PARAB Minutes 12/04/2024December 4, 2024
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
PARKS &RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
Naples, Florida
December 4, 2024
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 (excused)
VICE CHAIR: Joshua Fruth
Jessica Bergel
Lee Dixon (absent)
Rebecca Gibson-Laemel
Kristina Heuser
Eric Kelly
Donna Fiala (excused/alternate)
ALSO PRESENT: James Hanrahan, Interim Director, Parks &Recreation
Miguel Rojas Jr., Admin. Support Specialist II, Parks & Rec
Jaime Cook, Director, Development Review, Growth Mgt.
Mike Ossorio, Region 1 Parks Manager
Eric Short, Supervisor, Park Rangers
Randi Swinderman, Region 4 Parks Manager
Sidney Kittila, Region 2 Parks Manager
Said Gomez, Region 3 Parks Manager
December 4, 2024
Anyone who needs a verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the
recording and PowerPoint presentations from the Collier County Parks &
Recreation Department.
I. Call to Order
Acting Chair Fruth called the meeting to order at 2 p.m.
a. Welcome by the Director
(Not presented. No members of the public were in attendance.)
b. Roll Call
The roll call was taken.
c. Verification of Quorum
Four were in attendance; a fifth joined later.
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
(No changes)
IV. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
Ms. Laemel made a motion to approve the Aug. 21, 2024, PARAB draft minutes.
Second by Mr. Kelly. The motion passed unanimously, 4.0.
V. New Business
a. Introduction to New Leadership
Mr. Hanrahan told the board:
• There have been many changes going on with the county and the PARAB has
been very supportive of what's going on and with him being interim director.
• Parks & Recreation has officially moved from Public Services to the Growth
Management Department.
• Parks & Rec and Domestic Animal Services both moved under GMD. Parks
followed DAS.
• Jaime Cook, director of Development Review in GMD, has been assigned to
assist him, be a mentor and help with future capital projects.
• There are areas we weren't strong at, such as permitting, and she's provided
guidance and insight. We've had meetings about permitting for special events
and how to help our partners and outside organizations.
[Ms. Heuser joined the meeting at 2: 04 p. m.J
• We're working by committee and any decisions go through Jaime.
• Park Rangers Supervisor Eric Short has done a phenomenal job and stepped up,
especially during hurricanes Helene and Milton. He's working in a more
elevated role now to assist with maintenance and the maintenance team likes
December 4, 2024
working under him. Eric was able to focus on Barefoot Beach and all beaches
and now he's assisting with Sun-N-Fun, which is a huge project.
• Some of the Code Enforcement team will be operating out of out of North
Collier Regional Park. The idea is that Park Rangers, Code Enforcement
officers and Animal Control Officers will be cross -trained to do multiple things,
so if an ACO gets called and sees code infractions, the ACO can do something
about it.
• They'll have additional staff, eyes and ears, which will be extremely helpful.
• We're looking at other potential locations to share office space.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• We can look into holding some meetings in the 609/610 conference room in the
Growth Management building on Horseshoe Drive North.
• Growth Management staff would be available to us there if we have questions
about engineering, permitting and other GMD issues.
• James meets there two or three times weekly with Jaime.
• When new projects happen, Jaime forwards them to Parks & Rec to see if we
have an opinion. If it's something that impacts the county, such as soccer
acreage, it's been helpful to have that input.
b. Pickleball Fees Increase Recommendation
Mr. Hanrahan told the board:
• Pelican Bay Community Foundation is investing all the construction funds, $6
million, to build the pickleball courts and other improvements at Pelican Bay
Community Park.
• The contract was approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
• Pelican Bay Foundation will manage tennis and pickleball and the county will
receive revenues.
• Before it can open, we need approval from the County Manager's Office, so
Maury Bozman, a Pelican Bay foundation director, wants to ensure he has
PARAB's support on the fee schedule. We think it's fair, but we want you to
review it.
Mr. Bozman detailed a PowerPoint presentation about the project:
• He's the director of Community Center and Rackets at Pelican Bay Foundation,
where he's been since 2020. Prior to that, he was in Maryland working on
pickleball and revitalizing the community. He's looking forward to sharing that
expertise here.
• Pelican Bay is investing $6 million to revitalize Pelican Bay Community Park
with a pickleball and tennis project.
• Everyone is invited to join us at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the park for a
groundbreaking ceremony.
• Collier County did an outstanding job with The Cove at Paradise Coast Sports
complex. It has a South Florida feel of open air, being outdoors and connecting
with the community.
• This is a blueprint of our play pavilion for community residents who will play
pickleball. The 20 pickleball courts are located next to it, so we can venture
onto the courts.
December 4, 2024
• There are six HydroGrid tennis courts (with a subsurface irrigation system) that
will remain out of the existing footprint. We will expand the parking lot and add
two more tennis courts, so you'll still have six HydroGrid tennis courts, the only
ones in North Naples.
• We'll also add 20 pickleball courts.
• This will be a full -service facility. We'll have a head professional who will
oversee all aspects of rackets: tennis and pickleball. A staff of professionals will
report to them, and we will have court maintenance staff for the upkeep of the
sub -irrigated courts.
• Court monitors have been very beneficial at Veterans Community Park, helping
get players connected at different levels to ensure they're playing with groups of
equal compatibility so we will use court monitors.
• Hours of operation. We're going to mirror the hours of Pelican Bay Community
Park, 8 a.m. until dusk. We'll close the facility in conjunction with the park
hours.
• Staff hours will be Monday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or dusk, from
October until April. Seasonal hours will be reduced somewhat, similar to what
we've experienced at East Naples, where there has been a little downturn in
activity.
• We'll still keep it open, but we're going to operate through a reservation system,
a card -swipe system similar to those used in hotels. Or we may just leave it
open, depending on the time of year.
• Programs. We've partnered with one of the top names in pickleball, Johns
Design and Consulting (JDC), which was founded by Ben and Collin Johns.
They'll create programs and a lesson curriculum. We'll have well over 40
different programs available, from tournaments to clinics and events.
• Focus groups. We've held focus groups and that will be ongoing with Parks &
Rec and the community to consider areas they want as part of the facility.
• Fee structure. In October 2023, we did an analysis of fees at Arthur L. Allen
Tennis Center at Cambier Park and East Naples Community Park to try to
standardize the fee structure to be in line with other facilities. We wanted to
create consistency, a standard.
• We want to create that consistency throughout our business model and we're
going to work with the county to standardize some business practices and fee
structures.
• Usage fees will be $16 for 1.5 hours.
• Annual membership fees will be $477 for county residents and $632 for non -
county residents.
• PM memberships for afternoon and early evening play will be $284 for
residents and $423 for non-residents.
• Junior fees for residents will be $27 and $32 for non-residents.
• Pelican Bay residents' annual fees will be $95.
• There are other fee schedules (see the PowerPoint presentation.)
• We are going to be a fully staffed, full -service facility and feel the fees are in
line with others. We're asking for the PARAB's support on these fees.
Mr. Hanrahan said Mike Dee and Bob Bowman (Pickle4) took over as owner and
operator of daily concessionaire operations at Naples Pickleball Center, NPC.
December 4, 2024
Un Dee introduced his partner and detailed a PowerPoint presentation:
• We're thrilled Pelican Bay and other pickleball facilities countywide, public and
private, are coming online because this is the Pickleball Capital of the U.S.,
even the world. We should be proud of that and celebrate it.
• We could probably double the number of courts and there still would be a
demand -supply issue.
• East Naples Community Park, with 65 courts, is the largest facility and has a
regional, national and international appeal, bringing players from around the
region, country and world.
• It's currently called the Naples Pickleball Center, but it's the county, so we're
working on renaming it U.S.O.P. National Pickleball Center of Collier County,
Florida. We think it gives it cachet, great curb appeal and captures the existing
international footprint.
• The new welcome center constructed by the county opened just in time for the
2023 U.S. Open and it's been a tremendous addition to the park.
• There was a public investment by the county in East Naples and a private
investment by the Pelican Bay Foundation in North Naples, so our business
models are different. The county is a partner in our business.
• We pay the county 15% off the top of every dollar collected at the park, so as
we grow revenues and success, the county benefits.
• We committed to a timeline and lease that was approved by the Board of
County Commissioners on Sept. 24. The contract calls for us to make a $1
million private contribution to the park.
• With the county, we will co -fund a new waterproof canopy for the U.S. Open's
new championship courts. It's important to have waterproof protection for
training and for residents who use the park. They asked for rain protection.
• The existing structure provides a little shade, but unfortunately, not only does it
not give rain protection, but because it's under shade when it rains, those are the
last courts to dry, so this capital investment will really enhance the experience.
• We're going to be working with the county and Tourist Development Council
on a study and hope to have the waterproof canopy added by the 2027 U.S.
Open Pickleball Championships.
• We acquired the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships in December 2022, our
introduction to the community — the largest event in all of pickleball. It's the
largest anchor tenant at the park, along with the year-round operation of
pickleball enterprises, so both will benefit from this private -public partnership
and investment.
• History. Everyone asks him about the history. How did East Naples Community
Park become the pickleball capital of the world? Credit goes to county
leadership and this board for having the foresight to see this before many other
communities did.
• In 2011, the first courts were created by restriping tennis courts.
• In 2014, the county was operating the courts and said we should charge a
membership fee because it was growing.
• In 2016, fees were established at $25, when there were 38 courts.
• In 2018, the first concession contract was with Jim Ludwig, who works for us
today. That was done for the U.S. Open in 2018.
December 4, 2024
• In 2019, the membership fee was increased to $50 and courts were expanded
from 40 to 65.
• In 2020, Jim sold the concession contract to Bob Strommen.
• In July 2024, we acquired the concession contract and on Sept. 24, the BCC
voted unanimously to extend the lease for the U.S. Open Pickleball
Championships and pickleball enterprises, which is doing business as Naples
Pickleball Center and will soon be renamed the USOP National Pickleball
Center of Collier County. Both those rights extend through 2032.
• We assumed rights, obligations and opportunities, including a $1 million capital
commitment.
• Expanded operating hours. We expanded operating hours. There was a time set
aside in the middle of the day for public play and cottage businesses started
operating during county time, renting courts from the county at a small fee, a
fraction of what they charged for lessons. That was in direct competition with
the concession agreement and unfair to the county. James Hamahan, Assistant
County Attorney Colleen Green and other county staff pointed this out.
• We now have operating control seven days a week starting at sunup, but are
working to get lights on at 6 a.m. because many residents play before they go to
work. Lights will be shut off at 10 p.m.
• We're going to work with the businesses that were operating there to see if we
can work out something and offer a friendly hand to everyone who uses the
park. Nobody got left behind. We have increased rights but we're going to take
care of people if they want to be a part of what we're doing.
• Food and beverages. We have expanded food and beverage rights, which
accelerated revenue growth and the county receives 15% of all gross revenue.
This will be a significant increase over time as we build the business together.
• Court maintenance. We agreed to assume all court maintenance, which cost the
county $150,0004200,000 yearly, a huge expense. We also will resurface the
courts every three years, and agreed to pay energy costs after Deputy Manager
Ed Finn asked for that.
• Homeless challenges. The park is in a far better place than it was historically,
but there are still some challenges with the homeless. We're working with Mike
Ossario and Park Supervisor Kathy Topolewski and will increase security to
ensure people feel safe and make sure the pickleball facilities are entrenched.
• Membership fees. We're asking to raise our membership fees to $100, effective
January 1, 2025. It's been six years since they were raised. We will offer big
enhancements, including expanded hours, leagues, and various fee options,
including junior and weekend fees. There will be no clinics operating during
member time. Many courts were taken out of play by our predecessor and
members were frustrated that they didn't have access.
• We will offer more professional demo days, an expanded pro shop and all
members will get a 10% discount off all pro -shop items moving forward. There
will be a significant increase in the number of instructors and more hours
available for instruction, including weekends.
• We plan to install cameras on certain courts for lessons, a membership
enhancement so they can view their lessons.
For the community, we'll offer weekend clinics. We want to do more with kids
and community programs, especially with youth. More kids are playing
pickleball and that's great for us. The next top professional should be from
December 4, 2024
Collier County.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• They work with neighboring Avalon Elementary School.
• In the past, Kathy Topolewski has been working with the schools and
community but we want to be very aggressive and active with the entire school
system and offer after -school programs and instruction.
• We have an emphasis on youth for the U.S. Open.
• Pros will include icons, such as Anna Leigh Waters, who will make appearances
during the year. We're going to have a top -shelf pro staff.
• Veterans Communi� will remain under the control of the picklebalI
community and monitors. If the job becomes to big to manage, a concessionaire
will take over. Parks Supervisor Shannon Darrow is working with Randi on
that.
• AED use. There's nearly daily AED (Automated External Defibrillator).
• Veterans Community Park will not be impacted by the new fee structure.
Veterans has a different clientele, more community based. It's all pick-up play.
We have some rentals in the afternoon, but the majority of players there do not
want rentals, so we do keep those to appease the group that does want them.
That's why they're in the afternoon.
• It's the same with Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park. They use a board to run
games for community public play. It's not as busy as Veterans.
• There will be a minimum of nine dedicated public courts at East Naples
Community Park from noon to 10 p.m. daily. In the contract, it's called the P9,
the first nine courts to the right. Open play has been increased from noon to 5
p.m. and noon to 10 p.m. on those courts.
• Before that, Mike Ossorio made a sign saying those courts were reserved for
open play.
• If there's a higher demand for open play, that's subject to the Parks &
Recreation Department's review.
• Mike Dee's team takes care of all the maintenance in East Naples. Mike Ossorio
works with them and Randi works with both parks.
• The community feels we're moving in the right direction.
• There are public pickleball courts north of here, such as Cape Coral, that charge
$240 monthly. This is $8.34 monthly. It's highly affordable compared with
facilities nationwide. Fort Lauderdale just opened courts that aren't as nice as
Collier's and they charge $139 a month.
Action Item: Ms. Laemel asked for a copy of the East Naples Community Park
history and presentation.
Mr. Hanrahan asked for separate motions for Pelican Bay Community Park and East
Naples Community Park to recommend that the county manager be authorized to
increase fees. Mike Dee and Bob Bowman have enhanced their staff, not just security.
In the past, members said they didn't know who the staff was, so there's already been
anincreased presence.
Ms. Laemel made a motion to transmit the approved proposed Pelican Bay
Community Park pickleball fees to the County Manager's Office. Second by Mr.
December 4, 2024
Kelly. The motion passed unanimously, 54.
Ms. Laemel made a motion to recommend that the county manager be authorized to
increase pickleball membership fees at East Naples Community Park to $100. Second
by Ms. Bergel. The motion passed unanimously, 5-0.
c. Adopt -A -Park Request
Mr. Hanrahan said he's excited about this item. Miguel has really stepped up and has
been a true help to him during this transition. He and Eric Kelly will present this item.
Mr. Kelly said when county employees were talking about report cards and gg
themselves grades, he was impressed by their honest and fair answers. Miguel
mentioned we used to have an Adopt -A -Park program. We've lost track of it. As a
board member, he thought it was important to bring that program back, put the time in
and provide input on parks for staff.
A discussion ensued and the following points were made:
• We can use the 311 app to provide feedback.
• When board members first used the app six years ago, we would designate a
certain park and provide a full list.
• What's nice about the app is you can upload a photo and it gets assigned to
someone on maintenance.
• Or our information can be sent to Miguel.
• Either option will work.
• The app has a drop -down list that makes it user friendly. It includes
maintenance.
• We need a refresher tutorial on the app.
• It would be best to do Adopt -A -Park digitally, through the app.
• Mr. Hamahan said if a board member wants to adopt a certain park, you can
work with the supervisor and crew leader to help us out. Sometimes we're used
to seeing the same things. We'd rather hear from board members who provide
positive feedback.
• Jessica has kids in baseball and roller hockey and is at parks a lot, so that will
assist us. Josh also has been our voice before in telling the community what's
going on.
• It helps Parks & Rec tell our story to the community, such as roller hockey and
successful players in championships we wouldn't know about. We need to be
able to tell those good stories. The board can assist with that.
• The beaches also can be improved.
• We can provide this input at our monthly meetings. We used to have that
information in a little packet at the end of the agenda so we could see the
service requests and what was completed.
• Jaime received a comment about a playground yesterday from a commissioner
and we already have a P.O. on it. We're we doing that playground, but she had a
question about it and we were quickly able to say we're actually meeting
tomorrow and are going to break ground on it.
• Providing that information to the community, showing it's in a queue, is a
positive thing. That's all they want to hear that something is happening.
December 4, 2024
• Seeing those comments will show us a common theme. We used to do it.
Typically, what we see is a reports on broken equipment, graffiti or something
that's not working.
• Parks & Rec gets those reports and acts on them immediately, especially on a
Monday if a report was provided on the weekend.
• Parks & Rec has three days to respond. Maintenance and Park Rangers work
hand -in -hand. Eric Short is owning maintenance. When he's called, he acts on it
immediately. We try to respond in less than three days.
• Ms. Bergel said she's had very good results when she reported problems.
• The service request will say what it involves, such as vandalism, irrigation or
maintenance, and provides the address of the problem. When staff closes it out,
we email the customer. Our follow-up is detailed on the service request.
Action Item: James will provide a 311 tutorial at the PARAB January meeting and a
311 update will be provided at every meeting
d. Board Attendance
Mr. Hanrahan told the board:
• Josh mentioned attendance at the last meeting and we just wanted to bring it up.
• The board is made up of volunteers. We know you have jobs and are busy. We
want to make sure PARAB is a priority for all board members and if you can't
make it, we need to know in advance.
• We need to know if 2 p.m. on a Wednesday is still good for the board. We could
do it later on in the evening.
• We want to ensure we have a quorum because these decisions impact the
community.
A discussion between Mr. Hanrahan and Acting Chair Frutlz ensued and the
following points were made:
•
We must ensure we have a quorum so we aren't wasting board and staff time.
•
We changed the meeting for Immokalee to 6 p.m. and no one showed up.
Holding the meeting in the evening didn't solve any issues.
•
It's nice to be consistent at 2 p.m. every third Wednesday so the public knows.
•
We need to establish rules for board attendance. (See Collier County rules on
board attendance and number of unexcused absences allowed. It's believed to
be two unexcused absences.)
•
We can discuss the time of the Immokalee meeting the month before we hold it.
•
It's nice to rotate park locations.
•
If an absence becomes regular, the board should be able to vote someone new
onto the board.
•
If a board member has six excused absences in a row, he/she probably shouldn't
be on the board because it doesn't fit into their schedule.
•
If a board member has a conflict, that's an excused absence. We all may have
one or two a year where something comes up and we can't attend.
•
Former county commissioner Donna Fiala was appointed to the board in case
we didn't have a quorum but maybe we should remove that. She has only come
to one meeting.
0
We can work on a policy with the County Attorney's Office.
December 4, 2024
Action Item: James will work with the County Attorney's Office on a PAR,4B
attendance policy.
e. Upcoming Events
Mr. Hanrahan told the board about upcoming events:
• We sent out a press release about December events. We have two key events.
• The first is 3-9 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 7, Collier County's 40"' Annual
SnowFest at Paradise Coast Sports Complex. That event was one of his first
responsibilities when he began working for the county.
• We spent almost $30,000 to turn ice cubes into snow. Some of these kids have
never — and will never — experience cold like that.
• We moved that event from Golden Gate Community Center to Paradise Coast
Sports Park. This is the third year. It's a collaboration with Sports Facilities,
which manages the sports complex, as well as the Tourism Division, Sheriff s
Office, Parks & Rec and Fire Department.
• The other key event is on Dec. 21, Christmas Around The World. It's in
Immokalee and is being held later than usual to accommodate the Chamber of
Commerce. It was at Immokalee Community Park last year, but it's back at the
Immokalee Sports Complex.
• Both are amazing events and are totally different. They provide a wonderful
opportunity for the community to experience snow and have food, play in
bounce houses and other activities.
• Feel free to show up and volunteer. We always can use as many volunteers as
possible.
• The regional managers will be at both events because we decided that was
important. It used to be just the Immokalee team at Christmas Around The
World, but we're all one team so we support each other and do both events.
• Christmas Around the World is free, and SnowFest is $8.
VI. Old Business
a. Pelican Bay Foundation Pickleball Update (Maury Bozman, director, Pelican Bay
Foundation)
(See XI.a above)
b. East Naples Community Park irk, ckleball Update (Mike Dee, P44c1Ale4 presient)
(See XI.b above)
c. Sugden Park
Mr. Hanrahan told the board:
• The assessment by Risk Management and the County Manager's Office's
review of the assessment are in the agenda packet.
• The decision was to not allow motorized and non -motorized craft on the water
at the same time.
• He will ensure that staff will work with Mr. Vassey, of Marsh Paddlers, and
others in the community to establish a schedule, weather permitting, for our
programs.
• We will work on a consistent scheduling calendar so they can see when they can
be on the water and when our motorized watercraft are not on the water.
10
December 4, 2024
VII. Public Comments
(None)
VIII. Manager Updates
Mr. Hanrahan said the Board of County Commissioners made Sun-N-Fun Lagoon a
priority, so Jaime Cook will provide an update on the projects.
Ms. Cook provided an update on Sun-N--Fun:
• There are about four critical projects that must be done before Sun-N-Fun can
receive permits to open.
• All pumps must be replaced. They've delivered and the permit has been
approved, thanks to her coworkers at GMD.
• There's some ventilation work going on and the permit for that has been
approved.
• All the scaffolding has been installed for the slide -tower work that needs to be
done for the stair tower itself, as well as support beams for some slides. That
permit has been approved and work is starting to move forward.
• You will see workers there. Facilities Management Division has sent a lot of
staff over to help with cleaning everything — from the bathrooms to painting
and cleaning out concession stands. All of that work is underway.
• The painting is expected to be done by the end of December.
• Most of the pump work will be complete toward the end of December.
• The slide tower will probably be completed sometime in January.
Mr.
Kelly
asked what
the lead
times
are on the geo-thermals from Symbiont Service.
Ms.
Cook
said they've already
been
ordered.
Ms. Cook continued her update:
• Other minor projects have started. Some concrete needed to be repaired around
the dive pool. That's started and they've fixed what needed to be fixed.
• The replacement of the concrete was scheduled to start today.
• The heaters needed to be replaced and repaired. There is an item going to the
Board of County Commissioners next week for funding for that project. We
expect it will be approved without any problems so that Symbiont, the geo-
thermal heaters contractor, can start work in early January.
• We spoke to the Health Department on Monday morning. They're aware of our
timeline to get Sun-N-Fun open for spring break so they're planning on getting
out there at the end of February for the required inspections we need.
Mr. Ossorio provided an update:
• Commercial ep rm1tS• We're ready to go with commercial permits in 2025.
We're going to start processing. Within three weeks, we got 180 permits, so it's
going to be just like last year. Next year is going to be a lot easier.
• Pickleball. He's working with Mike Dee to ensure we have better security at
East Naples Community Park because that's important.
• We're going to be gearing up for the Naples Boat Show in January at Sugden
Regional Park. We're going to start working on a temporary -use permit in a
December 4, 2024
couple of weeks.
Beach parking fees. We now have the T2 app. You had a presentation a few
months ago. We've had no complaints on that through 311.
Tigertail Beach Park. We did an RFP for a concessionaire. The RFP has been
finalized for the Chickee Hut Beach Rental Concessionaire.
Mr. Hanrahan told the board:
We extended the RFP another week and this is the seventh we with no bids.
Tigertail is unique, so he and Jaime are looking at different avenues they can
consider for providing concessions to the community through parks.
We have to vet out a lot and Growth Management has worked on that.
There were a lot of inquiries and questions about the solicitation, but zero bids
and this is the third extension he's asked for.
Acting Chair Fruth asked why there's a problem. Is it because it's on an island?
Mr. Hanrahan responded:
• It's busy and packed there, not necessarily like Vanderbilt Beach, but the
questions we received were more about being able to run a business out of there.
We said no, it's strictly one thing — pre -packaged food, chair rentals, etc.
• He asked Viviana, who's in charge, to see if we can go out into the community
and field some questions about why there were no bids.
• It was tough. We had SSG for a while but that was also because Barefoot Beach
and Tigertail Beach went together. Barefoot Beach Preserve still isn't open yet,
so it's only Tigertail and maybe that's not appealing enough.
Mr. Hanrahan said today is Said Gomez's birthday. He's in the back of the room and
isn't feeling well. He had a rough Thanksgiving break, so we want to wish him a happy
birthday and kudos for the incredible job he's doing at Immokalee Sports Complex,
filling in as a supervisor and with Christmas Around The World. He's owning that
relationship and keeping Commissioner McDaniel abreast of what's going on in the
community, so we're happy to have him.
Mr. Gomez said he received a phone call this morning from Chair Ski Olesky, who
plans to be Santa at the event tomorrow. He'll be Santa at Breakfast With Santa and
Christmas Around The World later this month. We didn't want to commit him to events
because his family said he still has health issues, but he wants to be Santa. Christmas
Around The World is the biggest event because about 3,000 people attend. He's
working with the chamber and the Sheriff s Office and all the permits are good.
Mr. Hanrahan said Said checks on Ski almost daily.
IX. Director's Report
Mr. Hanrahan told the board:
• We're continuing with our focus on excellent customer service, clean parks and
being brilliant at the basics.
• Being under Growth Management will be more intense and magnified in a
positive way. There will be some changes, but it's going to be great. There will
be some growing pains, but great things come from growing pains.
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December 4, 2024
He's excited to move forward with PARAB and board members taking on more
of that ownership with staff, making sure the parks are great and being our eyes
and ears out there.
X. Adjournment
Next Meeting Date:
2 p.m. — Growth Management Division
There being no further business for the good of the county, the meeting was
adjourned by order of the chairman at 3:06 p.m.
COLLIER COUNTY
PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
Fruth, Acting
These mi utes were approved by the board on �iDZs t l , (check one) as
presented or as amended
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