the Park
from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Ladies 327 was not going to be involved with them anymore.
They could no longer commit to the events. He said the good news was they are working
with a lady named Yvette Nicholson who has an event planning company. She was very
interested in partnering with us on a Bluegrass and BBQ event that Kim, from Ladies 327,
was wanting to do. He said they have actually floated the date of January 14, 2023, out to
Yvette Nicholson and she has tentatively accepted. He said he has asked her to give him a
rough draft of what she was wanting to do and told her it was a partnership. He noted she
has several connections with bluegrass and blues vendors as well as food vendors. He
thinks January would be a terrific time for it as it won't be so hot and it would provide Ms.
Nicholson with enough time to garner sponsorships. He talked about the benefits of
partnering and how sponsorship helps the partner organization if they are taking care of
most of the costs for the event. He said having this in January will give her enough time to
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go out and gather quality sponsorship. He said they are still vetting her and he has asked
her to send him more information. September 24 is the Ultimate Car Show. Staff has been
meeting with Candido Areche who was one of the owners of LiquiTech car supplies.
Candido was super excited to partner and put on the event. Candido has been super
organized and things are coming together.
Member Rice asked if this was a brand-new event or if he was relocating the event.
Mr. Capizzi said it was a brand-new event that he would like to replicate in multiple cities.
The whole basis for this was to get LiquiTech more out there. The company sells car
products and is a large organization.
Member Coad asked if he had an office here.
Mr. Capizzi said he has a satellite office, but their manufacturing plant was in Tampa and he
thinks they have offices in Boca.
Member Coad asked if it was a substitute for our monthly car show.
Mr. Capizzi replied no, it was in addition to the car show. He said this will be more along the
lines of the Mustang Round Up and it was going to be huge. He stated they are looking to
have a couple of hundred cars there.
Member Coad asked what that date was.
Mr. Capizzi said on September 24 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Member Coad asked when the normal car show was.
Mr. Capizzi said that is the second Saturday of the month. He said this was going to be its'
own show.
Mr. Capizzi told Member Carroll that staff was pretty much ready to meet and start talking
about Barkfest whenever it was convenient for her. He said he knows Mr. Rinaldo was
eager to meet over at the park to go over the layout that has been done before.
Discussion ensued about Barkfest.
Member Rice asked if they were getting close to paving the trail.
Mr. Capizzi replied he hoped so.
Member Rice said if so,then it would be on the city to get those greyhounds up.
Discussion ensued concerning putting the greyhounds up on the trail and doing a ribbon
cutting at Barkfest.
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Member Coad said we have not done anything since we installed the dog wash station at
the park and asked if there was something for the dog park that the board could put funds
towards.
Mr. Capizzi said we need new water fountains.
Member Coad asked Mr. Capizzi to bring them the price on that.
Mr. Capizzi said he will do just that and that was a great idea.
Member Coad said we need to start designating the funds we raise and get them spent
because the funds will be gone in October and we must remember that. She said October
comes quick.
Vice-Chair Sackett confirmed she was talking about the fountains in the dog park.
Mr. Capizzi replied yes.
Member Rice said Ben had a suggestion that she had passed along to staff about having a
dog waste station outside the gate when the trail opens up or regardless of its opening, but
especially then.
Mr. Capizzi said they are going to put one outside the park. He said they have to order a
new bin.
Discussion ensued about the dog waste station and trash cans at the dog park.
Member Coad asked about the culvert that was there that they painted during a previous
Barkfest. She said they discussed trying to get someone to come in and have something
nice painted on it. She said schools will be starting up and maybe one of the high school art
classes could paint something on it at Barkfest.
Discussion ensued about getting the culvert painted.
Mr. Capizzi said the new Candyland sign should be going up that week.
Member Rice said there was a new cemetery sign too.
Mr. Capizzi said regarding the Longwood Babe Ruth (LBR) contracts, staff did meet with LBR
board members. He said they are waiting on some information from them relating to what
their concession stand sales were over the past couple of years.
Discussion ensued concerning the contracts with Longwood Babe Ruth and the rental of the
fields at Candyland Sports Complex.
Member Rice asked about the rates for the rental of the pickleball courts.
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Discussion ensued about the status of the pickleball courts and the rental fees, the budget
for extras that were not included, and the resurfacing of the basketball courts at Candyland
Sports Complex.
Member Coad asked if they are having mushrooms coming up again in the basketball courts
because some big lumps are coming up in certain areas.
Mr. Capizzi said there may be a couple because they always come back within a couple of
years and will probably have to have them treated like before.
Discussion ensued about the mushrooms on the basketball courts at Reiter Park.
Member Coad asked for an update on the skate park because she believes they were having
some stuff worked on over there.
Mr. Capizzi said nothing was going on with the skate park right now. He said they are going
to put a light in within the next couple of months. He said he was meeting with Chad
DeGroot this week about where that should go.
Discussion ensued about the lights and renovations at the skate park.
Member Coad said her final question or thought to put out was finding a facility sponsor for
Candyland Sportsplex just as they have done for Reiter Park. She said someone can be
named for the pickleball courts and the futsal courts and it might not be a huge amount but
it could help buy benches or shading items.
Discussion ensued about sponsors for Candyland Sports Complex.
Member Rice asked staff about some possible erosion on the pump track.
Mr. Capizzi asked if she was talking about the largest hill.
Member Rice replied yes.
Discussion ensued about the largest hill and the other areas at the pump track.
Mr. Capizzi said they ordered two (2) Christmas tree costumes that Member Coad
requested. He said he also ordered a Grinch costume from the site that Member Rice
provided.
Discussion ensued concerning the costumes for Celebrate the Season.
Member Coad asked if they are going to give ornaments or stay away from giving
ornaments for Santa's Breakfast. She asked if they did ornaments this year or not and was
advised that they did not. She said she thinks that staying away from giving away
ornaments at the breakfast was good and that they should contact WastePro again about
being the breakfast sponsor.
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Mr. Capizzi replied absolutely.
Member Coad asked when the WastePro contract was coming up and that she thinks it was
a good idea to hit them up before all that gets into play.
Mr. Capizzi said he has one more update for the Board. He said the St. Petersburg Holiday
Lighting Contract closes on July 14th so we will be able to see if we can piggyback from that
contract once they decide on the winning bid.
Member Coad said when they were looking at banners last year they saw information
online about a merge between Clark Sales and Holiday Lighting Decor with their catalog.
Mr. Capizzi replied yes, Holiday Lighting Decor bought out Clark Sales.
Member Rice asked Mr. Rinaldo if he knew who the band will be in August.
Mr. Rinaldo replied no, he was still waiting to hear from Don,their agent, in regards to
August. He said the band for the Food Truck Battle will be September Dogs.
Member Coad said a lot of people like the band from Juneteenth and that she enjoyed
them. She said maybe they could come and perform at one of the concerts. She said she
wanted to share that she talked to all of the vendors from Juneteenth and they would all
like to hear from staff if they can get on the list for the Fall Festival.
Mr. Rinaldo confirmed that she was talking about the Juneteenth event.
Member Coad said yes,that she talked to every one of them and asked if they were aware
of it and none of them were. They were interested, so she told them to contact Mr.
Rinaldo. She thinks it behooves staff to contact them and at least get them the information.
Member Rice congratulated Mr. Capizzi on getting moved into his new office.
6. ADJOURNMENT.
Vice Chair Sackett moved to adjourn. Seconded by Member Rice and carried by
a unanimous voice vote with Chair Putz absent.
Meeting adjourned at 8:11 p.m.
Minutes approved by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: 08-02-2022
David Putz, Chair
ATTEST:
Donna Alt-Bowes, Recording Secretary
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