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1 DRAFT MINUTES City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Glendale Civic Center Ballroom 5750 W. Glenn Dr. Glendale, Arizona 85301 June 25, 2020 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Sam McConnell, Chair Gayle Schiavone, Vice Chair Kristina Cadena Stephanie June Kathryn Mawby ABSENT: Ronald Beye Reginald Martinez ALSO PRESENT: Jim Burke, Director, Public Facilities and Special Events Walter ‘Skip’ Varney, Interim Assistant Director Paul King, Interim Deputy Director Diane Williams, Program Manager Dean Kinnoin, Senior Recreation Coordinator Heidi Barriga, Interim Recreation Administrator Keri Konold, GreenPlay, LLC – via Zoom 1. Call to Order Chair McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:16 p.m. 2. Roll Call Chair McConnell facilitated roll call. 3. Citizen Comments No citizens present. No comments. 4. Approval of the Minutes Motion by Commissioner Mawby, second by Commissioner June, to approve the February 10, 2020 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 5 – 0. 5. New Business a. Information: Commission Reports Vice Chair Schiavone announced that she had visited a few parks in her neighborhood and gave a report, which included the following information: • The grass is always mowed. • The equipment is kept in clean and good condition. • There was water in the fountains. Some fountains need some work. 2 • Trash is a problem, which seems to be due to people littering. She has seen parks staff cleaning up the grounds. • Some ground is uneven, maybe due to critters digging holes. • The Parks and Recreation staff is doing a good job. Commissioner Mawby stated that a neighbor had reported a dead pine tree at Sunset Park. Commissioner Mawby looked at the tree and surmised that it could come down in a monsoon storm. Commissioner June announced that she filled out a few parks report forms and shared the following information: • Staff is doing a phenomenal job. • The Thunderbird Conservation Park looks great. • At the Foothills Recreation and Aquatic Center (FRAC), the trash is always picked up, and there is occasional graffiti, which is covered quickly. Commissioner Cadena stated that she lives near Desert Garden Park, the lights are always on for the kids to play basketball at night, and the grass needs to be mowed a little more often. The agenda item was concluded. b. Information: Glendale Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update Mr. Burke had announced a change in the agenda order to accommodate the Master Plan Update consultant’s presentation. Mr. Burke stated that former Assistant Director Tim Barnard resigned from the City and took a job in the private sector. Mr. Burke introduced all staff present. Ms. Konold gave a presentation on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update, which included the following information: • Project Purpose o Assess existing services and conditions o Determine community needs o Accurately reflect current and future conditions o Incorporate relevant plans • Process o Strategic Kick-Off o Information Gathering o Findings and Visioning (current stage) o Draft Recommendations o Final Plan o Implementation • Public Engagement To-Date o October 28-30, 2019: 103 contacts, on-site public engagement sessions o December 2019-February 2020: 632 participants, random sample mail survey (276), online survey (356) • Staying Informed o City website project page, email, Facebook • Findings Summaries o Demographics o Public Engagement Sessions ▪ Equity in delivery of services and in quality of, and access to, facilities and amenities ▪ Resources to meet ability to deliver services and care for facilities 3 ▪ Maintain, care for, and improve what exists in balance with expanding new facilities and services ▪ Personal safety in public spaces ▪ Preserve Glendale’s character • Community Survey Sessions o Key Findings from Community Survey ▪ Improve what is currently offered and allocating resources to improve amenities. Across many survey topics, this is a priority. ▪ Add/improve restrooms and improve park amenities are the two most important ways to encourage people to use their local parks. ▪ Top three future priorities: • Improve park amenities • Additional walking/biking paths • Events and festivals ▪ Balance between improving current offerings and developing new sites/facilities. If the respondent chose one emphasis, consistently respondents selected prioritizing improving current facilities/parks. ▪ Open-ended comments highlight the need to ensure parks are safe, park/facility-specific needs, and praise for the City’s efforts. Many comments highlight how important parks are to respondents’ families too. ▪ Thunderbird Conservation Park, community/neighborhood parks, and Foothills Recreation Center all received High Importance and High Needs Met ratings among facilities. o Graphs/Charts/Survey Results – displayed and explained in depth ▪ Encourage Use or Improve Local Parks - Invite vs. Open Link Results ▪ Importance – Performance Matrix of Facilities ▪ Importance – Performance Matrix of Programs ▪ Top 4 Priorities – Invite vs. Open Link Results ▪ Vision for the Future – Invite vs. Open Link Results • Comparative Analysis o Peer Agencies ▪ Glendale, Gilbert, Peoria, Scottsdale, and Surprise o Graphs/Charts/Data Results – displayed and explained in depth ▪ Acres of Parks per 1,000 Residents ▪ Operating Expenditures per Park Acre ▪ FTEs per 10,000 Residents • Inventory and Level of Service o Parks Assessment Summary ▪ Generally, well maintained but a deferred maintenance backlog is apparent ▪ Some unique properties combined with standard neighborhood parks ▪ Need for updating/continuing park identification signs and branding ▪ Numerous playgrounds and court surfaces are worn/dated o GRASP Neighborhood Access o Open Space/Trails Specific Visits ▪ Visited Murphy Park, Sahuaro Ranch Park, Thunderbird Conservation Park, Thunderbird Paseo Park, Skunk Creek Linear Park, Grand Canal Linear Park ▪ Common Issue Findings: lighting, maintenance, identity, connections/access, program alignment, restrooms • Programs Assessment 4 o Registrants by Program Area: Pie Chart with results provided o Programming – Consultant Assertions ▪ Registration data reflects interest and participation in the Glendale Adult Center and in Aquatics programs ▪ Demand may warrant considering growth in Youth Recreation Camps ▪ A number of classes offered amongst various categories run at 33% capacity or lower ▪ Program attendance low in Special Interest Classes, Fitness Classes, and Youth Athletics, causing high cancellation rates • Additional Analyses o Operating Budget: Data presented o Organizational Observations ▪ Retention is challenging, turnover is high in Parks Maintenance ▪ 63.5 Department FTEs in FY20 o Relevant National Trends ▪ Benefits of Parks and Open Spaces ▪ Homelessness in Parks, i.e. Bonsall Park, Sands Park ▪ Recreation Programming: E-Sports, Virtual Classes ▪ Community Events and Festivals ▪ Conservation Practices ▪ Environmental Education ▪ Marketing and Branding o Next Steps ▪ Draft Plan Presentation and Public Meeting #3. Will be presented in the fall. ▪ Final Plan Delivery o Survey Demographics: Detailed data presented o Community Demographics: Detailed data presented Ms. Konold opened the floor for questions or comment. Vice Chair Schiavone asked if Ms. Konold had an overview of where the survey responses came. Ms. Konold replied in the positive, explained that the responses were segmented by zip code, and assured there was very good representation from all zip codes. Vice Chair Schiavone asked how the survey information was received by staff. Ms. Konold replied that there are incredible opportunities that are thoughtful and meaningful, there is a lot to cover in the draft report, funding is critical to the success of the department, and the plan will help prioritize items for staff and the decision- makers. Mr. Burke stated that the survey reinforced what staff already knows. Mr. Burke made additional comments as follows: • Priority focus on trees, turf quality, condition of amenities, and staffing levels. • The department is doing a lot with very few people. • The department is a traditional Parks and Recreation Program and could explore different programs as the community seems to be interested in them. • The department had a $1 million budget supplemental, which was washed away due to the COVID revenue impact. • A staff of 24 people manages 90 parks. • The turf looks really bad and this can be addressed with additional funding. 5 • A consultant is addressing the condition of the trees, working on cutting down trees, and managing the tree canopy. Ms. Konold and her team will send staff some concept exhibits from J2, which will be presented to the Commission. • Staff will be looking at equity distribution and demographic information to ensure services are equally provided across the City. • The draft Plan report should be ready in September. The agenda item was concluded. c. Information: COVID-19 Recovery Plan for the Department Mr. Burke presented the department’s COVID-19 Recovery Plan and stated that Phase 1 was implemented May 1st, Phase 2 was implemented late May/early June, and Phase 3 was scheduled for implementation on July 1st, however, this will be held off due to the spiking COVID rates. Mr. Burke relayed that the Incident Command Team meets once a week and reports to Mayor and Council. Mr. Burke stressed the key was to slowly open back up. Vice Chair Schiavone reported that she was at Heroes Park and saw about twenty people at the splash pad, who were congregating and not wearing masks, and about six or seven people at the bike area also without masks. Mr. Burke stated that the CDC requirement is not to wear masks in an aquatic area. Mr. Burke stated that the water is treated and chlorinated and relayed restrictions to other recreation and athletic programs. d. Information: Sahuaro Ranch Park Flood Irrigation Project Mr. Varney announced that Salt River Irrigation recently completed maintenance restoration of the Sahuaro Ranch flood irrigation system, which included the following: • Tight lining the open and exposed ditches that were in need of major repairs with 615 linear feet of pipe and covering with native soils • Installing a new diversion station • Installing 12 new butterfly valves at several locations Mr. Varney stated that these improvements are vital to the irrigation of the citrus and pecan trees as well as the turf. Photos of the project were displayed. Mr. Varney announced that the cross culverts will be addressed next. Mr. Burke explained the history of the project and advice given by an expert citrus grower, which was that there was not enough watering of the trees and also a zinc deficiency. Mr. Burke stated that recommendations have been implemented and some of the trees are looking a little greener and a little less yellow. e. Action: FY2020-21 Capital Improvement Projects Mr. Burke announced that each year Council approves the 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), the first five years have an identified funding source, and the first year is the only year for which Council appropriates funding. Mr. Burke presented the FY21-30 CIP, broken out by project and funding source. Project details were included in the packet distributed to Commissioners. Motion by Commissioner Mawby, second by Commissioner June, to recommend that Council approve the FY2020-21 CIP as submitted by staff. Motion carried 5 – 0. 6. Staff Updates Mr. Burke gave his update report, which included the following: • April 10, 2020: Thunderbird Conservation Parking lot was resurfaced for dust control. Photos displayed. 6 • April 2, 2020: Sahuaro Ranch tree planting, whereby the trees were donated, Council provided spreading, and Parks installed the irrigation. • April 24, 2020: Arbor Day tree planting, which is typically done with school children present, however, was conducted virtually due to COVID-19. Photos displayed. • March 18, 2020: Sierra Verde wall repair. Photos displayed. • Proclamation for July as Parks and Recreation month. A copy of the proclamation was distributed to all Commissioners. • 2020 Census Update: The Census Bureau has extended the deadline to October due to COVID-19. The census can be completed online, by phone, or mail; and if it is not done, a census worker will come to you door-to-door. 7. Commission Comments and Suggestions Chair McConnell was pleased with the Mayor’s Proclamation and looked forward to next year, when the Commission could take a picture with the Mayor, which has been done in the past. Chair McConnell stated that it shows Council it is important to the Commission, which is important to Council. 8. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will be held on August 24, 2020, at 6:00 p.m., at the Glendale Civic Center , located at 5750 W. Glenn Drive, Glendale, Arizona, 85301. 9. Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Cadena, second by Commissioner June, to adjourn the meeting at 7:47 p.m. Motion carried 5 – 0.