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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006ST. LUCIE COUNTY RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING November 15, 2006 Roger Poitras Building, Conference Room 3 2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, FL The meeting was called to order by Chair, Glenn Rains, at 5:35 p.m. Roll Call: �1 Members Present: Glenn Rains, Chester Woulard, Erik Martin, Kurt Holden, Brad Keen, Scoggins Sta Present: Debra Brisson, Barbara Heck Guests: Tom Colucci and Rich Nalbandian, Treasure Coast Sports; Bob O'Brien, Head Baseball Coach, IRCC; Rick Gosser, USSSA, Jeff Montpetit, Pat Presutti. Adoption of Minutes: Glenn asked for a motion to approve the minutes of August 16, 2006. Albie made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Kurt. All in favor, motion carried. Old Business Update of ADA Playground - Debra said staff met with Marty Sanders from the School Board and discussed a site between two schools on St. James Drive. The County owns about 5 acres there and we are having some title work done on it to make sure there are no restrictions. We will work closely with the School Board and they are very receptive to the idea. We will have to address parking and restroom issues. Dan McCarty Middle School -Debra said the County budgeted $ 125,000 for improvements to Dan McCarty. The School Board will oversee the joint City, County & School Board project. Plans are to put in a parking lot and parking lot lights in Phase 1, plus some shoebox lighting for the track. If there is enough money we hope to do some sports lighting or make improvements to the soccer field in the middle of the track. The P Phase would be lighting (if not part of Phase 2) and restrooms. The School Board had completed sketches from the City and Marty projects going to bid or piggyback in the next 30 days. Special Needs Shelter - Debra brought a set of 100% drawings that were submitted to the State. She said the project is being permitted quickly through the City of Ft. Pierce so we can meet our construction deadline of May 2008. We expect to go out to bid on December ls`, award it to a contractor by February 15` and complete the building in 12-15 months. Debra described some interior renderings she has seen. Tom asked if there are 3 full basketball courts. Debra said there are, that the flooring is Robbins pulastic to allow for multi -purpose use. Tom then asked about acquiring Ft. Pierce Central H.S. gym for County use. Debra said that this is being handled between the County Administrator and the School Board. Tom asked if the new gym would be available for indoor soccer and Debra responded that she expects full programming for indoor sports. Tom asked if we would be doing 3 courts of volleyball and Debra said that we would. She said we are specing all electronic Porter equipment. Tom asked how many seats are available and Debra said 2000 when the bleachers are pulled down for the main court. She explained that since it is a Special Needs Shelter space is dictated by State requirements for the building during a hurricane event. She added that everything has to be moved out to prepare the shelter including any equipment in a fitness center that the BOCC would like us to provide. E K_ r` CO. ADMIN. OFFICE Proiect Update Lakewood Park - The park is 60% complete. Baseball and soccer fields are getting their finish layer of soil. Lights are in, scoreboards are going up, irrigation is being completed prior to laying sod. The roadway system has sub -grade, ready for asphalt; pavilions and maintenance building are complete. The pool is formed and ready for the Murtha liner, the pool building is 60% complete. The paths and gravel trails are in. Debra said she is hoping to take over the fields in February to allow for grow -in before the public uses them. The park should be done between February and April. The main hold-up is acquiring property needed to install the de-cel lane for the park entrance, and the legal department is working on this. Elks Park - This went out to bid again. Three contractors attended the pre -bid meeting. This is expected to be a 160-day project and we will work with the baseball leagues to accommodate them. Pepper Park - We are currently out to bid for a new restroom. Open Space & Ravenswood Pools - Splash Parks are under design, and the Ravenswood Pool is going through the site plan process right now with the City of PSL. Lincoln Park Community Center - The BOCC has budgeted $500,000 from additional general fund money to work with the city to acquire property across from the current center to build a new community center. Mr. Woulard asked about acquiring property by the football field. Kurt said it is city property. Mr. Woulard would like to increase the number of fields they have in order to host tournaments. Lawnwood Soccer Fields - Some issues have come up about irrigation. The city will not allow us to dig a new well so we may have to use potable water. Debra announced that Parks & Recreation now has its own Project Manager, Mark DiMascio, and they are working together on all of these projects. Chester asked if the County could provide some after -school activities for children in the north end of the city. Debra said the county has been trying to negotiate with Westwood High School to use their facility for summer camp programs but we have not been successful. Mr. Anderson is in contact with Mr. Lannon about this. Tom suggested that Chester use the Safe Schools Program to obtain funding for an after school program. Skateboard Park - Debra said there is a skateboard park committee that will be assisting with the design and they have agreed that it should be a concrete park. $500,000. has been budgeted to build the skatepark and we are hoping to locate it in the vicinity of the Special Needs Shelter/Gymnasium, once we get all drainage and retention issues resolved. Glenn asked everyone in attendance to introduce themselves. New Business Travel League —Sports Policy - Glenn stated that the purpose of building regional sports parks through the Referendum was to provide facilities for SLC youth. The growth of travel teams that have less restrictive residency requirements have presented a dilemma to the 90/10-residency rule that St. Lucie County mandates in its Sports Policy. Debra explained that in January 2006, the BOCC approved the Sports Policy upon the recommendation of the RAB. She said she was recently approached by staff re travel baseball teams not meeting the 90/10 rules. Debra explained that staff is charged with carrying out and enforcing the BOCC approved policy. Teams that meet the 90/10 rule and other criteria set forth in the policy, and are a recognized provider, may use the facilities at no charge. Debra said that those who are not approved 2 providers, or do not meet the 90/10 rule, can rent facilities when available, but must pay the established fees. Staff was asked to bring the issue it back to RAB to see if they wanted to recommend a change to the approved policy, to the BOCC. Glenn said he would support 60/40 as long as the majority of kids were St. Lucie County residents and he then asked the board members to state their opinions. Albie said he is concerned about complying with a residency rule at Lakewood Park because of its close proximity to Vero but supports a majority split, or instituting a non -residency fee. A discussion followed about residency rules. Erik supported a 60/40 split but asked about the possibility of updating and expanding the list of user groups. Debra explained the reasons for limiting the number of user groups by recommending only one provider per sport. Chester advocated a 60/40 split. He asked about using Lincoln Park C.C. for cheerleading and dance teams and Debra stated that LPCC does not fall under the user group policy; she said programming is determined by the community center staff. Albie said the goal of recreators is to provide full programming and that we need to adopt a policy that is acceptable to the BOCC. He mentioned that baseball program providers have changed over the years and there are now many programs and many ability levels. Discussion continued. Debra said another issue that needs to be addressed is that for AAU, the age brackets is 10-18. Travel teams with players under the age of 10 are not provided for in the current Sports Policy. Glenn added that other travel organizations also go up to age 19. Tom suggested waiving the residency rule at regional parks. Discussion followed. Glenn said that is the real issue --that the Referendum was passed to improve our facilities for SLC residents. There was a discussion about how AAU was approved by the BOCC as the user group to provide travel baseball, and other organizations that are not represented. Debra said other groups could go through the process as outlined in the adopted policy to receive BOCC approval. Brad gave a history of various organizations that have vied to provide baseball over the years and how the policy came about to select one user group for each sport to have some control. Debra pointed out that the fields are still open to other groups, based upon availability and payment of established fees. Jeff discussed putting all travel teams under one umbrella. Debra suggested he form a group, get insurance, get everything in order, and go through the process to become a recognized provider. Albie said that in Stuart, the city sponsors the teams and thus does not have to adhere to any sports policy. Debra stated that the department's policy is to provide facilities for recognized youth recreation providers at no cost. The department does not sponsor travel leagues due to the fact that players are typically hand picked and are generally required to have above average skills in their respective sports, which is restrictive, vs. recreation programs that accept all who sign up. Tom again advanced his opinion that our policy should not apply to regional parks. Kurt stated his Orange Bowl football program, went through the process, formed a group, became a 501c, met the policy criteria, and is now part of the group, no issues, it's very simple. In response to Glenn's request for his opinion, Albie said he would endorse a 60/40 split. He recommended forming one group to represent travel teams. He said the age limitation should be lowered to age 8. Their was a discussion about Treasure Coast or Triple A, or any group that has a national affiliation, becoming a recognized provider for travel baseball, to replace AAU. Kurt recommended that line F be stricken from the Sports Policy. Glenn said we could make a motion to change it and send a recommendation to the BOCC. There was a discussion about choosing travel providers for soccer and basketball as facilities are expanded. Glenn said the RAB is going to make a recommendation and asked for a motion that we go to a 60/40 split on SLC residents; make a recommendation to change the age limit to age 8 on Item F; and change Item F to St. Lucie County.... Debra advised everyone that to recommend a change in the provider, the new provider needed to submit through the process established by the BOCC sports provider policy. Discussion. 3 Glenn asked for a motion. He recapped that everyone was in agreement on the 60/40 split and lowering the age limit to 8. He asked if we couldn't just add Treasure Coast Sports as another recognized user group for all travel sports. Debra said the policy only allows for one recognized user group and AAU is listed as the provider at this time. She also said she would like to address only baseball at this meeting vs. all travel sports. Glenn asked for a motion and Chester suggested we table it until we have more information. Brad said he is not prepared to vote at this point in time. Kurt made a motion to table, seconded by Erik, all in favor, motion carried. Mr. Gosser introduced himself and discussed his affiliation with USSSA Baseball. He stated that USSSA Baseball does not set boundaries and allows teams to pull players from anywhere. He stated that all he wanted was to have baseball year `round, that they (USSSA Baseball) were not interested in getting rid of Little League, that the USSSA league would start when the Little League season was over. He further stated that the USSSA Baseball league is not interested in pushing kids out, they want to teach them differently and teach them a higher standard of baseball that will help them develop their skills more than Little League is going to help them develop their skills. Discussion continued. Board member, Brad Keen stated that he didn't disagree and he is not opposed to what USSSA is promoting, but he reiterated the fact that the BOCC had adopted a set of policies for staff to carry out. He stated that he, in good conscience, could not vote for something that would require Parks & Recreation staff to violate BOCC policy. He went on to say that he wanted to maintain the credibility of the RAB and was not comfortable making a recommendation until he had a lot more information. He stated that if AAU had a representative in St. Lucie County he would like to hear from them at the next meeting and added that he wanted to make sure that he provides service for St. Lucie County residents. Debra asked Albie if his travel baseball teams are AAU and he said they are. There was a discussion that all travel teams would be able to meet a 60/40 rule. Jeff Montpetit offered to research any information that would be needed to facilitate a change in the travel team recognized user. Brad suggested that this be the sole topic of discussion at the next meeting. Glenn announced that his term is expired and the new board will have to deal with this issue. Brad has been asked to stay on under Commissioner -elect Grande. It was decided that there would be no meeting in December, that the next RAB meeting will take place the 3`d Wednesday in January. Brad asked that since this will be the sole subject for discussion, that a presentation be made by the Treasure Coast Travel League or any other interested organizations to tell us why they should provide the service for the County. He also said he would like to hear Debra's position as Director of P&R at that time. Albie made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Erik, all in favor. Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Debra thanked Glenn for his ten years of service. Submitted by, Barbara Heck 4 Minutes ST. LUCIE COUNTY RAB MEETING I April 19, 2006 Administrative Conference Room 2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, FL 34983 Glenn Rains called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. and asked the secretary to call the roll: Members Present: Glenn Rains, Brad Keen, Erik Martin, Albert Scoggins, and Chester Woulard. Members Absent: Kurt Holden - a� n,-Faili�affensberger� Sheyenne uggeri- Guests: John Picchiarini Glenn asked for a motion to accept the minutes of the February 15, 2006 minutes. Albie motioned to accept the minutes, seconded by Brad, all in favor, motion carried. New Business Endorsement of Swimming Pool Fees - Patti Ra ffensberQer and Cheyenne Guggeri: Patti explained that the BOCC instructed Parks & Recreation to start imposing fees for all County swimming pools this summer. P&R is amending the resolution that established rates for Port St. Lucie Pool last year to include Open Space, and the new Lakewood Park, as well as a proposal for a lower rate schedule for the Paradise Park Pool because it doesn't have the same degree of amenities and attraction as the other pools. This will be going to the Board next Tuesday and will become effective Memorial Day weekend. Brad asked what type of feedback we received from instituting the fee schedule at PSL pool last year. Cheyenne said they received positive feedback from the patrons. The fee structure is very comparable to other counties and cities and the passes offer a very good rate. Only a handful of patrons were concerned and were offered suggestions on how passes would work for them. Glenn asked how we compared to Martin County. Albie said in Martin they use a School Board pool, and the YMCA offers swimming at a much higher price. Patti said they created resident and non-resident fees because we expect a lot of non-resident use of the Lakewood Park facility. Brad asked if PSL pool is still open year `round and Patti said that it was. Brad made a motion that the RAB unanimously approve and support these fees as presented and make that recommendation known to the County Commissioners on Tuesday. Seconded by Erik Martin, all in favor, motion carried. Before going on with the next agenda item, Glenn invited Linda Barton to share what is going on with the P&R Department right now in regard to the Director. Linda announced that Mr. Keogh resigned earlier than his anticipated January departure. Right now Debra Brisson who is the Cultural Affairs Director, is acting as Interim, and the County is accepting applications. A decision on the new director may not occur for 60-90 days. Brad asked how long Debra has been with St. Lucie County and Linda replied that it was just under a year, filling Jon Ward's vacated position. Albie added that before that, Debbie was Parks & Recreation Director for Wellington. Glenn said we will miss Pete, he's been very integral, has done a lot of good things, he was actively involved in a lot of things, some department folks in the recreation area will definitely miss him too. Glenn wished him well. Glenn said he believes this board should be part of the selection process for a7��'e­ ctor and have:' the ability to offer their input at some point before that decision's made.R tieiter J CO. ADivi1N. OFFICE collectively or individually, RAB members should let the commissioners know that they would like to be part of that process, to be involved. Glenn said when Commissioners are addressed with an issue that involves recreation or use of the facilities, the user group or entity should come before the RAB with a proposal for what they want to do and the RAB should make the recommendation to the commissioners. This would take the burden of managing on a crisis basis off the commissioners. Often a user group or a special interest group will show up at a Commission meeting, voice a concern and put pressure on the Commissioners to do a certain thing and the next thing you know, it is taken away from RAB's advisory capacity and that's not they way this whole board was set up. In considering By -Laws review and revision recommendations, that should be foremost in our mind. Glenn said he felt this was the number one priority. Linda asked for clarification, do you mean improvements? Glenn replied, either improvement or use, and gave as an example, the Ft. Pierce Fire. They wanted use of county facilities and waiver of user fees and RAB endorsed it because it was beneficial for the community. Glenn said other groups by-passed RAB, going straight to the Count -�rrrrssroir ado—sla and lie boars Lin a assure everyone that that RAB opinions matter to the commissioners but to keep in mind that there are legal responsibilities that have to be met. Glenn said if an issue involves recreation, RAB should be given a chance to look at it and make a recommendation first. Brad said that the commissioners get a copy of the minutes, so let it reflect that "we as a RAB recognize our role as a citizen's advisory board only, we are not asking to make policy because we know that is beyond our purview to do so, it is simply to serve as a citizen's advisory board and to echo your request that, if somebody wants to come in and displace an established league or user group so that they can get their program in place, it does need to come before this board. And whether we all agree unanimously or whether it's a split, it goes to the county commission with the RAB acting as a liaison between the Board of County Commissioners and the public --it's been brought to us, we've discussed it, we voted on it, and whatever way it falls out its been brought to the board." Brad continued, "It is then the responsibility of the BOCC to make the decision but it's important that this board be involved in the process." John agreed and thought the RAB should be asked for an opinion on facilities and how they are going to be used, saying people on the board have background and expertise that would lend valuable input. John complained that RAB did not see all the referendum issues. Glenn pointed out that the referendum issue started with this board, that RAB helped sell the referendum and once it was done, the RAB was left out of the decision -making. Brad said County Commission action established this board to sit as the Citizen's Advisory committee on the expenditure of the MSTU funds. The RAB has not acted as that steering committee to any great degree, that it was steered for us. It is important for RAB to be involved in the information and the process, not policy. He said they need to be involved more and kept informed of where the program stands, what's being done. Brad gave credit to staff, that they have given presentations and status updates of projects but the bond is 20 years and RAB should have more input in terms of what's beyond years 5, 6 and 7. Linda said the monies were bonded, enough for two parks, Lakewood Park and Lawnwood, and that some referendum dollars are going into the new auditorium/special needs facility. Glenn said some of the referendum dollars were earmarked to make Lawnwood the premier regional park and a lot of the money was diverted up north, and RAB would liked to have had some input in that. Glenn said it would be nice that when something gets on the drawing board conceptually, RAB be brought up to speed at their next meeting so they can give their input instead of asking RAB to rubber stamp it after the fact. John complained about selectiveness of what is brought to RAB. Linda said staff does their best to keep them informed but allowed that sometimes staff has become an informational group to RAB instead of P&R being an information group from RAB to the commissioners. 2 Glenn's said the main issue is that he would like to have any user group, anything involving recreation, be sent to the RAB to approve or deny before it goes to the County Commissioners. Linda asked what type of user groups he's talking about --it would be impossible to bring every user group to the RAB-- or did he mean major user groups that want to bring in tournaments? Glenn said right, and he's asked Treasure Coast Sports Commission to keep RAB informed of what they have going on. If something is going on in the county and it involves use of facilities, RAB should be allowed to have an opinion on it and make a recommendation to County Commissioners. Brad added that should not only apply to major user groups, i.e., if Little League wanted to do something, build a dugout or anything like that, they need to come to the RAB and make presentation. Brad said the benefit of this is that the RAB 1) becomes better informed and can make more informed decisions and 2) RAB can serve as an advocate to the public, which is what it's for. Linda said we appreciated the help of RAB because it does give more credibility to things that we all agree on to do. W_vtew evrsrorr ctattons orr�oreaiion visory oar - aws Glenn asked that we go through the old by-laws. Brad said it needed simple updating to remove references to "Leisure Services" throughout the document. Brad said that he would like to see the "Terms of Service" coincide with the terms of the appointing Commissioners. Linda asked the RAB to define number of terms because the way it's written now, it only gives members one term of 3 years. Most by-laws have are 2 term but the RAB needs to decide. Glenn said if you look at Section 3, A, B & C, it clearly states the purpose of the RAB, and it should be followed. Linda said there are a couple of other items coming up and she'll make sure RAB is involved. She said Parks & Recreation is looking at a Special Needs playground and they will be updated on that. Linda reported that we have met with a couple of vendors and perhaps we can have them come in and do a presentation and the location. Glenn asked if we have talked about having a covered basketball pavilion at Lawnwood. He also asked about a pavilion/press box for the baseball fields that was one of the original things that were to be done with referendum funding. Linda said that will now be in Phase II or III. pending funding. Linda asked if they had any idea of how many terms they want to go for. Glenn said it should max out at 3, so the board can have continuity. Everyone agreed that it should be 4-year terms with a maximum of 3 terms, concurrent with the appointing commissioners term. There was some discussion of re -appointment by a different commissioner after being off the board for a period of time. The RAB agreed that it should be a 2-year absence. Albie suggested consideration of changing the rules for a quorum. If the 2 At -Large positions were vacant, for a quorum you would need 4 of the 5 commissioner -appointed members present. For this reason, he suggested changing the requirement to 3 of the 5 commissioner -appointed members. The Board Members discussed the merits of changing the amount needed for a quorum. Glenn suggested we do a phone poll of all RAB members for pressing issues, and keeping proper documentation, also using a quorum consisting of 3 of the 5 commissioner -appointed members. Brad made a motion to amend Article III, Section 2, to read, "A quorum of the membership of the Board shall be three (3) of the commissioner -appointed members." Seconded by Albie, all in favor, motion carried. Glenn also asked about having a list of P&R Dept. staff, perhaps a card size list of supervisors up to Director. This will be provided at the next meeting, per Linda. Brad asked Linda to check and see if the RAB members could be issued a formal SLC ID card. This would not be used to gain any special privileges, just for validation if they are checking P&R facilities. Linda said she would check on it right away and have the information for them at the next meeting. Glenn announced that the Fort Pierce Fire is going to the AFC Championship Playoffs this weekend in Bradenton. If they win they will play in the State Championships in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando next week. The RAB members recognized this tremendous success in only the Ft. Pierce Fire's 2"d year. Brad made a motion to put a congratulatory message on the Civic Center marquee. Linda said this would have to go to the Public Information Officer, Linette Trabulsy, for consideration. Brad would like to request that the BOCC recognize the Ft. Pierce Fire organization and leadership at a Board meeting, identify them and recognize them for the terrific job they've done in such a short time. Seconded by Erik, all in favor, motion carried. Linda said she will get with the attorney's office and they will do a resolution. — Chester said that for the past few months we have talked about getting some transportation and going on a park tour. Glenn said yes, we could do that, have a rolling board meeting. Linda explained that the reason we didn't do it was because we were asking where members wanted to go --to north county, south county, the whole county. Chester answered, the whole county. Linda said in one day it would be tight, we might have to do it in two days. She asked if there were any major sites that he would like to see. Chester said there were only 3 that he heard of but never visited. He suggested we could do it in a two -week period of time. Glenn asked that staff list the County sites and each RAB member can circle the sites they would like to see and then staff could set it up. Linda reminded the members that we did this before and got no response. Some people on the board have already seen all the facilities and Linda asked if they are interested in doing it again. Glenn and Brad said time was tight but there are a few places they would not be opposed to going to. Linda offered to set up a special trip for Mr. Woulard and whoever else would like to go. Glenn asked about Lakewood Park and Linda said there is not much to see at this time, that it would be better to wait a month or two. John asked about touring the Fairgrounds. Linda suggested having the next meeting there, and asking Sherry to attend and give the RAB members a tour. Everyone was in agreement and Linda said she would make the arrangements. Glenn suggested moving the meeting for the next few meetings. Brad asked about doing one at Mets Stadium, and perhaps the 3`d one at LPCC or FPCC. Linda will reserve the skybox at Tradition Field for the June meeting. She said we could do an actual bus trip in the summer and will have a list at next month's meeting. Glenn recommended the SLC Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program as being very worthwhile. They acquaint you with many things in this county that you never even knew existed, such as the NASA retired chimps refuge. He will get the information to share with the RAB. Chester had a question about the marquee; he had something he requested be put on it a couple of weeks ago and has not yet received an answer. Linda explained that Doug Anderson and Linette Trabulsy control what goes on the marquee, and she thinks it is only for County functions. Linda said she would follow up on Chester's request. Glenn asked about the press boxes at Elks Park. Linda said it has been a slow process but we are moving forward. Edlund Dritenbas has been working on the design. Glenn suggested a press box in the center of the baseball fields, a covered pavilion so they can get out of the weather. Linda said she will look into it but thinks we are too far along in the process to make that change. Linda said funding would be a consideration. Glenn offered to go to his commissioner to help us make the change. 4 Chester asked about using Dreamland and Ilous Ellis for a fundraiser. He wanted to know if they needed special permits to have booths for the event. Linda asked Chester to let Willie know and have it put on the schedule. Linda told him if it is in city limits he had to check with City of Ft. Pierce on permitting, and if they will have tents they have to talk with the Fire Dept. Chester asked if they can sell anything at the field and Linda said she would check on it, it is probably okay if county, but she can't speak for the city. Linda advised Chester that the electric is going in. Chester also expressed concern that they now have the lightning detector but there is no shelter. Albie made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Chester, all in favor, motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. Res ectfull submitted -- A i arbara Heck Minutes ST. LUCIE COUNTY RAB MEETING May 17, 2006 St. Lucie County Fairgrounds 15601 W. Midway Road, Ft. Pierce, Florida ;I 0 Glenn Rains called the meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. and asked the secretary to call the roll: Members Present: Glenn Rains, Kurt Holden (late), Brad Keen, Erik Martin, Chester Woulard Members Absent: Albert Scoggins (excused) Staff Present: Ray Wazny, Debra Brisson, Linda Barton, Sherry McCorkle Guests: John Picchiarini Glenn thanked staff for following through on arranging a resolution to recognized Kurt Holden and the Ft. Pierce Fire's successful season. Glenn asked for a motion to accept the minutes of the April 19, 2006 meeting. Brad made a motion to accept the minutes with no corrections or additions, seconded by Erik, all in favor. Motion carried. Glenn thanked Sherry for hosting this meeting at the Fairgrounds. He also thanked Ray Wazny for attending the meeting to give updates on issues of concern to the RAB. Old Business Pictures for ID Badges: Pictures of RAB members were being taken for County ID badges as they arrived at the meeting. Review & Approval of RAB By -Law Revisions: Linda has prepared an agenda to go before the BOCC on May 23, 2006, to approve the changes to the RAB By -Laws. Linda explained that she first had them reviewed by the attorney's office and they gave their okay. The RAB members reviewed the revisions and Erik made a motion to approve the amended By -Laws. Brad Keen seconded the motion, all in favor, motion carried. New Business Park Referendum Update — Ray Wazny: Mr. Wazny said the BOCC approved expenditures of Park Referendum dollars on October 1, 2002 for priority projects identified by Parks & Recreation, based on public input. The main projects were Lakewood Park and Lawnwood Sports Complex. He said that we did not do trails or beach accesses. A memo from the City of Ft. Pierce approved the proposed expenditures in Fort Pierce. From 2002-2006 we have received $1.1 million from the City of Ft. Pierce and those funds were applied to Lawnwood, as well as the current revenue of $4.4 million from unincorporated St. Lucie County. Glenn asked why we have only collected $1.1 million and Ray explained that the money flow comes in once a year from property taxes, through 2023. It is projected that the City of Ft. r -- Pierce will collect $11.8 million total. Expenditures at Lawnwood through 2006e�pectd Xl�, $14.4 million and the shortfall is made up through County money (loans). Ray al spoke about &1_ ` MAY 2 2 2006 CO. AD viIJN. OFFICE 11 Special Needs Shelter, a "primary use building" that can also be programmed as an auditorium and gymnasium at the Lawnwood complex. Glenn expressed that the problem for the RAB was that the County moved forward on the Special Needs Shelter/auditorium without their recommendation. He explained that from their point of view, they are only being used for giving their stamp of approval after the fact. Ray said that we have a Master Plan for Lawnwood that was approved by the BOCC that we are bound to. Elements in the Master Plan will be done as funds become available. He went on to say that the proposed skateboard park is not in the Master Plan, and would be an element that would be appropriate to take before the RAB. Glenn replied that the skateboard people went to the commissioners and RAB knew nothing about it. He said the group should have been referred to the RAB for consideration, so that RAB could be part of the process. He added that when user groups come before the County Commission, they should be sent back to RAB. Glenn said that he spoke with Commissioners Hutchinson, Craft, and Coward, as well as Doug Anderson, in reference to this subject. He feels that issues such as the skateboard park and user groups having to come before the RAB for a recommendation would be helpful in guiding Commissioners and Administration in their decision -making. He said the RAB would like to review any plans for a skateboard park. Glenn said the RAB has also been frustrated that Lawnwood complex has not become the premier park that they thought it would become by passage of the referendum. Ray explained that there was not enough money to complete Lawnwood. There was an opportunity to build a gymnasium component by joining with other County entities to erect a multi -purpose building that offered additional funding sources. Ray said it would be appropriate for the RAB to review the plans. The design has to meet specific criteria of the Health Department as a special needs shelter and a meeting is scheduled for this week with the Fire Department to see if everything meets their requirements as well. John said he was disappointed that he was not allowed to be part of the process as he has a vast knowledge of gymnasium design as a coach, as an architectural design instructor, and knowledge of special needs requirements. Ray said the Health Department is the leading agency for design considerations in the building. He said staff would provide the conceptuals to the RAB prior to the next meeting. There was a general discussion of gymnasium facilities giving kids safe spaces for recreation, promotion of basketball, and the possibility of saving Central High's gymnasium. John made it very clear that he was a strong proponent of basketball facilities in the County. Linda announced that $500,000. has been approved from Park `A' Impact Fees for a basketball cover at Open Space Park and that the Commissioners have instructed staff to move forward on it. A proposed splash park for Open Space pool is going forward as well. John asked about some problems in putting a cover at that site but Linda said they would be resolved in the design. Glenn mentioned that residents that use Dreamland Park had requested a cover as well. Linda said that two of the Fort Pierce commissioners have given their endorsement to putting the cover at Open Space. Glenn thanked Linda for keeping the RAB informed. Brad said he did not want to appear adversarial, but he had some concerns about $23.7 million in Park Referendum dollars and the list of priorities for expenditures. He said the Referendum was proposed to do a lot of things throughout the County. He recalled that there were supposed to be 4 or 5 super/regional parks throughout the county and now we are only doing Lakewood Park, Lawnwood Stadium, and Lawnwood Complex. Brad said that was not the intent of the Referendum. Linda offered clarification: the original plans in 2002 were based on a workshop with FA Port St. Lucie when they were going to join hands with Fort Pierce. PSL changed their minds and went their separate way. The County chose to bond for the money up front. PSL does improvements as it draws down the funds annually. Glenn said 2 or 3 parks were supposed to be in Port St. Lucie and these were abandoned when PSL took the money and went on their own. Ray said that we solicited citizen input to see what the public wanted. He said revenues were nowhere near 5 parks as envisioned but we could do Lakewood Park and Lawnwood. Brad said PSL collected far more than was projected, $23 million went to $53 million, and speculated that was the case with the County as well. All of PSL's projects are either completed or near completion. Assuming the County's revenues are larger than projected, Brad said that improvements should be planned for neighborhood parks. Brad said he was disappointed that more is not being done and that this is not what he understood the Referendum's intent to be. Ray pointed out that we collected $1.1 million from Ft. Pierce. We collected $4.5 million from unincorporated and spent $14.5 million. He said if projected revenues increase, we could plan other projects. He explained that the vision of the referendum committee was not neighborhood parks, it was regional parks. He said that Lakewood Park and Lawnwood Complex are great projects. Ray said we needed to reassess long-term revenue streams. Brad said there are needs over and above, i.e., open space areas, playgrounds, etc., and he does not see that the County has a real vision. He credited Linda and staff for keeping the RAB advised of these improvements. There was further discussion on the RAB's request to be notified beforehand when something is coming up. Glenn said they hoped the new director would provide RAB with greater opportunity for input. Ray said that after listening to the RAB's concerns there were two issues that stood out. The first would be the Special Needs Shelter/gymnasium and we will provide the conceptual plans to the RAB members. The second issue is the skateboard park and we will put that on the agenda. Linda said that Mayor Benton is involved in this but she is not sure whom the "group" is that Glenn referred to. Glenn said he would get with Linda on this following the meeting. Ray promised to get a flow of the Park Referendum money and see where it can be spent. This information will be requested from OMB and may take some time. RAB will be asked for recommendations for use of excess funds. He suggested staff give them some recommendations they can consider. There was some further discussion on the Special Needs Shelter/gymnasium. Ray said there is a meeting this Friday and staff will let the RAB members know the date and time tomorrow. Staff will also provide them with the conceptuals before the next RAB meeting, if available. Role of RAB in Selection of Parks & Recreation Director: Glenn asked Ray when a decision would be made to fill the position. Ray replied that it had been delayed in order to give him a chance to speak to the RAB. Ray explained that staff does not get input from committees on internal appointments. He asked if the RAB had any candidates to put forth and if so, the County would be more than happy to grant them an interview. Brad said making a decision on the P&R Director is not in the purview of the RAB but they would like to be advised who the candidates are, and Glenn added that they do not want to hold up the process. Ray said there were 3 in-house candidates with Parks & Recreation experience, Debra Brisson, Linda Barton, and Don McLam; and 1 in-house candidate, John Franklin from Community Services, who has no P&R experience. He said they are not going to interview external candidates because the in-house candidates are very qualified. 3 • Glenn brought up the Fair Association in open discussion. He is under the impression that the Fair Association is a strong entity in the County and makes a lot of decisions. He went on to say that the County should be in the leadership and decision -making role. He was asked by a commissioner to look into this and see if the RAB may be of assistance. Linda informed the RAB that the BOCC had a meeting with the Fair Assn. that morning and many of those issues were addressed. Linda said she would be able to furnish the RAB members with a disc of today's meeting. Glenn also asked her to provide them with a written summary of the minutes of the meeting. Ray suggested that Sherry and Jeannie Keaton be invited to the RAB July meeting to address their concerns. Glenn requested that the meeting be held in the 3`d floor conference room at the administration building. Brad asked Debra Brisson to introduce herself and Glenn apologized to Sherry and Debra for not recognizing them early in the meeting. Debra said she is the Acting Interim Director of P&R and the Director of Cultural Affairs. She said she is from Palm Beach County and served as Parks & Recreation Director of Wellington for 8-1/2 years. After relocating to Ft. Pierce, she worked briefly for Martin County before coming to St. Lucie County. Debra said she also has experience in Capital Project Management. She said when the P&R Director position came open; she put her hat in the ring because that is her passion. She also added that in Wellington they had a successful basketball program! Sherry said she has been lucky enough to manage the Fairgrounds facility for the past 2-1/2 years, under Parks & Recreation. She said it is fun and exciting and invited everyone to offer any ideas for events they would like to see at the facility. Glenn said the facility is second to none. Sherry said she has been working hard on the upcoming National Bikers Roundup in August with 45,000 to 50,000 bikers expected to participate in the 6-day event. Kurt thanked the Board for their recommendation for a resolution to acknowledge the accomplishments of the Ft. Pierce Fire at the BOCC meeting on May 16th. A large group of players attended the meeting and were so proud to receive the recognition. Kurt said it mean a lot to all of them. Linda asked who provides the player uniforms. Kurt replied that expenses are covered by sponsorship and some donations. He said uniforms are about $225.00 per player, but with equipment, the real cost is approximately $1,000. per player. There was a discussion of the County's policy re advertising user group activities. Glenn asked for a motion to adjourn. Motion was made by Kurt, seconded by Erik, all in favor. Meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. An optional tour of the Fairgrounds by Sherry McCorkle was available to the RAB members. Respectfully submitted, / /`Barbara Heck 0 ST LUCIE COUNTY RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING August 16, 2006 Roger Poitras Building, Conference Room 3 1 2300 Virginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, FLA� I Olt Glenn Rains called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. 4 Glenn asked for a motion to accept the minutes of the May 17, 2006 meeting. Glenn congratulated Debra on her appointment as Director of Parks & Recreation. He invited her to share her vision. She said there had been some changes in personnel, but that we have a sound team. Debra said she believes in encouraging training and development of employees towards certification and is leading by example; she is in the process of getting her certification. She said she believes firmly in the profession of Parks & Recreation and is pleased to be working in the field she loves. Debra said there is a lot that has yet to be evaluated, but to start with, she would like to implement a sound maintenance management plan. She would like to add a Park Planner to the staff, and said we are in the process of hiring a P&R Project Manager to handle the $29 million in capital improvements in the works. Debra said she likes to be visible to P&R employees and encourages good work ethics. Glenn said the RAB would try to keep politics out of their decision -making and do the right thing for the long term, to stay the course, to build and renovate parks as planned even though no one from the skate park organization has come to the RAB. Debra said it is on the agenda for tonight's meeting. Glenn said he was also disappointed that the Special Needs Shelter/auditorium was planned without seeking the RAB's input. Kurt asked that 15 minutes be set aside during this meeting to discuss the regional sports arena. Glenn said we would address that at the end of new business. Glenn thanked Debra for sharing. She invited the RAB members to call her any time. Glenn offered the support of the RAB in helping her address issues, by working through their County Commissioners, and invited Debra to call them as well. Roll Call: Members Present: Glenn Rains, Erik Martin, Kurt Holden, Albie Scoggins Members Absent: Chester Woulard, Brad Keen Staff Present: Debra Brisson, William Hoeffner, Barbara Heck Guests: John Picchiarini Albie made a motion to approve the minutes from May 2006. Kurt seconded the motion, all in favor, motion carried. 1 — AUG New Business FRDAP Grant Applicant for the Savannas — Bill Hoeffner Bill explained that FRDAP requires that we consult with the RAB for approval. Bill said he and Debra had several conversations about an appropriate grant for this year and selected the Savannas. He said Lawnwood and Lakewood elements are well funded and moving forward; South Causeway Park is still in planning and will probably be ready for FRDAP next year. Bill explained that the major element for the Savannas is a trail system that will be a link from the state park south of Midway Road and extend all the way to Savannas Road. The trail will be 1.9 miles and will feature boardwalks and vistas and overlooks. He said the grant would also include more picnic facilities, some lighting and fencing, possibly more campsites, an archery course, improvement to the volleyball and basketball facilities and fishing pier. Bill explained the trail system that will be miles when completed and eventually the trail will developed over the next several years will be 11 extend from Martin County to downtown Fort Pierce. The grant is due September 15th. Glenn asked what the amount of the grant is and Bill replied it is for $200,000 and requires a $200,000 match. Kurt said his personal experience is that the Savannas has gotten better and better over the years. Bill added that the Manager, Summer Ivey -Platt, is enthusiastic and has made an impact in improving the facility and continues to do so. Erik said the Savannas is a "magical system". Debra said this grant application is being made in conjunction with the City of Fort Pierce because they are the property owner. Erik made a motion that the RAB support this grant application as presented. Albie seconded the motion, all in favor, motion carried. Bill thanked everyone for the approval. ADA Playground — Debra Brisson Debra explained that residents made a request several months ago for an accessible playground. Staff researched playground equipment manufacturers and chose Bliss Products, who represent Kompan. (A conceptual was provided to each board member.) The item was placed in the budget but was not funded in FY 06/07. The initial site chosen was next to the Leather's playground but that would have put it into the Park A Impact Fee area and there is no money available for the project. During budget hearings this project was identified as an unfunded project and the BOCC asked us to bring it to RAB, to possibly find another location south of Midway, where Park B Impact Fee funds are available. Debra said she spoke with Marty Sanders of the School Board to see if there was a school site he would suggest for the RAB's consideration. She welcomed suggestions from the RAB. Glenn asked what the price tag is on this project and Debra said it was $300,000. Kurt suggested Southern Oaks Middle School and Rivers Edge Elementary School on St. James Drive. He said the schools are side -by -side and there is a lot of property there. Discussion followed. Albie said he thought it was a great idea and we should seek endorsement and maybe partial funding from the School Board. He also thought our Special Olympics Coordinator could be helpful in promoting this project. Debra said staff would gather information over the course of the next month on Southern Oaks/Rivers Edge and invited RAB members to call her or Barbara with suggestions for other locations. There was a discussion about the need for land for future parks. Debra explained that she has been brought into the DRI process and has started reviewing proposed development projects to determine whether or not they meet SLC's comprehensive plan requirements. She said she would take the opportunity to respond to Treasure Coast Regional Planning with her concerns, and ask them to provide acreage and/or dollars. Debra would like the RAB to address the issue of future planning, and regional park sites. There was a discussion of available land in the White City Park area. Glenn said the RAB had no say on planning of the Lakewood Regional Park and Debra responded that in the end it's going to be a beautiful park and will provide a service in the north part of the county that is definitely needed. Kurt said it would have gained support from the RAB but it was 2 never brought to them. Debra said it is her intention to change that, as reflected by the today's agenda, to keep the RAB involved in the process. She said we should try to get information on available land. Kurt asked how many acres are needed for a regional park and Debra said 50 acres would be the minimum. Debra said the comp plan doesn't define active and passive recreation as a defined level of service. There was a discussion of the kinds of details included in comp plans. There was further discussion by the RAB of the need for fields in the vicinity of the Fairgrounds, the lack of girl's softball facilities, and the shortage of baseball fields. Debra said she would like to see a quad of fields for girl's softball. nDera 1100 gre sitestaking Albie asked that P&R st ff identify areas the next couple of meetings, identify potetac. and bring them to the RAB. Sports Complex/Arena — Kurt Holden Kurt said he and Larry Lee brought a gentleman to Ft. Pierce regarding building an $80 million dollar, 10,000 seat arena for concerts, hockey, arena football, etc. Kurt said the promoter is a well- known and respected sports facility developer. This venue would also serve as a Civic Center for various types of shows and exhibits. Glenn said many people would have to be brought to the table to move this forward. Kurt felt that the RAB would be instrumental in the process. Discussion followed. Debra said that the issue is being reviewed by the County. It was Kurt's opinion that this could be a joint venture but that realistically, it will not happen without it going through the CRA. The members felt that this would be a great facility to promote tourism and that a waterfront location would be a huge draw. Debra asked Kurt if he was sekking just the funds to hire this gentleman as a consultant to do a feasibility study? She asked Kurt if he thought the CRA is interested in funding a portion of the cost of the feasibility study. There was a discussion about the CRA. Kurt said everyone agrees this man is the "home run hitter" but there is a concern about him (the developer) doing the feasibility study too. Glenn asked Kurt about the City of Port St. Lucie and he said they would like to have it in their city. Debra asked Kurt what he thought the developer was seeking as a public sector commitment for the $80 million. Kurt said in his conversations with the developer, it would be a 40/60 split, 40 private, 60 public. Glenn said the RAB should back it and he believes the citizens of this County would support it. He said he would be speaking to commissioners tomorrow to find out where they stand on this issue. Glenn said the RAB should pass a motion that they are wholeheartedly in support of the arena and that we would like the County to try and find the funds to get this thing started. He added that if another bond referendum is needed to get this thing done, he would be happy to go out there and help sell the referendum. Kurt made the motion as proposed, 2°d by Albie, all in favor, motion carried. Glenn asked Barbara to draft a letter advising Commissioner Coward of the motion, and to include some of the discussion about the importance of the project and how the board views it. He asked that all commissioners be copied. By -Laws Revision Status Debra said that per the Attorney's Office and the BOCC, terms of office were limited to two consecutive 4-year terms, 8 years maximum. The BOCC also will now appoint the two at -large members. Debra said we will publicly advertise the open at -large position so the terms will run concurrently with the commissioners. In addition, a quorum is to be 4 of 7. Glenn brought up the issue of absences of board members. The By -Laws state that after two unexcused absences, membership is canceled and a new person is to be appointed. Discussion followed. Glenn would like this to be addressed at the next meeting. 3 Skateboard Park Update Debra reported that during budget hearings, the BOCC set aside $500,000 for a skate park at Lawnwood behind the future Special Needs Shelter/Auditorium. A resolution is being prepared to establish a 9-member skate park design committee composed of 5 BOCC appointed members 1 each), 2 by the City of Ft. Pierce, and 2 students. It will go before the BOCC on September 12` . Debra said she would speak to the commissioners about RAB involvement. Kurt asked to go on the record by asking if we found the funds to do this, why don't we have the soccer/lacrosse fields at Lawnwood. Debra replied that they are under construction and expected to be completed by January. He continued that the skate park is "not what we set out to do here in the beginning and every time we turn around it's changed. It's going further, and further and further away, and then to find out that RAB is not even mentioned when it comes up, I'm disappointed." Glenn said RAB was totally bypassed on this thing — again. Debra explained that there were additional monies from general funds and the BOCC responded to requests they had received from the community for a skate park. Glenn said that the BOCC responded to a special interest group and rather than send them back to RAB for a recommendation, they cut out RAB, and he would like it on the record. Debra said she hopes the RAB will embrace it and help make sure that it is an asset for the community. Debra said it must be built to what the skater's will skate, otherwise you've wasted every penny you spent. She asked the committee to set aside how we got to where we are and to help us with the process. Albie said it's done, it's funded, let's just work with the Recreation Dept. to make sure we get the best product at the end of the day. Special Needs Shelter/Auditorium/Gymnasium Debra went over conceptual drawings of the interior of the building. She explained that they have been modified a little bit to meet requirements of the Fire Department. She said we have been meeting with the architects and are starting to look at interior finishes. County administration and staff want this facility to be a showcase and make sure when residents come inside it is something that they're proud of, even though shelter needs were of primary importance in the design. Debra said she expects some operations issues but is confident that we will be able to deal with them. There was a discussion of basketball court configurations, bleachers, restrooms, locker rooms. Debra said she sent some information to the architect about the Robbins pulastic flooring system that works very well. There was a discussion of a portable wood floor and Debra explained that this will probably will not be purchased initially, but at some point in the future. John suggested not striping a main center court over the 3 courts, as it's too distracting. The discussion continued. Biker Roundup Debra said Sherry McCorkle and staff did a great job and the bottom line was it was an extremely successful event. Kurt asked if we had numbers yet. Debra said the attendance was about 45,000- 50,000 people. There was a discussion about the two incidents that occurred. Debra said one was very minor and the other one was handled swiftly by law enforcement on scene. Debra said concession sales were a little lower than expected. Sherry will be submitting her final report after she returns from a well -deserved vacation. Glenn said he saw the bikers frequenting local restaurants and Kurt mentioned the traffic problems that were expected never materialized. Glenn would like to send a letter to Sherry from the RAB on how good a job she and her staff did and how much we appreciate her and all her efforts. Debra asked if they would like Barbara to draft it and Glenn said yes. Kurt asked if the County concessionaire ran the concessions. Debra confirmed that PCI did the concessions and PCI agreed to work with the promoters of the event to accommodate their vendors. There was further discussion of the type of food concessions for the event. Kurt asked about the concessions at Lawnwood and if it is under contract and for how long. Debra said she was not entirely familiar with it but will get the information. 4 Kurt asked for more information on the soccer fields under construction at Lawnwood. There was a discussion about infrastructure related to completion of the fields. Debra said the project was being managed by Central Services. Kurt wanted to put on the record that E.J. (Eric Jackson) deserves a thumbs -up. He's hard working and has turned those facilities at Lawnwood into a picture. Albie asked to go on record that he grew UP playing on these fields, and they have never been in better shape than they are right now, E. has done a fantastic job. Glenn said "E.J. is intimate with his work and that's a beautiful thing." Debra gave an update on Dan McCarty. The County, the City and the School Board hopefully will be entering into an agreement, funded in next year's budget, to build a parking lot on the west side of the track for about 60 cars. That will be Phase 1, and it may include moving some lights from k. Phase II, if funding is available, would include Northport if they will work at Dan McCarty's trac restrooms, and building a soccer/football field with irrigation. In the 4t year we will look at doing improvements to the track. The School Board is also interested in us looking at the land east of the soccer fields for a multi -purpose field. The RAB members expressed their pleasure that all the things they have talked about for 7 years are now coming about. Debra announced that Weldon B. Lewis Park is being dedicated on October 151h and invitations will be sent to the RAB members. Elks Park renovations are moving forward and Debra hopes to piggyback on a Martin County contract to expedite the work and complete the project by February. She advised the RAB that staff received additional funding from the BOCC in next year's budget to cover expenses, as this project was severely under funded. Debra reported that we are also working on construction of new restrooms at Pepper Park. Kurt made a motion to adjourn, 2nd by Erik Martin, meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Heck 5