Revised April 19 2023 Meeting Minutes
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PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
April 19, 2023
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Madam Chair Dykstra called the meeting to order on Wednesday, April 19th, at 5:00
p.m.
a. Roll Call
Members in Attendance:
Madam Chair Melanie Dykstra
Boardmember Shawn Hsu
Boardmember James Montgomery
Boardmember John David
Boardmember Jegadesan Krishnamurthy
Boardmember Sue McInturf
Members Absent:
Vice-Chair Tim Johnson
Staff Members Present:
John Sefton, Community Services Director
Mickey Ohland, Community Services Planning Manager
Rebecca Kuiper, Recreation Superintendent
Erika Berry, Recreation Superintendent
Chris Smith, Aquatics Superintendent
Kate Smith, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Tiffanie Hawkins, Marketing and Communications Supervisor
Joshua Adams, Business Systems Support Analyst
INTRODUCTION OF NEW BOARDMEMBER SUE MCINTURF
New
Boardmember
Sue
McInturf
introduce
herself
to
the
other
Boardmembers and people in attendance. The other Boardmembers that were
present introduced themselves as well.
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SCHEDULED/UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES
None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
a. Madam Chair Dykstra requested approval of the minutes for the March 7, 2022
Parks and Recreation Board meeting. Boardmember James Montgomery made
the motion to approve. Boardmember John David seconded the motion. The
motion was approved unanimously.
BRIEFING
Community Service Department Marketing and Communications
Tiffanie Hawkins, Marketing and Communications Supervisor, presented
information contained in the attached presentation.
Boardmember James Montgomery asked if the digital version was an exact
copy of the printed publication. Tiffanie Hawkins confirmed and added that the
only difference is the digital copy links directly to the registration website.
Boardmember Montgomery mentioned that the production lead time can be a
bit long and creates a challenge when committing to instructing classes. Tiffanie
stated that where the lead time may seem long, it is necessary to ensure that
every collaborating member of the Division is able to provide activity information
while allowing the Marketing Team to design and copyright as well as go through
the necessary review process.
Boardmember Sean Hsu asked how often the digital version can be updated.
Tiffanie stated that it depends on the requested revision since any major revision
has the potential to break the links in the document.
Madam Chair Dykstra stated that once the document is out there, most people
have made their choices about activities they would be interested in participating
in. She also stated that having a viewership of 12,000 people would present the
opportunity to provide those subscribers with updates and revisions as needed.
Tiffanie stated that the information listed on ActiveNet is in real time meaning
once activity information has been updated on the registration website, it’s
immediately posted for customers. She added that the Marketing Team also
provides a monthly newsletter for customers who have opted in. Madam Chair
Dykstra inquired about the City having a contact list that staff could send for
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communication purposes. Tiffanie stated that program supervisors will use
contact lists to provide updated information to customers.
Boardmember Hsu asked about the online search function. Tiffanie stated that
customers can search on the digital publication and directly in ActiveNet.
Boardmember Montgomery asked if the City used any of the neighborhood
social media applications like Nextdoor. Tiffanie stated that the City has a
Nextdoor account that the Department has a subaccount of. She mentioned that
the limited amount of customer interaction and responses doesn’t warrant using
the service for anything more than promoting special events at this time.
Boardmember Krishnamurthy asked if the City is tracking the social media
interactions as it relates to revenue. Tiffanie stated that this is tracked through
conversion rates. She mentioned that the use of social media is ranked 3rd when
it comes to conversion rates and that the Break Time publication and website are
the two major contributors to customer conversion rates.
Madam Chair Dykstra inquired about the Department’s total following for the
social media accounts. Tiffanie stated that she did not have the exact number.
She detailed that the focus for the use of social media is not focused on the
number of followers or users. Tiffanie explained that the industry standard is to
focus on engagement and conversion rates.
Boardmember Hsu asked where the Break Time web page is in relation to visits.
Tiffanie described that it’s contingent on the time of year. She provided the
example of when the Break Time debuts, and up to the start of each season, the
page is the most visited. However, as the season progresses, the number of visits
drops, and it becomes one of the lesser-viewed pages. Madam Chair Dykstra
stated that sometimes it becomes challenging to find activities through the Break
Time page. A discussion ensued.
Boardmember Hsu stated that the Break Time doesn’t break the activities up by
recreational facility. Boardmember Hsu provided the example of the Senior
Center and not finding the activities offered at the location. Tiffanie stated that
the Department made a conscious effort during the publication’s redesign in
2018. Tiffanie explained that the shift in strategy was to focus on core service
areas.
Boardmember David asked if the City spends on Search Engine Optimization
(SEO). Tiffanie stated that the City will spend as needed.
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Madam Chair Dykstra asked if the Department’s Marketing staff are responsible
for responding to all the City’s social media pages. Tiffanie stated that they are
only responsible for the 27 sites assigned to Community Services. Madam Chair
Dykstra inquired as to whether the other departments’ supervisors respond or
manage social media pages. Tiffanie explained that everything is filtered through
the Marketing team. She explained that the Marketing team has monthly
meetings with each supervisor to discuss topical items and ideas for content.
ACTION AGENDA
Community Services Department Proposed Fee
John Sefton, Community Services Director, provided information regarding the
Department’s proposed fee changes. This information is included in the attached
presentation.
Boardmember Montgomery asked for an example of market demand pricing.
Mr. Sefton provided the example of having an oversupply of meeting rooms for
rent at $10/hr however the average market price is $8/hr. would indicate the
need to subsidize a bit more to be market competitive. Madam Chair Dykstra
inquired about the Department’s cost recovery requirements. Mr. Sefton
explained that the City currently only considers direct costs which does not
include things like utilities. Mr. Sefton continued to review the City’s cost recovery
philosophy information included in the presentation.
Madam Chair Dykstra asked how the City of Chandler compares to other City’s
within the state about the pool entry fee. Mr. Sefton explained that each City is
within one to two dollars of each other and provided several examples. Madam
Chair Dykstra stated that where the Town of Gilbert only charges a $1 entry fee
and the City of Mesa charges a $2 entry fee the comparison of amenities offered
at each differ greatly with the City of Mesa offering a lot more. Madam Chair
Dykstra also stated that the City of Mesa’s pool amenities are more comparable
to the City of Chandler’s than other cities that would be like Gilbert’s. Madam
Chair Dykstra stated that she felt a $2 entry fee was appropriate.
Boardmember McInturf asked if that fee had been the same since 2010.
Multiple people responded with a “yes”.
Madam Chair Dykstra asked what the offset was for the increase of overall
costs due to inflation and staff wage increases. Mr. Sefton stated the expected
increase in revenue would be approximately $125,000. Mr. Sefton explained that
it’s a slight subsidy compared to total cost increases overall aquatic facilities. A
conversation ensued with a consensus that there is very little offset of costs even
with the proposed fee increase.
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Boardmember Montogomery asked if the City of Chandler charged the same
for residents and non-residents. Mr. Sefton stated that for pool entry the rates
are the same, however, for swim lessons, rentals, and pool passes there is a
different rate for residents versus non-residents. Mr. Sefton elaborated that this
is mainly due to the priority of getting people in the facility and out of standing in
line where temperatures and conditions are less than ideal.
Madam Chair Dykstra inquired about the amount of punch pass sales. Mr.
Sefton stated that 15% of passes sold in the calendar year 2022 were non-
resident with an overall total of 657 being sold, both resident and non-resident.
Staff member Chris Smith added that since pool passes do not expire, those
numbers do not truly reflect how popular the passes are.
Madam Chair Dykstra asked why the swim lesson fees had an odd cents
amount. She provided the example of $9.55 for 8 25-minute lessons. She
elaborated as to why the City doesn’t either round up or down to $9 or $10. Mr.
Sefton explained that this is mainly due to previous fees charged to the City by
the American Red Cross. Mr. Sefton went on to detail the City switching from
American Red Cross to Star Guard and with that shift no longer being charged
the previous fees. He also added that next year the Department would be
proposing to decrease the swim lesson fee to $9 as suggested by Madam Chair
Dykstra. Madam Chair Dykstra stated that she would even recommend raising
it to $10. Mentioning that the City offers scholarships and other opportunities to
provide swim lessons to people at all socio-economic levels.
Madam Chair Dykstra asked about the City’s refund policy specifically how it
relates to the City’s cost to refund transactions. Staff member Erika Berry stated
that the City does not have anything in its fee structure that specifically
addresses the City’s cost to provide customers with refunds. Madam Chair
Dykstra stated that she would recommend that the City investigate the cost to
refund and how the City might be able to recoup those costs.
Madam Chair Dykstra asked how the City compared to other City’s in relation to
field rental fees. Mr. Sefton stated that the City is right in the middle regarding
rental charges for use. Madam Chair Dykstra inquired if any fees had changed
for the Chandler Youth Sports Association (CYSA) members. Mrs. Berry stated
CYSA members would pay the same rate as other organizations not in the
association when they are outside of their season activities. Madam Chair
Dykstra asked if the fees associated with CYSA were reviewed. Mrs. Berry stated
that the light fee is a part of the City code which would be another process about
changing it. Mr. Sefton stated that the Department is currently looking at the City
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code and making several changes to it. Madam Chair Dykstra stated that she
would like the fees associated with CYSA reviewed.
Boardmember Krishnamurthy made a motion to support the proposed fees as
presented. Boardmember Montgomery seconded the motion. No one was
opposed. The Motion was approved.
Boardmember Krishnamurthy inquired about how the Department is funded.
Mr. Sefton explained that the Department’s funding comes from the City’s
General Fund and that all revenue generated from the Department goes into that
fund to offset some of the cost, however, the Department is not operating as an
enterprise. Madam Chair Dykstra asked if the City has explored Sport Tourism.
A conversation ensued.
Boardmember Hsu inquired about the recreation facility operational hours and
if there were any plans to return to pre-pandemic scheduling. Madam Chair
Dykstra stated that since that it is not on the current agenda, the board should
address it as a part of the agenda of a future meeting. Boardmember Hsu was
agreeable to the suggestion.
MEMBER COMMENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Boardmember Montgomery stated that he would be giving a presentation on
the history of Ping Pong in Chandler on May 2nd at the Chandler Museum at 12
p.m.
Boardmember Krishnamurthy suggested an update on the outlook of Cricket
and the demand in Chandler.
Boardmember Montgomery stated he would like to discuss the priorities of
the Tumbleweed Recreation Center expansion. Madam Chair Dykstra stated that
an update for the Tumbleweed Recreation Center would be on the next meeting
agenda.
CALENDAR ITEMS
1. Next Parks and Recreation Board meeting Tuesday, May 2, at 5 p.m.
2. All Day Budget Briefing Friday, April 28, at 8:00 am, Chandler City Council
Chambers 88 E. Chicago Street, Chandler, Arizona
3. Other activities and events
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• Earth Day, April 22, 2023 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Chandler Nature Center, 4050
E. Chandler Heights Rd, Chandler, AZ 85249
• Tennis Social: Spring Smash, April 22, 2023 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. - Chandler
Tennis Center, 2250 S. McQueen Rd, Chandler, AZ 85286
• Dive In Movie: Luca, May 6, 2023 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. - Hamilton Aquatic
Center, 3838 S. Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ 85248
ADJOURNMENT
With no further items, Madam Chair Dykstra requested a motion to adjourn the
meeting at 6:35 p.m. Madam Chair Dykstra made the motion to adjourn the
meeting. Boardmember McInturf seconded the motion. The motion was approved
unanimously.
_________________________________________ _____________________________________
Melanie Dykstra, Madam Chair
Mickey Ohland, Community
Services Planning Manager