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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Parks And Recreation Advisory Committee - 06/09/2010 PRPC accial,aviik 4ic)-1, Flo PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE • Regular Meeting RE EIVED June 9, 2010, 5:00 p.m. Sixth Floor Conference Room, City Hall 1201 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401 JUL Q 3 200 Members Present Members Absent Staff Present Cf1YSECRETARI"S 0FflCE Rene Gutierrez Stacie Talbert Carlos Haney K Chute Jinsun Kim 'Angel Escobar Art Norman Margie Rose Rita Padron Lisa Aguilar Dorian Ramirez Richard Thompson Carrie Robertson Todd Jensen Sylvia Samaniego Huxley Smith Lisa Torres Ron Woods Call to Order Chair, Rene Gutierrez called the meeting to order at 5:06 pm. IL Roll Call of Members The recording secretary called roll and announced a quorum was present. III. Adoption of Minutes Regular meeting of May 12, 2010 Lisa Torres made a motion to accept the minutes as submitted. Sylvia Samaniego seconded. Motion passed. IV. Public Comment- none V., B. Old Business for Discussion and Possible Action 2. Clarification of PRAC intent regarding approval to name State School Park Property for Manuel Q. Salinas (Carlos Haney arrived at 5:08 pm) City Manager, 'Angel Escobar addressed the committee members by; reviewing details of the process used, providing a map illustrating the property boundaries, and a map showing proposed improvements to the property per the Master Plan and 2008 Bond Funding,and providing an explanation of previous expenditures used for existing improvements. The City Manager told the group he was seeking clarification for the portion of the State School Park Property they intended to be named Manuel Q. Salinas Park with their approval vote during the April 14,2010 meeting. Mr. Escobar reviewed the naming process and pertinent associated actions, as follows. >During the regular PRAC meeting of April 14, 2010, staff suggested tabling the item to review and modify the procedure for naming(or renaming)large park areas. >PRAC unanimously approved the motion to name the properly Manuel Q. Salinas Park. >While preparing the caption for the Salinas Park City Council agenda item, the City Attorney brought to the department's attention an official survey of the property which indicated the park acreage was 91.70 acres rather than the 105.493 acres used in the public notification process. The City Attorney suggested the department update the council agenda item to reflect the surveyed acreage. >The Parks and Recreation Department(PARD) prepared the Salinas Park agenda item for the May 18, 2010 City Council meeting. Upon review, the City Manager elected to pull the item from the agenda because an outdated Park Naming/Renaming Ordinance was included. The item was postponed to the May 25, 2010 agenda. SCANNED PRAC,June 9,2010 Page 2 >At that time the City Manager requested the department update the agenda information to include; the current Park Naming/Renaming Ordinance (approved by City Council in December 2009), maps of the property , and detailed reports regarding the process that was followed before the April 14,2010 PRAC meeting. >After reviewing the information provided and receiving concerns from City Council members, the City Manager elected to pull the agenda item from the May 25, 2010 agenda and began studying the process in greater detail — questioning staff and PRAC members about their perception of the process and the intention of their vote. >lt was noted that during the process a map was not presented to the committee explaining the exact boundaries of the property, nor did a discussion occur to distinguish the developed portion of the property from the undeveloped property. During discussions the committee members did not express confusion or seek clarification. >From speaking with individual PRAC members during his review, the City Manager noted some members were under the impression the portion of the State School Park Property being considered for naming consisted only of approximately 51 acres on the front, undeveloped portion of the property, not the entire 91.70 acres of the property. Further review noted the renaming request form completed by Fernando Salinas noted the corner of Airport and Horne Roads. >Mr. Escobar noted additional research through the Legal Department indicated the property is owned by the Corpus Christi Industrial Development Corporation (CCIDC). Per explanation, when the property was initially transferred from the State, it was deeded to the CCIDC in order to create opportunities to leverage the value of the property for future development grant opportunities. >The City Manager requested staff place the item on the June 9, 2010, PRAC regular meeting agenda to clarify the boundary intent of the members when approving the motion on April 14, 2010 to name The State School Park Property as Manuel Q. Salinas Park. >Mr. Escobar also noted his knowledge of the PRAC May 12, 2010 meeting yielding the creation of a task group to present modification options at a future meeting, and the suspension of naming or renaming requests for parks larger than neighborhood size until the process could be reviewed and modified to address the larger park areas. >The City Manager stated he heard three main naming considerations when speaking to the members; the soccer field area of about 14 acres, the undeveloped area off Airport and Home Roads of about 51 acres, and the complete property of about 91 acres. >Per the agenda, the City Manager and Legal Staff Representative, Lisa Aguilar offered the following committee action options; table the item for more information, or clarify their intent. Resending the previous PRAC vote was not an option for this agenda. >Clarification was given regarding the property ownership by the Corpus Christi Industrial Development Commission (CCIDC) and its interaction with the City. When the State gave the land to the City it was deeded to the CCIDC so the City could use its value toward any required grant funding match. The City Manager further clarified if the land deed is changed to the City, the value could not be used in future grant applications. However, if the property is leased by the City from CCIDC, negotiations could include provisions for maintenance, naming rights, improvement responsibilities, etc. He noted leases are usually for the length of the bond debt or 20 years. The City Manager informed the committee that their naming efforts would be considered in the upcoming process regarding that property ownership. >The committee heard remarks from Roland Garza, Danny and Jesse Noyola. Roland Garza's comments contained a suggestion to name the entire park property for the children who have played there as well as for those who will play there; perhaps the Children's Miracle Park. The Noyola's reiterated their support for naming the park area for Manuel Q. Salinas by requesting the committee clarify their intent verses rescinding their decision and starting the process again. After much exchange of information, and discussion each member was polled to give their interpretation used for the April 14th vote. Two interpretations were voiced by the members; the soccer field area of about 14 acres, and the undeveloped area consisting of about 51 acres. Each member was again polled to calculate the support for each of the two interpretations of their intention. The approximate 51 acre area received the most support. The formal motion was then made by Huxley Smith and seconded by Lisa Torres to clarify the intent of the motion approved on April 14, 2010 was to name the undeveloped portion of the State School Park Property, approximately 51 acres, located at 1354 Airport Road, the Manuel Q. Salinas Park. The motion passed with a vote of 8 supporting, 2 against, and 1 abstaining. • PRAC,June 9,2010 Page 3 The City Manager expressed appreciation for the committee's time and effort. He confirmed that he will now be able to tell Council their intent. Chair, Rene Gutierrez suggested a brief, 10 minute break. (Carrie Robertson left during the break, approximately 6:55 pm) The meeting re-convened at 7:00 pm. V., A. Presentation Tourist District Division Update 3. Division Update from Sports Management Superintendent, Richard Thompson provided an overview of the current work and responsibilities of Tourist District Staff. Their area of responsibility extends through Oso Bay, Nueces Bay, Bayfront Parks, Old Bayview Cemetery, and Heritage Park areas to the City Hall property. There is a two person crew (one employee and one temporary employee) that clean the restrooms. Seasonal staff and temporary part time employees expand the crew to about thirty to assist City Staff with all duties. Illustrations of work from the 2004 and 2008 Bond Funding include the Bayfront Development water feature and landscaping, and Heritage Park improvements of three new roofs on homes, multiple ADA compliant areas, replacement of old and damaged wood, replacement of the irrigation system, modification to the central plaza for better use during large festivals. Future projects for the Tourist District Staff include improvements at Cole Park to the Amphitheater, parking areas, and the fifty-five year old irrigation system. Corpus Christi Beachwalk is also scheduled to get new entry signs and a bath house in the area of the USS Lexington. An additional service to strengthen Bayfront security is being provided by Todd Jensen, the department's Code Enforcement Officer. Mr. Jensen provides one man in one truck, rotating shifts for at least forty hours weekly to monitor North Corpus Christi Beach, the Marina, Palmetto, Blucher, Artesian, South Bluff and Cole Parks, and assisting with special events by providing visual security and the ability to facilitate faster Police response if needed. Mr. Jensen can only issue citations on Municipal Code violations and must follow-up by appearing in court during the ticket review. The committee expressed their appreciation to Mr. Thompson and Mr. Jensen for their information. B. Old Business In consideration of the meeting length, Chair, Rene Gutierrez, tabled the following items. 1. For Discussion Review Bold Future Projects and Tasks 2. For Discussion and Possible Action b. Announce Combining the Planning & Development Sub-Committee with the Special Project Sub-Committee C. New Business for Discussion In consideration of the meeting length, Chair, Rene Gutierrez, tabled the following items. 1. Expanded Name/Rename Process to Address Large Park Areas 2. Review Committee Member Terms and Officer Election Process VI. Committee, Liaison/Staff Reports In consideration of the meeting length, Chair, Rene Gutierrez, tabled the following reports. Finance/Marketing Planning Development Special Projects Volunteer Program Program Development PRAC,May 12,2010 Page 3 Greens Committee Watershore & Beach Advisory Committee TAC/Bicycle and Pedestrian Sub-Committee Special Project Task Group Interim Director Stade Talbert spoke on the following topics: 1. The Reframing Workshop will be rescheduled with new director, Michael Morris 2. Budget Update > Staff turned in the proposed budget. > Four day work week, 10 hours daily was discussed only as a pilot program beginning in August or September for employees in the City Hall Building. The newspaper did not report this correctly. > Current budget cut took $240,000 from park maintenance vacancies and fuel savings. > Current budget returned $300,000 for maintenance of the Bayfront Park. > $241,000 is anticipated revenue from the HEB Pool after destination renovations include a slide, splash pad, zero depth entry, and $4 use fee. Stacie Talbert will provide the proposed aquatics fee structure to the members. > Athletic fees for adults should pay for themselves, so fees will increase over the next 3-5 years. Some fees also increased on high demand athletic Youth Programs. > Staff is working to restructure Recreation Centers staff and hours of operation, similarly to program modifications made during the mid-year budget cuts. > Rental fees were increased for Heritage Park use. > Members expressed their desire to have pool hours and summer programs reinstated. > Ms. Talbert thanked the members for their support of the services and activities provided by the department. > The Golf RFP received six proposals. They are being evaluated. 3. Q&A Responses There were no questions or comments. VII. Identify items to be placed on next agenda > All items tabled at this meeting > Bold Future copies distributed by Rita Padron > Tree City USA VIII. Adjournment As members noted no further business, Sylvia Samaniego made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Lisa Torres seconded. Meeting was adjourned at 7:39 pm. A-i . Ant"- Stacie A. Talbert, Interim Director Parks & Recreation Department