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1 DRAFT MINUTES City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting Glendale Civic Center 5750 W. Glenn Drive Glendale, Arizona 85301 Monday, May 9, 2022 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Gayle Schiavone, Chair Kathryn Mawby, Commissioner Kathleen Roe, Commissioner Bud Zomok, Commissioner Joseph Jarrett, Teen Commissioner ABSENT: Reginald Martinez, Jr., Vice-Chair Helena Johnson Bodine, Commissioner ALSO PRESENT: Jim Burke, Director John Kennedy, Assistant Director Manuel Padia, Sr. Recreation Coordinator Tyler Buckley, Recreation Coordinator Diane Williams, Program Manager John Henny, Deputy Director, Water Services Drew Swieczkowski, Environmental Program Manager, Water Services Mojgan Vahabzadeh, Arts & Culture Program Manager Sam Peña, Business Support Services Program Manager 1. Call to Order Chair Schiavone called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call Chair Schiavone conducted roll call. Chair Schiavone introduced new Commissioner Roe. Commissioner Roe gave a brief background of herself. 3. Citizen Comments None. 4. Approval of the Minutes Motion by Commissioner Zomok, second by Commissioner Jarrett, to approve the March 14, 2022, Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 5 – 0. 5. New Business a. Information: Commission Reports Commissioner Zomok gave a report on the park at 55th Avenue and Myrtle, which included the following comments: • He was unsure if the irrigation was working properly. He said the irrigation was filled with garbage and muck and the ground was bone dry in certain areas. • He said someone tried to get into the electric box in the area. 2 • Half of a beautiful tree appeared to be dead. • The shrubs were in need of water too. • There was one homeless person sleeping in the park. He reported this to the non-emergency police number. • There was graffiti on one of the benches. • The chairs in the gazebo can rock forward. Someone may have removed some of the screws. Chair Schiavone gave the following report. • She went to the Glendale Adult Center and was happy to see that the meals were back and being served. The water bottle refill machine was working well. The counter on the machine indicated that 3,000 plastic water bottles have been saved so far. The new treadmills were very nice. • She attended the Arbor Day event. Commissioner Roe reported that she also attended the Arbor Day event. b. Information: Update on Sierra Verde Park Groundwater Well Site Mr. Swieczkowski gave an overview of the Sierra Verde Park Groundwater Well Site in relation to the entire City. He said the well was important for backup redundancy and resiliency of the water supply. He relayed the well will add to the security of the water supply for the City, especially in the northern zone of Glendale, where the well is located. Mr. Henny gave an overview of the well site and construction design in detail. • Features include a site boundary with a decorative wall, a new sidewalk, a 21-foot sound wall during construction, additional parking spaces at the site, the addition of a vehicle turnout with new parking, and a new sidewalk. • Drilling will commence while school is out of session for the summer. Most residents will have their windows closed due to the heat. The goal is to mitigate drilling noise to the residents. • Drilling will begin in approximately 6 weeks and should be demobilized by October. • Contracts for the project will go before Council on June 14th. • Once construction is complete, the site will be totally restored as it was prior to demobilization. • Any trees removed will be replaced per policy. Water Services staff will work with Mr. Burke regarding tree replacements. Mr. Swieczkowski noted that signage with phone contact information will be placed at the site. He displayed and explained photos. Mr. Henny presented information on the Public Outreach Plan and announced there will be a public open house on June 1, 2022, at the park. He displayed the draft mailer that will be sent to the surrounding community next week. Commissioner Zomok inquired about the depth of the well. Mr. Swieczkowski surmised the depth would be approximately 1,500 feet, which depended on if bedrock was hit, and said the goal was to try to find the most high-quality zones of the well. Commissioner Zomok inquired about the depth of the water. Mr. Swieczkowski surmised the water depth would be approximately 350 feet to 450 feet below the surface. 3 Commissioner Zomok asked if there would be any construction viewing opportunities, such as through the fencing. Mr. Swieczkowski relayed that the contractors typically do not like to have a viewing area, especially when very expensive heavy equipment is utilized. Commissioner Jarrett asked how many people would be served by the new well. Mr. Swieczkowski said the well was for the back-up supply and estimated it would be able to pump 1,500 gallons a minute, which would equate to a lot of households. Chair Schiavone relayed that the Commission was initially concerned about how the new well would impact the park and the neighborhood, however, the information presented has quieted the concerns. She thanked the staff for the presentation. Mr. Henny announced that the Commissioners will be invited to the open house for the well. Commissioner Jarrett asked for the number of trees that may be impacted. Mr. Henny said three trees, possibly four, would be impacted. c. Information: Recreation Update Mr. Padia reported on the following: • The new Spring/Summer Glendale@Play magazine was published in hard copy and there is a digital version available online. • Aquatics Hiring Day Process o There is a national shortage of lifeguards. o Glendale has 50 lifeguards and 7 safety instructors ready for the season, which is half the historical staffing figure. o Due to the shortage, the pools will be open one at a time. Rose Lane Pool will be open from June 7th to July 2nd. The Foothills Aquatics Center will be open from July 5th to July 30th. • New Junior Lifeguard Program o Free program for youths aged 13 to 15. o There are 10 registered for Rose Lane and 10 for the Foothills Pool. • Registration for the following summer programs is open: Foothills 360 Summer Camp and the Summer Recreation Program at Glendale Community Center. Most weeks are already full. • Crafty Kids Earth Day was held on Saturday, April 23rd. 35 youths participated in this hike and take- home craft program. Mr. Buckley reported on the following: • The Mother’s Day Lunch was held on May 6th at the Glendale Adult Center, which was a free event. • Lunches are again being served at the Glendale Adult Center, each weekday at noon. • On July 1st, the Fourth of July Patriotic Celebration will be held at the Glendale Adult Center. Tickets go on sale on June 11th. • The Adult Softball League began on April 29th. • The Cornhole League will be held from July 12th to August 30th. • The Girl’s Summer Softball Camp will be held from June 6th to the 9th. d. Information: Arbor Day Celebration Mr. Kennedy gave an update on the Arbor Day Celebration, which included the following highlights: • The event was held on Friday, April 20, 2022, in Sahuaro Ranch Park. • Mayor Weiers read the proclamation. Councilmembers Turner and Clark were also present. • This is the 26th consecutive year that Glendale has the designation of Tree City USA. 4 • 57 fifth graders from Sahuaro Ranch Elementary School were in attendance. They assisted in the planting of 6 Fantax Ash trees. • Refreshments were provided by the Glendale Women’s Club. Commissioner Roe said she attended the event, which had a very good turnout, was very nice, and very well presented. Chair Schiavone said that the Welcome to Glendale Sign does not say Glendale is a Tree City and suggested including this on the signage. Mr. Kennedy will follow up on the suggestion. Commissioner Jarrett asked if Vice Mayor Aldama was at the event. Mr. Kennedy relayed that Mayor Weiers and Councilmembers Turner and Clark were present. Mr. Burke noted that all of the Councilmembers were invited, however, due to scheduling, not all could attend. e. Information: Presentation of Department Budget Requests for FY2023 Mr. Burke gave a presentation on the Public Facilities, Recreation & Special Events budget requests for FY2023. • The department’s operating budget in total is $17.8 million for FY2023 and there are 72.5 FTEs. • On May 10th, Council will consider adoption of the tentative budget for FY23. In June, Council will vote on the final budget. Mr. Burke explained the supplemental requests for the department. Commissioner Zomok asked if the $80,000 grant mentioned for the Convention & Visitors Bureau was a pass- through. Mr. Burke explained the grant was actually for the Convention & Visitors Bureau and the department was putting up a $12,003 match for the grant. Commissioner Zomok inquired about the cost of the new splash pads. Mr. Burke relayed that the majority of the expense was for the cost of the water. Chair Schiavone recalled a comment in the past indicating staff turnover due to an imbalance in salaries and asked if this has been rectified. Mr. Burke said this was being worked on. Mr. Burke said that in the past, sometimes temporary workers were hired for positions in Parks and Recreation and after being trained and passing the probationary period, had moved over to Streets or the Water Services Department for higher pay, such as $4.00 an hour more. He explained the challenges with the staffing pipeline. Commissioner Jarrett asked for clarification of the Special Events Banner Program. Mr. Burke explained the banners were for the street poles in the City and could be used for advertising special events or seasonal events. Mr. Burke said there were 100 poles equipped for these banners and the brackets and some banners need to be replaced. f. Action: Heroes Regional Park Field Area Mr. Burke provided the background of the Heroes Regional Park Field Area project and presented two conceptual designs for consideration by the Commission. He explained the differences between the two proposed concepts in detail, noting that one of the main differences was a larger landscape area from the adjacent residential homes. 5 Commissioner Jarrett suggested including a community garden. He indicated there were too many trees in Concept #2. Mr. Burke explained the trees provided a formal landscaping edge from the residential area. Mr. Burke said although the trees appeared to be clustered, they provided a shaded walkway. Commissioner Zomok said he liked how spread-out Concept #1 was, however, understood the need for more protection for the adjacent residential area. He commented that the dog park in Concept #2 was further away from the other proposed amenities. Mr. Burke said that this was discussed in the design planning. Mr. Burke said the dog park location in Concept #2 would be along Bethany Home Road, so people will easily see it and want to use it. He said the dog park in Concept #2 may look isolated today, however, in the future, there will be an aquatics building and other items near the dog park. Chair Schiavone said she liked the pollinator trail and garden. Commissioner Jarrett inquired as to why the parking lot in Concept #1 did not have medians, while medians were included in Concept #2. Mr. Burke explained the designs were conceptual at this time and he will take all comments to the design firm. Commissioner Jarrett said he liked how the pickleball courts were closer together and the pitch fields were closer together in Concept #2. Mr. Burke asked the Commission for a recommendation regarding the project. He explained the Commission could consider Concept #1, Concept #2, or propose a third concept. Motion by Commissioner Zomok, second by Commissioner Mawby, to recommend moving forward with the provisional Conceptual Design #2 for the Heroes Regional Park Field Area. Motion carried 3 – 2. [Commissioner Jarrett and Commissioner Roe opposed.] 6. Staff Updates Mr. Burke gave a report, which included the following: • Bonsall Park Pickleball Court Damage: A truck drove through one of the court fences, causing damages. Staff is working with a contractor on repairs. A photo was shown. • Foothills Park Pickleball Court: The new courts are getting a lot of use. There have been requests for more courts at the location; however, there are challenges due to available space. • The Public Affairs Department created three short videos showcasing the following parks: Sahuaro Ranch Park, Thunderbird Conservation Park Viewing Blinds, and the Glendale Xeriscape Garden. Viewing links were provided. Commissioner Zomok suggested a promotional video on the tactile park by the Fire Department, as the park was so unique. 7. Commission Comments and Suggestions Commissioner Zomok relayed questions posed to him by residents: • Is there a watering schedule available for Murphy Park? The trees look dry. • All trees in the downtown area are diseased and there is an arborist report confirming such. • Are there plans available for the redesign of Murphy Park? Mr. Burke’s comments included the following: • The watering schedule in Murphy Park will be provided. The park was flood irrigated twenty years ago but was changed to sprinkler irrigation. When this is done, the trees are really impacted as they are used to deep watering. Sprinkler irrigation does not go deep, thus, the water is taken by the grass first. Mr. Burke has expressed his concerns previously regarding this issue. A decision was also made 6 previously that there should be no watering in the City from October through April. Mr. Burke is working to change these processes. • There are some diseased trees downtown and some have been removed. However, not all of the downtown trees are diseased. Some of the species impacted include ficus and pine. The City is working with an arborist on the matter. • There is a Downtown Reinvestment Project and Murphy Park is part of the campus redevelopment. There are five major components to the project: the parking garage, the City Hall tower, the Council Chambers building, the amphitheater, and the park there. Velma Teague Library is in the area but is not part of the project. There will be a public involvement process and most likely a consultant for the project. An architect and a construction contractor still need to be chosen. This topic can be brought to the Commission as a future agenda item. Commissioner Zomok asked if staff has pursued advertising opportunities in the Glendale@Play magazine to offset mailing and printing costs. Mr. Burke stated this has been pursued in the past; however, was not successful. Mr. Burke said an RFP will be put out again for a marketing vendor to pursue advertising. 8. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will be held on June 13, 2022, at 6:00 p.m., at the Glendale Community Center, located at 5401 W. Ocotillo Rd., Glendale, Arizona, 85301. 9. Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Jarrett, second by Commissioner Roe, to adjourn the meeting at 7:44 p.m. Motion carried 5 – 0.