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Home My WebLink AboutPRB 2009-12-01 MinutesMINUTES 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 December 1, 2009 Present: Marty Kusmierski Brad Greene Ricky McElroy Jay Crane Mike Filis Marlin Miller Tito Rodriguez Tracye Tipps Staff Members: Vickie Loftice Bill Thornton Sharon Davis Chris Swartz Christina Lopez Jared Miller Tina Earle Chair Vice -Chair Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Alternate Managing Director of Community Services Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Waterpark Manager Administrative Secretary Assistant City Manager Marketing /Special Projects Coordinator 1. CALL TO ORDER Chairwoman Kusmierski called the meeting to order December 7, 2009 at 6:11 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 5, 2009 MEETING APPROVED MR. GREENE MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 5, 2009 PARK AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING. MR. RODRIGUEZ SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED 7 -0. 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS None Park and Recreation Board Minutes December 1, 2009 Page 1 of 5 4. NRH2O 2009 END OF SEASON REPORT AND FUTURE PLANNING Mr. Chris Swartz, NRH2O Park Manager, presented the 2009 End of Season Report which covered attendance, revenue, expenses, media coverage, special events, donations, group sales, lifeguard audits and surveys. Attendance — 231,379 Revenue —4 th Highest Season in Revenue at $3.8 million Donations — 1,400 tickets were donated to area organizations Surveys — NRH2O received 4.6 out of 5 Mr. Swartz also discussed social media outlets that NRH2O is using such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. NRH2O currently has over 1,200 followers. One of the ways staff is using Twitter is to notify swim lesson participants of any last minute changes due to weather. Mr. Swartz reviewed future projects which include the possible removal of the The Hopper building and replacing it with a food service building and a new attraction for 2011. Chris also presented ideas for potential new attractions to NRH and presented a video on theming ideas to increase the guest experience. The NRH Master Plan which was updated in 2005 focuses on the southwest quadrant of the park (next to Blvd 26) which is where the new attraction would be located. 5a. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Ms. Vickie Loftice, Managing Director of Community Services, welcomed Mr. Jared Miller back from serving in Iraq. Mr. Miller thanked Ms. Loftice for filling in during his absence saying she did an excellent job in handling the changes to her responsibilities. Vickie will continue in the position of Managing Director of Community Services. Ms. Loftice presented an update on the following items: Update on the Recreation Center — Mr. Bill Thornton will be serving as Project Manager for the Recreation Center project. City Council approved the site plan which is now in design development. They also approved adding senior services to the facility. City Manager, Mark Hindman, recommended refinancing the TIFF to include the senior facilities in the TIFF instead of delaying other CIP projects. Staff will be talking with City Council on December 14 about approving the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method for the project. With this delivery method the CMAR will work in tandem with the architect and be included in the bid process of all the subcontractors. The CMAR will also provide a Guaranteed Maximum Price for the project which is a benefit to the City. This is the first time the City of NRH has used the CMAR delivery method. Page 2 of 5 Staff is recommending Byrne Construction as the CMAR, they were chosen from 18 firms that submitted proposals. City Council has also approved hiring an ad firm to help with the naming of the new Recreation Center. Due to the cost recovery nature of the new recreation center the name needs to be memorable, and marketable. Stormy Plaza (Grand Ave Park Plaza) — Per a recommendation from the City's Facility Naming Board, Grand Ave Park Plaza has been named "Stormy Plaza ". In naming public facilities and parks, the City likes to recognize leaders in our community and is honoring Stormy Mangham, who owned Mangham Airfield. Stormy Plaza also ties in with the public art piece, titled Weather, which has been commissioned for this park site. City Organizational Changes — Upon Mr. Jared Miller's return from active military service, the City Manager, Mark Hindman has slightly modified the City's organizational chart. Mr. Jimmy Perdue has been appointed the Director of Public Safety which oversees the Fire, Police and Neighborhood Services. Mr. Perdue will also serve as the Police Chief and retain other responsibilities he is currently involved in. Ms. Vickie Loftice will continue her role as Managing Director of Community Services where she will be responsible for management oversight of Parks and Recreation and Library Services, as well as the Iron Horse Golf Course Contract. Southside Community Center — The City of NRH is exploring the options of repurposing the old Food Lion Building, located on Rufe Snow Drive, into a Southside Community Center. The details are still being discussed, but the center may include recreation and library services. Staff will get further direction from City Council on December 14 on the proposed services. The renovation of this facility is in line with the City's desire for revitalization south of Loop 820. 5b. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR'S REPORT ON LISTED ITEMS CURRENT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Ms. Sharon Davis updated the Park and Recreation Board on the following: The 10 annual Night of Holiday Magic was held on Saturday, December 5. Highlights included the snow tubing hill, marshmallow roast, crafts, mini train rides, tree lighting and fireworks. More than 250 volunteers helped with the event. Attendance appeared to be slightly down. Extended holiday magic festivities are planned for December 9 -13 from 6:00 — 9:00 p.m. Festivities include photos with Santa, photo opportunities with the holiday scenes and shopping at the Holiday Market. The Athletic Division is hosting a new women's volleyball league that began on November 23. The 19 annual Daddy /Daughter Valentine Dance is scheduled for Saturday, February 6 at the BISD Fine Arts /Athletic Complex. Cost is $8.00 per person and includes a DJ, Park and Recreation Board Minutes December 1, 2009 Page 3 of 5 dancing, light refreshments, photographs, and door prizes. Sponsors include Chick- fil -A, Sam's, Brunswick, NRH and the Fort Worth Zoo. The Cultural Art Division was awarded the Lone Star Programming Award at the Regions 2 & 3 Texas Recreation and Parks Society Annual Conference. The award was presented for innovative recreation programming that has been offered for the first time; the Green Teens Program was honored. The Wal -Mart Super Center on North Tarrant Parkway donated three palettes of leftover Halloween items for the Parks and Recreation Department to use at our 2010 Hoot n' Howl. The in -kind donation was valued at $5,000 and will help reduce the cost of ordering prizes as well as replacing outdated decor items. The Richland Tennis Center is planning for their 6 th annual Toys for Tennis event to be held on Saturday, December 12. Toys collected will go the NRH Santa Cops program. There are 128 individuals registered. The City of NRH hosted the 3` annual Veterans Day Celebration on November 11. 5c. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR'S REPORT ON LISTED ITEMS PARKS CAPITAL PROJECTS Mr. Bill Thornton updated the Park and Recreation Board on the following: Staff received approval from TxDOT to award the bid to GreenScaping for the construction of the Boulevard 26 Trail. Once the flood plain approval is obtained from FEMA, the award of contract will be considered by Council. Construction continues on the Grand Avenue Park Plaza with rough grading complete. Perimeter sidewalks and bench areas have been installed. Piers for the wall systems and the sculpture have been drilled and poured. City Council officially named the park "Stormy Plaza ". Halff Associates is working on a concept development plan for the Fossil Creek Area Revitalization. Staff is working with property owners to secure necessary easements for the neighborhood park services. Final grade work began on the Liberty Park Lake project November 30 and should be complete by December 4. Irrigation and tree planting is scheduled for the week of December 7. Park and Recreation Board Minutes December 1, 2009 Page 4 of 5 6. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS The Park and Recreation Facilities Development Corporation have a meeting scheduled for Monday, December 14 at 5:15 p.m. The meeting is scheduled because the City has changed banking institutions and needs the Corporation's approval to move the funds. Mr. Brad Greene and Mr. Tito Rodriguez will be able to attend; Ms. Tracye Tipps is not available due to her work schedule. Ms. Vickie Loftice presented gift cards to the members of the Park and Recreation Board as a small token of appreciation for Christmas. 7. ADJOURNMENT Chairwoman Kusmierski adjourned the meeting at 7:41 p.m. Ch ATTEST: Christina Lopez, Adminis6�ary Park and Recreation Board Minutes December 1, 2009 Page 5 of 5