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1 DRAFT MINUTES City of Glendale Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting Glendale Civic Center 5750 W. Glenn Dr. Glendale, Arizona 85301 Monday, August 14, 2023 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Reginald Martinez, Jr., Chair Marie Nesfield, Commissioner Kathleen Roe, Commissioner Tom Traw, Commissioner (arrived during agenda item 7d) Bud Zomok, Commissioner ABSENT: Kathryn Mawby, Commissioner Helena Johnson-Bodine, Vice Chair ALSO PRESENT: James Burke, Director John Kennedy, Assistant Director Heidi Barriga, Deputy Director Manuel Padia, Recreation Administrator Jeneea Jervay-Bush, Sr. Recreation Coordinator Diane Williams, Program Manager 1. Call to Order Chair Martinez called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. 2. Roll Call Chair Martinez conducted roll call. 3. New Commissioner Introduction Chair Martinez announced a new commissioner was appointed to the Commission on May 23, 2023. He said Commissioner Traw was not currently present at the meeting. 4. Citizen Comments None. 5. Approval of the Minutes Motion by Commissioner Nesfield, second by Commissioner Roe, to approve the June 12, 2023 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 4 – 0. [Commissioner Traw was not yet present.] 6. New Staff Introductions Mr. Kennedy announced that Mr. Padia was promoted to Recreation Administrator and shared a brief background on Mr. Padia. Mr. Padia announced that Ms. Jervay-Bush was recently selected for the Sr. Recreation Coordinator position and shared a brief background on Ms. Jervay-Bush. 2 7. New Business a. Information: Commission Reports Chair Martinez said he visited all of the splash pads in Glendale this summer with his children, as planned, and his favorite was O’Neil Park. Commissioner Nesfield reported that her grandchildren took swim lessons at the Foothills Recreation and Aquatic Center and complimented staff. She said her granddaughter can now swim without a flotation device. Commissioner Roe expressed concern for Bonsall Park and noted that drug activity and other unsafe activity was high at the park. She commented on a recent explosion and fire at a recycling facility near her neighborhood and said that six cities supported Glendale, which was fantastic. She complimented the work of the Police and Fire Departments. b. Information: National Recognitions for the City of Glendale Ms. Barriga announced the following recognitions for the City of Glendale: • Mixbook Photo Co. named Glendale’s Sahuaro Ranch Park as the eleventh best place in the U.S. for a marriage proposal. • Travel + Leisure magazine named Glendale one of the nine best places to live in Arizona. • Wallethub named Glendale as the 22nd best city for recreation in the U.S. Commissioner Zomok announced that Glendale Glitters at Murphy Park received an award in the Glendale Star for the Best Holiday Event. c. Information: Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project Mr. Kennedy gave an update on the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project, which included the following information: • During the June 13, 2023 City Council Workshop, Council approved the concept and budget for the project. • Human Resources and Finance have officially moved to the 2nd floor of the Adult Center. • Community Services moved to the Main Library. • The Mayor, Council, and City Manager’s offices moved to the Media Center. • Development Services and Customer Services are still at City Hall and will move to the Civic Center Annex and the Bead Museum, respectively, in the upcoming months. • All City Council Workshops and meetings and all Board and Commission meetings will take place at the Civic Center. d. Information: Community Centers Programming Mr. Padia gave an update on programming at the three community centers in Glendale, which included the following information on the Glendale Community Center, Rose Lane Community Center, and O’Neil Recreation Center: • The new Community Center schedule will run August 2023 through May 2024. • There will be full-time staff in all facilities at all times. • The new Community Center hours are: o Monday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. o Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. • Programs will include a variety of classes and activities offered by staff and community partners. • Fitness, workforce development, arts, story times, cornhole, games, and more will be programmed. • The populations served include seniors, adults, families, youth, and teens. • Photos were displayed. 3 Commissioner Roe inquired about the partnership with St. Mary’s Food Bank for meals. Mr. Padia said there was a partnership with St. Mary’s for food for the kids. [Commissioner Traw entered the meeting.] Commissioner Roe asked if there was any wellness provided for the children, if needed. Mr. Padia said this was not offered at this time for the youth. Commissioner Zomok asked if there was any matrix to support the success cited at the centers. Mr. Padia said this was the first summer Rose Lane was opened in three to four years, so to fill the program was indeed a success. He cited the quality of the program and feedback from parents. Mr. Burke shared the history of the ownership transitions of the centers. He said there would be measurements, but the facilities were small with a capacity of sixty children for the camp. Chair Martinez reported that he visited the O’Neil Community Center and said it was beautiful and the staff was impressive. He asked if there was a plan to open more community centers. Mr. Burke said the opening of the centers was an opportunity to get programming back into the communities. He said there was a plan for a center at Heroes Regional Park and an RFQ will be posted for a consultant for planning. He said this item would be brought back to Council and the Commission. Chair Martinez introduced Commissioner Traw, who arrived during the agenda item. Commissioner Traw apologized for being late, due to a family matter. e. Information: Events and Activities for National Parks and Recreation Month Ms. Barriga shared information on events and activities for National Parks and Recreation Month: • Proclamation of July as National Parks and Recreation Month by the Mayor. • Social media activities encouraging the public to post photos at their favorite Glendale water play facility and their favorite recreation center. • Staff recognitions on social media. Commissioner Zomok asked if the Parks and Recreation team met as a group monthly or quarterly. Mr. Burke said the team generally meets quarterly and shared some of the topics at the meeting. f. Information: Parks Water Use Dashboard Mr. Kennedy gave a presentation on the Parks Water Use Dashboard. He explained how staff uses the dashboard to monitor the water usage against the water budget to remain in compliance with the City’s Drought Management Plan and to save on water expenses. He announced that the City was in Stage 1 of the Plan and the department is trying to achieve a 5% reduction in water use. Mr. Burke said the department was doing well with its water use reduction. Commissioner Zomok asked if there was a way to see the monetary savings on the dashboard. Mr. Kennedy said there were a variety of ways to view the data on the dashboard. Commissioner Zomok asked if trending was done. Mr. Kennedy replied in the positive and said there were yearly line graphs and annual trending views. Commissioner Zomok said the dashboard was a great visual tool. 4 Commissioner Roe said she liked to see the graph in her water bill which shows how she is doing on her water savings. Commissioner Traw inquired about the City’s use of re-using potable water. Mr. Burke provided detailed information on the three main water sources for the City and how each is used. He said the Water Services Department manages all sources of water and Parks and Recreation is its biggest client, so any water savings was very important. 8. Staff Updates Mr. Padia showed informational videos on the following: • Senator Mark Kelly’s visit to the Rose Lane Community Center • The Rose Lane Pool event sponsored by Councilmember Hugh • Glendale’s Lifeguards Working for You Mr. Burke announced the upcoming Bond Election and distributed a flyer for the two questions on the ballot. He said there were also details on the bond election on the City’s website. 9. Commission Comments and Suggestions None. 10. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will be held on Monday, September 11, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., at the Glendale Civic Center, located at 5750 W. Glenn Dr., Glendale, Arizona, 85301. 11. Adjournment Motion by Commissioner Roe, second by Commissioner Nesfield, to adjourn the meeting at 7:05 p.m. Motion carried 5 – 0.