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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRB 2024-04-01 Minutes MINUTES OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD OF THE CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS HELD IN THE CITY HALL 4301 CITY POINT DRIVE APRIL 1, 2024 REGULAR MEETING A. CALL TO ORDER Chair Copeland called the meeting to order on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 6:01 p.m. Present: Vanessa Copeland, Chair, Place 4 Tracye Lewis, Vice-Chair, Place 1 Kate Beck, Board Member, Place 2 Russ Mitchell, Board Member, Place 3 Jack McCarty, Board Member, Place 5 Ricky Rodriguez, Board Member, Place 7 Sammy Robison, Alternate (arrived at 6:03 p.m.) Absent: Brad Evans, Board Member, Place 6 Staff Members: Adrien Pekurney, Director Tanner Arwine, Assistant Director Antonio Evangelista, Assistant Director Michael Wilson, Park Planning Manager Frank Perez, NRH2O General Manager Cindy Dobbs, Office Coordinator A.1 PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no requests to speak from the public. B. ACTION ITEMS B.1 APPROVE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 5, 2024 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING. APPROVED April 01, 2024 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 6 A MOTION WAS MADE BY BOARD MEMBER RUSSELL, SECONDED BY BOARD MEMBER RODRIGUEZ TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 5, 2024 PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD MEETING. MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED 6-0 C. DEPARTMENT UPDATES C.1 NRH2O FAMILY WATER PARK UPDATE Mr. Frank Perez, NRH2O General Manager, provided an update on activities at NRH2O Family Water Park. -Opening Day for new season is May 4, 2024. They are in the process of hiring and it is going well. -Annual Music Fest will start on May 9, 2024. Attendance numbers look to be in line with last year at around 25,000. -Management Training and Leadership Training has already started with a combined theme of"What is your Why" and "Elevate to be your Best". -Maintenance projects during the off-season include electrical, plumbing, motor repairs as well as numerous shade repairs resulting from age and storm damage. The team member break room was also updated with most of the work being done in-house. Chair Copeland asked how the season ticket sales are going. Mr. Perez stated that they are in line to where they want to be. Most of the sales take place after the park opens for the season. Chair Copeland also asked about the new point-of-sale system. Mr. Perez said that it is working well. Board Member Mitchell asked for an update on the Nitro Blast. Mr. Perez explained that they extended the time-frame on the process to get more bids. They had one bid that was much higher than was budgeted and it would not be completed for the new season. The decision was made to move forward by splitting up the phases of the work. Ms. Pekurney expounded on this stating that it opened up some flexibility in the process by doing the work in phases. The demolition of the existing attraction will be on the upcoming City Council agenda. Board Member Mitchell asked if this would have an impact on sales and Mr. Perez said that it probably will. With good weather, this impact will be minimal and there are many more attractions at the park for attendees to enjoy. Board Member Robison asked what is the youngest age for employment at NRH2O. Mr. April 01, 2024 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 6 Perez stated that the youngest age is 15-16 depending on the position. C.2 PARKS CAPITAL PROJECTS UPDATE Mr. Michael Wilson, Park Planning Manager, presented an update on capital projects. -Green Valley Raceway is substantially complete with the exception of a few irrigation repairs. He shows some images of the area showing the signage, selfie area and the image engraved in the concrete. -Proposals have been requested for the Cross Timbers Park Disc Golf project. Responses should be received by April 4. This project will be on the trail so the homes in the area will not be affected. Board Member Rodriguez asked if anyone has spoken to the neighbors near the park about this project. He heard about an issue in a nearby city where the neighbors had issues with people going out late at night to play and the noise was an issue. He asked if lights were considered or if there was any feedback. Mr. Wilson explained that in prior discussions with the neighborhood, they were not in favor of having lights installed. The front part of the park is where most of the play will occur and it is well lit. Ms. Pekurney added that the potential layout of the course is not up against any fence lines where there is a residential property nearby. She explained that the park itself has hours of usage. In addition, like the Fossil Creek Mountain Bike Trail, there is the potential of having stewards that will help take care of the space. Board Member Robison asked, regarding the Green Valley Raceway, if they initially poured concrete and then took it out. Mr. Wilson said no, there was just a delay between the concrete being poured and the signage being installed. The artwork took longer to receive than anticipated. Mr. Wilson recalled that there was one small area on the plaza that was replaced. Board Member Mitchell said that he has heard that walkers are being told by the bicyclist that walking is not allowed on the trails. Ms. Pekurney stated that walking is permitted but same rules apply as on the street that the cyclists have the right of way. We have not received any of these complaints. Mr. Mitchell also mentioned that he was speaking to someone the other day about the portable restroom that caught on fire awhile back. He said that this person has a photo of who did it. Ms. Pekurney said that they can send it in, but it has been so long now and new portalets are already in place. C.3 PARKS MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS UPDATE Mr. Tanner Arwine, Assistant Director, provided an update on parks maintenance and operations. April 01, 2024 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 6 -Wheel stops have been installed at Cross Timbers. Future plans include adding them to Northfield, Walkers Creek and Richfield Parks. Ms. Pekurney has witnessed that cars are driving slower through the parking lots. -Pavilion usage has been increasing as the weather warms up. Weekend staff has started their eight hour weekend shifts to support the increased usage. They want to ensure that the area is clean for each rental throughout the day by cleaning restrooms and emptying trash bins. Ms. Pekurney explained that we designate an hour gap between each rental to have some downtime between each gathering. Mr. Arwine explained that weekend staff is also on-hand for the numerous athletic events that take place. Board Member Robison asked if the pavilion rentals are allowed to have bounce houses. Ms. Pekurney explained they are allowed with a permit, they have to be placed in a specific location and insurance must be provided by the bounce house company. QR codes are also visible at most sites to make the public aware of rental availability. Vice-Chair Lewis asked if there are ever any conflicts with a party not leaving in a timely manner when another reservation is coming in. Mr. Arwine explained that it may have happened once years ago. Ms. Pekurny added that this was before we had set times for the rentals which offers more structure. The QR code with the schedule also decreases any of these issues. -Landscape and irrigation crews have been busy performing audits and repairs. Landscape crews are actively mulching landscape beds and installing plant material throughout the city. Crews lay nearly 80 pallets of mulch a year. -The Hometown pedestrian bridge was recently stained to preserve the lumber and improve the overall look. -Staff and contractors worked to transplant nine large specimen trees donated by a residential property owner on Arthur Drive. Four of these trees were replanted at Northfield Park and five of them were relocated to Linda Spurlock Park. Board Member Mitchell asked if the trees will bloom this year. Mr. Arwine said yes, they are leafing out now. There were eight pecan trees and one red oak tree. -Athletic field crews are busy prepping 27 fields daily, which includes fertilizing, ant and weed control. Chair Copeland inquired about pets at Green Valley Park. She said they received an email from BAYFA stating that pets are not allowed at the park and wondered if it has April 01, 2024 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 6 always been that way. Ms. Pekurney stated that pets can be on leash while walking the trail but not recommended at a game due to the noise and the crowd, not knowing how the animal will react. C.4 NRH CENTRE, GRAND HALL, ATHLETICS, SENIOR CENTER, RICHLAND TENNIS CENTER, PROGRAMS AND SERVICES UPDATE Mr. Antonio Evangelista, Assistant Director, presented an updated on activities at the NRH Centre, Grand Hall, Athletics, Senior Center, Cultural Arts and the Richland Tennis Center. -NRH Centre is celebrating its 12th anniversary on April 12 and currently have membership specials. Underwater Egg Hunt took place on March 29 and it was well attended. Youth camps are now enrolling for summer 2024. Camp NRH is sold out and currently on a wait list for all ten weeks. -The Terrace at the Grand Hall is being featured for smaller events and gatherings. -NRH Senior Center distributed their annual survey via Facebook and email in March. With 258 responses, they received an overall satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of 5. The monthly activities continue to keep patrons busy and engaged. -Richland Tennis Center was a host site for high school UIL District tournaments in March and April. -Pop-Up Egg Hunt took place at six parks over three days. All of these were well attended. Play Today NRH will begin on Saturday, April 6 at Linda Spurlock Park. The Open Trail Ride at Fossil Creek Park will take place on April 20. Round the Town Hike and Bike Rides will kick off on Tuesday, April 2. -The 2024 Sounds of Spring Concerts will resume in April and May with five concerts scheduled. The 2024 NRH Spring Photography Exhibition is currently on display in the Grand Hall Lobby. Board Member Mitchell inquired about pickleball. Mr. Evangelista said that the leagues have sold out each session and the open play times are always full. D. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS There are no other informational items. D.1 COMMUNITY SERVICE MONTHLY REPORTS (JANUARY - FEBRUARY) PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD UPDATES (MARCH) April 01, 2024 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 6 E. ADJOURNMENT Chair Copeland adjourned the meeting at 6:44 p.m. racye Lewis, Chair Cindy D s, Office Coor inator April 01, 2024 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 6