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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Parks And Recreation Advisory Committee - 03/10/2021 - WorkshopPARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Workshop Meeting * Wednesday, March 10, 2021 5:30 p.m. Webex MINUTES I. Call to Order by Chairperson Alissa Mejia at 5:32 p.m. II. Roll Call of Members • Present: Alissa Mejia, Twila Stevens, Florence East, Casandra Lorentson, Howard Schauer, Hannah Husby, Jacob Dryden, Diego Solis • Absent: Lawrence Heatley, Mandy Cox, Amy McCoy • Quorum was met. III. Public Comment • None IV. Adoption of Minutes • Regular Meeting – Adoption of Minutes from January 13, 2021: Minutes from January 13, 2021 were passed unanimously. V. Police Department Report • Police Department Report – Captain Weldon Weber: None VI. Old Business and Possible Action • None VII. New Business for Discussion and Possible Action • Upcoming Agenda Items – None • Mowing / Park Maintenance / Parks Master Plan Projects – Kevin Johnson: Information provided during Assistant Director report. VIII. Committee, Liaison/Staff Reports • Island Strategic Action Committee (ISAC) – Liaison Twila Stevens: None • Watershore & Beach Advisory Committee – Liaison Howard Schauer: Update provided during last meeting regarding five projects under the Bond currently in progress. Concerns were stated regarding the restrooms at North Beach. Howard would like to have information to provide WBAC to placate their concerns. • Flour Bluff Advisory Committee – Liaison Florence East: Updates and renderings were provided in last meeting. Next community meeting will be held on March 24th and plan may be completed upon that meeting. The public is being asked to attend the March 24th meeting. IX. Director / Assistant Director Reports • Interim Director – Sarah Munoz: Introduced as new Interim Director of Parks and Recreation. Encouraged PRAC members to continue reaching out to Liaison Jacob Warren with any questions, comments, or feedback to maintain open communication between PARD and PRAC. Currently working on adjusting meeting agenda format to provide more details regarding items being discussed during PRAC meetings. Palm trees in medians along Ocean Drive and Shoreline are currently being assessed by the PARD certified arborist for potential replacement. Very few palm trees need to be replaced. Any trees being removed will have their holes filled with mulch until a contractor is hired to plant new palms. • Interim Assistant Director – Lisa Oliver: Provided Master Plan update. Now that the public engagement plan phase is complete, the next phase is dissemination of the statistically valid survey which will be mailed to the community. After the survey phase, the next phase will be utilization of virtual meeting rooms in April. Also showed improvements to PARD Facebook webpage. Showcased various programs being advertised on Facebook including Vacation Station, Virtual Zumba, Curbside Services, and Athletics Leagues. Also advertised Facebook webpages for the Aquatics division and for Corpus Christi beaches. Also presented information on vaccine efforts in collaboration with the Fire department for vaccinating seniors involved with the Home Delivered Meal Program. All seniors that participated have received both first and second doses of the provided vaccine. The Senior Hotline will also be open soon for homebound seniors to schedule a vaccine at home. • Assistant Director – Kevin Johnson: Presented the project kickoff for Cole Park Pier that occurred on February 20th with an expected completion date of September 2021. Renderings and drawings have been posted on the PARD webpage. Also presented the mowing update. Currently in progress of mowing 24 parks in rotations; some being 7-day rotations and others being 14-day rotations. Request made for lists of which parks have 7-day or 14-day mowing rotations. Kevin was able to provide the requested lists. Also presented completion of Dimit Pier project. A fence was erected around the shoreline for customer protection and the pier is open for use. Question raised whether resolution was found for erosion issues. Confirmed that the resolution for erosion issues is currently in progress. Also presented updates for Spring Break Beach Operations. Beach Operations maintenance occurs daily from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Rescue Operations occurs daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 p.m., and Permit Sales occurs daily through sales on the beach and various vendors from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Provided additional information via PowerPoint presentation. Question raised whether firefighters are dispatched from the Island when there is a drowning event or if we rely solely on lifeguards. Firefighters are dispatched and there are stations right next to the beach for such situations. X. PRAC Member Questions/Discussion • Request made for PARD to provide information regarding the SSN 705 Memorial. Item had been presented to PRAC about one year ago and is currently being researched. Request for educational topic to be created on PRAC agendas. • Question raised regarding who provides updates on the flag warnings for Corpus Christi beaches every day. Updates are performed by beach staff. • Question raised regarding what time they arrive at beach locations due to sporadic nature of update times. Flags are set at 6:00 AM every morning and updates are provided depending on wind speeds, temperature changes, etc. Flag update information is also displayed on both the Corpus Christi Facebook webpage and Parks & Recreation Facebook webpage. • Question raised regarding the status of new trees installed throughout various parks after the impact of the winter storm. The newly installed trees were also being inspected by the PARD certified arborist. All trees survived and will continue to flourish. • Was thought that the winter storm destroyed invasive Brazilian peppertrees. Question raised on whether it is possible to capitalize on the effects of the winter storm to remove the dead tree foliage before it rejuvenates. However, the Brazilian peppertrees are still alive. The arborist is currently looking at how to cut them down and remove them. • Question raised regarding whether the tree near Oleander Point was cut down due to the recent winter storm. The tree was removed due to blocking a storm drain and will be relocated. • Question raised whether parking lot at Dimit Park is complete yet. It is not complete yet and is currently being designed. Renderings will be provided to PRAC when they are available. • Question raised regarding when meeting in person will be possible. Social distancing requirements include usage of rooms large enough to appropriately accommodate a large group. Unfortunately, the only room large enough to accommodate PRAC at this time would be Council Chambers and there are scheduling conflicts that prevent PRAC from being able to utilize that room. Until further notice, no in person meetings shall occur. • Concerns raised regarding progress on the Community Enrichment report. Research is being conducted and results will be provided to PRAC as soon as they are available. • Question raised regarding educational topics for future meetings. Showers on Zahn Road were a suggested topic. • Suggested discussion regarding the efforts to find grants to fund conversion of the rail trestle that crosses over from Oso Reserve to Flour Bluff into a hike & bike and fishing trail. Could potentially have the group leading the efforts to find grant funding appear in a future PRAC meeting and discuss the project. XI. Identify items to be placed on next agenda – April 14, 2021 • None XII. Adjournment at 6:33 p.m.