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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-08-07 • Regular Meeting Parks and Leisure Services Board August 7,2006 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Parks and Leisure Services Board was called to order at 7:05 p.m. on Monday, August 7, 2006, in the Council Chambers of the Euless City Hall building by Chairman Eric Owens. Other Board Members present: Carroll Scott, Mike Daniel, Randy Jones, Stacey Hollinger, John Raab and alternates Boyce Byers, John Elder and Sonja Adams. There were no members absent. Staff members present: Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald, Parks Superintendent Terry Boaz, Parks Manager Johnnie Green, Athletic Supervisor Mark Long, Recreation Manager Suzanne Hendrickson and Administrative Secretary Linda Lux. Visitors present: Billy Owens (AARP), Alex Horton, Council Member Charlie Miller, Scott Metheny, Gary Green, Dean George and family, Barney Snitz, John and Sandy Purcell, Police Officer James Gordon and Ellen Dinkins and Fred Mew(Arbor Glen Home Owners Association). INVOCATION Stacey Hollinger gave the invocation. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Owens asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes from the June 5, 2006 regular meeting. Stacey Hollinger made the motion to approve the minutes as presented and was seconded by Mike Daniel. The vote was unanimous. I. Board Member's Reports Mike Daniel said Trailwood Park was clean and when he visited Bob Eden Park the sand volleyball courts were constantly being used. Carroll Scott mentioned Heritage Park was clean and in good shape. At South Euless Park there was lots of trash throughout the park. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 2 August 7,2006 John Raab said Reflection Park was clean as usual. At the Villages of Bear Creek Park he noticed lots of overhang from tree limbs, an irrigation valve box cover was missing and the water fountain had no water pressure. Stacey Hollinger said Midway Park looked good and was in great shape. He also noticed lots of weeds in the drainage channel. Randy Jones mentioned the new water fountain at J.A. Carr Park looks good and Kiddy Can Park looked fine. Boyce Byers said the Special Events for June and July were: • Saturday, June 24th - movie night at the Villages of Bear Creek Park with 150 in attendance to see"Wallace &Grommit—In the Curse of Wear Rabbit" • July 15t — 19th — Super Series National Tournament for 8 & under and 14 & under. There were a total of 16 teams participating and there was an opening ceremony on Saturday, July 15th with Rusty Greer speaking to the athletes and a Polynesian group for entertainment. • Saturday, July 22"d — Terri Hendrix concert at the Villages of Bear Creek Park with 150 people attending the concert. Boyce also reminded everyone of the upcoming Bicycle Rodeo scheduled for Saturday, August 19`h from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Parks at Texas Star as well as the "Stars over Euless" event from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday, August 25th at Bob Eden Park. John Elder said he made numerous visits to the Parks at Texas Star Athletic Complex and the park was in very good condition and said this facility continues to always look beautiful. Sonja Adams commended staff on how nice both West Park and Wilshire Park are. She did inquire on the status of the marquee sign at West Park. Ray mentioned that due to the low sloping area that a marquee might not be feasible to install since it would have to be raised about eight(8) to ten(10) feet into the air. We will continue to look for an area along Westpark Way to place a sign. Chairman Owens mentioned the new color beds look good at the entrance to McCormick Park. He said everything looks good at the Preserve at McCormick Park and this park gets lots of daily activity and usage. This is a really great park. II. Volunteer of the Month Chairman Owens said tonight we will be presenting the July and August awards since we did not have a meeting in July. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 3 August 7,2006 Chairman Owens presented a plaque to Coach Scott Metheny at Oakwood Terrace Elementary for the July 2006 Volunteer of the Month. He said Scott has volunteered the last several years working the Texas Trash Off event and has designed, planned and implemented the formation of at least 100 students each year from Oakwood Terrace Elementary. Coach Metheny thanked the Board Members for this award and said he hopes to try and get all the Euless kids to take part in the annual Trash Off. Chairman Owens stated the August 2006 Volunteer of the Month is Taco Bell Manager David Lee. He said that Mr. Lee has allowed the PACS department to display their marketing flyers and posters in their facility to inform our citizens of all upcoming programs and special events. Mr. Lee was not present tonight and his award will be delivered to him. III. Beautification Award of the Month Chairman Owens mentioned that the July 2006 residential Beautification Award recipients, Mr. and Mrs. Kraig Kossuth at 514 Mack Drive, were out of town and not able to attend the meeting tonight. He said this yard has a beautiful landscape and the use of shrubs and bedding plants is outstanding. The lawn is well manicured and has a nice green color. One look and you know the owners take pride in their work. Thank you for helping to beautify our city. Chairman Owens said their award would be delivered to their home at a later date. Chairman Owens presented Summit Bank at 2700 West Euless Blvd. with the July 2006 business/civic/governmental Beautification Award. He said this is a great example of how a business landscape should look, is attractive and well maintained and catches your attention as you drive by. Thank you for contributing to the beautification of our city. Summit Bank President Gary Green thanked the Board Members for the award and said he is very proud of the new bank and they will strive to continue to be good representatives for the city. Chairman Owens mentioned that the August 2006 residential Beautification Award recipients, Mr. and Mrs. Jamey McDonald at 610 Bayless Drive are not here tonight. He said this yard has a beautiful landscape and the use of shrubs and bedding plants is outstanding. The lawn is well manicured and has a nice green color. One look and you know the owners take pride in their work. Thank you for helping to beautify our city. Chairman Owens said their award would be delivered to their home at a later date. Chairman Owens presented Arbor Glen Home Owners Association with the August 2006 business/civic/governmental Beautification Award. He said this is a great example of how a Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 4 August 7,2006 landscaped entrance to a neighborhood should look. It is an attractive well maintained landscape that catches your attention as you drive by. Thank you for contributing to the beautification of our city. Ellen Dinkins and Fred Mew thanked the Board Members for the award. Ms. Dinkins also invited the Board Members to come out and see all the yards in the Arbor Glen subdivision. IV. Business of the Tree Board Tree Board Chairman John Raab reported on the following for June and July: June 2006 • 396 man hours and four(4)trees were planted • Installed log benches at McCormick and Bob Eden parks • Trimmed the large Oak tree at the entrance to the Preserve at McCormick Park • Raised the tree canopy over the picnic area in the northwest corner of the Villages of Bear Creek Park • Raised the tree canopy at the pool at Wilshire Park to deter vandalism • Sprayed herbicide on old Mid-Cities Road to control weeds and volunteer trees • Cleaned and pruned the tree farm at the Villages of Bear Creek Park • Raised tree canopy on the north side of Midway Park • Trimmed two (2) Bradford Pear trees and one(1)Pecan tree at City Hall Building B • Planted flower beds at City Hall Building B July 2006 • Raised canopy trees at Midway Park, Parks at Texas Star, Dr Pepper StarCenter, Fleet & Facilities Administration Building, Parks and Community Services Administration Building and the Library • Cleaned up the old green house • Cleaned up the trees around the monument and also around the picnic area at Bob Eden Park • Removed vines and low hanging limbs along the trail at Bob Eden Park Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 5 August 7,2006 V. Euless Athletic Association Update John Purcell, First Vice-Commissioner with EAA, was present to update the Board Members on EAA (Euless Athletic Association). He said EAA will be pursuing the Euless Parks and Recreation department to continue operations of our baseball league by the end of the year. We have not had enough interest from the coaches and some of the parents to elect officers or change By-Laws when we held our special meetings. Our last Board Meeting had only 3 Board Members and 1 coach attend. The few volunteers that we started the Board with have dwindled down to just 5 active members: Tommy, John, Christy, Sandy and my self. Whether the others resigned or were just absent for months, the 5 of us have had to handle all the operations. We realize that we cannot do all the operations in a manner that these players and parents deserve. Sandy and I have other volunteer commitments and cannot take on any more responsibility again to run the association. Chairman Owens said no action is required by the Board tonight and the Parks and Community Services staff is well qualified to handle EAA. He hopes we can come up with a solution for EAA and suggested that we discuss this item further at the next Board meeting in September. VI. Parks and Community Services Reports a. Recreation Report—Suzanne Hendrickson Recreation Manager Suzanne Hendrickson reported on the following: Special Events • Saturday, August 19th - Bicycle Rodeo from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Parks at Texas Star • Friday, August 25th—Stars Over Euless from 9:30 p.m. — 10:30 p.m. at Bob Eden Park Midway Recreation Center • Summer camp ended on August 4th • Sold 459 memberships in June • Sold 375 memberships in July Simmons Senior Center • Lunch Program serves lunches to seniors on Tuesdays and Thursdays and many seniors have been taking advantage of the program this summer o June—313 meals were served o July—202 meals were served Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 6 August 7,2006 Suzanne said due to the great success that we will be adding Mondays to the meal program schedule beginning on Monday, September 11th. Aquatics • South Euless and Wilshire pools will close for the season on Sunday, August 13t and pools will be drained on Monday • Midway Pool will be open weekends through Labor Day • Splash Island will be open through the end of September and maybe later depending on the weather Parks at Texas Star • Summer tournament season has ended • Fields are shut down for August. Staff plans to do batting cage maintenance, selling outfield advertising, fall select league and any other miscellaneous maintenance issues. Fields will be open Labor Day weekend for tournaments. b. Community Services Report—Ray McDonald Chairman Owens presented a plaque and recognized Dean George and his family for graciously allowing access through their yard for construction of the Preserve at McCormick Park. The city needed access to the south side of the park for construction of the trails, fishing pier, bird watching station and ponds throughout the Fountain Park neighborhood and Mr. George did not hesitate to allow staff a way into the park. His willingness to work with us is very much appreciated and it goes without saying that without their cooperation, the Preserve at McCormick Park would not have been constructed as easily as it was. The George family is a great friend to the city and this department and we sincerely appreciate their partnership in making the Preserve at McCormick Park such a special place. Mr. George thanked the Board Members and said working with Ray was a pleasure and he knew that the city would honor what they said or did during the construction project. Director of Parks and Community Services Ray McDonald mentioned the following: • He commended Johnnie Green, Terry Boaz and Dan Dearborn for all their hard work with tending to irrigation issues throughout all city parks and city facilities this summer. He said they are doing an excellent job in the parks. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 7 August 7,2006 • He said Suzanne and her staff have been recognized for receiving four (4) awards from TFEA (Texas Festivals and Events Association)this summer. The awards are: 1. Best Promotional Poster—drawn by Graphic Artist—Jeff Towne 2. Best Educational Program — the PoeTree contest with lots of outstanding poems received by the fourth grade elementary classes 3. Best Event/Organization Newsletter — Jeff Towne, Suzanne and Betsy Boyett all worked on the Euless Today 4. Best Event Photograph—picture of a boy gathering eggs at the Easter Egg Scramble • Ray thanked both John and Sandy Purcell for all their hard work with EAA and their many years of dedication and commitment to the program • He also thanked Stacey Hollinger and the Euless LoneStars for another great season at the Parks at Texas Star • Ray again thanked Dean George and his family for their partnership with working with staff on the Preserve at McCormick Park • He stated there has been lots of vandalism in the parks this summer and said there are pictures in the Board Members packets. He said some of the light poles at Bob Eden Park were found with stripped wiring. VII. Other New Business Sonja Adams inquired if we should be doing more publicity for the awards that this Board gives out at our monthly meeting? She also suggested that we could possibly partner with local businesses for a certificate or donation to also be presented with the awards. She feels that businesses would benefit from their donation and this would promote their company. Ray McDonald said we will try and get out more publicity and information on the awards that are presented at the Board meetings. Sonja Adams also asked if we have a Parks Master Plan. Ray said we do and the last update to the Parks Master Plan was done in 2000. He said it is beneficial to update the Master Plan every five to six years and ours is currently due for updating. I have included the Master Plan to be considered for approval by council in the new budget year. He said if this item is approved then citizen surveys would be conducted and once the survey results are compiled then they will be ranked by "needs assessment". Then the Board Members will have a couple of work sessions for input in updating the Master Plan. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 8 August 7,2006 VIII. Input from City Council Members and Visitors Council Member Charlie Miller said the Park Board does an outstanding job. He also stated that Ray and his staff do an outstanding job with all the special events they do throughout the year. He thanked John and Sandy Purcell for their dedication and involvement with EAA and feels that staff will try and come to some type of decision with the program. Council Member Miller said he has followed Stacey and the LoneStars ball players each year and said Stacey has given so much time and expense to a great venue for the city and our citizens. He also thanked Johnnie and Terry for taking such good care of our beautiful parks. Alex Horton reminded the audience of the upcoming Bicycle Rodeo on Saturday, August 19t. He said our city has great parks but we need to try and link all the parks throughout the city in order that families can take advantage of all parks and not just their local park where they live. Police Officer James Gordon also invited everyone to come out and take part in the Bicycle Rodeo. He also mentioned that if all our city parks were linked(connected) to each other then it would also help the police department to get to needed areas in the city and/or parks. The police department also has to escort school kids due to no connecting trails for them to get back and forth from school. He said the connected trails would be beneficial for kids living in south Euless to get to the Midway Recreation Center for activities. Stacey Hollinger said he appreciates Council Member Miller's comments and thanked him and city staff for all the support that has been given to the LoneStars. He said it has been a very successful two years and appreciates all the staffs help with mowing and set-up at the Parks at Texas Star athletic complex. Stacey said he appreciates the city for allowing them to do what they do in Euless for our citizens. He also said that attendance this year was doubled from the previous year. Billy Owens said the attendance has been great during the summer for all the LoneStars home games. He said lots of kids were able to attend the games thanks to Council Member Miller's company donating free tickets for the disadvantaged kids in our community. Chairman Owens thanked everyone for all their participation tonight. Parks and Leisure Services Board Page 9 August 7,2006 ADJOURNMENT Chairman Owens gave the benediction. There being no further business to conduct, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Chairman ` Attest