Extracted text (via pymupdf)
10253 characters
1 DRAFT MINUTES City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center 5600 W. Union Hills Dr. Glendale, Arizona 85308 Monday, May 8, 2023 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Reginald Martinez, Jr., Chair Helena Johnson-Bodine, Vice Chair Kathryn Mawby, Commissioner Marie Nesfield, Commissioner Kathleen Roe, Commissioner Bud Zomok, Commissioner ABSENT: Jim Burke, Director ALSO PRESENT: John Kennedy, Assistant Director Heidi Barriga, Deputy Director Diane Williams, Program Manager 1. Call to Order Chair Martinez called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call Chair Martinez conducted a roll call. 3. Citizen Comments None. 4. Approval of the Minutes Motion by Commissioner Roe, second by Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine, to approve the April 10, 2023, Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 6 – 0. 5. New Business a. Information: Commission Reports Commissioner Nesfield reported she visited a few parks with her granddaughter. She said her granddaughter liked Foothills Park the most because of the story walk and the playground that was very clean. She liked the playground at Chapparal Park for the playground, which was also very clean. She said that Sunnyside Park did not leave much of an impression. Commissioner Zomok announced that he went to Bonsall Park and reported there were not as many homeless individuals as he has seen. He said there was graffiti at the racquetball court; however, it has been taken care of as it was not there today. Chair Martinez said he was impressed with the new playground at Sunnyside Park. He reported graffiti at Tarrington Ranch Park, however, noticed it was covered the following day at his subsequent visit to the park. 2 He also said the police were escorting some homeless individuals from the park. He said the grass was clean and well-kept at Northern Horizon Park. Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine said she has observed, and other residents have reported to her, that there are people who have their dogs off-leash at Oasis Park and turning it into a dog park. She asked how this could be addressed or enforced. Mr. Kennedy said staff has received the same complaints and was aware of the situation. He said residents should call the park ranger number during the day or the non-emergency police phone number in the evening to report dogs off-leash. b. Information: CIP Updates Ms. Barriga gave an update on the CIP Projects, which included the following information: • Hidden Meadows Park o There was no electricity in the park. Eleven solar poles were installed to provide light. • Park Lighting Projects – Parks that are completed and open. o Delicias Park o Hidden Meadows Park o Mary Silva Park o Myrtle Park o Paseo Racquet Center o Paseo Sports Complex • Park Playgrounds – Parks that are completed and open. o Carmel Park o Clavelito Park o Country Gables Park o Delicias Park o Desert Mirage Park o Foothills Park North o Foothills Park South o Heritage Park o Hidden Meadows Park o Hillcrest Park o Lions Park o Mary Silva Park o Montara Park o New World Park o Northern Horizon Park o Rose Lane Park o Sunnyside Park • Splash Pads o Sunset Palms Park: Ribbon-cutting on May 22, 2023 o Greenway Granada Park: Proposal in talks. Councilmember Malnar held a community meeting to see what residents would like in a splash pad. o Heroes Regional Park: Up and running. Refurbishment will be done after the summer season. o Sycamore Grove Park: Up and running. Refurbishment will be done after the summer season. Chair Martinez asked if the recently completed parks were getting lighting upgrades. Ms. Barriga said not all were scheduled for lighting upgrades this fiscal year; however, there was an opportunity for four parks to be approved for FY24. 3 Chair Martinez asked if other smaller parks could get the solar poles. Ms. Barriga said staff could look into the suggestion. She said staff would like to see how well the solar does at Hidden Meadows to ensure it was hitting the benchmarks and meeting lighting needs. Chair Martinez asked for an update on the splash pad at Sahuaro Ranch Park. Ms. Barriga said the consultant has prepared the 3D concepts, which will be presented to leadership next week. She said the concepts will be presented to the Commission soon. c. Information: Sunset Palms Park Splash Pad Opening Mr. Kennedy shared information on the Sunset Palms Park Splash Pad Opening. • Ribbon-cutting Ceremony: Monday, May 22nd at 9:00 a.m. • The Commissioners will receive an invitation. • The splash pad officially opens for the season on Saturday, May 27th at 11:00 a.m. • The splash pad will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays through the end of July and weekends through the end of August. d. Information: Thunderbird Conservation Park Trailhead Concepts Ms. Barriga presented the initial Master Plan concepts for the Thunderbird Conservation Park, which included detailed information and aerial design maps for the following: • 55th Avenue Trailhead Concept • 59th Avenue Trailhead Concept • 67th Avenue Trailhead Concept Commissioner Mawby asked if the trails would be closed in the summer at a certain temperature, as the City of Phoenix was doing. Mr. Kennedy indicated he was not aware of a directive at this time and will follow up. Commissioner Mawby relayed this type of directive was a type of request by the Fire Department for safety. Commissioner Nesfield asked if the horse trailer parking at 59th Avenue would remain in place. Ms. Barriga did not believe that parking area existed anymore and will follow up. Ms. Barriga said the horse trailer parking at 67th Avenue would remain, as in the most recent public survey, some respondents indicated they used the area for horse trailers. Chair Martinez said it appeared the concepts were trying to make the trailheads more user-friendly. Ms. Barriga said the design concepts incorporated feedback from the public surveys. Commissioner Zomok asked if the Flatlander Trail was a loop. Ms. Barriga will follow up and report back. Commissioner Zomok asked if there was an anticipated increase in users after the new improvements and cited concerns with potentially not enough parking in place, even with the additional parking spaces. Ms. Barriga did not have information on user estimates. Commissioner Zomok asked what would be done if the consultants found the need for more parking or additional entrances. Mr. Kennedy said the consultants would continue to refine the concepts with more specific details and the concepts will come back to the Commission for additional review and input. e. Information: Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project Mr. Kennedy presented information regarding the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project, which included the following information: • Two Community Engagement Open Houses Held: o March 15th and March 29th 4 o Held at Council Chambers, Foothills Recreation & Aquatics Center, Heroes Regional Park, Facebook live streaming • Next Steps o 2nd Half of June: Contractors to meet with each Councilmember o 2nd Half of July: Public Open House o Early August: Council Workshop • The three concepts for the campus were displayed. These were also shown at the Public Engagement Meetings. Commissioner Zomok noted the library was still included in the center of the park and said he heard that the library was not included in the project improvements. Mr. Kennedy said the library was a topic of conversation, however, he was not aware of any changes to the library. Mr. Kennedy announced there will be another public meeting at the end of July for community input. 7. Staff Updates Mr. Kennedy shared information on the following: • Budget o Council Voting Meeting on May 9th: Tentative Budget Adoption • Arbor Day Recap o The Arbor Day event was held on Friday, April 28th, at Rose Lane Park. Six trees were planted and children from a local elementary school participated in the event. o An informational video of the event was played. o This is the 28th consecutive year Glendale is a Tree City USA. • Sierra Verde Park Art Project o Public Art Project Panel met on April 21, 2023. o The Arts Commission approved the art during its April 27, 2023 meeting. o Mr. John Randall Nelson is the selected artist. o The design concept was displayed. It includes copper designs along the wall surrounding the well site. • Pool and Splash Pad Openings o Pools open June 6th. o Splash pads open on May 27th. Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine announced that she participated on the artist selection panel for the Sierra Verde Well Site and shared a brief overview of the selection process and art design. She noted the artist included feedback from the community in his revised art design concept. Commissioner Mawby asked if both pools would be open at the same time this summer. Mr. Kennedy said that was correct as there were enough lifeguards to do so. Chair Martinez said it was very exciting the City was able to fill enough lifeguard roles this summer, as it has been challenging the last few years. 8. Commission Comments and Suggestions Commissioner Roe announced that she participated in the Peacock Strut and complimented the event and Ms. Jeneea Jervay-Bush, the Glendale Adult Center Recreation Coordinator. She said that she was talking with other teachers at the event, who asked if there their voices were heard. She said she told them that their voices were indeed heard by staff and encouraged them to continue to provide feedback and answer surveys. 5 9. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will be held on Monday, June 12, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., at the Glendale Adult Center, 5970 W. Brown St., Glendale, Arizona, 85302. 10. Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Roe, second by Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine, to adjourn the meeting at 6:51 p.m. Motion carried 6 – 0.