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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, January 8, 2024 6:00 P.M. PRESENT: Reginald Martinez, Jr., Chair Helena Johnson-Bodine, Vice Chair Kathryn Mawby, Commissioner Marie Nesfield, Commissioner Tom Traw, Commissioner Bud Zomok, Commissioner ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: John Kennedy, Director Heidi Barriga, Deputy Director Manuel Padia, Jr., Recreation Administrator Diane Williams, Program Manager Sam Chiovari, Park Superintendent Dean Kinnoin, Senior Recreation Coordinator Paul Cervantes, Recreation Coordinator Carol Piontkowski, Contract Monitor 1. Call to Order Chair Martinez called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call Chair Martinez conducted roll call. 3. Citizen Comments None. 4. Approval of the Minutes Motion by Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine, second by Commissioner Mawby, to approve the December 11, 2023 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting minutes, with corrections to the Naming Policy. Motion carried 6 – 0. Staff Note to correct the December 11, 2023 minutes with the following: Item 2. Roll Call: Add Manuel Padia, Recreation Administrator under Also Present. Item 6b. Action: Dedication Plaque for El Barrio Park: Correct the spelling of the last name of Planning Department Sr. Planner, Alex Lerma, which was mis-spelled as “Lerner” in two instances. 5. New Staff Introductions Mr. Kennedy announced that he has been appointed the new Parks and Recreation Director and said he looked forward to working with the Commission in the future. 2 Mr. Chiovari introduced Ms. Piontkowski, the new Contract Monitor. Ms. Piontkowski shared a brief background of herself. 6. New Business a. Information: Commission Reports Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine noted that a light at Utopia Park, which she brought up at last month’s meeting, was still missing and has a cone by it. Mr. Kennedy will follow up. Commissioner Zomok said that some merchants told him that Murphy Park will be shut down with no access and asked if that was true. Mr. Kennedy said he had not heard that. Chair Martinez said he visited Bonsall Park in December and saw that the pickleball area was closed down and had caution tape. Mr. Chiovari indicated he was aware some minor repairs were being done, but would have to follow up on details. Chair Martinez said the courts were fairly new and wondered why repairs would have to be done so soon. He said he hoped the courts could be repaired soon as there were not many places to play pickleball in Glendale. b. Action: Naming of the Park at Site Formerly Known as Glen Lakes Golf Course Ms. Barriga provided an update on the Naming of the New Park Formerly Known as Glen Lakes Golf Course, which included the following information: • Postcards were mailed to over 1,600 household residents within a half-mile radius of the park site. The postcard was displayed. • The names submitted by the public via the survey were announced. • The Commission was asked to provide a recommendation to Council based on the survey results. Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine noted Glen Lakes was the most popular name and asked for the vote counts for the first, second, and third submissions. Ms. Barriga said Glen Lakes Park had fifteen submissions, Pearl Park had five, and Barrel Park and Fairway Park had two each. Ms. Barriga announced that all other names had one submission. Commissioner Zomok noted that the overall response was less than 1%. He expressed concern that such a low amount of the residents would make a decision for the park name. He said December and the holiday season may not have been the best time to conduct a survey as many people are very busy. Mr. Kennedy agreed 1% was low, but noted that 3% would be really high. He said the Commission could make a recommendation to Council to conduct another survey. Commissioner Zomok said he did not have an issue with the name, rather the low response and timing of the survey. Commissioner Mawby asked if the response was normal for such a survey. She surmised people would respond if they were interested. Commissioner Nesfield liked the name Glen Lakes Park due to the historical value of the name, although there was no lake at the park. Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine concurred with the opinions of the other Commissioners. She said that the surveys in her HOA traditionally have a low response as well. She suggested a minimum of three reminders for future surveys. 3 Chair Martinez asked when the survey was conducted. Mr. Kennedy said it was December 1 through December 20, 2023. Chair Martinez agreed with Commissioner Zomok and suggested in the future, to keep the survey open for two months and not held during the holiday season. Commissioner Traw asked if there was a time limit for naming of the park. Mr. Kennedy said there was no deadline, but progress was being made on completion of the development. Commissioner Traw asked if there was time for another survey. Mr. Kennedy said staff could take the Commission’s recommendation for another survey to Council, if so desired. Commissioner Zomok did not see that another survey would change the top submission of Glen Lakes Park. Motion by Commissioner Zomok, second by Commissioner Traw, to recommend approval of Glen Lakes Park, as the proposed name for the park at the site formerly known as Glen Lakes Golf Course, with the caveat that future naming surveys not be conducted during a holiday season. Motion carried 6 – 0. c. Information: Project Status Ms. Barriga provided a project status list with an update on the following projects: • Bonsall North Master Plan • Sahuaro Ranch Park Master Plan • Thunderbird Conservation Park Improvements • New Park Naming Opportunity • Irrigation and Lighting Projects • Chapter 27 Revisions • Heroes Regional Park Build-Out Commissioner Zomok asked if the electrical at the buildings would be turned off for the Sahuaro Ranch Park projects and inquired if the alarm and fire systems would be kept on. Mr. Kennedy said he will work with and advise the project team of the concern. d. Information: Mid-Year Update on FY24 Capital Improvement Projects Ms. Barriga gave a status of the projects in the following CIP Project categories: • Irrigation Projects • Lighting Projects • Ramada Replacements • Play Structure Replacements • Resurfacing Projects • Fitness Project • Splash Pad Projects Chair Martinez asked if the irrigation projects were new irrigation or replacements. Ms Barriga said they were replacements to bring up to current standards with water conservation in mind. Chair Martinez asked if Sahuaro Ranch Park would have a splash pad. Ms. Barriga said it was included in the plan concept presented to Council. Commissioner Mawby said she was very interested in seeing the playground structures at Sunset Park and Mission Park completed. Commissioner Zomok thanked staff for the format of the update, as it made for simpler project tracking. 4 e. Information: Park Projects Mr. Chiovari gave a presentation on the following park projects: • Wall at Montara Park o The wall has been deteriorating for some time. o The project is 600 linear feet for a total of 1,200 linear feet front and back. o The project began December 18th and should be completed by January 22nd. o The walls and wrought iron will be painted. o Photos were displayed. • Elsie McCarthy Sensory Garden Sidewalk o There has been uprooting of the sidewalks due to tree roots. o The sidewalks will be removed and replaced with stabilized granite and borders. o The same type of concrete sidewalk will not be re-used as it will eventually crack due to tree roots. f. Information: Mobile Recreation Program Mr. Padia gave an overview of the Mobile Recreation Program, which was identified in the Disparities Section of the Park and Recreation Master Plan. • What is it? o Recreation programs delivered to the community in the parks near them. Programs will be designed for residents of all ages. Will also include a monthly special event. • Where will it be? o Parks throughout the city of Glendale and representing each of the Council districts, monthly. Bonsall Park will be programmed monthly, with other parks rotating. • When will it start? o Programming will begin in February of 2024. • Mr. Chiovari and his team are identifying schools as community partners. • Staff will be promoting the program early to schools and families. • The target start date is February 2024. • Programming will be for kids, families, and adults. Mr. Kennedy said as this was a new program, staff will be tracking data to see how well it does in all locations and will adjust as needed. Commissioner Zomok asked if this program went through Council Workshop. Mr. Kennedy said it had not specifically but would have been in the Master Plan and the budget process. Commissioner Zomok commented that more things are coming to the Commission after the fact and the Commission is asked to sign off on it. He said there appeared to be a disconnect between the Commission and the recommendations. Chair Martinez asked if the programs would be created based on the amenities each park had and asked how it would be advertised. Mr. Padia said the calendar would be published two months in advance and program planning was currently underway. Chair Martinez inquired about the days and times. Mr. Padia said it would depend on the park and the activities. Mr. Kennedy said that the planning staff has access to the demographics around each park, which would assist with programming. Commissioner Mawby asked if the programs would be weekly or monthly. Mr. Padia stated it would be twice a month. He said he would like to do more, but it would depend on staffing. 5 7. Staff Updates Mr. Kennedy said staff was working on social media promotions of lifeguard opportunities at the pools. The classes will start in spring and the pay rate is $25/hour. 8. Commission Comments and Suggestions Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine agreed with Commissioner Zomok’s previous comments and looked forward to a more active role in recommendations. She commented on the new artwork installed on the wall at the Sierra Verde Park well site and asked if the back wall facing the school would have art as well. Mr. Kennedy will follow up. Commissioner Zomok asked if the Commission could be provided with a list of projects being taken to Council Workshop. He said this would help him answer questions that people ask him. Commissioner Traw proposed to move the meeting to an earlier time, such as 5:30 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m. Chair Martinez asked staff to look into the process. Mr. Kennedy will follow up. 9. Next Meeting The next regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission will be held on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., at the Glendale Civic Center, located at 5750 W. Glenn Dr., Glendale, Arizona, 85301. 10. Adjournment Motion by Vice Chair Johnson-Bodine, second by Commissioner Mawby, to adjourn the meeting at 6:55 p.m. Motion carried 6 – 0.