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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-11-01 Regular Meeting Parks and Leisure Services Board November 1,2010 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Parks and Leisure Services Board was called to order at 7:01 p.m. on Monday, November 1, 2010, in the Council Chambers of the Euless City Hall building by Chairman Eric Owens. Other Board Members present: Carroll Scott, Jeremy Tompkins, John Raab, Alex Horton, Randy Jones and alternate Darrel Knobloch. Members absent: None. Staff members present: Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald, Parks Manager Randy Smith, Parks Superintendent Terry Boaz, Recreation Superintendent Michael Davenport, Athletic Supervisor John Douthit, Athletic Coordinator Michael McMacken, and Administrative Secretary Linda Lux. Visitors present: Garry Pearson (BESA), Council Member Leon Hogg, Travis Riffle and Tiffany Smith. INVOCATION Randy Jones gave the invocation. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Owens asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes from the October 4, 2010 regular meeting. Alex Horton made the motion to approve the minutes as presented and was seconded by John Raab. The vote was unanimous. I. Board Member's Reports Carroll Scott said on his last inspection at the Preserve at McCormick Park the water fountain for the dog drinking dish did not shut off and there was also some trash container tops missing. McCormick Park was in good condition on his walk through. Alex Horton said both Kiddie Can and J. A. Can parks looked great. John Raab said both Bob Eden and Trailwood parks were in good shape. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 2 November 1, 2010 Randy Jones mentioned he noticed a rusted door to the ticket booth which needs to be repaired; a tree stump (root system) hole by the batting cages which needs to be filled in with dirt; and also a tree between the Dr Pepper StarCenter and Veterans Field which has a wire basket sticking up above the ground. Jeremy Tompkins said Reflection Park looks great. At the Villages of Bear Creek Park the dirt has washed away at the crosswalk by the dog park side and also there was a large hole inside the large dog park area which needs to be filled in with more dirt. Otherwise the park was in great condition. Jeremy said the recent Stars over Euless had about 400 in attendance and everyone had a good time. The next scheduled Special Events are: Christmas Parade - Saturday, December 4th; Heritage Park Christmas Celebration - Saturday, December 11th; and IceFest 2010 - Sunday, December 5th at the Dr Pepper StarCenter. Darrel Knobloch said West Park was in great shape, well trimmed and lots of people having picnics and kids on the playground. He said Wilshire Park is one of the nicest looking parks and everything was in good shape. Darrel said he also inspected Heritage Park and this park was very active on the day of his visit and he noticed some cracks on the rear of the Ruth Millican building. At South Euless Park he found a bike in the creek below the bridge and a limb hanging over the top of the bridge, otherwise this park was in good shape. Chairman Owens said Blessing Branch Park looks fine and Midway Park also looked good. II. Volunteer of the Month Chairman Owens said the November 2010 Volunteer of the Month award goes to Shirley Jordan. She has been an assistant coach for the Euless Girls on the Run team for the past two seasons. She devotes two evenings a week to mentoring eight to twelve year old girls in this unique program that emphasizes fitness, teamwork and healthy living. In addition, her dedication has helped these girls to achieve their goals, running in 5K events, and completing community service projects. Her students and fellow coaches are encouraged by the enthusiasm and energy she brings every day. Chairman Owens said her plaque would be delivered to her since she was not present tonight. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 3 November 1,2010 III. Business of the Tree Board Tree Board Chairman Carroll Scott reported on the following for October 1st—31St: • there were 501.00 total man hours o 250.00 Horticulture o 131.00 Forestry o 115.00 Greenhouse o 5.00 Special Projects o 0 Training • Trimmed trees at Trailwood Park for flood damage control • Trimmed trees at the Parks at Texas Star • Trimmed trees at the Euless Family Life Center IV. Athletic Association a. BESA (Bedford Euless Soccer Association) BESA President Garry Pearson distributed a handout to all the Board Members. He said BESA again would like to convey their thanks and appreciation to the Parks Department staff for their efforts and success in continuing to provide our soccer players some of the best fields in the metroplex at the Parks at Texas Star. They do not have either opening or closing ceremonies due to playing soccer at three different complexes. BESA currently has 871 registered players for the fall soccer season which includes age groups from U4 up through &19. 439 (50%) are Euless residents, 355 (41%) are Bedford residents and the remaining 77 are from surrounding cities. Mr. Pearson said this fall season they used a staggered start for the older groups starting on August 28th and the younger age groups on September 11th. The final games will be played on November 13th. They currently use the fields at Bedford Boys Ranch, Stormie Jones and the Parks at Texas Star. Currently registration cost is $75.00 for the fall season and $65.00 for the spring season. This cost includes a full uniform of shirt, shorts and socks. Our fees for spring have not yet been determined. BESA also provides scholarships to families who cannot afford the full cost of the soccer program. The spring season 2011 is scheduled to begin February 26th and will end in mid- May. We expect to register approximately 900 players and registration will begin on-line on December 1St. Also in May 2011 we will have our regular annual mini-tournament "Soccer-Fest" and have bounce houses, slides, and hot dogs for the teams U4-U8 age groups. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 4 November 1,2010 b. PATS (Parks at Texas Star) Baseball Update Athletic Supervisor John Douthit introduced the new Athletic Coordinator, Michael McMacken, and said Michael previously worked in the parks department and he will continue to do a great job at the Parks at Texas Star. J. D. also commended Jim Ptomey for all the hard work he does each weekend working in concessions and tending to all the teams and their needs during league play. He also commended the parks department for all their hard work in keeping the ball fields in pristine condition for the players. He said this was the best spring season since 2007 and they had a total of 130 teams this year. J. D. also mentioned parents can register their kids on-line or at the recreation center. V. Parks and Community Services Reports a. Recreation Report—Michael Davenport Recreation Superintendent Michael Davenport commented on the following: • He said the After School Program is doing very good and there have been anywhere from 5 to 15 kids. A program schedule is posted for the month to let parents and kids know what the kids will be doing each week. • They will be opening a child care facility area where parents can drop the kids off while they are using the fitness center. It is limited to only two (2) hours and the ages are from 18 months to 7 years old. Hours scheduled are 5:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. • Over 500 lunches were served to the seniors during October • Seniors took a trip to Canton the end of October • The Holiday Senior Luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, November 17th at North Main Barbecue. North Main Barbecue hosts the event each year for the seniors. • The new senior center is coming along and it will be open after the holidays • The Christmas Parade is December 4th and the parade marshal this year is Captain (Texas Rangers horse) • Heritage Park Christmas Celebration is December 11th b. Parks Report—Randy Smith Parks Manager Randy Smith commented on the following: • Crews have been changing out the fall color beds with pansies, cabbage and kale Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 5 November 1,2010 • Crews will start planting for the spring season soon • Terry, Dan, Randy Leach and others have been adding dirt at the Euless Family Life Center. We should be getting irrigation bids soon and once those are received then staff will start the landscaping of the area. • Staff will start erecting the 50' Christmas tree at city hall the week of November 15th c. Community Services Report—Ray McDonald Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald commented on the following: • Ray said the December meeting will be at the parks department and staff will prepare dinner like we did last year if the Park Board so desires. Everyone agreed to dinner again. • Ray polled the Board Members regarding the yearly Boards and Commission Books and said the City Secretary would like to make CD's this year instead of copying books like in the past. The Board Members said yes to the CD's. • Since our December meeting will be after the Christmas Parade we need to know by Friday, November 12th if you will be riding in the parade and how many in your party. Please call or email Linda with the count. • Ray distributed a copy of the city parks inspection form that Tim Rolen(in Parks) uses each month and asked the Board Members if they would like to also use this form when they do their monthly inspection of their designated parks and then if they have any concerns they can let our office know. • The new senior center is very nice and weeks away from completion. Staff has started working on programs, classes, events and lunch meal programs. As of now no grand opening date has been scheduled. • Ray introduced the new park board members that will start in January 2011. They are: Travis Riffle (Alternate No. 1) and Tiffany Smith(Alternate No. 2). • Ray mentioned that Shirley Jordan was not here tonight but stated the Girls on the Run Program is a great program and she helps with mentoring, as well as discussing topics related to health, proper eating, and getting plenty of exercise. The girls meet every Tuesday and Thursday and workout together. Chairman Owens thanked everyone for their reports tonight. VI. Other New Business There was no new business for discussion. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 6 November 1,2010 VII. Input from City Council Members and Visitors Council Member Leon Hogg welcomed the new Board Members and said they will start in January. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Owens gave the benediction. There being no further business to conduct, the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Cle2 airman st