PR08-06-2024MinPresent:
Absent:
PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
LONGWOOD CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS
175 WEST WARREN AVENUE
LONGWOOD, FLORIDA
MINUTES
August 6, 2024
6:30 P.M.
Larissa Morgan, Chair
David Putz, Member
Lori Rice, Member
Amanda Sackett, Member
William "Bill " Overbeek, Member
Chris Capizzi , Leisure Services Director
Ryan Rinaldo, Recreation Manager
Donna Alt-Bowes, Recording Secretary
Judi Coad, Vice-Chair
Erin Keefe, Member
1. CALL TO ORDER. Chair Morgan called the meeting to order at 6:30 p .m .
2. PUBLIC INPUT. None.
3. ACTIONS ITEMS
A. Approve Minutes from July 2, 2024 Meeting
Member Sackett moved to approve the July 2, 2024, minutes. Seconded by
Member Rice and motion carried by a unanimous voice vote with Member Keefe
and Vice -Chair Coad absent .
B. Discuss Dates for Rescheduling October and November Board Meetings
Mr. Capizzi advised the Board Members the available dates were provided by the City
Clerk and were included in the Agenda Packet. He went over the dates that are
available to move these meetings.
Discussion ensued with regard to rescheduling and/or cancelling the October meeting
and moving the November 5, 2024 meeting to November 7, 2024 .
Member Rice made a motion to cancel the October 2024 meeting and move the
November 2024 to Thursday, November 7, 2024 . Seconded by Member Sacket
and motion carried by a unanimous voice vote with Member Keefe and Vice-
Chair Coad absent .
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4. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS
Member Rice reported and advised staff that she took another look at the bike station on
the trail and advised staff that the missing components could be replaced . She said there is
QR code and will send you to a link where they can be purchased . She said the windscreen
at Candyland is up and it looks great. She said the tie downs at the bottom are not working
any longer. She was happy that a small section at the entrance area was left open for
people sit and watch the games and said that it was easy to see through. She said she
thinks that it would be a great idea to have field numbers on the dugouts so people can find
the fields when they arrive at the park.
Discussion ensued with regard to field numbers on the dugouts at Candyland.
Member Rice said there was one (1) large tree in the dog park that succumbed to the storm
and thanked staff for fencing it off. She said there is no fence damage. She asked about the
enrollment for Summer Camp.
Mr. Rinaldo advised that they had approximately forty-five (45) kids vs. sixty {60) kids when
the camp was at Lyman .
Member Rice asked staff to provide the Board Members with an update on the fountains at
Reiter Park and asked if the misting station was working at this time.
Mr. Rinaldo said it was up and running for one (1) day and then the capacitor went out. It
has been ordered and staff hopes to have it fixed soon .
Member Rice advised that we celebrate Mrs. Alt-Bowes birthday and w i shed her a happy
birthday and said that tomorrow is the City Manager, Clint Gioielli 's birthday and wished
him a happy birthday along with the rest of the staff who have birthdays in August . She
advised the Board that after much contemplation she would not be seeking re -appointment
after six (6) terms of being a Parks and Recreation Citizens Advisor. She will be celebrating
her last meeting on September 3, 2024. She said this seat is nominated by Deputy Mayor
Morgan and advised Board Members if they have any recommendations to have potential
candidates complete the form requesting to sit on a Board with the City Clerk . She said we
have National Night Out on October 1st and asked if there was a Board Member that would
like to step in and work with staff on this annual event to please get with staff.
Discussion ensued with regard to what is involved with taking on the National Night Out
event.
Chair Morgan said she thinks it would be a great event for Member Overbeek and advised
him he did not have to answer today but that it is something for him to think about.
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School event run by the police department, and there was a good turnout. She said she
contacted vendors for Dogtoberfest and copied Member Keefe on the emails, and they both
seemed to be interested in being involved.
Discussion ensued about vendors already agreeing to participate in the Dogtoberfest event.
Member Sackett reported and said she would like to meet with staff with regard to the
October dance and to discuss a potential new event, Longwood Family Olympics, she would
like to do in January.
Member Putz passed out photos of previous events for the Board Members to see since
Member Rice is going to be leaving the Board .
Discussion ensued with regard to the photos Member Putz was showing to the Board.
5. STAFF REPORT
Mr. Capizzi reported that the Senior Matinee is August 21, 2024, and the movie will be
Summer Camp . He said the Car Show is this weekend, and the Concert in the Park, the Food
Trucks, and Overdose Awareness Day are coming up. He advised that the electrician would
be here tomorrow to start the electrical work for the fountains.
Discussion ensued about the delay and the cost of the fountains.
Mr. Capizzi said they have been doing work over at Reiter Park. The Parks staff will be out
at Reiter Park with the Kubota upturning the rock pathway on the Park's northern side.
They were able to put in some new sod in some areas on the main lawn and the back lawn .
He said they were waiting to see if the area in the back lawn takes; if not, we will have to
redo it. The Butterfly Garden got a makeover last week, and it looks terrific. He said they
are considering putting bricks underneath the swing area, but we must wait for the mason
to be available. He said he would put a playground mat under the swing so the erosion
does not keep occurring.
Member Rice said the swing is an important component, and we may need to add a couple
more swings to the Park in time.
Mr. Capizzi said they are getting ready for a skills assessment this Saturday for Longwood
Babe Ruth, and our numbers looked good in the spring and have steadily increased since
2020. He said they removed all of the grass in the infield on the field that backs up to the
skate park and replaced the sod, and it looks great right now.
Member Rice said the grass is nice and green on all fields .
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Mr. Capizzi said that there is a delicate balance between the rain and the heat to keep the
fields up to par. He said they have done some sidewalk projects, actually removing an
entire piece and re-paving it, along with some drainage issues. He said we have officially
received the Sandalwood Park and Candyland Sports Complex grant. We will redo the
basketball court at Sandalwood once we receive the Notice of Commencement in the Fall
and update the skate park at Candyland Sports Complex. He explained to the Board the
work done at the skate park and the pump track and what would be done with the grant.
Mr. Rinaldo went over the synopsis for the Rock, Freedom, and Fireworks event.
Discussion ensued with the regard to the difference in costs and revenue between last
year's event and this year's event and the event itself.
Member Rice said that pictures of the culverts were requested at the last meeting.
Staff provided pictures of the culverts for the Board Members to see.
Discussion ensued regarding previous events held within the City of Longwood and the
available event opportunities for new Board Members.
6. ADJOURNMENT
Member Putz moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Member Rice and
motion carried by a unanimous voice vote with Member Keefe and Vice-Chair
Coad absent.
Chair Morgan adjourned the meeting at 7:24 p .m .
Minutes approved by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: 09-03-2024
Larissa Morgan, Chair
ATTEST:
~'J»,M
Donna Alt-Bowes, Recording Secretary
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