Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Parks And Recreation Advisory Committee - 03/10/2010 PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE RE EIVED Regular Meeting March 10, 2010, 5:00 p.m. APR 3 0 2010 Sixth Floor Conference Room, City Hall 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 SECRETARY'S OFFICE Members Present Members Absent Staff Present Rene Gutierrez Carrie Robertson Stacie Talbert Carlos Haney Reba George Jinsun Kim K Chute Art Norman Rita Padron Sylvia Samaniego Huxley Smith Lisa Torres Ron Woods I. Call to Order Chair, Rene Gutierrez called the meeting to order at 5:09 pm. II. Roll Call of Members The recording secretary called roll and announced a quorum was present. III. Adoption of Minutes 1. Regular meeting, February 10, 2010 Art Norman stated the meeting was held on February 13th instead of the 10th. Art Norman then made a motion to accept the minutes with that date correction. Huxley Smith seconded. Motion passed. 2. Special Called Meeting, February 24, 2010 Lisa Torres made a motion to accept the minutes as submitted. Ron Woods seconded. Motion passed. IV. Public Comment Teresa Klein of 3501 Monterrey, addressed two items. On behalf of the Clean Economy Coalition, she is working with Becky Perrin to adopt McCaughan Park. Ms. Perrin will speak at their next meeting. Consideration for the Coliseum's future and the Bayfront Master Plan will be included in their discussion. Ms. Klein also noted her participation with Harvest CC. Their group helps citizens pick extra fruit from their trees to donate to the local food distribution kitchens. Therefore, they recommend the Parks & Recreation Department consider planting fruit trees in the parks. Ms. Klein has also spoken to the City's Pride group. Donna Ramirez of BekindtoCyClist brought an update regarding new information given to the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) as it applies to their efforts to improve safety along the Bay Trail. The city's legal representative informed TAC that some owners along Shoreline/Ocean Dr have fee simple ownership extending into the roadway. This information complicates their effort to remove parked cars from the designated bike lane along that area. It was suggested pedestrians use the other side of Shoreline/Ocean. However, that area is not ADA compliant, and therefore, would not accommodate anyone with special needs. Ms. Ramirez requested the committee look into the matter as she did not have complete information. Stacie Talbert she would follow-up. V. Business A. Presentations SCAN(1.jE D (Carlos Haney arrived at 5:20 pm) v I V 1. Request to Rename Oceanview Park by Art Martinez Husband of Catalina Martinez, Art Martinez addressed the committee to formally request Oceanview Park be renamed for his late wife. Mr. Martinez provided information about her many years of community involvement and support. Among her accomplishments, Catalina Martinez founded the Spohn Residents Neighborhood Association, and started the Miramar Head Start Center. After brief discussion the committee thanked Mr. Martinez for his presentation. Chair, Rene Gutierrez instructed staff to proceed with the due diligence research and present the report at the May meeting. Stacie Talbert noted the completion of an Eagle Scout Project providing several benches for the park. Mr. Martinez saw the benches and appreciates the addition to the park. C. New Business for Discussion and Possible Action 1. Friends of Heritage Park, Vision Plan by David Brown David Brown is Chair for the Landmark Commission and the Friends of Heritage Park(FHP). FHP became a 501c3 organization with the ability to fund raise. A couple of years ago while working on moving the Steam Boat House to Heritage Park it was noted that more room was needed in the park. Research showed most of the adjacent land was owned by the City or the County. A group gathered to exchange ideas to improve the park and generate funding for its use. The concept proposed took a year of study and does consider the possible future relocation of the Harbor Bridge. The concept goal is to make Heritage Park more visible/user friendly, to use space between houses more effectively, to close the street only for special events, to create a large assembly area, to provide examples of culturally different homes/buildings, and provide an environment to generate funding that will help continue to improve Heritage Park. Greg Parkes also noted anticipated Rotary Club involvement to assist the project. Mr. Brown explained FHP is looking for PRAC concept support before taking their presentation to City Council. With council's approval they will request the appropriate land acquisition and begin fundraising. Lisa Torres made a motion to support the Heritage Park improvement project as presented. Huxley Smith seconded. Motion passed. The committee thanked Mr. Brown and the supporters in the audience. 2. New Sub-Committee by Rene Gutierrez Chair, Rene Gutierrez announced the need for a new PRAC sub-group to advise the Council on the value of Parks& Recreation. Mr. Gutierrez appointed Carlos Haney to chair the group with Rita Padron, Art Norman, and Ron Woods as members. Their goal is to compose a presentation of 12-15 minutes containing; a short introduction, three key points; 1. facts about the benefits of Parks&Recreation to the community, (through health from activities and economic impact) 2. the new Volunteer Program and Adopt A Park Program, 3. re-focusing on family needs of the community (no summer program funding), and a conclusion. The committee decided this group will function as a task force to complete the special project, instead of a sub-committee. Their draft presentation will be viewed in April, with council presentation thereafter. Rene Gutierrez requested Vice-Chair, Lisa Tortes lead the remainder of the meeting as he had to leave at 6:10 pm. A. Presentations 2. Amendment to Park Land Dedication Ordinance Update by Johnny Pereles Mr. Pereles was not able to attend. Stacie Talbert and Reba George reported the Planning Commission supported the proposed land dedication adjustment. The presentation is scheduled to be received by City Council on March 23'd for the first reading and March 20'"for the second reading and vote. Members were invited to attend. B. Old Business for Discussion and Possible Action 1. Due Diligence Report for Request to name the State School Park Property, Manuel Q. Salinas Park Stacie Talbert noted an incorrect date on the public announcement. The committee agreed to postpone this item until April for publication correction. Sylvia Samaniego made a motion to table the State School Park Property report until the April 14th meeting. Carlos Haney seconded. Motion passed. 2. Volunteer Program y Rita Padron and Becky Perrin Rita Padron stated there was no quorum today, so they were unable to meet. Ms. Padron noted the Volunteer Handbook was reviewed and approved by the city's legal representative and will sent for printing. The Ranger Program is included in the Volunteer Program. Discussion was held regarding expanded volunteer opportunities that now include office work, and other real life skills through Parks & Recreation activities and programs. VI. Committee, Liaison/Staff Reports Finance/Marketing—Lisa Tones reported on their meeting. General information about the Parks and Leisure Services (PALS) account was requested in connection to the explanation of 501c3 organizations and possible usage options. After the site tour last Saturday, Ms. Torres created a face book for PRAC. About 134 people have already joined. Currently, Ms. Torres is designing a website for PRAC, as an advertising tool for the many areas of the Parks& Recreation Department. Ms. Tones requested an electronic version of the PRAC ByLaws to include on the web page. Stacie Talbert clarified the PRAC web site could provide a link to the City's Parks& Recreation web site. However, the City's site could not link to the PRAC site. Ms. Torres noted discussion of a small/mini triathlon event as a fundraiser for PRAC. Ms. Talbert suggested contact with Friends of the Parks for 501c3 information and possible usage. A summary of department finances during the previous six months ending January 31, 2010 was provided by Reba George as a handout in the meeting packet. Planning Development—Art Norman reported no quorum. Program Development—Ron Woods said they received an update on the Education Tree Project during Earth Day/Bay Day celebrations, April 17th, from 10-5 at Cole Park. Volunteers are needed beginning at 9:30 am. The poster designed by Jinsun Kim was shown. The event information will be placed on the face book. Additional trees were requested and materials(sandbags)to weight the trees against the wind are also needed. Stacie Talbert said she would get some Up 2 U trash bags for display and use at the event. Becky Perrin will research the status of the City's Recycling Program since the budget cuts were made. Special Projects—There was no report. Greens Committee—Ron Woods said Rudy Garza attended the Greens Committee meeting on March 2"". Dr Cam Caldwell, Assistant Professor of Management at TX A&M CC is conducting a study on the golf industry in Corpus Christi. This study is being conducted in conjunction with a Golf Request For Proposal (RFP) evaluating the validity of privatizing the courses. City Council is looking for ways to off set the recent budget cuts. Stacie Talbert stated privatizing could be good because the private sector can operate in different ways than under City's rules and restrictions. The bad side is in a private venture citizens have less input. Watershore& Beach Advisory Committee—There was no report. Stacie Talbert noted the Spring Break Beach preparations are in their final stages. The business Spring Break time for Corpus Christi is anticipated this weekend, next week and the following weekend. Interim Director Stacie Talbert spoke on the following topics: 1. TRAPS Reframing of Parks& Recreation, Institute Update, Awards and Recognitions Staff competing in the State Rodeo represented Corpus Christi good. They were not winners at recognition level, but were strong competitors in an unfamiliar environment. Next year the Texas Recreation and Parks Society(TRAPS) Institute will be in McAllen from March 2n"through 4th, 2011. Ms. Talbert suggested the committee consider attending the sessions designed for citizens and community groups. TRAPS is leading an effort to reframe Parks& Recreation Departments. Master Plan reviews need to show the value of recreational activities directly relating to the communities health, education and economic development. 2. Workshop Opportunity With the TRAPS reframing information in mind, Ms. Talbert offered; a workshop including a reframing exercise and discussion of new ideas regarding the department's budget strategy. If ready the presentation for council could also be practiced. The committee decided to hold the workshop on Saturday, April 31°, from 9:00 to noon, in the Council Chambers. Stacie Talbert will complete the arrangements. 3. Superintendent Positions Report Stacie Talbert asked the members if they knew the superintendent's they needed to work with. Some members did and others did not. Ms. Talbert said she would take pictures of superintendents and provide their areas of responsibilities to send on an information request form. 4. Tree Ordinance Update Ms. Talbert had a meeting with the Texas Forest Service at noon on Friday, March 12th in her office. Information will be provided thereafter. 5. Sub-Committee Responsibilities Review It was suggested this review be held at a time when the Chair was present. Stacie Talbert stated possible consideration of combining Planning Development with Special Projects because they often overlap. The committee will evaluate this idea in the future when all sub-committee roles and goals are reviewed. VII. Identify items to be placed on next agenda > Sylvia Samaniego made a motion to select the new member applicants to speak to the committee at the April 14m meeting during the Workshop on April 3f°. Art Norman seconded. Motion passed. > Conclude Adopt A Park selection for PRAC >Volunteer Program, Safety Instruction by Richard Thompson > Pursue information about Bay Trail and it's affect on cyclists/those with special needs > Review of Subcommittee Goals VIII. Adjournment As there was no further business Sylvia Samaniego made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Rita Padron seconded. Meeting was adjourned at 6:50 pm. /Lt.; 1 L( ; C. l/ -,-- Stacie Talbert, Interim Director Parks & Recreation Department