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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRB 2007-08-06 Minutes MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING OF THE CITY OF NORTH RICHlAND HillS, TEXAS HELD IN THE PRE COUNCil CHAMBERS lOCATED AT 7301 NORTHEAST lOOP 820 Present: Brad Greene Marty Kusmierski Ricky McElroy Tom Lombard Mike Filis Marlin Miller Tracye Tipps Absent: Jay Crane Staff Members: Vickie Lottice Bill Thornton Sharon Davis Chris Swartz Joe Pack Geoffrey Sherman Tina Earle Christina Lopez August 6, 2007 Chairman Vice-Chair Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Alternate Board Member Director of Parks and Recreation Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Waterpark Manager Senior Park Planner Landscape Horticulturalist Marketing/Special Projects Coordinator Administrative Secretary A-1. CAll TO ORDER Chairman Brad Greene called the meeting to order August 6, 2007 at 6:02 p.m. A-2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE APRil 2, 2007 MEETING APPROVED Mr. Miller moved to approve the minutes of the April 2, 2007 Park and Recreation Board meeting. Ms. Kusmierski seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 6-0. A-3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE JULY 19, 2007 WORK SESSION APPROVED Mr. McElroy moved to approve the minutes of the July 19, 2007 Park and Recreation Board work session. Mr. Miller seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 6-0. A-4. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN & VICE-CHAIR Mr. McElroy moved to nominate Mr. Brad Greene for the position of Chairman and Ms. Marty Kusmierski for the position of Vice-Chair. Mr. Lombard seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 6-0. B-1. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Ms. Vickie Loftice, Director of Parks and Recreation, provided a brief overview of the following items: Park and Recreation Facilities Development Corporation Meeting and Public Hearing: Chairman Brad Greene and Board Members Tom Lombard and Tracye Tipps serve on this Corporation and will be attending the meeting, and public hearing, to review the Capital Improvement Program Proposed Budget for FY07/08. Impact of Weather on the Mowing Schedule for City Parks and Facilities. Scheduing a Park Board Work Session in September to review the Park System Master Plan Update and to begin the discussion of updating the Code of Ordinances pertaining to Parks and Recreation: Work session scheduled for Tuesday, September 11 at 6:00 p.m., location TBD. B-2. PRESENTATION OF THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FY07/08 AND REVIEW OF CAPITAL PROJECTS IN PROGRESS Mr. Bill Thornton, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation, presented an overview of the history of the Capital Improvement Program Fund from 1992 to present. He also covered the completed projects for FY06/07, the continuing projects and new projects for FY07/08. Ms. Loftice presented information on the new Recreation Center. Staff will be sending out a "Request for Qualifications" in September and hopes to be able to select a consultant to begin the design process in October. Mr. Bill Thornton presented an overview of the NRH20 Capital Improvement Program Budget for FY07/08. B-3. lANDSCAPE HORTICULTURAL PROGRAM PRESENTATION Mr. Joe Pack, Senior Park Planner, introduced Mr. Geoffrey Sherman who was hired recently as the Landscape Horticulturalist for the Parks and Recreation Department. Geoff will provide support for the planning and development division and park operations. He will also build community relationships by promoting natural resource conservation and sustainable Park and Recreation Board Minutes August 6, 2007 2 landscape practices along with providing public education on landscaping and conservation. Geoff will also oversee the annual tree planting program, develop a tree inventory and establish a plant data base for the city's website. B-4 MARKETING/SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR PRESENTATION Ms. Vickie Loftice explained the process in which the Parks and Recreation Department was able to acquire the Landscape Horticulturalist and the Marketing/Special Projects Coordinator positions. Staff submitted a request to convert the vacant Recreation Superintendent position and the half-time Marketing Specialist position (split 50/50 with NRH20). The conversion was approved with a negligible increase to the budget; resulting in more efficient use of existing funding based on current needs. Ms. Loftice introduced Mrs. Tina Earle, who was hired recently as the Marketing/Special Projects Coordinator. Tina came to us from the City of Temple where she was in a similar position. Tina will be applying her skills and abilities towards media relations, marketing, sponsorships and special events. She will also be redeveloping the Parks and Recreation website, initiating an electronic marketing program and much, much more. B-5 HIGHLIGHTS OF UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS Ms. Sharon Davis, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation, presented information on upcoming special events: The second annual "Artists at Work" juried employee art exhibit will be held from August 17- 25 in the Recreation Center Assembly Room. City employees and their families were encouraged to submit various forms of artwork for the exhibit. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced on Friday, August 17 at 4:30 p.m. during the Opening Reception. The winning pieces will also be displayed at the Library and City Hall. The Richland Tennis Center is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on Sunday, August 26 from 1 :30 - 5:00 p.m. The event "Lobbing on the Loop, a decade late" will feature free tennis drills, refreshments, TCU player participation and door prizes. A Veterans Day Event is being planned for Liberty Park. More details will follow soon. Special Note: So far this year, the Parks and Recreation Department has 79 special events scheduled; with the addition of the Veterans Day Event it brings the total to 80 events. Mr. Miller recommended that staff use Citicable to get the word out about all the programs, classes and special events that the Parks and Recreation offers. B-6 NRH20 FAMllYWATERPARK UPDATE Mr. Chris Swartz, Aquatic Park Manager, updated the Board on the following: Park and Recreation Board Minutes August 6, 2007 3 Impact of Weather on Operations - Due to the significant rain experienced this summer, NRH20 is currently down approximately 12% in attendance and 11.5% in revenue. Park staff is hopeful that the later start date for schools will allow the park to show a strong performance in August. Although the additional two weeks will not fully make up for the rainy summer, the extra operational days will help. Debut of the Accelerator - The Accelerator debuted during a VIP event held on May 12. One of the main attractions of the opening of the Accelerator was a race between Mayor Oscar Trevino, Councilman Scott Turnage, Park Board Chairman Brad Greene and Park Board Member Tom Lombard. Congratulations to Brad Greene for finishing first. NRH20's 13th Birthday Party Celebration - NRH20 celebrated its 13th season on May 31 with its annual birthday party. Guests were able to visit the park for $13 for the day and participate in activities that included carnival games, prizes, clowns, free drinks and popcorn. C. OTHER INFORMATIONAL ITEMS Mr. Filis inquired about the channel at Richfield Park. He wanted to know why the vegetation is cut down in the channels and wondered if it couldn't just be left in its natural state. Mr. Thornton responded that some residents want to see the cattails and others don't. The primary channel, for hydraulic reasons, has to be cleared out on a regular basis. Mr. Thornton also stated that we have reached a balance at Home Town Lakes where some of the vegetation is cut down and other areas are left. Mr. Filis would like to see that same scenario in the Richfield channel. D. ADJOURNMENT Mr. McElroy moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:36 p.m. Mr. lombard seconded the motion. Motion to approve carried 6-0. ~¿þ¿~ Brad Greene, hairman ATTEST: C~~'-DL cW~~ Christina Lopez, Administrativ ecretary Park and Recreation Board Minutes August 6, 2007 4