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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Recreation and Parks Committee - 10/21/2019RECREATION AND PARKS COMMITTEE MONDAY October 21, 2019 5 PM-6:30 PM Medium Conference Room, City Offices AGENDA (5:00) Call meeting to order Review of safety procedures Changes or additions to the agenda Comments from the public not related to the agenda Approval of minutes from March 11 2018 meeting (5:05) Committee Reorganization: Discussion on Expectations & Next Steps: Katie (5:30) Assign Sub-Committee on VRPA Report/Analysis (5:35) Status of Rec and Park Liaison to IZ; potential IZ update: Holly (5:40) Director’s Report and Budget Process: Holly (5:50) Update on Rec center progress: Holly Consultant full presentation to City Council 11/18 Consultant update to City Council 11/21 @6:30pm (5:55) October 25th Retreat planning discussion: Katie (6:05) CIP presentation to City Council on 11/18: Holly (6:15) DPC update: Mike & Holly (6:20) 180 Market Street Ceremony: Holly (6:25) IPV Sessions: Jennifer (6:30) Adjourn NEXT REGULAR MEETING: November 11, 2019 5:00 P.M. Recreation and Parks Committee To Do List Completed ●Parks Management Plan Resolution presented to Committee May 13, 2019; Sent to City Council July 2, 2019 ●Complete NRPA Summary - presented to City Council July 15, 2019 ●All Committee Symposium: September 26 ○Materials: Due August 16 - Annual Report and Work Plan and Poster ○Presentation: September 26 In Progress / Under Review ●Update “Who We Are and What We Do” information document ●Orientation Plan: Finalize document, set date for October workshop ○Compile and update documents needed to add to Google Drive ●Recreation Facility: Begin planning and organization of advocacy ●Complete Interim Zoning committee work ●Review Plan Com PUD’s Not Yet Started ●Coordinate with SBNRC re: Parks Management Plan ●Vermont Recreation & Parks data report Recreation and Parks Director’s Report October 21, 2019 Parks: 1)Bay Crest Playground install will happen the week before Thanksgiving. Our parks staff will begin the excavation and site preparation in the coming weeks, so the area will be cautioned taped. 2)Nets will come down the last week of October. The community has been alerted through our SoBu weekly, but we will make sure to send out through social media platforms as well. 3)Bike Racks to meet the City standards are now installed at all of our parks. We are finding there are some additional sites that need more loops due to solid use, so have ordered more although they will not be installed until spring. 4)Bathrooms at Vet and Red Rocks will be closed for the season the last week of October, and the port o lets will be pulled throughout the park system for the winter with the exception of Jaycee and Farrell, as they continue to support Rugby and Football through mid-November. 5)Additional Full Time Park Staff to be added July to help address on-going maintenance concerns: Non Park Trails Maintenance at City Center Park Maintenance at Wheeler Gardens Rec Path Bridge maintenance 6)Off Leash Dogs at Red Rocks continue to be a problem and there is a multi-layered approach to support a needed change. The following will be implemented in the coming months, seasons: Ordinance information tri-fold handed out with dog registrations in the clerk’s office Friends of Dog Parks will help host educational events throughout SB in spring/summer Summer police “bike patrol” to support education and enforcement Indoor Rec Center: 1)Time line: August 26 Full Day Stakeholder Meetings Community Outreach Meeting August 27-Sept 10 Online Survey (806 responses) Sept 12 Design Input from Recreation Department Staff Sept 17 Community update meeting on program & conceptual design Oct 21 Update to City Council 2)Next Steps: Complete Schematic Design Develop Construction Cost Estimates Develop Facility Operations Plan Present to City Council December 2 (tentative) 3)We continue weekly design meetings to confirm space, needs, elements, site flow 4)Update presentation to City Council Monday Oct 21 at 6:30 5)Pricing presentation to City Council was tentatively planned for Nov 18. It has been pushed back to December 2. VRPA State Conference: Last week I attended the two day State conference at Lake Morey. In addition to some fantastic networking and self-care, I attended a variety of sessions to assist in driving some initiatives within the Recreation Department and the systems it supports. 1)Managing Off-Leash Dog Guardian Programs 2)Telling your story; How to speak so people listen 3)Working smarter not harder: Continuous principles and tools 4)Master planning on a budget 5)Identifying trends for an uncertain future 6)Trail Stories: Trails and their positive effect on building and bridging communities. Marketing: 1)The department is working on building a Social Media Plan. For the past two months we have actively tried to post (almost daily) on Facebook, twitter and Instagram. We continue to work on voice and engagement and will seek assistance from Coralee Holm to create connections to other outlets in the community. Once a plan is drafted, it will be brought to the committee for review and comment. 2)Reviewing SoBu Weekly: does not have ability to forward, link or repost. This is a limiting piece of software that we can’t warehouse and connect to our website. Travis is looking into other options. 3)Website, website, website. We are implementing Website Wednesdays, where we will meet as a staff each Wednesday for 30 minutes to make a list of the needed updates and to do list for the website. While there are limits to its flexibility, we can push for a bigger focus on what we can change and have up to date. 4)Brochure: I will be drafting a memo to City Management for the consideration of breaking about SoBu Play and SoBu Life; as our time sensitive program and event information is not presented to our community in time, due to delays on the city side. This has happened ever since the publications were combined, but the delay has become more significant with each additional brochure. The Fall/Winter Brochure was scheduled to go out the end of August and is still in production. We have done our best to change program dates multiple times, re-work the layout to take out things that have passed and have been mindful to use other marketing outlets to publicize our programs and push people to our website, but are having to cancel a large majority of new fall programming due to low registration numbers. This is an unfortunate wasted time and effort which will certainly be seen in the revenues of our programs once the September and October numbers come out. Staff: 1)Ben is now off probation and we welcome him as a full time permanent staff member. 2)We continue to work on positivity and culture change at micro and macro levels 3)We will be having a program retreat in the month of November to discuss a coordinated approach to continued program support and program growth. Veterans: Veteran’s Day Event: Join us for the Veterans Day Ceremony on Monday November 11th. The ceremony begins at the South Burlington High School Gymnasium at 10:00am, with a brief wreath ceremony to follow a Veterans Memorial Park. The installation of the Pathway of Honor was a significant undertaking and a highly desired anchor for those who wish to honor, celebrate and memorialize the contribution and sacrifice they, their loved ones, friends and neighbors have made for this country. The pathways creation now hosts events for the community on or around Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and while lovely and well organized, they have not been well attended. The city management has asked the Recreation Department to think about ways that we might be able to do a more broad reaching program outside of these two ceremonies that might offer a different type of recognition. Below are some thoughts on how to support an additional event within our already popular SoBu Night Out Series. This would be in addition to the two ceremonies that we already provide our community. Benefits of having a Military Appreciation themed #SoBu Night Out: •Increased appreciation / support of our military men, women and families on behalf of the city. •Appropriate gathering in relation to setting, tone, time of year, amenities. •Enhancement of an existing community event vs a stand-alone military event, allowing for an easier time keeping the focus on people, their families and away from politics. Event adjustments for this one evening: •Slight increase in the number of organizations tabling. •Vermont Counts is already on board. •Invitations to other military affiliated organizations such as National Guard, Vet Center, Vet Affairs, American Legion and so on. •Jamie Lee Thurston has performed for military groups regionally with great success – consider him as the band for the evening. •National Guard climbing wall? Parameters of the evening would remain similar to the other evenings in the series: •Organizations can table only and not approach the crowd. Attendees must come to them. •Recognition of the theme, but avoid public speakers, opinions and/or political views. •Banners/signage would be limited to the organizations table. Upcoming Events: Veteran’s Day Ceremony Monday Nov 11 - 10:00 @ SBHS, wreath ceremony at Vet to follow. Family Bingo Saturday Nov 9 – 5:30-7:30 @ Tuttle Middle School Senior Holiday Meal Friday Dec. 13- 5:30-7:30 @ Homewood Suites Holiday Lights Tour Friday Dec. 20 5:30-7:30 departs from City Hall Family Dive-In Movie Friday Jan 3 5:30-7:30 @ Eastwood Edge Valentine Dance Saturday Feb 8 6:00-8:30 @ Sunset Ballroom Winter Carnival TBD 2020 First Quarter Narrative: Revenues: Great Escape Tickets: The Great Escape Ticket sales are a fundraiser for the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association, so the total of any money received in revenue is paid out through expenses. Ticket sales run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, which is why such a large majority of estimated revenues have been collected so far. Our Department does not see profit from this, rather offers it to community members an opportunity to safe significantly from the at the park price. Adult Evening Classes: We continue to coordinate innovative and creative programs for adults, but have several barriers to their successful launch. In addition to the lack of programmable space, which has been well documented and talked about through most recently through the Indoor Recreation Center public process, we have also run into some challenges with consistent marketing. Our program surveys confirm that 35% of those that that participate in our programs learn about them through the in- home publication SoBu Play. The August edition of SoBu Play would have helped to market the following adult programs that have been cancelled during the month of September due to low enrollment. Forrest Bathing, Adult Voice Lessons, Adult learn to skate, adult learn to Play Hockey, Fraud Workshop, Declutter Workshop, Mommy and Me exercise class, Photography class, Historic Walking Tour at Wheeler, Historic Walking Tour at Red Rocks and Healthy Cooking for Seniors. We continue to look for ways to reach our community and engage them with the plethora of creative and fresh programming we are coordinating and hope that this revenue loss will be made up in the seasons. Driver’s Education: We have three sessions of Driver’s Ed throughout the year, so this is exactly where we would anticipate these revenues at this point. The instructor price point of this program is expensive due to the nature of the liability to the instructor and the extraordinary amount of classroom and driving hours needed to fulfill the requirements, so it is important to note that although the revenue stream will be fulfilled; the actual profit margin for this series of classes is not $33,000, rather is around $4,000. Expenses: Special Events: With five full time staff, we are continuing to increase our special event offerings. As we add new community engagement opportunities, we will be mindful that whatever we output for expenses will be matched by sponsorship or donation on the other side of the balance sheet. We are currently working on comprehensive marketing package which has a breakdown sheet of each of our special events and offers unique opportunities for partnership and monetary sponsorship; which we anticipate will ensure continued event growth within any given fiscal year. Advertising: One of the main ways that we advertise our programs is through the SoBu Play magazine, which is the flip side of our SoBu Life. This is a terrific publication, but often the time lines designed for the Recreation Department needs and the larger City needs don’t align and the publication is sent out later than anticipated. The brochure that we had hoped would be out in the end of August, won’t be coming to homes until the end of October. To support informing the community of upcoming programs without the benefit of an in home guide, we have had to spend additional resources on social media boosts and print media advertisement with The Other Paper as well as PPD distribution. We continue to work with Coralee Holm to assess this collaborate and establish more accurate launch dates for the magazine. An alternative to this, would be splitting the publication into two pieces and having them mailed separately and different times (alternating so that SoBu Play is distributed August, Feb and May while SoBu Life could be Oct, March, July) might allow for the time frame confirmation that the Recreation Department desires for marketing events and programs, while also providing the up to date news and voting information that the greater South Burlington City departments need. Red Rocks Salaries: As with last year, it is anticipated that the 8 week open season (beginning mid-June) will be supported by 2 part time Park Rangers who provide park access, light maintenance and patron direction. The funds remaining in this line item are enough to support the training and initial week of work ahead of the fiscal year change over. Additionally, we are hopeful that these staff will be supported by SBPD bike patrol this coming summer to assistant with ordinance education around off-leash dogs which has been an increasing problem. Red Rocks Supplies: These supplies are likely to be spent mostly in the fourth quarter as we set up the beach and bathhouse and prepare for the open summer season. As with last year, it is anticipated that the 8 week open season will be supported by 8 part time Park Rangers who provide park access, light maintenance, patron direction and Port O Lets: The fiscal season doesn’t match up with our seasonal need for port o lets in our parks. We will see the remainder of this line item spent in the last quarter as we supply all the parks with this needed support beginning in late April or early May; depending on weather. This winter we will explore options of other port o let contracts, as our fees have increased by 15% each year for the past two years. Additionally, the price point for an accessible stall is nearly double the traditional stall, so we will be careful to plan for that as well. Facility Improvements: The list of facility improvements for this coming fiscal year included additional Bike Rack installation at Veterans Memorial Park, Playground Maintenance and Upgrades, Playground Surfacing, Park Wayfinding as well as other priority projects to be determined by the Parks Foreman in the winter months. Driver’s Education: We have collected fees for the upcoming Driver’s Education Class in October during the first quarter, but won’t pay out the instructor contract until the second quarter. With a price point of over $750 per registration, these classes have a very healthy revenue and expense lines. Additionally, we are currently working with the finance department as there was an error in our registration platform (Rec Trac) which was feeding the expenses from this program to a different line item. You see this correction with the additional $725.00. SoBu Nite Out: With the SoBu Nite Out events happening in the months of July and August, we have expensed most of what has been planned for already and will use the remainder of the nearly $3,000 of the remaining budget for marketing the kick off for next summer. We are currently working with our event sponsorship, Community Bank, to fully sponsor this successful event next year. 2021 Budget Schedule: October 21* Council & staff discussion for FY21 General Fund Budget Preparation October 23 Memo to Department Managers to begin formulating FY21 GF Budgets Draft CIP presentation by Dept. Managers at Staff mtg. October 24-25 Final consideration of CIP by City Management November 1 Proposed CIP sent to Council November 18* CIP Draft presented to Council by Dept. Managers- overview for questions, input & discussion First Draft of FY21 Budget due from Dept. Managers to Finance November 19-22 Management review of Draft Budget with Dept. Managers December 4-6 Management final review of FY21 budget with Dept. Heads December 13 Council receives Draft FY21 GF Budget December 16* Public Hearing & Potential Council Amendment of CIP FY21 Budget Overview presented to City Council January 6* & 13 Council Mtg.(s) on FY21 Budget Dept. Manager Budget discussion, public input & possible City Council approval January 18 Final date for City Council budget approval (if needed) Council approved budget sent to Steering Committee (min. 45 days before vote) January 20 or 22 Steering Committee Meeting (tentative, must post in paper 7 days in advance) January 23 Budget book preparation Council approved budget available to voters (min. 20 days before Town Mtg.) January 29-30 Budget book finalized and printed January 30 Post Warnings and Public Hearing Notices (min. 30 days) for March 2 Pre-Town Mtg. & Public Hearing and March 3 Town Meeting Vote January 31 Budget booklets available & posted on websites March 2 Pre-Town Meeting & Public Hearing on City & School District Budgets March 3 Vote on budgets and any other warned articles GENERAL FUND RECREATION AND PARKS OVERVIEW BY EXPENDITURE RECREATION AND PARKS CIP PROJECTS OVERVIEW:Total Estimated Revenues: Total Estimated Savings: Department Contact:Holly Rees Changes from FY 2019-2028 CIP: SUMMARY CIP EXPENDITURES (in $1,000)FY 21 FY 22 FY 23 FY 24 FY 25 FY 26 FY 27 FY 28 FY 29 FY 30 Total: 145 125 - - - - - - - - 270 35 - - - - - - - - - 35 - - 50 500 250 - - - - 800 10 10 15 45 60 20 50 70 60 60 500 500 120 100 220 10 10 50 50 150 150 150 450 15 15 15 15 15 75 15 - - - - - - - - - 15 60 - - - - - - - - - 60 - 100 - - - - - - - - 100 50 25 10 - - - - - - - 85 TOTAL ESTIMATED CIP EXPENDITURES:485 765 280 215 765 300 - - - 60 2,870 South Village Soccer Field Overlook Park Jaycee Park Neighborhood Facility Wheeler House Improvements Utility Trailer Irrigation System Upgrades Recrowning of Athletic Fields at Vet Baseball Field Dugout Replacement Veteran Memorial Park Upgrades Parks System Master Plan Dog Park- Ammenities Red Rocks Facility Replacement 0 The Recreation & Parks Department is responsible for planning for future active and passive recreational needs for the community, including the purchase and development of additional land for parks, as well as maintaining, expanding and improving facilities and equipment. 0 Farrell Playground Replacement Bleacher Replacement Jaycee Park Improvements Szymanski Park Improvements Vet Memorial Basketball Courts To the members of South Burlington Boards and Committees: Affordable Housing, South Burlington Public Library, Recreation and Parks, Planning Commission, and South Burlington School Board: We of the SoBu IPV Advocacy Group extend a special invitation to you to attend the October 30 Forum on Intimate Partner Violence. We recognize that each of your boards/committees potentially has a role in addressing issues of IPV. Please consider: •South Burlington City Council passed a resolution to recognize IPV as a community health issue. (Resolution below.) •City Council has sponsored two forums to begin a process of public engagement and education. •The two forums bring together many people and organizations engaged in studying and addressing the problem of IPV: Our police, STEPS, victims’ advocates, the courts, HopeWorksVT, Community Justice Center, former victims. This is an important gathering of people! •People are not generally aware of the impact of IPV, and generally do not understand issues around IPV. •The matters of addressing the issues around IPV coincide with the missions of your committee/board, and are fully embraced in the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. •The members of our city’s existing boards and committees are already contributing to making SoBu a better community; this brings another opportunity to impact the lives of families and individuals. We ask you to include this in your next agenda; we will also designate one of our advocacy group to present to your next meeting. Thank you, Meaghan Emery, Jennifer Kochman, of the SoBu IPV Advocacy Group SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 2019 AS SOUTH BURLINGTON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH WHEREAS, Since 1989, the United States Congress has annually passed legislation designating October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and WHEREAS, One in four women in the U.S. will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, most frequently by somebody they know. Female victims most commonly first experience domestic violence between the ages of 18-24 (38.6%), followed by ages 11-17 (22.4%), ages 35-44 (6.8%) and ages 45+ (2.5%). Almost one out of five murder victims in the U.S. were killed by an intimate partner, and WHEREAS, on average, more than three women are murdered by an intimate partner in the United States every day, and WHEREAS, Violence against women occurs predominantly behind closed doors at home with most cases never being reported to police, and WHEREAS, According to The National Center on Family Homelessness, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families with 50% of all women who are homeless reporting that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness, and WHEREAS, The risk of perpetration of intimate partner violence as an adult is two times greater for those who were abused or witnessed their mother being abused during their own childhood. Likewise, the risk of becoming a victim of domestic violence as a teen or adult is greatly increased when young people are raised in households where abuse is present, and WHEREAS, one in fifteen children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to violence, and WHEREAS, While domestic violence happens to people from all walks of life regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, education, profession or socioeconomic status, there are statistical predictive indicators of domestic violence, probably the most important being exposure to it as a child, and WHEREAS, the community of South Burlington tragically lost Anako “Annette” Lumumba, one of our own; a nurse, a neighbor, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a cousin, a niece, and a granddaughter, on May 3, 2018, and WHEREAS, the South Burlington City Council has identified the exposure and the loss of a community member to domestic violence (and violence of any kind) not as an isolated incident but as a social ill that impacts us all, and WHEREAS, the South Burlington City Council has recognized the need for community action in order to address the causes and support the victims of domestic violence, and WHEREAS, the South Burlington City Council’s efforts have been strengthened and expanded by Community Justice Center Coordinator Lisa Bedinger, Chief of Police Shawn Burke, City Manager Kevin Dorn, Education & Prevention Coordinator Marla Goldstein of Steps to End Domestic Violence, advocates Natania Carter and Catherine Ducasse of HOPE Works, and community members Gretchen Gundrum and Jennifer Kochman, and WHEREAS, the South Burlington City Council wishes to honor the life of Anako “Annette” Lumumba through a legacy of active listening, caring, and giving, and WHEREAS, the community of South Burlington has a moral obligation to work to prevent domestic violence, address its brutal and destructive effects, and make ending domestic violence a local priority; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the South Burlington City Council calls on community members to gather on Thursday, October 10, 2019, and on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School Cafeteria in order to learn more about the existing needs, resources, and possible local responses in support of members of the community suffering from domestic violence, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Burlington City Council calls on community members to reflect on and organize around possible action steps, such as the pursuit of legal and criminal justice reform, the establishment of a victim’s aid fund in Annette’s honor, and other possible initiatives, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Burlington City Council declares that October, 2019 shall be designated as South Burlington Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the entirety of this resolution be read into the record of proceedings of the South Burlington City Council meeting, September 16, 2019. DATED this 16th day of September, 2019, SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL _________________________________ Helen Riehle, Chair _______________________________ Meaghan Emery, Vice-Chair _______________________________ Tim Barritt, Clerk ______________________________ Thomas Chittenden ______________________________ David Kaufman