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1 DRAFT MINUTES City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting Glendale Adult Center 5970 W. Brown Street Glendale, Arizona 85302 Monday, November 8, 2021 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Gayle Schiavone, Chair Sam McConnell, Vice Chair Stephanie June Reginald Martinez, Jr. Kathryn Mawby ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: Jim Burke, Director, Public Facilities, Recreation and Special Events Bruce Hooks, Recreation Coordinator Dean Kinnoin, Senior Recreation Coordinator Brad Giesbrecht, Senior Recreation Coordinator Tim Rastedt, CIP Project Manager Gwen Benoit, Administrative Support Specialist Diane Williams, Program Manager (via Zoom) 1. Call to Order Chair Schiavone called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. 2. Roll Call Chair Schiavone conducted roll call. 3. Citizen Comments None. 4. New Staff Introductions Mr. Kinnoin introduced two new staff members, Mr. Giesbrecht and Mr. Hooks, and shared a brief background of each. 5. Tour of Facility Mr. Giesbrecht gave the Commissioners a tour of the Glendale Adult Center. 6. Approval of the Minutes Motion by Vice Chair McConnell, second by Commissioner Martinez, to approve the October 25, 2021 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting minutes with the following change regarding the motion recommending the Chair of the Commission: The second was made by Commissioner Mawby, not Commissioner June. Motion carried 5 – 0. 7. New Business a. Information: Commission Reports 2 Commissioner Martinez expressed concern regarding Sahuaro Ranch Park, specifically citing the amount of litter and people who are making their residence at the park. He said these issues were increasing and the park value was decreasing because of the litter and debris, especially near the orange trees and historical area of the park. Commissioner Mawby stated that her neighbor had the following questions regarding Sunset Park: • Should the litter be picked up prior to mowing the grass? The crew is mowing over the litter. • Does the crew pick up dead branches? Mr. Burke stated that the vendor contracted with the City is to pick up the litter and trash twice a week, on Monday and Friday. He will remind the vendor. Vice Chair McConnell reported that Touch-A-Truck, held at Westgate in October, was a great event, the kids enjoyed the trucks and noises the trucks make, and staff did a great job running the event. He attended the GAIN event this past Saturday at Sahuaro Ranch Park, which was hosted by the Glendale Police Department. He noted that the event was fun, there was a deejay, and he was shelling corn and making rope at the event. Chair Schiavone recently drove by Bonsall Park and saw a lot of camping and trash. She stated that she could not imagine how anyone with a family would want to go to the park. She asked what was being done about the situation. She noted that the City spent a lot of money to install pickleball courts at the park and inquired about how the camping and trash issues were impacting the use of the courts. Mr. Burke relayed that staff has worked with the Glendale Police Department and has also removed ramadas, closed restrooms, and implemented other measures to mitigate these issues. He noted that staff has been conducting extra clean-ups in the park on Monday mornings. He stated that the City is now in an agreement with a provider of homeless services to be one point of contact for homeless individuals in the City. He commented that the maintenance staff at Bonsall Park have indicated that there are people using the pickleball courts. Chair Schiavone commented that Heroes Park was very busy this weekend with some type of event and she saw people playing Frisbee golf over the weekend at the Frisbee golf course. b. Information: G.R.O.W. (Glendale Recreation Online Wellness Program) Mr. Kinnoin gave a presentation on the Glendale Recreation Online Wellness Program G.R.O.W.: • Using Televeda, a virtual class software platform, Glendale will offer programs that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. • The program will be offered for a 6-month pilot period. • It opens the door to more participation and is a very exciting program. Mr. Kinnoin displayed the G.R.O.W. website and demonstrated how to find information on available programs and how to join the classes. Commissioner June inquired about the popularity of the program. Mr. Kinnoin relayed that the program was just launched and therefore, he was waiting for the numbers to come in. Commissioner June asked if children could use the programs. Mr. Kinnoin stated that the program was geared towards all; however, the initial classes were more geared towards adults. Mr. Kinnoin said after results of the pilot program, staff could research adding programs for other ages. Commissioner June inquired about the cost of the program. Mr. Kinnoin relayed that during the 6-month trial period, the classes were free of charge for users. 3 Chair Schiavone inquired about the next steps after the 6-month pilot period. Mr. Burke replied that participation numbers would be reviewed, and staff would have to obtain a bid on a long-term contract with the vendor. Chair Schiavone asked if staff was promoting the program. Mr. Kinnoin replied in the positive. Chair Schiavone thanked staff for the information. c. Information: Capital Improvement Projects Update Mr. Rastedt gave an update on various Capital Improvements Projects. • Playgrounds o 7 playgrounds will be replaced in this fiscal year, which will include new playgrounds, shade structures, and new ADA-approved wood fiber surfaces. The replacement of 42 playgrounds in the CIP over the next five years has been identified. • Pickleball Courts o 2 tennis courts were recently converted into 8 pickleball courts at Bonsall Park. o 2 new pickleball courts will be constructed at Foothills Park, just west of the existing Sk8 Court. A contractor is on board and construction is slated to begin in spring 2022. • Thunderbird Conservation Park Master Plan o Staff is in the process of selecting a consulting firm for the conceptual design and replacement of aging infrastructure at Thunderbird Conservation Park. An RFP was issued, and a pre- submittal meeting was held on October 20th to discuss the project with interested firms. The RFP submittal deadline was October 28th. A review team will evaluate the submittals to select the firm that will work on the conceptual design, construction documents, and construction administration for the trailheads at 55th Avenue, 59th Avenue, and 67th Avenue. The work will include the repair and/or replacement of restrooms, ramadas, parking spaces, landscape, signage, and roadways. • Mid-City Splash Pad: A consulting firm has been selected for the design and construction administration of the new Mid-City Splash Pad and a firm has been selected for construction. Site selection is underway. Mr. Burke stated that more information on the splash pad would be brought to the Commission in the near future. Commissioner June inquired about the timeline for completion. Mr. Burke surmised the project would take three years: first year for design, second year for construction, and the third year would be open to the public. He relayed that this first splash pad is funded this fiscal year for the design phase. He stated that public input would be obtained as well. Mr. Rastedt continued with the CIP updates. • Three Community Centers: An architectural consulting firm was hired for design and construction administration of the Glendale Community Center, O’Neil Community Center, and Rose Lane Community Center. All three centers are being designed and updated for new programming and to refresh the facilities. The design plans for O’Neil are at 90% completion. Mr. Burke stated that the design plans for the Glendale Community Center and the Rose Lane Community Center were at 30% completion. He relayed that the buildings will be modernized and will include ADA accessibility. Chair Schiavone asked if the community centers were currently open. Mr. Burke replied that the Glendale Community Center was still open and believed it could remain open during construction. He indicated that the other two centers will have to be shut down during renovations. 4 Mr. Rastedt continued with the CIP updates. • Sport Courts o Staff is working on linking agreements with two sport court vendors. There are 19 courts slated in the CIP to be resurfaced in 10 parks over the next 5 years. • Thunderbird Conservation Park Trail Improvements o Trail stabilization projects are being conducted to improve drainage patterns. Trail grades are being adjusted as well as adding steps in some locations. The crew is working on Cholla Loop first and Arrowhead Loop will be next. Every trail will be enhanced. A map was displayed. • Sahuaro Ranch Park Ramadas o The ramada improvements were completed and the ramadas are now open for public reservations. Photos of the ramada improvements were displayed. • Heroes Park Lake o The lake is currently under construction and should be completed by the end of 2021. Staff is working with the Game and Fish department on the lake habitat installation for the eventual stocking of fish. 8. Staff Updates Mr. Kinnoin gave a report on Events, which included the following: • On October 29th, the annual Halloween Luncheon was held at the Glendale Adult Center. There were approximately 101 attendees at the successful event. • On October 31st, a Halloween event was held at the Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center (FRAC). There was a bounce house, deejay, arts and crafts, and more. There were 261 registered children for the event, and including adults, there were approximately 400 attendees. • On November 1st, an After Halloween Party was held at the Glendale Community Center, which was very successful. • On December 10th, the annual Holiday Luncheon will be held at the Glendale Adult Center. • On December 11th, the Jingle Bell Hike will be held at Thunderbird Conservation Park from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. • On December 18th, Santa’s Workshop will be held at FRAC from 10 a.m. to noon, at which children will be able to purchase holiday gifts for under $3.00 and have the gifts wrapped as well. Commissioner Mawby inquired about holiday events in other areas of the City. Mr. Kinnoin announced that there will be a holiday event at the Glendale Community Center; however, it was not on the schedule yet. Mr. Burke announced that on November 19th, the Mayor and Council will kick-off the holiday season with the lighting of Murphy Park. Mr. Burke relayed that the LiVE!@Murphy Park program will be held in February and March. Mr. Burke reported that recruitment for a consultant for the Sahuaro Ranch Park Master Plan was beginning. He said concepts for improvements will be discussed, community feedback will be obtained, and a proposal will be given to the Commission and Council. Mr. Burke provided information on new Fiber Connections for the O’Neil Community Center, Glendale Community Center, and Rose Lane Community Center. • As part of the renovation of the three community centers, high speed Wi-Fi will be made available at the centers. However, access to fiber connections was needed first. • The cost for all three connections is just over $600,000 and the project is currently funded. • A contractor has been hired to provide the design work for the connections. 5 9. Commission Comments and Suggestions Commissioner June announced that she would not be seeking renewal of her term after it expires in January 2022 due to work obligations. She did not want to cause issues with reaching quorum. Chair Schiavone stated that Commission June would be missed. Vice Chair McConnell noted that his last term on the Commission would end in January as well. Commissioner Martinez stated that his term was not expiring any time soon and he would like to continue to learn more about Parks and Recreation. Chair Schiavone inquired about follow up on the presentation at the last Commission meeting regarding the new well at Sierra Verde Park. Mr. Burke relayed that the Water Services Director has briefed the Councilmember for that district that staff was still working on the final details with the Engineering Department. 10. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will be held on December 13, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., at the Glendale Community Center, located at 5401 W. Ocotillo Rd., Glendale, AZ, 85301. 11. Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Martinez, second by Commissioner Mawby, to adjourn the meeting at 7:15 p.m. Motion carried 5 – 0.