Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee - 09/14/20221201 Leopard Street Corpus Christi, Texas forward.cctexas.com City of Corpus Christi Meeting Minutes Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee 5:30 PM City Hall, 3rd Floor Engineering Smartboard RoomWednesday, September 14, 2022 Regular Meeting Call To OrderA. Chairperson Alissa Mejia called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Roll CallB. Chairperson Alissa Mejia performed roll call and a quorum was established with no absences. Public Comment: No public comment.C. Introduction of New Committee Appointments: Duke Canchola & Kellie Summers D. Approval of Minutes and Action on AbsencesE. 1.22-1549 Regular Meeting Minutes of August 10, 2022 A motion was made by Howard Schauer to approve the minutes listed above as presented and it was seconded by Vice-Chairperson Twila Stevens. The motion passed unanimously. Police Report: No report provided.F. Director ReportG. Robert Dodd, Director of Parks/Rec Department, briefly gave an update on budget related items such as the approval of an ordinance amending the Marina fee schedule which will take effect October 1, 2022. Marina fees had not been adjusted since 2017. The Budget Office is currently finalizing the FY23 Proposed Budget to include revisions made at the City Council Budget Workshop meetings. The $100k funding for North Beach Merchant & Vendor Pilot program was removed; the budget for a dog park in Flour Bluff was reduced from $500k to $375k. Funding was added for North Beach Drainage ($200k), Salinas Park Lighting ($100k) and St. Andrews Park Tennis Court ($25k) which were not originally included in the proposed budget. Page 1City of Corpus Christi Printed on 12/6/2022 September 14, 2022Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Mr. Dodd updated the Committee on the park mowing schedule (Park Staff versus Contract) which runs on a 7 or 14 day schedule dependant on prioritizing the most used parks. Park Operations is working extended hours to complete this task, including weekends. Mr. Dodd also updated the Committee on upcoming City Council items to be presented at the September 20, 2022 meeting. A motion will be presented authorizing the purchase of a replacement playground unit with attached shade structure for Bill Witt Park. It was noted that the Master Plan for this park will include a mitigation plan for mosquitoes. Regarding Sherrill Park, Mr. Dodd stated the monument design is ongoing with Gignac Architects. The Executive Leadership team has tasked the Department to work on a Master Plan for the Park/Old City Hall Park which will include the placement of the Lone Sailor Statue, A Naval Submarine Sail, and a Huey UH-1, Vietnam Era helicopter. Mr. Schauer felt the Master Plan/monuments should be executed simultaneously and believes that progress on the monuments has not advanced much. Staff stated the project is advancing; renderings of the monument are virtually complete and can be provided to the Committee after the meeting. Mr. Schauer inquired to know which specific Veteran groups Staff is working with for support. Staff committed to provide that information to the Committee after the meeting Electrical concerns regarding the “band stand” were also brought up (haphazard electrical cords/insufficient outlets). During park events, participants are having to stretch cords to accommodate sound which in turn causes electrical outages. Mr. Schauer mentioned that with the last renovation of the Park, which took place approximately two years ago, these issues were supposed to be addressed. Mr. Dodd stated they will further investigate these issues so it can be addressed during the Master Plan process. Further discussion took place regarding Master Plans and the Committee suggested that a list of ongoing Master Plans be provided to them. From that list, the Committee felt it would be valuable to appoint a Committee member to serve as an advisor to a specific Master Plan and attend planning discussions with Staff/Consultants; Staff supported this initiation. At this time, Michael Rodriguez, Chief of Staff - City of Corpus Christi, gave an update on the Cole Park Mural Plaque, “Better Together”. The Committee asked that City Council provide guidance to the City Manager on a solution to approve the plaque. He has been working with Thomas Cronnon to come to an agreement in resolving this matter. Mr. Cronnon felt the City needs to address the lack of documented, standard practices for park signage. Mr. Rodriguez concurred and stated Staff has been assigned to establish guidelines for these types of projects; guidelines will be published for reference once finalized. For this project, Mr. Cronnon clarified that a Memorandum of Understanding did exist but the original design did not include the plaque. Therefore, approval of the plaque was at the City Manager's discretion instead of City Council. Discussion also took place regarding the budget reduction for the dog park in Flour Bluff (reduced from $500k to $375k). Mr. Rodriguez mentioned the plan is to first release a Page 2City of Corpus Christi Printed on 12/6/2022 September 14, 2022Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Request for Proposal (RFP). Once Staff receives responses from the RFP, it will be determined whether or not the project can be completed with the proposed $375k. If it cannot, the scope of work will not be reduced or the project will not move forward. Tyler Florence, Assistant Director of Parks/Rec, gave an update on the Adopt-A-Park program. He stated a few applications have been submitted for processing. He informed the Committee that Lisa Oliver, Community Relations & Engagement Superintendent, will oversee this program. To revitalize this program, long-term projects are planned to improve community involvement such as creating an accessible list of parks/open spaces eligible for adoption. He also mentioned a possible code amendment regarding extending the adoption period from one year to two years. 22-15682.Presentation Regarding Corpus Christi Bayfront Parks: Update & Forward Planning Deidre D. Williams, Coastal Technical Advisor to Parks & Recreation Department, presented item "2" for the record as shown above. She is also a Coastal Research Scientist. She stated she has been working closely with Mr. Johnson on this endeavor to provide forward planning for stabilization of bayfront parks to maintain park footprint. She explained that with the 2020 storm season, there was much damage to the bayfront, from Texas A&M University to the downtown district. She began the presentation by giving an overview of the bayfront parks of Corpus Christi which include parks with a seawall, pocket beach parks, parks with severe erosion/limited access/threatened infrastructure and parks with a dangerous bay access. Ms. Williams presented photographs of Ropes Park and Poenisch Park. For Ropes Park, she pointed out ravines in the bluff caused by waves and erosion of the park itself, which has caused shoreline recession. She emphasized the park foot print is at risk with only 10-feet remaining between the upper bluff and park infrastructure (picnic tables). Ropes Park experienced 5 -10 feet of erosion during the 2020 storm season. With just a few more significant storms, the remaining 10-feet of bluff can begin to erode into park infrastructure. Ms. Williams stated Poenisch Park is at a more critical stage due to existing erosion that is reaching park infrastructure (hike/bike trail and light poles). Next she gave a timeline of the progress and planning to date: - Spring 2021 - Initial Project Discussion & Idea Formulation Corpus Christi Parks, Conrad Blucher Institute - 2021/2022 - Long-term CIP Funding Initiated Process: Parks and Recreation - Spring 2022 - Introduced Project Concept to Texas General Land Office (GLO) Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan (CRMP) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) - May 2022 - Invited to Exploratory Project Meeting: GLO, Resource Agency & CRMP - June 2022 - Tour of Parks City Engineering Staff, Coastal Engineer & Coastal Technical Advisor - June 2022 - General Cost Estimate developed for each beach: Coastal Engineers Page 3City of Corpus Christi Printed on 12/6/2022 September 14, 2022Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - June 2022 - Accepted as CRMP Candidate Included in CRMP documentation for further discussion. - July 2022: Reviewed by CRMP Technical Advisory Board Outcome: 1. Publicity & Discussion (on the radar) 2. Potential to be designated as a Tier 1 Project (under review) 3. Identified Potential Concerns/Issues & Resolutions. 4. Process will increase potential for funding options. - September 2022 - Progress Report & Discussion Watershore Beach Advisory Committee (WBAC) City of Corpus Christi Parks/Rec Department & Conrad Blucher Institute Ms. Williams gave information on the TGLO Coastal Resiliency Program Submission and projected cost estimates for the project. The name of the project submittal is "Hybrid Living Shoreline Stabilization Along Corpus Christi Bay". For South Cole Park, Ropes Park and Poenisch Park (pocket beach parks), the estimated range in cost per park is $2 million to $6.25 million. For parks with hard structures such as Doddridge Park, the estimated cost is $9.45 million. She then went over what the cost estimate includes for the design, construction, permitting and data collection. For Parks/Rec Department, the total allocated for bayfront parks through the CIP, FY 2023 is $8 million (long-range). With this in mind, the next step is to identify additional funding methods such as grants, etc. to compliment and supplement CIP funds. Grant applications for supplemental funding include the Coastal Management Program and the Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act. Once funding is in place, Ms. Williams went over the next steps for project development and implementation (phased approach): 1. Conduct a Site Investigation - Elevation & coastal boundary surveys; - Assessment of storm damage; - Assessment of infrastructure (Stakeholder partnership at this stage). 2. Alternatives Analysis - Define three alternatives for each location. - Cost Range, degree of protection, environmental advantages & possible amenities. - Promote beach stability & maintain direct, public beach access to the beach/bay: Alternatives for South Cole Park, Ropes Park & Poenisch Park will not include seawalls or revetments. 3. Develop Engineered Plans & Obtain Necessary Permits 4. Construct a Pilot Project at one or more parks that provide public beach/bay access. 5. Prioritize & construct stabilization at remaining park locations - Based in part on success of Pilot Project. 6. Initiate monitoring upon project completion. - Assess project performance & effectiveness; - Identify ways to improve alternatives; - Make modifications as needed to increase design effectiveness; - Implement at successive project locations. Page 4City of Corpus Christi Printed on 12/6/2022 September 14, 2022Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes The presentation concluded and the floor was opened for Committee comments/questions. Discussion took place regarding the potential for State funding by reaching out to representatives such as Todd Hunter. Mr. Dodd stated he would also reach out to Tammy Embrey, Director of Intergovernmental Relations - City of Corpus Christi. Christopher Ardrueser questioned the worth of investment in these Parks and the success rates of these initiatives. Mr. Schauer felt the cost estimate was too low. To support the City in developing a comprehensive shoreline protection and erosion response plan, Thomas Cronnon made a motion for PRAC to collaborate with other park-related boards/committees such as ISAC, WBAC and the Marina Advisory Committee. The motion was seconded by Hannah Husby and it passed unanimously. Unfinished Business for Discussion and Possible ActionH. Regarding the Strategic Action Plan Project, Chair Mejia stated she ran into complications creating the survey. After discussions with other project volunteers, the draft of the survey has been revised. The survey will be distributed this month for Committee feedback. Regarding Stony Brook Park, Chair Mejia mentioned she and Staff received a "Thank You" note from the neighborhood for the new playground unit. Parks & Rec plans to also install a gazebo in the future. Regarding an update on community interest in Flour Bluff for a pocket park at Laguna Shores, Mr. Johnson stated it is still being researched/considered. Regarding the frequently used path at St. Andrews Park, it was clarified the path is deteriorating (cracks, gravel wearing away, overgrown, etc.). Staff committed to visit the park to investigate the condition of the path. Regarding sanitation at the Bayfront Fountain, Staff stated the fountain was closed for three days for cleaning/maintenance. A new chlorinator was installed to ensure adequate function. Chair Mejia inquired if records are kept for inspections. Staff stated the PH/chlorine levels are currently being tested everyday. Record of inspections can be provided once the Maximo software begins tracking that information. If testing levels are not adequate, Staff confirmed closure of the Fountain and the site will be barricaded. New Business for Discussion and Possible ActionI. Nominations & Action Regarding Chair/Vice Chair Elections: Flo East nominated Linda Lindsey for Chair and she declined the nomination. Thomas Cronnon nominated Alissa Mejia to continue as Chair and she accepted the nomination. Alissa Mejia nominated Twila Stevens to continue as Vice Chair and she accepted the nomination. With no other nominations presented, the elections were approved by acclimation. Page 5City of Corpus Christi Printed on 12/6/2022 September 14, 2022Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Committee Liaison ReportsJ. Rally 4 Neighborhood Parks (R4NP): Linda Lindsey reminded the Committee about "challenge assignments" and stated she will send the list of parks to new members Duke and Kellie. The assignments include: 1) Visit/drive by assigned parks before the next PRAC meeting; take notes with any concerns or kudos. 2) Take note of any potential adoption options in the area (school, church, group, etc.). To encourage mass participation of adoption across the City, Ms. Lindsey also mentioned the preliminary goal to install signage at parks to include a "QR" scanning code providing more information; a specific point of contact. Island Strategic Action Committee (ISAC): Twila Stevens gave an update on the County's request for ISAC to provide a Resolution to move the boundary of the "No Wake Zone" in the Packery Channel. As boats come off speed entering the current no wake zone, a high energy wave is created, and that has caused extreme erosion to the shoreline in the area. It's current location is at the Packery Channel Nature Park, and the request was to move the boundary westward. The Resolution passed unanimously by ISAC. She also mentioned ISAC's frustration regarding updates for the Riley P. Dog Park. Discussion took place regarding mowing, water rates, agreements/funds for obtaining water utilities. Kevin Johnson committed to finding more information about the status of the water agreement. Watershore and Beach Advisory Committee (WBAC): Howard Schauer indicated that there no new updates other than continued concern for erosion. Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity (PBC): For additional paths of collaboration, Chair Mejia mentioned she has been in communication with Jeff Pollack, Chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee, for his extensive knowledge regarding Bicycle & Pedestrian Connectivity. Future Agenda Items for October 12, 2022K. Thomas Cronnon mentioned inviting the new Sports Commissioner with Visit Corpus Christi to speak at a PRAC meeting to express the lack of places/inventory for out-of-town events such as Pickle Ball. It is an opportunity to brainstorm an inventory "wish list" for future Bond Projects/Capital Improvements. Howard Schauer requested a list of all memorials throughout the City and who is responsible for the operation/maintenance of the memorials (Foundations, etc.). AdjournmentL. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:07 p.m. Page 6City of Corpus Christi Printed on 12/6/2022