Loading...
2022-03-10 PEARLAND PARKS, RECREATION AND BEAUTIFICATION BOARD REGULAR MEETING MINUTESMINUTES — REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND PARKS, RECREATION & BEAUTIFICATION BOARD, HELD ON THURSDAY MARCH 10, 2022 AT 8:30 A.M., AT PEARLAND RECREATION CENTER & NATATORIUM. I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Dennis Jackson called the meeting to order at 8:30am. II. BOARD ROLL CALL Dennis Jackson Heather Baker Jeff Webb Heather Campo N ancy Bankson Carry Capers Kevin Carter S amira Areshia May Grey Zachary Boyer Dennis Allen Chairman Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member P arks & Recreation, P arks & Recreation, P arks & Recreation, P arks & Recreation, Board Member Board Member Director Assistant Director Executive Assistant Business Administrator III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes were presented to the board for review. Campo and Baker's names were accidentally interchanged. Board was informed that the Minutes would be updated to reflect the corrections noted. A motion was made by Boyer to approve the February minutes with the recommended changes noted by the Board. Baker seconded the motion. The motion was approved. IV. BOARD REPORT Boyer — didn't go out the past month but mentioned upcoming events including opening of inclusive playground and Ruff Runner; asked to later see how Athletics Program are doing such as kickball league and cornhole league Allen — didn't attend event last weekend due to confusion on the dates but still had a good experience at the park and heard a few people talk about the Fest; is looking forward to the events this upcoming weekend at Shadow Creek Bankson — was unable to attend SpringFest due to time conflict with other activities but is looking forward to this weekend Campo — attended SpringFest and was great; glad to see Independence Park used again. Webb — attended SpringFest and helped with Forever Parks Foundation Table; event was slow in the morning due to rain, but picked up in the afternoon; talked to many people and met disc golfers who were excited; Forever Parks Foundation has been fundraising for Inclusive Playground Project and while at SpringFest, talked with a parent's group for children with Down's syndrome about it and they were very excited; Foundation is preparing for ribbon cutting on Saturday, unveiling of plans, and working on Charity Golf Tournament in June to help support foundation's fundraising efforts Baker — was out of town and unable to go to SpringFest but heard great things; she knows some who volunteered at event; feels that the more things are taking place at Independence Park, the more the community is getting the lay of the land and understanding the process of where to park, how to get in - so those kinds of things are becoming easier; looking forward to Ruff Runner and grand opening this weekend; appreciated the responsiveness regarding Float n Flick advertisements. Webb — talked to some residents about the park, one comment he wanted to pass along was they are looking for more family picnic areas within the parks. Jackson — unable to attend event last weekend due to Rodeo, but heard it was great; is keeping up with Forever Parks Foundation Fundraising for inclusive playground; got a chance to go there to take a picture with a big check through his wife's organization; was excited about check submitted by Memorial Hermann; is gearing up for the park this weekend is happy to see the fundraising that has come in for the playground. Jackson asked to circle back next month about the program's mentioned by Boyer. DISCUSSION — 2023-2027 CIP OVERVIEW Capers discussed 2023-2027 CIP Overview. Capital Projects Department will present recommended 2023-2027 CIP Projects during a special meeting with City Council on Monday, March 21st at 4pm. Capers discussed Clear Creek Trail Segment from Barry Rose Water Treatment Plant to University of Houston Clear Lake. She mentioned a new location for the bridge's installation was found and cost will be significantly lower so trail can be extended further south. Harris County Flood Control is doing a widening project along the trail, but project may stop at Pearland Parkway and may not impact the trail but waiting for plans to confirm this. MUD 23 is interested in contributing park fund to help enhance portions of the trail and are working on different ideas. Next project is Clear Creek Trial — it is one of the Shadow Creek segments, considered Phase 2, will connect new Library to Clear Creek Trail and is underway. Capers mentioned the library was given several Tandem bikes that can be checked out and taken for a ride on the trail. Woodcreek Park was renovated a few years ago, adding a walking trail and playground. To get to Park, a very old bridge must be crossed that has well surpassed its useful life and is unsafe. It is being replaced with a bridge pulled years ago from a subdivision Reutilizing an existing bridge will be huge cost saving on the project and a benefit is the new bridge will be installed and completed before the old bridge is removed so park will still be accessible. Parks Equipment Recapitalization Program — FY23 will be the final year for this project. Capers mentioned $500 000 per year, for 5 years, was awarded to do recapitalization projects throughout the community. Several playgrounds were replaced but one big project was for Design Field Irrigation where a full audit was done of the irrigation in our parks and are now phasing the repairs from that assessment. Next phase will include additional shade structures and replacing some playgrounds. The Parks Master Plan and the Facility Commissions Assessment within the Master Plan will be used to wrap up this year and next year. The next item was the PER for the future bond referendum. Capers mentioned there are lots of projects in the CIP that are not funded and to get those onto the next bond, preliminary engineering reports will happen for all of those The final project is the Natatorium overhaul which, although usually managed by the department itself, was moved over to facilities This year the activity pool was replastered, but the overhaul will include replastering the competition pool, replacing the bulkheads that go in the middle of the pool to divide it up into different sections, the heaters that heat the competition pool, replace the dive stands — which are the big concrete blocks the diving boards sit on, and the chemical treatment system which automatically keeps up with the chemicals that go into the pool. There are some additional projects that are listed under and managed by Facilities Maintenance such as the Knapp Activity Center Building Automation System as well as Outdoor Expansion. Currently it is a lawn but not a usable space especially during the pandemic when KAC couldn t program inside the building, there was a need to program outside the building so this project would allow KAC to have a comfortable outdoor space. This project will be funded through some of THE HDAC Funding. The grant coordinator is working on tying up some loose ends with the funding source so once it gets approved the project will be moving forward. Capers also mentioned the N atatorium Air Handing System is also a project that Facilities will be handling and P earland ISD will be responsible for 50% of the cost of this project as well as the N atatorium Overhaul. Facilities Management is also handling the currently underway project of the Recreation Center Boiler Replacement — which are not operational and if they are, they are not fully operational. About 90% of the time, the staff has to manually reset them. As system is replaced, it will be adding a lot of benefits and enhancements. Last project is Technology Upgrades to replace the very dated and failing camera system present inside the Rec Center and parking lot. Rather than continue to replace the cameras as they fail, with newer technology present, updating to a new system would help better capture all that occurs inside and outside of the building. In addition to this facility, cameras will be added to the Westside Event Center and the Knapp Activity Center. Webb asked if cameras are going in places where none previously existed? Capers said that is what she is hoping and stated that cameras have been moved and strategically placed, but is hopeful that with newer technology, it can capture things at a better angle. Webb asked about the hardware, where the feed goes, and who monitors it Capers said it would be similar to what is in place now and all records are managed by IT Department per record retention policies Capers said staff has access to view feed and is monitored periodically throughout the day. Capers encourages facility managers to not manage through cameras, rather manage in person but mentioned if an incident occurs, cameras and recordings can be pulled up and have been helpful when dealing with things such as complaints and theft. Baker mentioned that it's not budgeted until 2024 to which Capers said it was going to be pulled out of CIP and put into IT's budget either through supplemental or base budget funding so it can be accounted. It will also be phased over the years with the Rec Center first then Westside Event Center the following year and then Knapp Activity Center in the third year. Jackson asked for clarification about the last few projects - the automation system, the boiler replacement, technology updates will no longer be pulled from the Parks Budget but rather Facility Management and Carry confirmed this information and mentioned that for some projects, there are some gray lines about where they fit but that both departments work well together to figure it out. Jackson also asked about the Future Bond Referendum and if this was for the upcoming election or future to which Capers said it was for 2024 VI. DISCUSSION — FY23 BUDGET SUPPLEMENT PRIORITIZATION Capers introduced Grey and her role which includes purchasing, budget, finance, and human resources. Capers talked about how the staff comes together every year, when building budget, for an exercise where they introduce their supplemental requests and deliberate the order of their requests. This year Capers also wanted the Board to do the exercise. Capers will take Board's priorities and Staff's priorities and see how they align with one another. After which, a final order list will be made according to both group's recommendations. Capers mentioned the final timelines still have not been released by Budget Office for meetings but will be shared with the Board. Grey provided an overview of budget process, said one of the biggest responsibilities as public servants is budget and staying within allocated budget. She talked about why budget is created, its importance, budget cycle/timeline through the year, budget manager responsibilities, budget process with other City Departments and City Council and budget tracking. Allen asked about the 2-year budget carryover and if a project doesn't get done within 2 years, does the budget get capped or is there a way to carry it over to a third year? Capers said very rarely does a project carry past two years and in the event something like that happens, then yes, it would carry over until the project is complete. It is typically only large capital projects that this might happen to and they are funded separately from the general fund. Webb asked why the city's fiscal year is October to September. Grey and Capers were unsure, but Jackson mentioned the federal government does it that way. Grey mentioned that the kick-off for City Budget is on the 21st and when budget goes to Council, the information will be shared with the Board. Supplemental Requests were printed and provided to the Board beforehand and Carter provided an overview for each. Carter began with the supplemental request for Administrative Assistant and then Utility Vehicle. Jackson asked how many utility vehicles there currently are at the complex? Carter said there are two but are shared across all the Parks and this would be dedicated to Shadow Creek. Carter proceeded with the supplementals for Part -Time Recreation Attendant — Adaptive Recreation and Independence Park Wi-Fi. Baker inquired if the Wi- Fi was an initial expense but would be revenue generating to which Capers agreed but mentioned that it is not substantial enough to say that it would cover the costs Carter mentioned that the Wi-Fi would be a greater attraction for those events that want to come in. Capers talked about the supplement for a Marquee Event, which would be a signature event for Pearland. She mentioned that while there are many community -based events, there is not a special event that people would travel to Pearland for. Webb asked if this was similar to the international festival at Independence Park and Capers said hopes were for something more significant that people would travel across the state to attend and be based off what Pearland needs. Carter discussed supplements for Christmas Tree Ornaments and Tree Drum Base. Webb asked if this is for the tree next to the stage at Independence Park or the main tree in front of the tunnel to which Capers and Carter said it was the one by the tunnel. Carter talked about supplementals for Part -Time Recreation Attendant - Special Events, Part -Time Recreation Attendant - Senior Center, and N atatorium Sound System. Baker asked if Pearland ISD will split cost of the Sound S ystem with us and Capers replied yes. Carter talked about supplementals for Tomcat Deck Scrubber, Replacement Zero -Turn Mowers, Lightning Detection System, and 2 P arks Maintenance Workers. Campo asked what happens if there aren't workers and if there is an overtime component for the current employees. Capers said there is and that is where the department is currently at — they are short of 9 positions to keep up with current demands. She mentioned that by contracting out maintenance of some n eighborhood parks, 4 workers will be relieved and refocused towards more specialized maintenance needs. She is requesting 2 additional park maintenance workers and a park manager to help close the gap. Then, in FY24 and FY25, will try to add 2 more positions e ach because all can't be added in one year. Capers mentioned workers are experiencing tremendous burnout due to working a lot of overtime and is not sustainable. She said many things are not getting done and provided examples of where things are not in the condition they should be in and said it is the consequence of not investing in the people that we need to do the maintenance. Baker asked if, in the budget, there will be an ask for additional headcount in addition to what will be requested regular budget cycle. Capers replied no - this is what will be requested and City Council will be asked to approve an amendment to the City's Landscape Contract for the contracting out of parks If approved, it will give immediate relief and allow reallocation of the 4-man crew to do other specialized work that is very needed. With all of the incoming tournaments, when going through FY23 budget process, 2 park maintenance workers will be submitted as a supplemental request as additional workers. Baker asked for the total Park Maintenance Workers in the department. Carter replied saying there are 22 total between Crew Leaders and Workers Baker mentioned she just wanted to be sure she understood so the Board knows where and what to push. Carter proceeded with supplementals for the Parks Manager, Greenhouse and Natural Resources Crew Leader. Allen referenced the supplemental request handout for Natural Resources Crew Leader and asked what the 'Not Reoccurring Expense' of $60,358.00 was for. Carter explained it would typically be the one-time purchase of a truck, trailer, and mower to get a new crew started. Carter talked about the supplemental request for additional recreation center hours. Webb asked for the daily average number of people entering the facility; Capers said she can pull those numbers. Carter led the final supplemental request - transition of Senior Office Assistant from Part -Time to Full -Time. Capers provided Webb with an answer to his previous question and said average monthly visitors on recreation center side was 13,000 and natatorium was 14,000 for a total of 27,000 monthly visitors in the facility. Grey led the supplemental prioritization activity where the Board worked together to rank each supplement by priority and the following was their recommendation: Park Maintenance Workers, Administrative Assistant, Additional Recreation Attendant Hours Recreation Attendant — Special Events Transition of Sr. Office Assistant from PT to FT, Natural Resources Crew Leader, Utility Vehicle for SCR, Replacement Zero Turn Mowers, Sound System for Natatorium, Lightning Detection Systems, Independence Park Wi-Fi Tomcat Deck Scrubber, Recreation Attendant — Adaptive Recreation Recreation Attendant Senior Programs, Park Manager, Green House, Christmas Tree Base, Christmas Tree Ornaments, New Special Event (Marquee Event). Capers thanked the Board for their participation and input. The prioritization list will be put together and shared. VII. DISCUSSION — DFNC SPRING BREAK EVENTS Jackson mentioned the Delores Fenwick Nature Center has a Spring Break event next week and the Board is invited to set up a table with parks related items copies of Pearland in Motion, handouts/flyers with information about Parks Department, and games. Jackson said Baker and Webb had expressed interest Boyer and Webb will be there on the 16th, 9am to 11 am and Baker and Jackson on the 17th, 11:30am to 1:30pm. VIII. DISCUSSION — BOARD VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Jackson discussed items from last month s discussions — Board's environmentalism and events/activities that brought them to the Board. He wanted to hear more about upcoming events/activities, how the Board can reach out to the community, and how the Board and Community can volunteer at events. Capers mentioned Shadow Creek Ranch Grand Opening this Saturday is all set with volunteers but hopes Board will attend to be recognized as Parks Board Members. She also mentioned Ruff Runner on the 19th, Miracle League Opening Day on March 26, and Pearland Half Marathon on March 27 which doesn't have many volunteer opportunities. Talk of the Town is on March 30 at West Pearland Library and will be a sneak peak of library before it opens on April 9. Capers said if anyone is interested in volunteering at any events, Special Events always has a large need for volunteers from parking and traffic to setting up vendors and staffing various attractions. Board can go to department's website and apply to volunteer through the new volunteer software which aligns opportunities based on individual interests and emails are sent about those. After registering, background checks need to be submitted to HR Department through ApplicantPro. Capers said she will also bring up opportunities at the meetings. Jackson talked about Pearland website and its volunteer opportunities. IX. SPECIAL ROCOGNITION — BOARD MEMBER JEFF WEBB Jackson mentioned this was Webb's last board meeting and reflected his dedicated work for Parks Board Forever Parks Foundation and City. Jackson wanted to adopt a resolution for Webb Jackson read out the resolution. Webb reflected on his time with the Board and appreciated the opportunity to serve. Boyer made a motion to adopt the resolution. Campo seconded the motion. Resolution has been adopted. X. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Capers reported on the following: Thursday Packet will be sent to Board. An addendum to the interlocal agreement between Pearland ISD and the City of Pearland will be sent to Council. The original interlocal agreement had the City responsible for providing lifeguards throughout the entire time the Natatorium is open including during meets and practices for Pearland ISD's programs. Pearland ISD reimburses City for the cost of lifeguards that are used for their programs. There are staffing issues nationwide with Lifeguard positions especially during daytime hours because most lifeguards are in college or high school. One solution identified was allowing large user group like Peak and Pearland ISD to certify their coaches and staff as lifeguards, allowing them to guard their swimmers during practice. City would still provide lifeguards during their meets. Peak and two other large user groups do this and is working very well. City Council and Pearland ISD's Board of Trustees must approve the local agreement changes. General Services Contract for Progressive Commercial Aquatics will be sent to Council. Progressive is used for general maintenance items and typically does not exceed $50,000, but because they were used to replaster the activity pool and replace some variable frequency drives, it will be over the $50,000 threshold. Council will be asked to approve a General Service Contract not to exceed $125,000. There is a push to have the Inclusive Playground on the Council meeting for the 28th. Texas Parks & Wildlife will provide a large portion of funding and there has been unofficial word the City will receive notice to proceed this week. Forever Parks Foundation has been working hard to fundraise to close the gap created by increase costs of playground Last item, discussed earlier today, is an amendment to the City's existing landscaping contract. Capers discussed her visit to an Indoor Sports Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. This was an initiative Pearland Economic Development Corporation started several years ago through a study to see what Pearland needed and indoor sports facility was identified as the best option. Capers will visit a facility in Round Rock soon. She will present to the Board when more substantial information is available. Spring Fest was very successful for a first-time event but the wind created challenges, so some large attractions were taken down. Estimated event attendance met the goal and had 3,500-4,000 people Based off the event and feedback received, it will continue to grow. Float n Flick wasn't intended to be a large event and target was 40 participants but had about 35. Areshia has been working on updating Parks Board webpage to make it more representative of the Board's work. XI. ADJOURNMENT Boyer made a motion to adjourn. Allen seconded the motion. Motion passed. Chairman Jackson adjourned the meeting at 10:32am. These minutes respectfully submitted by: PAX-U1 Carry Cap inutes ap Director — (transcribed initially by Samira Areshia) bmitted and/or corrected this 12th day of May 2022 Dennis J.c :or,W hairman ODE 9r£ �! /440 9C PEARLAND ^'^ TEXAS eSr. '8 PEARLAND PARKS, RECREATION AND BEAUTIFICATION ADVISORY BOARD Resolution in Recognition and Appreciation of Service by Jeff Webb WHEREAS the Pearland Parks and Recreation Department plays a critical role in our community through its vision to be the leader in providing quality services that connect the community through people, parks and programs, and WHEREAS the Pearland Parks, Recreation and Beautification Advisory Board's role is to make recommendations WHEREAS Jeff Webb has completed valuable service to the Pearland Parks, Recreation and Beautification Advisory Board by serving as the voice of Pearland citizens and making recommendations about the recreation activities, park facilities and beautification programs of the City; and WHEREAS the Pearland, Parks, Recreation and Beautification Advisory Board seeks to publicly recognize Jeff Webb's commitment and dedication to the Pearland Parks and Recreation Department and the Pearland community; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Pearland Parks, Recreation and Beautification Advisory Board acknowledges and extends its gratitude to Jeff Webb for his distinguished service to the City of Pearland and his contributions to the Pearland Parks and Recreation Department and Advisory Board. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution is saved in the permanent minutes of the Pearland Parks, Recreation and Beautification Advisory Board and a copy of this Resolution is given to Jeff Webb As adopted on this 10th day of March, 2022 by the Pearland Parks, Recreation and Be dvisory Board Den is J son Pea I d rks, Recreation and Advisory Board Chair Cv)