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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-05-03 Regular Meeting Parks and Leisure Services Board May 3,2010 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Parks and Leisure Services Board was called to order at 7:03 p.m. on Monday, May 3, 2010, in the Council Chambers of the Euless City Hall building by Chairman Eric Owens. Other Board Members present: Carroll Scott, Randy Jones, Jeremy Tompkins, Alex Horton and alternate Darrel Knobloch. Members absent: John Raab and alternate Johnson Obamehinti. Staff members present: Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald, Parks Manager Randy Smith, Parks Superintendent Terry Boaz, Recreation Superintendent Michael Davenport, Recreation Center Supervisor Heidi Taylor, Recreation Program Coordinator Blake Cloud and Administrative Secretary Linda Lux. Visitors present: Ms. Eddie Fuller, Lynne Moffatt, Scott Sheppard, Billy Owens, Paul Lehmann, Joyce Dodson, Kelly McCulley, Joy Baldwin Goodgame and Tom Goodgame and Lisa Benham. INVOCATION Randy Jones gave the invocation. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Owens asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes from the April 5, 2010 regular meeting. Randy Jones made the motion to approve the minutes as presented and was seconded by Jeremy Tompkins. The vote was unanimous. I. Board Member's Reports Carroll Scott said he walked both McCormick Park and the Preserve at McCormick Park this past Saturday and both parks were in good shape. There were lots of people out in the parks as well as some riding bikes. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. He also went on a fifth-grade field trip with his granddaughter's class to the Preserve at McCormick Park and he was amazed at how beneficial and informative this park is for the schools. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 2 May 3,2010 Alex Horton said he walked J. A. Carr Park and it looked good, the gazebo was nice and clean and all fountains were working. At Kiddie Carr Park it appeared to be clean and inviting for park use. Also PACS did a great job organizing the Arbor Daze event. My thanks to all the PACS employees that set it up and worked the event. He also introduced Scott Sheppard with Six Stones. Darrel Knobloch said the creek had been cleaned up and the graffiti had been handled at West Park. He noticed some fence slats lying on the ground behind the Red Tip Photinias and said the homeowner needs to remove them. He further mentioned that all the ball fields were in good shape. Wilshire Park pool had been filled in preparation for summer but he did notice the fascia board on the pool house needs painting. Randy Jones said he inspected the Parks at Texas Star athletic complex today and said pigeons are roosting on the rafters and staff will be adding more spikes to try and keep them out. Overall the complex looked good. Jeremy Tompkins said Reflection Park looked good as always. At the Villages of Bear Creek Park he noticed some branches hanging down by the Bears Den Pavilion. He also asked if staff could look at the trail west of the pavilion since the bank is eroding and he feels this is a safety issue for anyone walking along the trail. Jeremy Tompkins commented on the following recent Special Events in April: • Texas Trash Off—Saturday, April 10th at the Villages of Bear Creek Park Amphitheater was a great event and there were lots of volunteers helping to pick up trash in the city and also the Park Board Members that served hot dogs, chips and soda had a really great time. • Arbor Daze—as usual was a great event and they sold lots of t-shirts. There are no Special Events scheduled for May. Chairman Owens said the ball fields at Midway Park look great and the Midway Recreation Center remodel is starting to take shape. Blessing Branch Park looks good but noticed graffiti on both park signs. Chairman Owens read John Raab's parks report. John said Bob Eden Park was very busy on Sunday with families and bike riders. There was lots of bagged trash from all the rentals. The tennis courts and sand volleyball courts were in good shape and had lots of users. He inquired if the park sign behind the sand volley ball courts would be restored and he also mentioned that down the park trail to Trailwood, that the corner with the retaining wall, there were some logs coming out onto the path from the last rains. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 3 May 3,2010 Chairman Owens read Johnson Obamehinti's parks report. Johnson said South Euless Park was clean and provided a good environment for the neighborhood kids to play and relax. The park was clean and well kept as well as the lawn. Heritage Park was also clean and well kept. The playground looked beautiful with its new expansion. Keep up the good job! Chairman Owens thanked everyone for their reports tonight. II. Volunteer of the Month Chairman Owens said the May 2010 Volunteer of the Month award goes to Eddie Fuller. She has been heavily involved in our senior program, was the first to volunteer her services for our department's rentals, acting as a building attendant, and she has volunteered for several different special events which include: • Texas Trash Off • Greeting the Soldier's R&R Program • Arbor Daze Chairman Owens presented Eddie Fuller with her plaque and she thanked everyone for the award. Scott Sheppard with Six Stones said Eddie Fuller has been volunteering at the New Hope Center for fifteen years and she is very dependable and there helping all the time. III. Beautification Award of the Month Chairman Owens mentioned that each year from May through October we do a residential and business/civic/governmental Yard of the Month award. Chairman Owens said the May 2010 Residential Beautification Award of the Month goes to Alan and Lynne Moffatt at 614 Bent Tree Drive. This yard is beautifully landscaped with a stone border along the front of the house. The owners have a variety of shrubs and colorful plants which include purple Verbena, red Roses and a variety of grasses in their landscaping. This owner takes great pride in the work that has been done in their yard. Thank you for helping to beautify Euless. Lynne thanked the Board Members for the award and said they have been trying to do more landscaping with drought tolerant plants which do better in our hot weather here. Chairman Owens said the May 2010 Business/Civic/Governmental Beautification Award of the Month goes to Fountainwood Apartments at 750 E. Mid-Cities Blvd. They have planted a very Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 4 May 3,2010 colorful assortment of Petunias and Geraniums as well as an assortment of Fountain Grass. The property grounds are green and well manicured and are truly an asset to the community as well as the residents of the apartments. It is efforts like yours that make Euless a great place to work and live. Thank you for contributing to the beautification of our city. Apartment Manager Lisa Benham accepted the award and thanked the Board Members. IV. Business of the Tree Board Tree Board Chairman Carroll Scott reported on the following for April 1st—30th: • there were 757.00 total man hours o 259.00 Horticulture o 127.00 Forestry o 0 Storm Damage o 146.00 Greenhouse o 225.00 Special Projects o 0 Water Truck o 0 Training • There were two (2)trees planted • There was only 1 tree related purchase • Planted a Texas Mountain Laurel at the Main Street Park gazebo • Planted a Pomegranate at the Parks and Community Services building • Presented trees to the 4th graders for the Poe-Tree Contest • Removed tree stumps and debris from Simmons and Bob Eden parks V. Parks and Community Services Reports a. Summer Camp Program—Heidi Taylor and Blake Cloud Recreation Center Supervisor Heidi Taylor commented on the following: Aquatics Update: • Midway pool opens May 28th—August 22"; weekends through Labor Day • South Euless& Wilshire pools open May 29th—August 8th • Splash Island opens May 1St—September 30th • Most guards are returning, so we only had to hire five (5)new guards • Lifeguarding class starts this Friday, May 7th at Wilshire pool Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 5 May 3,2010 Summer Adventure Camp: Recreation Program Coordinator Blake Cloud commented on the following: • Summer Adventure camp starts June 1St and ends August 13th and will run 11 weeks this summer. We will be going on some new field trips this year including some new museums in Dallas, the Fort Worth Zoo and a Geo-Caching exercise with our GIS department at the Preserve at McCormick Park. • Also, we have lots of week-long mini camps that go throughout the entire summer. These include soccer, basketball, and even outdoor adventure camps to show the kids how to set up a tent when they go camping. • Registration was Saturday, May 1St and summer camp filled up in about 45 minutes and we have 90 kids registered for summer camp. • We also have seven (7) counselors returning this year. b. Parks Report—Randy Smith Parks Manager Randy Smith reported on the following: • He thanked the Board Members for helping in the parks concession booth during Arbor Daze and said the parks staff really enjoyed working with them. • Midway Park Elementary was the winner of the Poe-Tree Contest this year. The staff went to five (5) of the schools and distributed trees to the fourth grade classes that participated in the contest and showed the students how to grow their trees. • Crews added SmartScape out in front of the Water Office and also worked on the irrigation system. Later we hope to SmartScape the medians around the city hall campus area. • Tilapia was added to all the ponds this past Friday. c. Community Services Report—Ray McDonald Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald commented on the following: • He thanked the Board Members for all their help with the Trash Off and Arbor Daze. • He mentioned our summer camp program is very popular and registration always fills up within the first hour. • We have had some more vandalism recently. A port-o-let was burned to the ground yesterday at South Euless Park, as well as more graffiti at Bob Eden and Wilshire parks. Also other areas in town have been tagged with graffiti. • Linda Lux celebrates 25-years with the city tomorrow, May 4th. Chris Thames will also be celebrating his 10th year with the city this month. • Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 6 May 3,2010 • Midway Recreation Center remodel — the contractors should have the center ready by Friday, May 14th o A new covered walkway has been added for patrons o new windows o new counter area in the lobby o new lockers rooms o new Mondo flooring will be added on the upstairs track area • There will also be on-going construction after Midway opens this month for the fitness center and the new senior center. • The fitness center should be ready to open in August. Darrel Knobloch inquired about the Creekwood Trail grant out by Mid-Cities and S.H. 121. Ray said we will hear from either COG or TxDOT in July as to if the grant was approved. Chairman Owens thanked everyone for their great reports. VI. Other New Business Chairman Owens and the Board Members congratulated Linda Lux on her 25th anniversary with the city. VII. Input from City Council Members and Visitors Billy Owens said everyone had a good time at Arbor Daze. He also received lots of comments on the great layout of tents and booths which gave more open space by the main stage. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Owens gave the benediction. There being no further business to conduct, the meeting was adjourned at 8:14 p.m. 2 a _ Chairman A est