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2022-02-10 PEARLAND PARKS, RECREATION AND BEAUTIFICATION BOARD REGULAR MEETING MINUTESMINUTES — REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND PARKS, RECREATION & BEAUTIFICATION BOARD HELD ON THURSDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2022 AT 8:30 A.M , AT PEARLAND RECREATION CENTER & NATATORIUM. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Dennis Jackson called the meeting to order at 8:34am. II. BOARD ROLL CALL Jeff Webb Dennis Allen Nancy Bankson Heather Baker Zachary Boyer Heather Campo Dennis Jackson Richard Vaughn Carry Capers Kevin Carter Samira Areshia Mychal Mitchell Dean Simpson Mary Kate Ward August Vandiver Katie Boughal Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Chairman Forever Parks Foundation Parks & Recreation, Director P arks & Recreation, Assistant Director P arks & Recreation, Executive Assistant P arks & Recreation, Special Events Coordinator P arks & Recreation, Special Events Specialist P arks & Recreation, Youth Development Coordinator Parks & Recreation, Outdoor Recreation Programmer P arks & Recreation, Parks Naturalist III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes were presented to the board for review. A motion was made by Zachary Boyer to approve the January minutes. Nancy Bankson seconded the motion. The motion was approved. IV. BOARD REPORT Chairman Jackson recalled that he previously mentioned his desire to focus board meetings on particular areas of the Parks Department to provide better feedback to department. For this board report, he asked each Board Member to provide their board report and speak on what brought them to the Parks Department and Parks Board. He commented that this would provide Capers and department staff with a better sense of the board's interest and help board focus future meetings on these interests. Dennis Jackson — as unable to attend last month s meeting and didn't get to experience the parks as he wanted to. He stated that his strong interest in Shadow Creek Sports Complex is what brought him to the Parks Department and Parks Board and as he watched the development, he became interested in other types of sports fields in Pearland He hopes to provide ideas to improve and bring more activities to those areas. He also enjoys the trails and hearing about the expansion plans and safety features. Heather Baker — Due to a busy schedule, she was unable to get out much this month except for the City Council Meeting. She didn't have any updates. She stated that what drew her to the Parks Board/Department were the events and that, with her background in marketing and event planning, she was very impressed by how well they were done and the volume of the events. She also appreciated the City's conservation efforts. Zachary Boyer — Stated that he went out to lots of parks recently with his dogs, neighbors, friends and their children. He thought December was fantastic, looked good and received lots of good feedback. He was impressed with how the plants were being kept up and the parks continuing to look great despite ongoing freezes. He stated that what drove him to the Parks Board was his desire to be involved with the City and to help make a change. He believes that change is being made with the help of the board members and city staff. Heather Campo — Similar to others, she was busy with year-end things so she wasn't able to get out to the parks but is hopefully she will over the next month. She stated that she didn't come to the Parks Board/Department for any specific reason — she just wanted to be involved as she has lived here all her life. She mentioned that she did most of her volunteer work outside of Pearland so she wanted to do something here Nancy Bankson — Mentioned that her background was in healthcare where she became an expert in quality control and compliance, and she thought that those were skills that she could contribute to the parks department. She also mentioned her passion for conservation, wildlife and natural/native things and their important to the environment. She is aware of the City working towards more wild spaces and native planting. Dennis Allen — Mentioned that he is new to Pearland and is ex -military. In the past, he was driving almost an hour to Pearland Parks because he loved the quality, atmosphere, people, what he saw, and wanted to be a part of it. He was told about an opportunity on the Board and took it. He mentioned his expertise in quality control, customer service, and security. He gave an example of a fight that broke out where a handgun was brandished at one of the parks and explained that despite how luxurious a park is, there will always be security issues. He complimented and is happy to be a part of the City and team. Jeff Webb — Mentioned he joined Pearland Disc Group and sits on Forever Parks Foundation and they began a fundraiser to upgrade 10 disc catching baskets at Centennial Park. He mentioned his passion around events and programming. He first became involved with Parks Department as a volunteer where he helped with parking, surveys, and concerts. He believes events are one of the most effective ways to create a sense of community for citizens and believes the Department does a phenomenal job at it. Richard Vaughn — Mentioned he is on the Forever Parks Foundation and their largest involvement this year was raising money for the inclusive playground. He shared he rode around Shadow Creek Park and thought the new addition was very beautiful and everything looked finished. He praised how the cricket and miracle field looked. He commented on how people are going to use these parks for years to come. He felt proud of what Pearland is doing and looks forward to the completion of inclusive playground. He appreciated the Parks Department's work and stated they have a great group. Chairman Jackson thanked everyone for their input and expressed interest in centering meetings on different topics to help with discussions and making improvements. V. DISCUSSION & POSSIBLE ACTION - FY 23 STAFFING OUTLOOK/WHITE PAPER Capers presented FY23 Staffing Outlook/White Paper. Board received copy of the paper. Capers said White Paper piggybacks on CIP workshop presentation given to City Council which highlighted what the Parks and Recreation department does and new amenities built within the last 5 years. Operations and maintenance needs and positions are submitted for every capital project. Charts on White Paper provided summary of projects over the last 5 years along with corresponding number of positions requested. Capers noted 1 of the 9 positions was fulfilled and this only included ones requested in relation to capital projects and doesn't reflect any other growth in programming, events, or reflect the additional load put on administrative team. She referenced a chart that summarized staffing needs over Fiscal Year 23, 24, & 25 and talked about the top 5 positions needed for FY23 but noted that she plans to ask for more through the budget process. She mentioned only those positions identified in the white paper can be asked for through the budget process. Capers stated the top necessary position is an Administrative Assistant. For the over 54 Full Time Employees and total of about 150 employees, depending on time of the year, there is only a Business Administrator who is responsible for purchasing, budget and high-level business items and an Executive Assistant who provides administrative support to administrative team and spends most of the time working on payroll and invoices. Capers mentioned the department has not seen an addition in administrative support to reflect the growth over the past 15 years. Capers said second priority position is Natural Resources Maintenance Crew Leader. She emphasized that Parks Maintenance Workers try to clean up, but they can't keep up and the area around the DFNC, habitat islands coastal prairie restoration and additional future plans require different type of maintenance. She is also asking for 2 Part -Time Recreation Attendants. One dedicated to Adaptive Recreation for Miracle League and all programming at Shadow Creek Phase 2 Sports Complex's cricket and rugby fields. Staff are required to unlock gates turn on lights and be present during programs. Without this position, the full-time staff, like the Adaptive Recreation Specialist, would be put in the field and unable to work o n developing adaptive recreation programs whereas a part-time employee could perform those responsibilities. The second recreation attendant is for Special Events. The use of Independence Park is very different after renovation, and each event requires staff to u nlock gates at 4am, lock them at midnight, meet with event organizers, unlock dressing rooms, and ensure rules and policies are followed. Independence Park Special Events Coordinator works 50-60 hours a week and it's unsustainable. Due to all the events in December, she was putting in 80 hours a week. Capers emphasized this position is critical to meet events' needs to allow Coordinator to timely process event permits and be in professional associations to attract events from across the country and focus on revenue and event generating. Capers spoke of Senior Office Assistants who serve as customer service specialist at the Welcome Center. One is part-time and one is full-time - they are front facing and book rentals for fields, pavilions, and facilities and handle membership sales, membership retention functions and accounts receivable. There is an increased demand for facilities usage, so the part-time position needs to reflect the full-time capacity it has been functioning at for several years. Capers reflected on how accounts receivable has been put off and this results to being several hundreds of thousands behind on revenue collections from membership or programs and membership retention. By converting this to full-time, it allows focus on these things which will increase revenue. Capers revealed that White Paper mentions 2 Parks Maintenance Workers but there is a n eed for 6. Proposal will be submitted to contract out maintenance of neighborhood parks which would free up 4 Parks Maintenance Workers and they can be reallocated to help with specialized needs at athletic complexes and community parks. If the proposal happens, it will help close the deficit in parks maintenance needs. Baker asked when the contract will be worked out and if there would be enough time to adjust staffing request if contract doesn't happen? Capers informed her the proposal would be submitted next week but should have that solidified before supplemental requests due date of April. Jackson asked if actions would need to be taken on the White Paper to which Caper replied saying if the board would like to take action to official support this, then that would be appropriate. Webb motioned the Parks Board vote to fully support recommendations put forth in the future staffing white paper. Allen seconded the motion. Jackson complimented Webb's idea to fully support the white paper and suggested that they present before Council. He asked Capers if the white paper has been given to city management. Capers answered that it was submitted to City Manager's Office and there were changes to the budget schedule so she is unsure when it will be shared with City Council Capers mentioned City Council has goal planning and strategy workshop on 19th and early budget input workshop was moved to April so she is unsure if White Papers will be reviewed in the April meeting or at a different time. Capers assured them as the budget office shares new schedules she will let board know of times to advocate for department's needs. Baker pointed out that employee burnout factor struck a chord with Council Member Perez and that Capers alluded to these new positions alleviating burnout for other positions and asked for this to be brought up to remind them that this will help with employee burnout and retention. Capers thought it was a great suggestion and can be highlighted with each supplemental request. Webb asked if Capers could provide average turnover rate for department. Capers said she could get information by the next meeting She talked about part-time turnover rate being high but expected because they are seasonal, growing and going to college, but mentioned full-time staff in Parks division have a high turnover due to more opportunities for advancement and more levels in different positions at other departments like Public Works. Parks Department is working on creating levels for positions like Parks Worker 1, 2. Jackson mentioned that he would like to lookout for the budget schedule because he wants the board to put together a statement or come up individually before city council but not before the department has gotten a chance to present white paper. He talked about turnover rate, retention, and steps/levels for positions and asked if it would be presented in the budget. Capers mentioned they are working on it internally with HR and the consultants that did the compensation/classification study didn't get many results regarding that but ensured those conversations are happening to see what that would look like and the impact it would have on budget. The City has a position review committee for when a department wants to restructure or reorganize their charts or reclassify and all positions are sent to them. There is a list, but Capers mentioned it is part of a larger project and is working with HR to develop that type of program. Jackson asked if it will be contingent on also getting some of these other positions, for instance, if there were 2 additional parks workers, would that help develop the program and flush it out more? Capers mentioned the positions are critical for just operations and main priority is getting the number of positions needed then secondary would be focusing on retention and having those different levels and reclassification when the program rolls out. She mentioned to be eligible to move up, criteria such as certifications, licenses, education need to be met. Jackson talked about the motion that was taken and the board's support of the white paper but didn't know if any specific action needed to be taken by the board as of this meeting regarding the white paper, but in a few meetings, once there is a schedule of the budget process the board begin drafting something to support the white paper and then take official action on it. VI. DISCUSSION - YOUTH DEVELOPMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES SUMMER CAMP Ward talked about two camps that are offered starting with Camp KIA (Kids in Action) for ages 6-10. She talked about 3 main things every recreation department is known for aquatics/swim lessons, youth sports leagues and youth camps. What sets Pearland Parks & Rec camps apart is that everything done has a purpose. Interactions with kids focus on the kids itself and every camp has a culture. With Camp Kia they are always active and moving. The goal is to invest in the child. It is a general camp that doesn't specialize in a certain style or education piece. What sets this camp apart is being associated with Parks and Recs and not only having knowledge in kids but also having different divisions within this department come in for breakout sessions with kids such as adaptive recreation, Edu- Katie, aquatics kayaking, archery. To adapt with Covid, there are 60 kids in camp Kia and kept in groups of 20 and don't interact with each other's group. Ward talked about Camp Mahalo for ages 11 to 14. It is based on treating kids with respect and that they have more to offer than they are taught anywhere else. The culture has not changed because it is not about the kids, it is about those present in their group. She mentioned that they are still investing in the child with this camp. Jackson asked how frequent camps occur. Ward replied registration begins February 21st at 8am and Camp Mahalo has 20 kids and fills up within 15 minutes and registration is weekly and not for the entire summer, although there are kids who register for multiple weeks. For Camp Kia, registration differs with some spots filling up immediately and others slowly, but registration is full around February 25th. Jackson asked if there are camps for Spring Break to which Ward replied yes but is more general for all ages with no themes, field trips, special events or breakout sections. Summer camps include field trips weekly. Operations are from 8am to 5pm with early risers and home stretch available as early/late care for an hour before and after from the time of camp. The sign in/sign out and operations headquarters occur at the Zone. Ward had Board partake in camp icebreakers, games, and activities and gave away items. Vandiver and Boughal provided handouts and presented summer camp at Delores Fenwick Nature Center - Camp Pelican (Pearland Environmental Learning Institute for Conservation Adventure and Nature), named after the yearly migration to the area of 60- 70 Pelicans. Their work at DFNC is driven by bringing and connecting citizens with nature to explain why it's important to have areas of wild spaces in Pearland. It is a specialized, educational camp to engage children with nature and will be bring children outdoor every camp session and engage them with outdoor recreation activities and nature education programs. Natural Resources division's specific mission involves environmental awareness and education. Camp serves Pearland community by focusing on nature and environmental education. When designing the camp, they wanted to mimic and compliment department's existing camps and look familiar to those who have experienced those camps. The camp models Camp Kia and Mahalo in age ranges and cost. Due to having one classroom, they cannot offer older kids and younger kids camp at same time, so they are alternating them - 2 weeks of every month for June, July and August, they will have first week for ages 6-10 and second week for ages 11-14 with 20 kids per week. Camp's goal is to engage and create interest into conversation awareness, environment, and wildlife and reinforce ideas of what occurs in the body and give tangible experiences with science. Also has animal encounters because of team's work with wildlife conservations by managing habitats. It incorporates outdoor recreation activities and research project to engage critical thinking, creativity, innovative and communication skills to spread passion into community through kids. They had Board do an activity that showed how ecosystem food webs works. Boyer recognized and congratulated Vandiver and Boughal for their recent win at TRAPS awards. Carter asked Vandiver to talk about HGAC awards. Vandiver mentioned they were awarded special consideration at Houston Galveston Area Council Awards for Edu-Katie series about family fun themed nature education video series that focuses on different things in the environment, and they did a live -stage production. Boyer complimented their work and mentioned he always shares it. DISCUSSION - UPCOMING EVENTS Mitchell and Simpson presented upcoming Special Events. Mitchell appreciated Boards' kind words about special events at the beginning of the meeting. He recapped Hometown Christmas Festival — said it was unique in experience for community and kicking off holiday season. For tree lighting, there were 7,000 in attendance and was one of the largest tree lighting festival that has taken place Annual parade occurred with involvement from Board which Mitchell thanked them for. He talked about Festival of Lights in collaboration with Second Baptist Church. The count from December 4 h to 23rd was 40,000 people with a grand total of 50,000 for the month He thanked board members for spreading the word Winter Fest became Spring Fest and is on March 5th. It will mirror and resemble winter fest with attractions such as inflatables, obstacle courses moonwalks, petting zoo. It's merged with Paws in the Parks Event and includes dog diving competition and dogs doing frisbee stunts. Natural Resources Team will help with Edu- Katie on stage and shooting Bows and Arrows. It includes 12 food trucks and Craft vendors through Pearland Chambers of Commerce's help. It's free to get into event but rides, activities, and inflatables require $12 ticket. Parks Board will get complimentary tickets sent to their emails. Baker mentioned many were wondering if Ruff Runner was replacing Paws in the Parks. Mitchell mentioned Ruff Runner is an isolated event happening on March 19th. Allen thanked them for tickets and gave feedback from his conversation with families at Independence Park who wanted him to thank the board and staff for December events, and they anticipate next year. Mitchell appreciated the feedback and hoped for future enhancements and the same turn out. Jackson praised the events, appreciated the information and hoped for more event information every month. VII. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Capers reported on the following: Grand opening of Sports Complex at Shadow Creek Phase 2 on March 12th and 13th Official ribbon cutting for entire complex will occur at 9am followed by groundbreaking for inclusive playground that the Forever Parks is building, followed by miracle league game. Rugby activities happening throughout Saturday and then baseball themed movie will be shown on miracle league field. Starting at 7am on Sunday, there will be men and women cricket games, followed by youth cricket games and different exhibitions where everyone can learn to play Cricket. There will be a variety of entertainment throughout the day and food trucks. Once team finalizes details, invitation and more information will be sent in about two weeks. Starting next week, Communications Department will start campaigning for Spring Fest. West Pearland Library s grand opening on April 9th There will be a sneak peak event combined with Talk of the Town on March 30th. Meeting for Shadow Creek Ranch Trail connectivity phase 2 occurred yesterday that will connect library to Shadow Creek Trail along Clear Creek. Library was given department's Tandem bikes that can be checked out there Repurposing a bridge to replace pedestrian bridge at Wood Creek Park so major cost savings. Enhancements to driveway behind Independence Park's Stage to bring it up to compliance Renovating restrooms at Centennial Park between Fields 1-4 and adding storage maintenance building that is currently under design. Vandiver has been working on creating a mountain biking trail with non-profit organization over last 2 years. It will be at Woody Street Park that is centrally located and a woody area and they are wrapping up details and construction. There is some work that needs to be done to dedicate it as Park Land More details will be shared as it develops. Baker talked about development of Shadow Creek and thought it was gorgeous. Jackson thanked Capers for report and asked if anyone had any feedback to which no one replied. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Boyer made a motion to adjourn. Allen seconded the motion. Motion passed. Chairman Jackson adjourned the meeting at 10:09am. These minutes respectfully submitted by: ctor _(transcribed initially by Samira Areshia) itted and/or corrected this 10th day of March 2022. Dennis Jirman