Loading...
PARAB Minutes 11/15/202332.A.3 November 15, 2023 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD Naples, Florida, November 15, 2023 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Collier County Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 2 p.m. in REGULAR SESSION at North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Road, Naples, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Edward "Ski" Olesky VICE CHAIR: Joshua Fruth Vacant Rebecca Gibson-Laemel Kristina Heuser Lee Dixon Jessica Bergel Donna Fiala (excused, alternate) ALSO PRESENT: Olema Edwards, Director, Parks & Recreation Miguel Rojas Jr., Admin. Assistant, Parks & Recreation Tanya Williams, Department Head, Public Services Division James Hanrahan, Assistant Director, Parks & Recreation Dayne Atkinson, Principal. Project Mgr., Public Services Mike Ossorio, Region l Parks Manager Said Gomez, Region 2 Interim Parks Manager Kory Swinderman, Spvr;, Golden Gate Community Park Ray Coriano, Spvr., Golden Gate Community Center Monica Cummings, Spvr., AIR Kyle Bregenzer, Interim Spvr., Max Hasse Community Park Randi Swinderman, Region 3 Parks Manager Sidney Kittila, Region 5 Interim Parks Manager I Packet Pg. 6 2 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 Any persons in need of a verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the Zoom recording and PowerPointpresentations from the Collier County Parks & Recreation Department. I. Call to Order Chairman Olesky called the meeting to order at 2:13 p.m. A quorum of six was established. II. Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation The board recited the Pledge of Allegiance and observed an invocation/moment of silence. III. Approval of the Agenda Ms. Edwards said there are two changes. "Public Comments" will be added as V because we have one registered speaker; and under New Business, the Naples Grand Second Amendment Draft, will be "B" and the Capital Projects Update will be "C," so they will be reversed. Vice Chair Fruth moved to approve the agenda, as amended Ms. Heuser seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. IV. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes Ms. Heuser moved to approve the September 20, 2023, meeting minutes. Vice Chair Fruth seconded it. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. V. Public/Board Comments Cindy Domenech, Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve, spoke via Zoom: • The Friends are very frustrated. • Through a series of Collier County personnel changes, we've lost our communication connections: • We had a learning center, the pond, waterfall and osprey camera and did a lot of work on the Saylor Trail. • We're trying to figure out are we supposed to repair that? Is it being repaired? Where are we at? Ms. Edwards told Ms Domenech: • We're still making major repairs to Barefoot Beach Preserve. The access closest to the beach has been open for quite some time. • We hope to clear the parking lots by Thanksgiving so we can have access to the preserves, but we're not opening up all preserves due to Hurricane Ian damage. We're working with FEMA to get reimbursement for necessary repairs. • Once that occurs, we'll be working with the volunteer groups. • Barefoot Beach was one of the county's worst damaged beaches. Everything else was opened again, but this will take more work. We hope to have it restored by the end of calendar year 2024 or early fiscal year 2025. • This is a collaborative effort, a big project with Parks, Facilities and FEMA and takes time. A discussion with Ms. Domenech ensued and the followingpoints were made: • Everything that was damaged, including boardwalks, restrooms, tiki but roofs, rails and cabinetry; will be repaired or replaced. • Some items were donated by The Friends, including the tiki hut, and became county property. Ms. Williams said those items need to be identified. 2 N O N ti M N 0 N L d M E 0 z Packet Pg. 6 3 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 VI. • Ms. Edwards agreed to get together with Ms. Domenech to discuss donated items and repairs so they can plan and budget for that. Action Item: Ms. Edwards will call Ms Domenech at 10 a.m. November 16 to discuss items donated by Friends ofBarefoot Beach Preserve that were damamed and need repairs. New Business a. Advisory Board Vacancies Ms. Edwards said we have three vacancies, with two board members up for reappointment. You can make a motion to reappoint Josh Fruth and Becky Laemel and then vote on the chair vacated by Paul DeMarco. Mr. Dixon made a motion to reappoint Josh Fruth and Becky Laemel to a 4-year term. Ms. Bergel seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously, 6-0. [PARAB members were given ranking sheets for each candidate.] Ms. Edwards said there are five applicants for one seat. You can take notes for each candidate on the ranking sheet. She reminded them the sheets are public records, so they need to be completed fully, including first and last name, and candidate ranking. We'll send an email to notify everyone about the chosen candidate. You'll all get.a chance to speak about anything you want to explain that wasn't on the questionnaire. Catherine Elkins told the PARAB: • She's lived in Collier County for over 15 years and now lives here full-time. • She grew up playing sports in various leagues, recreation, and competitive sports. • She worked in the sports and athletic industries for the first part of her career. • She went to UCF, graduated with an MBA and a master's degree in sports business management. • In graduate school, she did many projects and consulting work with various organizations to drive the revenue stream, the bottom line. • She now works for herself and has.combined some of her businesses. During questioning by the PABAB, the following points were made • North Collier Regional Park is the one she frequents the most because she lives nearby. • She's been involved innumerous capacities over the years; but now has more scheduling flexibility, so she's involved in different community activities and her country club. • She has no children; she had a dog. • All her businesses are set up outside Florida, so she has no conflicts ofinterest. Anais'"Annie"Alvarez (via Zoom) told the PARAB: • She dedicated her life to the Parks & Recreation profession and retired from Collier County Parks & Rec in February. • She's excited about this new role and is a very civic -oriented person. • She's always served on boards that worked with youth, such as the Bonita Springs Jaycees, the Naples Rotary and Harry Chapin Food Bank. • She's eager to start a new chapter and has a lot to offer Parks & Rec. • She has a strong project management background, which she learned while working for the county for 30-plus years. • She'd love to be part of the team and advocate to our community about the great, world - class Parks & Recreation Department. N O N ti M N O N d m 0 z Packet Pg. 624 32.A.3 November 15, 2023 • She started her Parks & Rec career at East Naples Community Park when it opened and cut the ribbon many years ago. • She loves the county community and would be pleased to serve in any aspect. N N David McCoy told the PARAB: ti • He lives in North Naples, near this park. �+ • He works for Boeing as a software engineer and has a master's degree in aerospace, engineering management and information technology. He has four kids, three boys and a.girl, who are now adults. , • He's lived here two years and lived in the city and suburbs of St. Louis for about 40 years. • He was actively involved in parks and recreation in St. Louis and was chairman of the parks c committee for about 10 years. m • He's had a lot of experience in parks, bringing through many different projects and c initiatives, and raising money. He had a good time there. N • He has two boxer dogs and walks them at this park. He spends a lot of time walking on the Q beaches during the weekend. _ • He's a treasurer for the Laurel Lakes HOA. In the last year, we put in a small neighborhood park. Although it was small, they ran into a lot of issues, especially with permits. L • He has a lot of project management experience, especially at Boeing, and knows how to d figure out how to assess customer needs and the best investments. • He went through that process many times where he used to live, and put together an _ assessment process with Excel spreadsheets to track it. It's similar to the county parks' master plan. • He used to play a lot of soccer. His three boys play soccer and he used to coach soccer. a • He used to do a lot of running and cycling, but mostly walks or walks his dog now. CD • He grew up in Ireland and came to the U.S. as an international co-op student and that ti experience provided diversity. Eric Kelly told the PARAB: M N G N • He's been a county resident for three years and came from Miami. He lives in District 1. ui • He loves it here and loves his community and work. • He's the director of facilities and construction at Grey Oaks Country Club and has built numerous projects. We just finished a $15 million golf course renovation and finished a successful multi -million dollar expansion with tennis, pickleball and basketball. o • The USPTA (U.S. Professional Tennis Association) recognized him as Facility Manager Z of the Year. He's done a lot of recreation building and is pretty active. • He frequently goes to Freedom Park and Serenity Park. He spends a lot of time running, 13 mostly on grass.LM • He has no children but has three dogs who like to go to the park. + It's important for him to give back to the community that he loves. There wasn't an N m .r opportunity for that in Miami because things were set in place, but there's a different vibe = here that he wants to be a part of. • He has a lot of construction and research experience, etc. c • He has a master's degree in business and a construction background. Phil Wright (via Zoom) told the PARAB: • He's a 13-year military veteran and is disabled from the military. • He has two children who attend different parks here for different sports. • Our favorite parks are Vineyards and the sports complex, but they also go to the water park. • He works in aerospace engineering, has an MBA and is working on his doctorate in economics, which he'll finish in March. 4 Packet Pg. 6 57 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 • One reason he wants to be on the board is that recently, the Collier County assessment came out and showed eight domains, with No. 8 being open space and facilities. • Collier County is the healthiest county in the country now and he believes that's due to Parks & Rec and our public -health system. He wants to ensure his kids have what he has now. • In 2030, $34 billion in household income will change hands from baby boomers and retirees to the new generation. Most county funding is. due to the generosity of the community and organizations that don't take public tax funds from the county. • In 2030, when this changes, he's concerned some of the funds allowed for parks and recreation will be diverted to fund David Lawrence Centers or Youth Haven. He's not opposed to that but wants his kids to have the future he has now. Ms. Edwards thanked him for his service. She thanked the candidates for attending, telling them they'll be notified about the.vote, and could leave, if they wanted. She said all candidates were impressive and instructed PARAB members to rank candidates from No. 1 to 5, one being the highest, five being the lowest. [A short break was taken to tally votes and collect the sheets.] b. Naples Grande Second Amendment Draft (Tanya Williams) [The proposed amendment was included in the agenda packet.] Ms. Williams told the PARAB: • This is a proposed second amendment to our current Naples Grande lease agreement for the Clam Pass area. We want to review it with the same due diligence we used for the Pelican Bay Foundation agreement. • This was slated to go to the board two years ago, but we stopped it. PARAB hasn't seen it and there are many things we need to review and scrutinize.. • We've had an agreement with Naples Grande for many years, they're a very good partner, and we've had along -standing good relationship involving the Clam Pass area. • She wants to determine if PARAB members have the same questions she does. • The first proposed change is that from the first amendment to the current proposed second amendment, we'd move from a 10-year agreement with two five-year renewals to a 20- year term limit, with two additional 10 years, which could be 40 years. • The second proposed change is that the county reduces alcohol revenue from 12% to 10%. • Naples Grande would be allowed to hold 52 private events per year, which is double what they're currently allowed. They're allowed to hold 26. • The amendment strikes the requirement that Naples Grande's private events may not occur prior to two hours before sunset, so they could hold a private event with no time restrictions and that could occur during the best time at Clam Pass, sunset. The current contract says they can't interfere with the peak sunset time and events can't occur two hours prior to sunset. • [Mr. Dixon noted that it gives them free reign.] • The amended agreement gives Naples Grande the ability to extend their hours to 11 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. They're currently bound by park hours and parks close at 9 p.m. That gives them an additional two hours. • Page 4, Article 5, Modifications to the Premises. -The underlined section, the second half of the paragraph, is being added. Generally, if someone that we've entered into a lease agreement with wants to make modifications to county property they must get written approval and the director or someone higher has to approve whatever they're asking to do to county assets. This says they can make reasonable, non-structural improvements and modifications necessary to enhance and improve life safety without our written permission. 5 N O N ti M N O N L d M m 0 z a Packet Pg. 626 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 Chairman Olesky asked who came up with the amended agreement. Ms. Williams said she doesn't know, but neither she nor Olema were involved. Ms. Laemel said that's odd considering Olema is the parks director. Ms. Williams continued her presentation: • On the last page, Article 20 regarding public parking, "Any maintenance and supervision of county public parking area, including related landscaping, shall be the sole responsibility of Naples Grande." That takes the responsibility of parking lot maintenance and repairs and landscaping off the county and Naples Grande agrees to take care of that. • This agreement does not address parking fees. Does the county retain parking fees or does Naples Grande now get the parking fees? That's why she red -flagged this. • We need to look at this and do our due diligence. We want to continue with Naples Grande because they're a great partner and do great things for Clam Pass, but the PARAB, Olema and she need to vet this second agreement to ensure we cover all bases. • She highlighted the meat of the proposed adjustments. • On page 2, under rent, it says, "Complete capital improvements and repairs to Clam Pass decking area at the Naples Grande's sole cost and expense within 180 days of board approval." • That says if this amended agreement is approved, Naples Grande will come in and redo the concession and boardwalk areas within 180 days. That's faster than the county can do it, but we are mitigating Hurricane Ian damage and seeking FEMA reimbursement. • This is a great start, but there are questions that need to be answered. We may need to ask Naples Grande for clarification. We need to understand what a second amendment would look like. • Their current lease agreement isn't up until 2027, but there is some urgency because Naples Grande wants to get everything returned to pre -Hurricane Ian condition. • She doesn't want to rush the agreement without fleshing out specifics, so we're starting with the PARAB. A discussion ensued and the following points were made. • A 40-year term is a long time. • There are a lot of issues, including sunset. • Jacob Damouni is the Naples Grande general manager the county is working with. • It looks like the county is giving them everything. • The reduction in alcohol sales from 12% to 10% should be an increase to 15% because Naples Grande will be making a killing during the sunset time frame 52 weeks of the year. That needs to be determined, unless Parks & Rec is receiving the parking fees. • The last sentence says, "The lessee will ensure that their employees will park in the public parking lot." Naples Grande employees should park on Naples Grande property. • It's all give and no take. • What is Parks & Rec getting if it doesn't get parking fees? • Under the ability to make repairs without a county permit, they changed the wording to where no response used to be a denial and now no response is an approval. • How does this affect shared operations? • What's considered "minor improvements?" That needs to be defined. Can they encroach into a multi -purpose pathway, public areas or expand their table area? • Tell them to start a new draft and we'll work on it. • The boardwalk is only passable now. The county is still working on Hurricane Ian repairs, but the golf carts are running now. • If a PARAB member thinks of another issue, please email her or Olema. • What's the current alcohol revenue on the agreement under 12%? [Ms. Williams wasn't scheduled to do this presentation, so she will get them that information.] M N O N ti M N O N ai L d m 0 z Packet Pg. 6 7 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 • If the restaurant expansion isn't bad for Collier County and if the revenue stream will increase county profits and doesn't interfere with existing public space, that's not bad, but we need more definitions. • The revenues now go to the Parks & Rec general fund. • What's the rush? There must be a reason. The county is bound by how we handle restoration processes with FEMA to ensure the county receives FEMA reimbursement. We want as much reimbursement as possible. A private company can come in and make repairs a lot faster because they're not worried about FEMA reimbursement. That's probably what's driving this. • If they fixed some items, that would prevent the county from being reimbursed. The current agreement allows Naples Grande to submit a request to the county to make improvements. It's been 14 months. The current agreement says that if after 60 days there has been no county response to their proposals or plans, the silence is "deemed a denial." They changed that to "approval." Have they heard nothing back from the county? • Would it make more sense for the Naples Grande to make improvements or is it necessary to wait until it goes through the FEMA process? It's a pure cost analysis/benefit analysis. That may a reason for the reduction in fees. It needs to be shared. • Naples Grande needs to sit down with the county to come up with an agreement. Action Item: PARAB members can email Olema or Tanya with additional concerns or questions. Action Item: Ms Williams was asked to provide the PARAB with the current revenue amount under the agreement at 12%. [Provided later in the meeting: Naples Grande provided the county with $92, 000 in alcohol revenues from August 2022 to August 2023, meaning the hotel earned nearly $1 million in revenues.] Action Item • Ms Williams was asked to determine if the Naples Grande asked: to make improvements and hasn't heard anything after the 60-day period in the current agreement. c. Capital Projects Update (Dayne Atkinson) Mn Atkinson told the PARAB: • Aquatics: Sun N Fun is currently closed. We're hiring an engineer to look at the stairs and structural for the slide. • We have a lot of rusting beams and bolts, and so we're meeting tomorrow with TRC Worldwide to get them to do a structural assessment and give us recommendations for repairs on the slide stairs. • We've been working with Wastewater because they have a pump group and we need to start changing out pumps. Many are 10- to 15-years-old. We plan to upgrade pumps in Pump House 1 and 3, the most critical ones, and the ventilation in Pump House 1 needs to be updated. • With all the chlorine, we generate "a lot of chlorine gases, which deteriorates equipment faster, so we have the design ready to submit for permitting and, hope to start construction in late winter or early, spring on improving ventilation in Pump House 1. We're working with Roads & Bridges to get a quote. A lot of the epoxy caulking on the joints in the deck need to be redone. They have a crew that can work with us and save us a lot of money compared with an outside contractor. • We're working with WTIENGINEERING. Our IWF (interactive water feature) was down this summer and we were losing more water than we could make up, so we want to redesign the catch basins for the IWF and slide pool. At some points, we were losing up to 10,000 gallons daily, so we're addressing that. • A lot of work will occur' in the next couple of months. N O N ti M N O N d M E 0 z d _ .N m 2 CD m m m Q a d s a Packet Pg. 628771 32.A.3 November 15, 2023 • Golden Gate will undergo upgrades. We have 100% done the pump house and the competition pool, but we're going to add to this local work because the slides need to be replaced because they're very old and we need upgrades. We plan on upgrades to the N men's locker room. N • The engineer of record made a business decision that he no longer wants to work with ti Collier County, so we're getting a new engineer of record. That sets us back because we �+ have to bring in a new engineer to look at the plans. • He was a good engineer, but it's just him, an assistant and a CAD operator. Collier County c=o can be difficult to work with as far as billing, change orders and permitting. Larger companies and those with accounting departments can more easily absorb the time and energy it takes to get building done, but for a small operation, it can take a lot. The M contractor said he has an easier time with other municipalities and private clients. m • We're trying to contract with WTI ENGINEERING, which has been doing a great job for Collier County. They did a lot of work with the activity pool and will be helping with a 0 mockup, so he's confident about the replacement. > • It will delay the timeline for about six months. We hoped to start construction at Golden Q Gate in the winter, but now we're probably looking at the fall. o Chairman Olesky asked what the price difference was between the two.. Mr. Atkinson said we plan to spend $4 million at Golden Gate and it will look like a new aquatic facility, with a new pump house, new resurfaced pool, the activity pool will be redone, with new features, new slides and a slide pool. We'll also add a new locker room. We did the women's locker room during the last project, so we want to do the men's locker room. That side of the park will look brand new. Chairman Olesky asked if it would handle more people. Mr. Atkinson said that won't change due to the capacity we have. Mr. Atkinson continued his presentation:. N • In Immokalee, we have a conceptual design that was presented to upper management and 0 N everybody seems to like it. It's a beautiful design and is smaller than what we thought we'd be able to do, but it's beautiful and will work well for Immokalee residents, d • We're waiting for a new engineer of record. We have to provide a new work order, so M we're getting a proposal from him. • That will involve a new pool, new kiddie pool, new swim lanes and new slide. All fit in 0 the existing footprint. We're going to upgrade the little backwash area. , • Vineyards splash pad. We have a proposal for WTI Engineering to come in. We're going to get away from having electric chemicals next to the playground. We're going to switch c to a tablet system; redo the pump house, add new features to the splash pad area and epoxy aM 'w the ground so it will look fresh. N • Big Corkscrew opened. We've had 5,000 guests so far and it's been well received. The contractor has been addressing warranty items as we point them out. c • Eagle Lakes needs repairs. We have a big deck problem with the epoxy, which we're 2 losing between the joints. We're asking Roads & Bridges to help. We also have _ ventilation issues, so an engineer will look at that. It's the chlorine gases, which affect equipment and mechanical equipment, so we're looking at cross -ventilation. • We're waiting for a part on one of the handicapped lifts to be delivered and that needs m to be repaired. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • There hasn't been a crowding issue at Golden Gate and there's room for expansion, but we don't physically have room for further expansion. There's a small notch in the pool " that we can take out to add two swim lanes. There's also a grass area that we can take Packet Pg. 629 32.A.3 November 15, 2023 out because we're switching from geothermal to air -heated coolers, which gives more flexibility. We're maximizing the space as much as we can. • Parks & Ree is still in discussions with RCMA about the need for more soccer fields in N Immokalee. That probably won't go through due to federal guidelines and how they N secure that site. • The county has talked about re -sodding and recrowning the fields and are waiting to Z' see what can be done. That will lift the fields and allow them to drain. • There are three fields; two are artificial turf. They worked to re -up the current codes for drainage but couldn't figure it out and nixed the project. , • We want to crown the fields to avoid shutting them down for three or four months. The soccer pitch is flat. We told Immokalee residents that based on current funding, that's c the best alternative. It will give them more opportunities to play. m • We'll still have regulation fields, and the pitch is not going to be great, but not to the 0 point where they can't play, a regulation league game. Any time it rains, the "water sits N on the field and it becomes a mud bowl. • The backup plan doesn't seem viable. • Mr. Atkinson is continuing to provide recommendations. • We can discuss this at the next meeting. Rick (Garby) went home sick today and isn't here to discuss it. Action Item: Put the soccer fields on the next agenda so they can brainstorm solutions about flooding, the shortage of gelds and what can be done. [The PARAB decided to cancel its December meeting due to the holidays.] co VII. Manager Updates... ti Region 1 [Mike OssorioJ • T2 parking meters are moving forward. We hope to implement them in early January. The signs have been ordered and we'll be doing a lot of work on that. �o • Commercial permits for marinas. We're in the final phases and have a meeting the first week of December. We probably will offer 180 permits. L • Park Rangers are brushing up on kayak skills. They did a dry run last week of a two-hour tour. [Ms. Edwards noted that the Park Rangers wanted to offer a kayaking program to the m public, so we did it as a team building exercise and provided feedback.] c • Blue Water, our marina vendor, is in its third or fourth month. She's making headway and z we haven't had any complaints and hope the contract will continue for years. ' • The Paradise Coast Blueway is in its final stages. The DEP approved it as a pathway and that should go to the county commissioners in a couple of months. a, Region 2 [Said Gomez] Mr. Gomez said the park supervisors will be providing the updates. Golden Gate Community Park, [gory Swinderman]: • We're renovating the bathroom near the tennis and basketball courts as of this week. • We're still working on the pool and it's going to be beautiful. • We just finished basketball clinics, which he's_ run himself for about four years. There are five to 10 participants per class. • Swimming lessons are big. We serve over 250 participants, it's funded by NCHand it's called our Swim Central Program. Samantha Fernandez runs it with her crew and she does a great, job. We have over 231 participants over four sessions for the fall. With us growing and the new addition of the pool, it's great to have something new to offer the community. • Fitness classes. We offer yoga. Cathy Wong comes over from the RecPlex and helps with that program. We hope to offer youth agility classes in the winter of 2024. Packet Pg. 630 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 Mr. Dixon asked about the snow event. Mr. Hanrahan said that was at Golden Gate but has been moved to the Paradise Coast Sports c Complex. There wasn't enough parking at Golden Gate. N ti Golden Gate Community Center, [Ray Corianol • We have a great partnership with Golden Gate Community Park. • He has a great staff who love what they do and the community. We have an annex behind the community center, the Wheels Skate/BMX Park, the county's only extreme park. • We have a good number of programs for the community. c • The child-care program includes a VPK program with 11 gators. There were 13 but we m had to transfer two to a better program with one-on-one care and services. We were able c to do that with the ELC (Early Learning Coalition) and the school board, which can N provide assistance for special help. We have 21 elementary schoolers in our evening Q active school program. • We're preparing for Thanksgiving camp. c • We have many sports programs. We have basketball open court, a year-round program for youths and seniors. • Basketball clinics are packed for elementary and middle school kids, the primary park targets. That gives us good dividends. _ • We have junior soccer and flag football, which are run by Keion Williams. w • This year, we added a PhysEd program for homeschooled kids. The community requested that and it's doing well. a • Volleyball and Peewee. He's in charge of those and has been for years. They offer co volleyball skills clinics and have been offering them to younger kids. Those also pay great dividends for us. V • The skate park was just renovated. The final phase is being worked on now. The kidscm r� love how the park looks. We have a BMX clinic program and a program offered through an MOU with Naples BMX. N • The center runs seven days weekly. L • We contract with instructors for Zumba, karate and judo classes at the park. • We just held our Halloween Bash event with close to 600 attendees. E • The Winter Wonderland Celebration is the next event and is the same day as Snowfest. m c We'll be hosting a carnival throughout the weekend Snowfest is running. Z Vice Chair Fruth asked how the county assesses which improvement projects to work on for the next fiscal year. Ms. Edwards said we talk to the Golden Gate Community Center supervisor. It's an MSTU and has its own advisory board. We gain input and prioritize what they're asking for, what funding is available and we work with the project management team. There's no park MSTU. All MSTU funds go to Golden Gate Community Center and they can't be used for the BMX park or other repairs. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • They shut down fields if there's a little rain. It's under the park's discretion. If you get a half -inch of rain in February during dry season, the fields are muck. • The pathway gets closed off because it holds water. We need to look at that. There's no drainage. • The county prioritizes improvements based on funding and how critical it is. • If someone were running on a Golden Gate pathway, tripped and was hurt, we'd need to do that versus standing water on a field. • The county documents problems and enters them into a queue. 10 a Packet Pg. 631771 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 • We don't have enough land to add pickleball there. We offer pickleball at Golden Gate Community Park, where they have temporary nets to put up and take down. Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation (AIR), [Monica Cummings] We offer community -based programs and recreation for the special -needs community. • We have a 3-to-1 ratio, with two full-time staff, including herself, in addition to three part- time KeyStaff employees. • She's here to detail the annual Boo-Tacular event at North Collier Regional Park. Prior to 2020, North Collier Athletics, Vineyards, and a couple of other parks collaborated in a Halloween event every year on the last Friday in October. Due to COVID in 2020, they had to pivot and create a new, exciting event for the community to get through the challenging times of masks and social distancing. • When Boo-Tacular started, about 1,000 cars came through and we handed out free candy, giveaways and offered a drive-thru haunted trail. • In 2021, we wanted to return to normality with more in -person activities, but we hit a challenging year in 2022 due to Hurricane Ian and were able to impact 3,000 families in Collier County. • This year, the Boo-Tacular Halloween event once again was a huge success. We served about 2,000 families and partnered with 15 local businesses and organizations that set up tables, passing out candy to the public. • She asked the PARAB to continue to support that event. Max Hasse Community Park, [Kyle Bregenzer] • He started as interim director two months ago and is ready to hit the ground running. • On November 17, we'll have our fifth -grade dance with a DJ. • On November 18, a Saturday, we'll have our yard sale. We only have about two vacancies left out of about 70 spaces. That means season is in full effect. • Our big Christmas event is on December 15. We'll decorate cookies, listen to Christmas music, have craft stations, games and an ugly sweater contest. • He has plans for future programs because offering more programs is very important. • He's working with a contractor to come on as the park tennis instructor. • We have an after -school program, but want to offer a supplemental tutoring program, so kids can sign up for after -school help for an additional charge. Kids are already there, so let's maximize it. • He wants to offer skills and drills basketball because we have an outdoor covered basketball shelter. • We hold four dances yearly. We offer the fifth -grade dances. He'd like to increase those and offer themed dances, such as Halloween, Christmas or Valentine's Day. • He'd like to hold a talent show at the end of the school year. That would be fun for the parents, kids and staff. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • They have good communication with the school through program leader Melody Zikursh: • Yard sales have been overlapping massive sports events. It's a disaster. That happened at Vineyards this past weekend with soccer, which was packed. There's already nowhere to park and signs everywhere that warn not to park on the grass.. The county did a great job of striping, but people park where they want. Ave Maria University Law School also is there. • The yard sale took up the entire grass parking lot. There are so many cars coming that it's not safe for kids. • Max Hasse has had that problem in the past. We have a schedule and get that well in advance so we can tell people when there will be parking issues. • The same problem occurs at Veterans Park. 11 M N O N L a� m 0 z Packet Pg. 6 2 32.A.3 November 15, 2023 • It brings in revenue, but it's a serious safety concern. There have been a few times where we had to ask the school district to open their gate for events. • The county gets a copy of the schedule and we work hard to coordinate that. They are N aware of the county park events. N • At Max Hasse, Big Cypress Elementary is starting to get more parking complaints. • The biggest problem is the overlap of events going on. �+ Action Item: Mr. Hanrahan agreed to work with regional managers on the overlap ofproQrams c=o and parking problems Ms. Edwards said David Michel left the county last Thursday to take a parks job with the City of Naples, so Randi will be handling Region 3 and 4 today. Region 3 [Randi Swinderman] • Region 3 had two successful Halloween events. • We had over 2,000 participants at the Trunk or Treat event. They had about 15 trunks come through. The Halloween contest was well received and we plan a bigger event next year. We do it a week before the Boo-Tacular event so families can go to both. • The night of the Boo-Tacular, we had a Trunk or Treat in Immokalee and about 500 kids came through, the biggest one they ever had. They had a lot of donations and a great DJ, Mr. James. • Big Corkscrew. We had our grand opening and ribbon cutting a few weeks ago. We're w finally done with Phase 1 but have punch list items we're trying to wrap up. • We're preparing for Christmas Around the World, our second signature event. a • Snowfest will be at Paradise Coast Sports Park. • On December 9, we have a great Santa Claus who is back this year, Chairman Olesky. ti • That event will now be at Immokalee Community Park, which fits the event better than the V Sports Complex. • We're working with the Immokalee Chamber of Commerce. The parade starts at 5:30, N c although the event technically starts at 5 p.m. We'll have various entertainment, including N bounce houses. The event is free. We're partnering with WastePro as the sponsor. L • Staff did a great job of going out into the community and getting donations to ensure a M lower cost moving forward with community events. m • On December 2, we're having breakfast with Santa, which is sponsored by the CRA and c the Immokalee Chamber, at Immokalee Community Park. It's $5 for a family, and they'll Z get bacon, pancakes, hot chocolate, milk and coffee. ' • The following weekend is Grinchmas at Big Corkscrew. You must sign up ahead of time due to limited entry. They take about 200 people per session and offer various events, _ aM crafts and games. People rotate throughout the inside of the community center. N A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • WastePro isn't listed as the sponsor on the flyers. • The flyers were printed before the donation, so we're thanking them through banners on First Street and the stage, and on staff shirts that have the name on the sleeve. • We're also getting yard signs for sponsors. We'll ensure we're thanking sponsors for the event. • Staff is teaming up with the county museums for sponsorship levels. For the Cattle Drive, the museums have a nice template for levels of sponsors. Our staff mirrored that. • We're also collaborating with the libraries and museums for one large Easter event at Roberts Ranch in Immokalee this year. Region 4 [Randi Swinderman] They're starting to renovate the RecPlex's equipment, design and layout. 12 Packet Pg. 633 32.A.3 November 15, 2023 • Said has been instrumental in working with our vendor at different fitness centers to make them better spaces. • Athletics supervisor Mike Cummings said they've had a great fall season. They had 94 N teams in their soccer league, 16 kickball teams (the most they've ever had) and 54 N softball teams. • Two weeks ago, we hosted the Senior Winter Nationals, a week-long softball tournament that used multiple parks. There were 17 softball teams. It was a partnership with Lee County and the Collier tourism department. • We had Lionel Messi, one of the best soccer players of all time. His son played at , North Collier and he brought only one security guard, so staff were his security detail and were super excited. Once word got out, masses of people came to North Collier. It 0 was in three different news stories. m • There's a lot of growth and this park is growing and can serve many types of 0 communities. y Mr. Hanrahan said there will be a process to fill the Region 4 manager job, a written portion, a project portion and an interview portion. David Michel's shoes are very big shoes to fill and Randi is handling both jobs now. Region 5 [Sidney gittillaJ re • East Naples had a big Halloween event on October 13 and filled all their spots. They had a haunted house, snacks, etc. They sold all their tickets. • They had a big pickleball tournament with 456 players. L • Dayne is working on resurfacing 19 courts, which will start Friday and will be a completed in about a week. • Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Park helped with Boo-Tacular this year and so did other ti parks, so they didn't do a big event themselves. v • They're having a Turkey Day Run & Gobble Wobble at Eagle Lakes. It will be a M running and aquatic event. They received a local_ turkey donation from a store. o There's a new program leader there, Aline, who specializes in athletics. He's going to " N Sri start trying some new programs in the evening, such as PeeWee sports. We also have L an MOU, Mexi Soccer, that engulfs the park and we'll get funding from that. • Because it's a huge organization, we have to share the courts and fields whenever that E comes up. m o • Su dg en Regional Park just started their sailing and skiing program again; 45 accessible z sailors sign up with different disabilities. ' • They also have a program with the Wounded Warriors and veterans. About 20 people signed up; they just started that program. _ • About 15 signed up for wakeboarding and skiing. v • Two staff employees handle that, plus a half-time employee. Last weekend, they worked Saturday and Sunday, so they need to take time off. The three are doing a great job out with these programs. E • A huge pathway was just redone, thanks to Dayne. People love it. Many snowbirds are back in town and were talking about how much they loved it. They said it's way better than last year. • In December, there are many events, including a 5K night run using glow lights. • From January. 18-2 1, they're having the big boat show again, which will be bigger and Q better. a • A lot of parks are adding events and changing what they usually do to add new things. a Mr. Dixon told the PARAB: c E • His son participates in the Special Olympics, which has swimming practice every Sunday at Eagle Lakes. 13 a Packet Pg. 634 November 15, 2023 32.A.3 VIH. • The way the process works is they have practice, the county games, Area Games and the State Games. There's a month between area games and State Games and this year, six kids qualified for the State Games. • The first Sunday after the Area Games, he showed up for practice and there was no practice. Special Olympics people told him the agreement between Special Olympics and the county ended after the Area Games. There was no agreement to allow Special Olympics kids to use Eagle Lakes for the month between Area Games and the State Games. • What agreement is this? Is there a charge to Special Olympics? Why would there need to be an agreement? It's a public pool that opens at 10. Why would anybody care if the Special Olympics kids get there at 10 and swim in the pool in their lanes? • Did Special Olympics drop the ball or was the agreement terminated? Mr. Hanrahan said he'd look into it. He's not aware of a Special Olympics agreement. A discussion ensued and the following points were made: • One of the parents whose kids was in the Special Olympics made an agreement with a parks employee before the State Games to let us in at 9 a.m., prior to the park opening at 10, so the kids could practice from 9-10 a.m. The lifeguards volunteered to be there. • Ms. Edwards said if they come in before the park opens, they will be charged. [Mr. Dixon said that was only one time and they're usually there at 10 a.m.] • As long as there are lanes for the public, it's OK for them to practice because they're paying. • Special Olympics administrators generally don't show up for practices, but he was told when he showed up that day by Victoria that the agreement expired. • They later made an agreement among parents with a payment, but it was very disconcerting. Action Item: Mr. Hanrahan will be provided names of those involved and will research what occurred with the Special Olympics practice, whether there was a contract and provide that information to Miguel, who will give it to the PARAB and Mn Dixon. Assistant Director's Report [James Hanrahan] • Said allowed you to see the staff who are doing the work day in and day out. • We've played musical chairs with positions, and Said, Syd and Kyle have done an amazing job with the adjustments. They're thriving. • You're seeing and hearing new ways of looking at things at different parks, so kudos to them. It's also cool when supervisors like Corey and Ray run programs. That usually doesn't happen. • We don't typically see what supervisors and staff are doing. • We have an amazing team who cares about what we're giving to the community. • [Olema noted that Monica is another supervisor who does hands-on programming day in and day out. She also works at the Naples Performing Arts Center during her down time. Many supervisors love their community and give back to the community outside their parks jobs.] • Regional managers are working with supervisors to look at the life cycle of programs, changes and what we may need to get rid of, continue or add. • The budget will never be an excuse for why we can't do something. It just helps us frame what we can do. • We're looking at aquatics, athletics and child-care programs, so you'll hear about different things coming up within the first quarter of 2024. Director Highlights (Olema Edwards) 14 M N O N a; d E 0 z Packet Pg. 635 32.A.3 November 15, 2023 Ms. Edwards told the PARAB: • We have an outdoor fitness pad at North Collier that's smaller than the one at Paradise Coast Sports Complex, but we're holding a grand opening/ribbon-cutting ceremony on N December 7 and are asking Naples firefighters and the Sheriff's office to do a fitness N challenge. It's free to the public and will be on Field 5. • The Isles of Capri bocce and playground renovation project has been going on for the last five years and is nearly complete. The contractor withdrew, we met with the No. 2 _ contractor yesterday and they should start next week. We're waiting on a PO to be cut, but hope to have the renovations completed by mid -January or earlier. , • The December meeting will be canceled, and we'll meet again in January. • We appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to come listen to us, help us through c our issues and give us great input, feedback and insight. m Ms Williams told the PARAB: T) • Thank you to everyone who takes the time once a month to come here because your Q passion is parks and recreation, youth and the services we provide to the public. _ • You have a great Parks & Recreation team. She's asked them to do things that probably made many uncomfortable, but she gets up every day outside her comfort zone, so she L thought everyone should do that. Many have done things without being asked. They've jumped into roles they may not have personally thought they were ready for, but they are. • They either came up through team sports in school or coached school sports so she holds c them to a much higher standard than other divisions in regard to teamwork and what it w means to coach and mentor, so she commends them for their work. • We'll continue making adjustments. a • We'll be discussing the fiscal year 2025 budget once Christmas is over and will be co reconvening with the county manager and agency staff in January for a retreat to plan the budget and strategize. • We'll keep everyone apprised of outstanding capital projects across parks and the N department. You will see more transparency and visibility on those. N • We'll be asking staff for help prioritizing and vetting requests, so you'll see more staff engagement. L d M X. Adjournment m Next Meeting Date: c January 17, 2024, 2 p.m. —North Collier Regional Park Z d a There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by aM 'w order of the chairman at 4:14 p.m. N m r s & Recre iso 0 m m m Edward "Ski" Olesky, Chairman Q a c These minutes were approved by the Board on , (check one) as presented, E or as amended Q Packet Pg. 636 32.A.3 Packet Pg. 637