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05-16-1989 - Workshop '-" .... CITY COUNCIL OF EDGEWATER WORKSHOP WITH PARKS & RECREATION BOARD MAY 16, 1989 MINUTES Mayor Mitchum called the workshop to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Edgewater Library. He stated the purpose was to meet jointly with the Parks and Recreation Board, per their request, to discuss dividing Parks and Recreation from Buildings and Grounds Mainten- ance. ROLL CALL (Council) Mayor David Mitchum Councilman Dan Hatfield Councilwoman Gigi Bennington Councilman Russell Gold Councilman Thomas Fish City Attorney Jose' Alvarez Acting City Manager Susan Wadsworth Chief Lawrence Schumaker ROLL CALL (Parks & Recreation Board) Harry Montgomery Sue Pezanowski Lawrence Lanchoney Jeff Ridgdill Kirk Jones Present Present Present Present Present Excused Present Present Present Present Present Present Arrived later Also present was Jack Corder, Assistant Recreation Director/Build- ings and Grounds Maintenance Superintendent. Mayor Mitchum called a recess at 7:02 p.m. to await the arrival of Kirk Jones. Mr. Jones arrived and Mayor Mitchum called the work- shop back to order at 7:03 p.m. Mr. Jones stated that in the past things have come up that had taken precedence over others and they want to split parks and recreation. He distributed copies of some of the projects they'd handled over several years. He pointed out that some cities have buildings and maintenance as a Public Works division and a lot of the items they've worked on don't require work orders but they do require a lot of manhours. He noted that the Umbrella Tree park has had playground equipment sitting in the Public Works compound for a complete summer but they had to do other things that didn't pertain to parks and recreation and the children could have used that equipment. Mr. Montgomery stated that the playground equip- ment had to wait at Menard Park also. Mr. Jones pointed out they are an all-purpose department and they help all the various depart- ments. Mr. Corder stated that except for street maintenance, they do all the maintenance work for the City pertaining to such items as hanging shelves, additions to City Hall, and remodeling of all departments. Mr. Jones asked if they use work orders. Mr. Corder replied no, it's all verbal. Mr. Jones suggested they may want to expand in the future. He added that Whistle Stop Park will soon need a full time person to maintain it and keep it attractive and Rotary Park will be done soon and they're looking at more property. Mr. Montgomery stated that they want to expand the programs also. Councilwoman Bennington noted that the list included just maintenance and no recreation. Mr. Montgomery agreed. Mr. Jones said they need to look at new programs to get the youth off the streets and for senior citizens also. He suggested they may want to try archery, and if it fails, then try something else. He also suggested a shuffleboard tournament for senior citizens. He pointed out they had 20 soccer teams and the Halloween project was one of Councilwoman Bennington's projects previously. They discussed a summer tennis program at Whistle Stop Park. 1 .... """" Mayor Mitchum asked the number of employees in the department. Mr. Corder replied 11, including Mary Lou who takes care of the Commun- i ty Center and sets up for meetings. Councilwoman Bennington asked how many volunteer firemen are in the department now. Mr. Corder replied 2. Councilwoman Bennington noted that they lose time when they respond. Mayor Mitchum asked if that was a problem. Mr. Corder replied no, because they lost the Assistant Chief and one of the major Rescue people. Mayor Mitchum asked what he foresees as additional manpower if they split the department. Mr. Corder replied 2 full time people, but to run other programs they could bring in part time personnel to do specific programs to keep it to a minimum. He noted that now they concentrate on one project and that's all because they don't have manpower to start another project. He added that other cities use part time personnel for specific projects and once the project is completed, they're off the payroll, but full time personnel will be needed to keep up with what they developed this past year with Whistle Stop Park and Rotary. Councilman Fish asked how many he'd foresee in the new department. Mr. Corder replied it depends on how they do it and he'll go wherever Council directs him but if they split it up, they'll need crews to maintain grounds in the parks and oversee the parks, and Buildings and Maintenance would answer to all the needs of all the departments, including parks, because they'll do building maintenance. He added they may be able to get by with 2 or 3 full time plus the part time people for the additional programs. He reviewed how summer recreation pro- grams are held in most cities, noting that most of the programs pay for themselves. They discussed the County's summer programs. Mr. Corder noted that the County wants to extend it to Whistle Stop Park and the City will run the program and the County will provide extra funds. Mr. Corder stated that time-wise, they need to know if they should put their thoughts on parks or maintenance. Mr. Ridgdill said they do a good job but the City is growing enough now that they need to separate it into two departments. Councilwoman Bennington stated that she was on Council when Buildings and Grounds brought in Parks and Recreation and the idea was when the City grew to the point where it should be separated, they would separate it, such as they did for special projects in the Community Center. She agreed it needs to be separated to develop recreation. Mr. Jones stated that most cities have a Parks and Recreation Department and in New Smyrna Beach they have work orders to Public Works and they handle. it. He suggested they study this and perhaps they could move some to Public Works. Mr. Ridgdill suggested they may be flexible enough when they determine how many people are needed in Parks and Recreation that they could move some of the personnel. Mr. Montgomery suggested it could be with seniority that the people would have their choice. Councilwoman Bennington asked if they're requesting another Depart- ment Head. Mr. Jones replied they may not need another Department Head. Councilman Hatfield asked if the structuring of the department would come under the wage and classification study. Councilwoman Bennington suggested they could request it. Councilman Hatfield suggested the wage and classification study could look at the proper way to structure and perhaps Buildings and Maintenance could be under Public Works and then Recreation and Landscaping and Grounds could be under Parks and Recreation. Councilwoman Benn- ington suggested the Finance Director could look at the financial end of it. Mr. Jones stated that in New Smyrna Beach the Parks and Recreation did the median strips and they moved it to Public Works because of the time spent. Mr. Jones commended the department's good job. 2 Council Workshop with Parks and Recreation Board May 16, 1989 . . 'W' "-'" Mr. Jones suggested that with the bike paths they may want to look at spearheading a community fund raiser like they did in New Smyrna Beach. Mayor Mitchum noted they already have a couple of contri- butions for the bike path. Mr. Montgomery suggested they get the community more involved as New Smyrna Beach did. He added that they got free gratis work with theirs. Mr. Jones suggested the Board pursue it. Mr. Jones suggested they look into an activity center in the future. Councilwoman Bennington suggested they use the talents they have in the retired people to help teach the younger ones with art and other programs. Mrs. Pezanowski noted those are their goals. Mr. Jones asked if the Board is doing the job Council feels they should and if they're overlooking anything. Councilwoman Bennington asked that they not request swimming at Menard Park again. Mr. Montgomery explained that many people ask them questions and demand answers. Councilman Hatfield stated he'd like to see an All Childrens Park similar to what Port Orange and other cities have. Mr. Montgomery agreed. Councilman Hatfield noted that it's 2 or 3 years down the road but they should be getting the infrastructure set up. Mr. Jones agreed they have to take action now to get actions 3 years from now. Councilman Fish asked if they have a master plan for the years ahead. Mr. Jones replied they have a 5-year comprehensive plan of their goals. Mr. Ridgdill stated they did a survey of City resi- dents and a lot of people were interested in a swimming pool but they looked into this and the one in the City doesn't make money and major ones are closing in Orlando so he doesn't think they'll get the support. He added that a gYm/all-purpose facility was high on the priority list also. Mr. Montgomery pointed out they have to acquire the land first. Councilwoman Bennington asked about the pavilion at Whistle Stop Park. Mr. Jones replied he'd talked to Jack Corder and the County would like to have the summer program extended there with help from the City, but without the pavilion they won't be able to do it. Mr. Corder suggested they could put picnic tables there and try to have a program but if it rains it will create a problem until they get the pavilion done. He added that they're waiting on the impact fees to see what happens there. Councilwoman Bennington asked if it was budgeted. Councilman Hatfield replied yes, and the play- ground equipment that wasn't bought. Mayor Mitchum pointed out that it's tied up now. Mr. Jones spoke about the Community Center in Port Orange that the Board members went to see and the facilities that were included in the large metal building. He noted that they received grants of about $80,000 for the $180,000 building. There was discussion of the personnel needs for a facility such as that and the savings due to increased crime when structured activities are held. Councilman Fish stated they need a plan from the Board that shows the need for a certain number of people, the fiscal impact and how much of the budget was allocated for this department will be reserved for building maintenance, and if there will be an increase or savings. Councilman Hatfield pointed out that's an adminis- trative matter and it's not the Board's responsibility and they're setting guidelines for an administrator. Councilman Fish said they need more than just a request to do this and they need to give the Acting City Manger something to go on. Councilman Hatfield suggested they could instruct the City Manager to set them up a program. He added they're doing it in the proper way as then Council gives it to the City Manager who will give them a reply. Mr. Montgomery noted that they bring it to Council since they're an advisory board. 3 Council Workshop with Parks and Recreation Board May 16, 1989 . ., . 'W' "'WI Councilman Gold pointed out that with the CIP and other departments asked for more help, they have to look at the budget and the tax base. Mr. Ridgdill stated that by streamlining the program they have people on staff now who could be budgeted in another depart- ment with another director and still have almost the same staff here. Mr. Montgomery agreed it could be done without a monetary strain. Councilwoman Bennington requested a flow chart for Council as to how the Board perceives it should be set up and how it should be divided and then Council can pass it on to the Department Heads or whoever. Councilman Hatfield suggested they could talk to the Department Heads and get a feeling for what's going on from the administrative side. Councilwoman Bennington said they could give the flow chart to Public Works and the Finance Director. Mr. Ridgdill stated that Dave Garrett would be best to tell them and he doesn't know if Dave wants the department split now and the tasks taken over by another person. Mr. Corder said he doesn't know as they didn't go into an indepth discussion but when Dennis Kelly was here, he recommended the departments not be split then but he may have changed his mind. Councilman Hatfield suggested the Board get with Dave Garrett and Carl Overstreet and bring a report back to Council. Board members agreed. Councilwoman Bennington suggested the Acting City Manager could contact the Department Heads. Mr. Lanchoney stated that the manpower isn't so important now but they're looking for organizational direction and what comes out of that may be manpower. He added that they need a direct line to whatever department is involved in maintaining facilities. Mrs. Pezanowski said they need to know who does what job. Councilwoman Bennington said they need to know what jobs would be encompassed under which department. Mr. Lanchoney suggested they look at the direction they want to take and then meet again. Mr. Montgomery said they proposed giving the School the one big field that's closest to the portables and taking down the fences. There was discussion about a notice requirement and the length of time needed. Mr. Montgomery said he'd like a 2 year guarantee. Councilwoman Bennington pointed out they want the snack bar out of there. Mr. Ridgdill said he thought it was the fences. Mr. Jones asked about swimming at Menard. Mayor Mitchum replied they voted on that and official action was taken by Council. Mr. Jones asked if in 5 or 6 years it may be opened again. Mayor Mitchum pointed out that the two issues were the runoff due to conditions in Florida Shores and drainage which will be addressed in the CIP and the other was the safety because of being close to the channel. Councilman Hatfield noted that the Coast Guard told them not to swim. Mr. Jones pointed out there's a "No Idle" zone there. Mayor Mitchum explained that the CIP will only address the one major issue. Councilman Hatfield noted that an alternative could be to move the swimming area to the South side of the point instead of having it off the East end but they can't do anything until they get the stormwater runoff handled. Mr. Ridgdill asked if Council concurs there's a need for the splitting of the department and that there may be a split when they get the flow chart. Mayor Mitchum replied he's open and can see the need. Mr. Ridgdill and Mr. Montgomery expressed appreciation for the workshop. Workshop adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Lura Sue Koser 4 Council Workshop with Parks and Recreation Board May 16, 1989 -- . .. 'W ATTEST: .d~--- f Z. k-:::==:-: --ACTING CI1Y MANAGER "W i2~vl-P- ./MAYOR ~ c:'~cusecl COUNCILMAN - ZONE THREE ~ /J ' ~ /1 ~ OUNCILMAN - ZONE FOUR ~ . .';' , ~. r ~ 5 Council Workshop with Parks and Recreation Board May 16, 1989