2026.01.14 PRGDBC ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES APPROVED.PDF
Extracted text (via pymupdf)
8308 characters
Minutes of the Parks, Recreation, Golf and Double Butte Cemetery Advisory Board meeting held on January 14, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Hybrid Meeting- Tempe Public Library 2nd floor Cottonwood Board Room, 3500 S Rural Rd., Tempe, AZ, and virtual through Microsoft Teams. Members Present: Lane Waddell – Chair Mary Farmer – Vice Chair Susan Carlson Eli Enger Elizabeth Hatch Katelyn Keberle Gerardo Lopez Cory Pechtl Regina Ponder Lauren Wunderlich Lisa Zyriek Members Absent: None City Staff Present: Alexander Jovanovic, Deputy Community Services Director – Parks (Staff Liaison) Shawn Wagner, Deputy Community Services Director – Recreation Shelbie Meyer, Administrative Analyst – Parks Clarence Matherson, Deputy City Attorney Warren Rivera, Planner – Community Development Other Guests Present: None Upon the establishment of a quorum, meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Lane Waddell. Agenda Item 1 – Public Appearances Nickolas Jensen, President of Brazas Futebol Club, wanted to introduce himself to the board and start a dialogue on partnering with the city to preserve and improve field space for Tempe youth. Agenda Item 2 – New Board Members New members Eli Enger, Katelyn Keberle, and Lauren Wunderlich introduced themselves and shared their interest in serving on the Parks board. City staff and returning Board members also provided brief introductions. Minutes Parks, Recreation, Golf and Double Butte Cemetery Advisory Board January 14, 2026 2 Agenda Item 3 – Approval of Meeting Minutes December 10, 2025 Motion by Cory Petchtl to approve December 10, 2025, meeting minutes. Seconded by Gerardo Lopez. Motion passed by a 7-0 vote. Ayes: Lane Waddell, Mary Farmer, Susan Carlson, Elizabeth Hatch, Gerardo Lopez, Cory Pechtl, and Lisa Zyriek Abstain: Eli Enger, Katelyn Keberle, and Lauren Wunderlich who are new to board. Regina Ponder arrived after the vote. Agenda Item 4 – Open Meeting Law Alex Jovanovic introduced Clarence Matherson, who is the assigned legal representative to the Community Services Department. The Open Meeting Law video was also shared with the entire board as a refresher and to meet legal requirements for new board members. Agenda Item 5 – Verizon Cell Tower at Jaycee Park Alex Jovanovic presented information related to the proposed Verizon cell tower at Jaycee Park. He also introduced Warren Rivera from the Planning Division, who was present to address any questions or concerns. • Presentation Information o Verizon cell tower through a consulting firm called Coal Creek Consulting proposed to be installed at Jaycee Park. o Overview of amenities at Jaycee Park. o Replace existing field light pole – approximately 60 feet fall currently to be approximately 70 feet in height, new lights to meet photometrics, remount area light, salvage existing pole/lights, equipment enclosure, and landscape buffer. This would better the service around the Jaycee Park area. o Next steps – use permit, board and commissions, development review commission, and public hearings. • Board members asked questions and made comments about: o How many cell towers do the City have on their property currently? o Why are they going to the city? Seems like they should go to schools directly. o Of the 10-ish cell towers on City property, how many in parks? o Does the city receive fees or annual rental/revenue? o What is the objection to doing this? o Have you heard anything from residents near Jaycee? o What happens if the tower is damaged or graffitied? What responsibility does the Parks staff have? What if it fell and hit someone? It just looks like a lot of heavy items on a small pole. o Are they (Verizon) responsible for maintenance costs? o Is this a cell tower lease agreement? If so, how long will it last? Is there a term for this project? Is the lease term responsible for equipment? o Does the city need the board to take action? My opinion sounds like there is strong oversight from the city. I do not have any strong opinions about it – neither in favor nor opposed. o Seems like this is a good opportunity as a board to weigh in with some input and discussion. 3 o Concerned if we make a vote without hearing from the neighborhood first. o I do like the fact that the Parks board received this information before implementation, not after. Lisa Zyriek and Katelyn Keberle make a motion to approve the Verizon Cell Tower at Jaycee Park pending recommendations or concerns from Jaycee neighborhood and continue the process through Community Development thereafter. Seconded by Elizabeth Hatch. Motion passed by a 10-0 vote. Ayes: Lane Waddell, Mary Farmer, Susan Carlson, Eli Enger, Elizabeth Hatch, Katelyn Keberle, Cory Pechtl, Regina Ponder, Lauren Wunderlich, and Lisa Zyriek Abstain: Gerardo Lopez Agenda Item 6 – Board Roles & Goals and Meeting Locations Lane Waddell initiated this agenda item to discuss Board roles and goals, as well as the possible agreement to move meeting locations to different recreation centers again. • Board Roles & Goals Discussion o The goal is to bring concerns up by board; majority of the presentations/agenda items seem like ongoing projects, and we need to do a better job with listening to community members/neighbors and bring real recommendations. o Submit to Lane and staff liaison for actional goals for open discussion. o Last year ended with priorities, while some were still lingering, is there a possibility of continuation or refresher? Maybe separate priorities by quarter and what the board should agendize for discussion/vote. o There is a difference between a list of personal priorities and the board’s strategic plans/initiatives, for instance the bench donation policy. ▪ Bickler bench plaque theft – who is responsible for the replacement of these types of things? • Meeting Locations Discussion o All board members were in agreements to move meeting locations like in the past. o Possible locations: all recreation centers (6 total), TMOC, Cemetery, Diablo Stadium or golf courses. o Questions/Concerns: ▪ Do we need technology there? ▪ Come up with a list of locations to give to board members. ▪ Quorum is important. When we moved locations in the past, we often lost quorum or had to cancel. ▪ How long do we wait when there is no quorum? Agenda Item 7 – Future Agenda Items • Gerardo Lopez requested a discussion regarding small baseball fields and maintenance in parks (how many small fields with a backstop in Tempe, what proactive maintenance is done for fields and how to rehabilitate the areas?). • Lane Waddell requested that Board members submit to City staff a list of topics they would like to be considered for future agendas. City staff will compile the submissions and present them at the next Parks Board meeting for prioritization. 4 • Katelyn Keberle was curious of the status of the Parks Ordinance revisions and how the board can help support those efforts. Alex Jovanovic gave her a brief update. • Susan Carlson requested information regarding the Cardinals’ property, including the City’s park- related responsibilities and the anticipated timeline for the Cardinals’ departure. • Lastly, Katelyn Keberle suggested incorporating a standing opening agenda item focused on identifying and discussing positive aspects and successful initiatives within the park system. Agenda Item 8 – Public Meeting Attendance, Notices & Announcements Shawn Wagner provided an overview of some upcoming Special Events and reminded Board members to notify City staff when attending an event. Lisa Zyriek questioned if there was any new information regarding the recent incident at Escalante. Alex Jovanovic identified two items scheduled for the Regular Council Meeting on January 22: a contract for body-worn cameras for Park Rangers and the J2 trailhead entrance associated with Hayden Flour Mill reactivation. Shawn Wagner also provided information regarding “Tempe Boat Cruisin” on Tempe Town Lake. Meeting adjourned at 7:31 p.m. Prepared by: Shelbie Meyer, Administrative Analyst, (480) 350-8353 Reviewed by: Alex Jovanovic, Deputy Community Services Director- Parks, (480) 350-5811