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1 DRAFT MINUTES City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Glendale Civic Center 5750 W. Glenn Dr. Glendale, Arizona 85301 October 12, 2020 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Sam McConnell, Chair Gayle Schiavone, Vice Chair Kristina Cadena Reggie Martinez Kathryn Mawby ABSENT: Ronald Beye Stephanie June ALSO PRESENT: Jim Burke, Director, Public Facilities and Special Events Walter ‘Skip’ Varney, Assistant Director, Public Facilities and Special Events Paul King, Recreation Administrator Diane Williams, Program Manager Keri Konold, GreenPlay, LLC 1. Call to Order Chair McConnell called the meeting to order at 6:04 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 Cadena, to approve the June 25, 2020 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 5 – 0. 5. New Business a. Information: Commission Reports Commissioner Mawby reported that all of the parks near her that she has seen seem to be in good shape, the lawns mowed, and the equipment looking good. Vice Chair Schiavone reported that the Desert Mirage Golf Course has been very busy, on the weekends the parking lot is nearly full, and it appears the mesh screen at the driving range has been repaired. Vice Chair Schiavone reported that there is a lot of activity at the basketball courts at Heroes Park and by the school near Desert Mirage. The agenda item was concluded. b. Information: Draft Disparity Report 2 Ms. Konold, the consultant from GreenPlay, LLC, announced that she has been working with staff since last October on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan update and will present information specifically on access and disparity this evening. The presentation included the following information: • Disparity Report Purpose o Assess for differences in access to services between population groups: household income, race, age o GreenPlay, LLC also geographically identifies gaps in access to facilities • Access to Outdoor and Indoor Recreation Facilities o Outdoor Recreation Facilities ▪ A map of all outdoor locations of parks, facilities, open spaces, and trail sites was displayed and explained. Walkability, coverage, and quality were also commented upon. o Increase Access to Outdoor Recreation Facilities ▪ Reduce unsafe barriers and obstacles in residential gap areas, i.e. install crosswalks, lighted crossings, and make street improvements ▪ Make park improvements in residential gap areas ▪ Increase access to Thunderbird Conservation Park ▪ Improve Historic Sahuaro Ranch Park – many people have access to this park, however, according to the public survey, the experience could be improved o Indoor Recreation Facilities ▪ A map of all indoor recreation facilities was displayed and explained. Walkability, coverage, and quality were also commented upon. o Increase Access to Indoor Recreation Facilities ▪ Work on completion of Glendale Heroes Regional Park ▪ Supply transportation to facilities ▪ Make improvements to existing facilities • Rose Lane Recreation Center • Glendale Community Center • O’Neil Recreation Center • Recreation Programming o Fee-Based Programs ▪ Offered at Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center (FRAC) (all ages) and Glendale Adult Center (18+). • No demographic data collected upon registration. • Only assertions based on age can be made. ▪ Drop-in Participation and Facility Use • 325,000 estimated visits to FRAC and Glendale Adult Center • Rose Lane Pool also open for drop-in use o Fee-Based Programs Recommendations ▪ Adjust programs to appeal to younger adults and families • 37% of Glendale households have children 18 and younger. ▪ Promote the Glendale Adult Center ▪ Adult Sports Leagues ▪ Youth Skill Development • For example, survival skills, food preparation, nutrition. Not just sports oriented. ▪ Aquatics – Swim Lessons • The current program is very strong and highly used. Can look for expansion opportunities. o Free Programs ▪ Facility-related Annual Events 3 • Nearly 1,200 served ▪ Afterschool Programs and Summer Camps • 7,000 to 10,500 youth attended • Glendale Community Center and O’Neil Recreation Center o Free Programs Recommendations ▪ It is meeting the intended purpose of serving low-income households and youth ▪ Prioritize afterschool programs and summer camps • Bring back into the purview of PFRSE • Bolster Glendale Youth Scholarship Fund to expand offerings ▪ Track participation data for decision-making purposes o City-hosted Special Events ▪ 50,000+ attendees annually at 9 events ▪ Designed to bring people together ▪ Marketed as inclusive, family-friendly, multi-cultural events ▪ Spanish and English language marketing efforts o City-hosted Special Events Recommendations ▪ Focus on health and well-being to drive events ▪ Activate parks throughout the system ▪ Events with cultural elements • Glendale already does a great job of this. Needs to continue. • Food, storytelling, dance, arts • Work with cultural groups to develop events • Program Locations o Location of Programs Offered ▪ A map of all fee-based programs, free programs, special events, and a combination of programs was displayed and explained. ▪ Programs were very spread out and offered in a variety of locations. This was a positive result. o Location of Programs Offered Recommendations ▪ Large fee-based and drop-in opportunities at FRAC • Access difference based on household income • Level of service access difference based on proximity ▪ Expand fitness and wellness classes to facilities located in gap areas • Activate parks with outdoor programs ▪ Sliding scale memberships • Perhaps based on household income ▪ Capital improvements to indoor and outdoor facilities • Opportunity for Improvement o Strive to improve residents’ access to quality parks and recreation experiences throughout Glendale o All strategies will be incorporated into the Master Plan barring any opposition tonight. Ms. Konold concluded her presentation. There were no questions or comments. c. Information: Bond Election Public Outreach Mr. Burke announced that the Commission will receive detailed information this evening on the Bond Election. A short promotional, educational video on bonds and the Bond Election was played for the Commission. 4 A video of a Public Outreach meeting at which Assistant City Manager Vicki Rios gave a presentation on bonds and the Bond election was played for the Commission. The information in the video included the following: • $187.9 Million Bond 2020 Snapshot o Question 1: Parks and Recreation Capital Projects / $87.2 million ▪ Citywide Park Improvements ▪ Updated Playgrounds ▪ Upgraded Restrooms ▪ Heroes Park Build-out ▪ Splash Pad at O’Neil Park o Question 2: Streets Capital Projects / $81.5 million ▪ Streets Construction and Reconstruction ▪ 59th, 67th and 83rd Avenues ▪ Bell, Thunderbird, and Bethany Home Roads o Question 3: Landfill Capital Projects / $9.9 million ▪ Landfill Expansion ▪ Environmental Protection and Compliance o Question 4: Flood Control Capital Projects / $9.3 million ▪ Storm Drain and Overall Drainage Improvement Products • What Are Bonds? o Definition of bonds and purpose of bonds • General Obligation Bonds o Paid for using secondary property tax o Must be authorized by voters o Constitutional Limits defined • Property Tax o Primary Levy ▪ Any General Fund expense ▪ Currently flat levy ▪ Assumes growth in new construction o Secondary Levy ▪ Debt service on General Obligation Bonds only ▪ Currently flat levy – Council’s policy is to keep levy flat ▪ Assumes growth in new construction • Secondary Property Tax History o Graph of FY16 through FY21 displayed which indicates history of basically flat tax • 2020 Bond Election Disclosures o Interest Rates ▪ Maximum of 8% in the ballot – very conservative ▪ Assumed 5% interest rates for debt service calculations - conservative o Estimated Annual Tax Impact ▪ Estimated impact displayed for residential, industrial, and agricultural/vacant property • Sample Estimated Bills for the following were displayed and explained: o Property Tax – Residential Property o Property Tax Bill - $250K Residential o Property Tax – Commercial o Property Tax Bill - $1.3 Million Commercial o Property Tax – Agricultural o Property Tax Bill - $160K Agricultural • Full G.O. Bond Program 5 o Current debt outstanding is $100.4 million ▪ The City will pay this off over the next two to three years, which is why the secondary levy can be kept flat even with the proposed G.O. Bonds o Plans to issue $200 million in new G.O. debt over 10 years ▪ Current voter authorization per department displayed o $178 million in new voter authorization being requested in the bond election o Graph of G.O. Bonds Annual Debt Service for 2021 through 2030 displayed and explained. Four informational videos on the proposed uses of bond funding for Parks and Recreation, Streets, Flood Control, and the Landfill were played for the Commission. Information on the proposed bond projects was also relayed, including the following: • Parks and Recreation Capital Projects o Bond Committee Recommendation ▪ $87.2 million in additional voter authorization. ▪ The ballot language was provided. ▪ Specific and general projects were displayed. • Streets Capital Projects o Bond Committee Recommendation ▪ $81.5 million in additional voter authorization. ▪ The ballot language was provided. ▪ Specific and general projects were displayed. • Landfill Capital Projects o Bond Committee Recommendation ▪ $9.9 million in additional voter authorization. ▪ The ballot language was provided. ▪ Specific projects were displayed. • Flood Control Capital Projects o Bond Committee Recommendation ▪ $9.3 million in additional voter authorization ▪ The ballot language was provided. ▪ Specific projects were displayed. There were no questions or comments. The agenda item was concluded. d. Action: Chair and Vice-Chair Recommendations Chair McConnell asked for any volunteers to serve as Chair and Vice Chair for 2021. Vice Chair Schiavone encouraged the new Commissioners to nominate themselves for one of the roles. Chair McConnell inquired if the recommendation must be decided this evening. Mr. Burke replied in the positive and explained the timetable for recommendation and approval. Commissioner Mawby stated that due to COVID, the whole year seemed to be a wash and the new members may not have a good enough grasp to serve in the roles. Commissioner Mawby asked if Chair McConnell and Vice Chair Schiavone were willing to serve again. Commissioner Martinez commented that this was his first meeting and he would need a few more meetings for observation and experience prior to serving as Chair or Vice Chair. 6 Chair McConnell suggested that perhaps he and Vice Chair Schiavone could switch roles for 2021 and also mentor the new members for the future. Motion by Commissioner Mawby, second by Commissioner Martinez, to recommend Commissioner Schiavone as Chair and Commissioner McConnell as Vice Chair for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting for 2021. Motion carried 5 – 0. Mr. Burke stated that the recommendation will be sent to the City Clerk’s Office and ultimately Council for review and appointment, if approved. 6. Staff Updates Mr. Burke announced that due to the heavy agenda this evening, there will be no staff report. 7. Commission Comments and Suggestions Vice Chair Schiavone asked if the water park was open. Mr. Burke replied that the splash pad at Heroes Park was open for the summer but is now closed. Mr. Burke stated that the FRAC was open for limited hours, with limited access based on capacity rules established by the Governor. 8. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will be held on November 9, 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 Mawby, second by Vice Chair Schiavone, to adjourn the meeting at 7:37 p.m. Motion carried 5 – 0.