HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_PAREB_05.13.2021Minutes of the Meeting of the
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
City of Georgetown, Texas
May 13, 2021 - Virtual
Regular Session
(This Regular Session may, at any time, be recessed to convene an Executive Session for any
purpose authorized by the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code 551.)
A Call to Order - Katherine Kainer, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chair
Katherine Kainer called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm.
B Roll Call - Katherine Kainer, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chair
Board members present: Katherine Kainer, Jolene Melancon, Jack Flatau, Peter Bahrs, Lindsay
Cooper, Chad Holz
Board members absent: Brazos Fielder, E'11ad-UQ1z.qL
Staff present: Kimberly Garrett, Eric Nuner, Jamie Beran, Jill Kellum
C Parks and Recreation staff member introduction and presentation - Kimberly Garrett,
Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett introduced Jamie Beran, Parks Superintendent, Jamie Beran explained his
different roles with Georgetown Parks and Recreation over the past 21 years. Jolene Melancon
stated she is a runner and after the winter storm she was very impressed with the amazing
work on the cleanup. Jamie Beran stated he has a great staff, and they take a lot of pride in
what they do. Jack Flatau stated he was glad to see the cleanliness of the park and safety. He
stated "good luck" as we grow, we will need additional staff. Jamie Beran stated the weekends
are very busy and will need more staff. Jolene Melancon asked, in the section of the trail, past
the country club, about a water feature that was in that area. Jamie Beran stated the misters
were installed when the trail was built and they are a maintenance nightmare, as they leak
constantly and rust through and are a safety issue. Currently, they are not being replace. Eric
Nuner stated with the water here, there is a lot of calcium build up and they are hard to keep
spraying like they should. Kimberly Garrett stated they were installed in 2005 and they have
caused problems. They were not working more than they were working. Peter Bahrs asked if
Jamie Beran oversaw the sports fields. Jamie Beran stated Brandon Fonville is the foreman and
does an excellent job. Peter Bahrs said they should publish how they keep up with the fields
and the weeds. Jamie Beran stated this year has been difficult with the weeds and being so
close to the river, the products are selected very carefully. He stated that last year with COVID,
many other recreation agencies, such as the county, were closed so their participants came to us
and our fields were well used.
D Discussion on Bark Park Safety Concerns voiced on Social Media - Lindsay Cooper,
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Member
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Kimberly Garrett stated that Lindsay Cooper requested this item to be on the agenda and
invited her to present information and Kaitlin Rutherford, Animal Control Officer was also on
the call. Lindsay Cooper stated the Bark Park was one of the reasons they moved to
Georgetown. She stated someone, on social media, made a comment about an intense and
disturbing incident at the Bark Park. She explained the situation of an aggressive dog and
about car break ins. She wondered if there is a problem and if there is, what can we do.
Kimberly Garrett stated when the park was opened in 2008, a previous Parks and Recreation
Advisory board member, Mike Simpson, was instrumental in getting the Bark Park in
Georgetown. Mike Simpson took staff to other parks in the state, and it was intended to be self -
policed. Signs were installed and complaint forms have been made available. Kimberly Garrett
contacted April Haughey, Animal Shelter Manager, about this situation. Kaitlin Rutherford
stated the incident mentioned was not reported to the animal control officers. She stated you
must put a lot of trust into the other people that are there and what control they have over their
dogs. She stated she patrols the dog park area regularly and tries to enforce the rules and laws.
She stated the peer pressure that is expected, to follow the rules, is not happening and for
something to be self -policed, it relies on a very responsible community. She stated there are 2
animal control officers for the city so the park cannot be continually monitored but they can
respond to incidents. She stated there are several incidents of abandoned dogs as well. She
stated one thing that will help with the incidences is to add cameras. It will help with the car
break ins and abandoned animals. Lindsay Cooper stated she liked the idea of cameras.
Kimberly Garrett stated we can look into it and currently there is not electricity or internet
capabilities. She stated it is not out of the question, but we would have to look at the cost and a
secure place to put the cameras. Our marketing staff is working on signs; Lock - Take - Hide,
for locking their vehicles. Lindsay Cooper suggested a quick video to put on social media to
know what is allowable at the Bark Park. She also suggested trying to get the Friends of
Georgetown Parks and Recreation to help fundraise for the cameras. Kimberly Garrett stated in
addition to the population growth we also have more multifamily residences, so it is used more.
Jamie Beran stated a lot of the times staff hear about the issue 2 - 3 days later or hear on social
media and that is not the time to address an issue. With these issues they need to be handled
immediately and people can contact the police department immediately. He added taking care
of the issue at the time of the incident is a key component to the self -policing. Chad Holz asked
if we were the hiring authority for a position at the Bark Park. Kimberly Garrett stated Park
and Recreation would be the hiring authority and that would be an expensive position to fund;
someone from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week. Chad Holz asked what allows us to do that for
lifeguards at pools but would not allow for an attendant at a dog park. Kimberly Garrett stated
there are state statutes that require a lifeguard at a public pool in addition to insurance and
liability. She is not aware of another dog park that has an attendant and with lifeguards there
are state mandates for that. She stated they are like playgrounds; enter at your own risk and are
not staffed. Chad Holz asked if there was no liability on the Parks and Recreation Department
or the City of Georgetown if there was an attack. Kimberly Garrett stated you are accepting that
risk and used the example that if someone's dog attacks another dog, it is not the city's fault the
incident happened. She stated there is a state statute that protects parks and recreation
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departments. Eric Nuner explained that it is one of those inherent risk activities such as skate
boarding, horse back riding and athletics.
E Project Updates and Staff Report - Eric Nuner, Assistant Director of Parks and
Recreation
Eric Nuner stated there has not been a lot of updates from last month. He stated he would open
it up to questions. There were not questions on the project report.
F Update and discussion on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan -- Kimberly Garrett,
Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett stated this will be a common item for the next several months. GreenPlay was
selected in March and in the last month have got them up and running. April 20t" was the
kickoff meeting. Currently, they are collecting information in staff and stakeholder meetings.
All this information will be used to come up with the statistically valid survey. The survey will
be mailed to 4,000 people and then an online survey will be available. On May 241" there will be
a Zoom public webinar which will be an opportunity for the public to add in any additional
information. Kimberly Garrett presented the vision critical success factors that GreenPlay
provided during the kickoff meeting. She stated these were derived from the RFP as factors
that the city wanted to accomplish when they do a new master plan. She asked the board to
look at them and provide comment to see if there is anything missing or needs to be changed.
Peter Bahrs asked about #7, the cost recovery, if it was for the whole parks and recreation
department or parts of parks and recreation. His example, for trails you do not make money
but with the recreation center there is a revenue stream. Kimberly Garrett stated it is mainly
program oriented and she stated the trails, playgrounds and open spaces are fully subsidized
and they are in the cost recovery as a community benefit. She stated the cost recovery will kick
off after the survey. Eric Nuner stated different firms use different methodology as some are
business minded and some are subsidized. GreenPlay uses a pyramid methodology, where the
bottom of the pyramid would be the parks and the top would be those programs that go above
the cost recovery and those programs are meant to subsidize the base of the pyramid. He
explained the 100% cost recovery would cover your costs and not making revenue. To make
revenue you must go over 100% cost recovery. Kimberly Garrett stated that city council is
driving the cost recovery model and how to price programs and how to find out what they are
going to subsidize. Chad Holz asked about #5, clear direction, if it included the thought
through funding of that clear direction. Will there be a plan for how we fund the enhancements
and improvements to the parks? Kimberly Garrett stated she feels that comes into #4, creative
recommendations for the implementation. Kimberly Garrett stated she will ask GreenPlay if
that is in their writing that they include funding. Jack Flatau asked about #3, community
driven. He asked about people that may be underserved or may not be represented and the
considerations that come with that. Kimberly Garett stated she tried to find stakeholders that
would represent a broad and diverse area of Georgetown. She stated we are using social
media, the website, and some posters to get the word out. Jack Flatau stated there may not be
representation equally in the different parts of town. Kimberly Garrett stated GreenPlay will
look at the broad picture and identify fair and equitable information on the different areas of
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town. Eric Nuner stated the survey will help with that as it is a broad representation from the
different areas of the city. Kimberly Garrett stated we will try our best to make sure the
community has a voice. Lindsay Cooper asked if there was a place where people could use
public computers to access the survey. Kimberly Garrett stated she could work with Sally at the
Library to see what can be done. Peter Bahrs stated with a survey you might get a 25%
response and seems old fashioned, and it might be more beneficial to send the link to the Tennis
Center or Recreation Center members or people that use the environment. Kimberly Garrett
stated the only way to get a statistically valid survey is to do it by mail. She stated some
communities only do online surveys and feel that they may be skewed. She stated that
GreenPlay said if they can get 10% back that it is good. She stated then the survey will go out to
as many people we can get the information too.
G Update from the Friends of Georgetown Parks and Recreation - Kimberly Garrett,
Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett stated Peter Bahrs was recently elected as board liaison and they did not have
a meeting in May.
H Director Report - Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
Kimberly Garrett reviewed the report with the board members. Concerning the black mold at
the recreation center natatorium, Lindsay Cooper asked if there is recourse on the contractor
after all these years and if the funding is coming out of the parks and recreation department.
Kimberly Garrett stated we do not have recourse since it has been so long, and the funding is
out of the facilities department. Lindsay Cooper asked if Garey Park is meeting the projected
revenue goals to fund itself. Kimberly Garrett stated it costs about a million dollars to operate
that park and in the good years we were close to getting 50% of projected revenue. Kimberly
Garrett stated last year the fee was reduced and we have seen an increase in revenue and
participation. She stated with Covid the parks and playground were closed and with Garey
House it is very seasonal but now feels that revenue will increase as we open. She stated
originally there was a 5-year goal of getting to 100% cost recovery and that is why we need a
cost recovery policy. Kimberly Garrett stated the recreation center went to a quarterly survey
from the iPad quick survey. Lindsay Cooper asked about the recommend a friend survey.
Kimberly Garrett explained the survey and that the results were very good. There was some
discussion about corporate memberships. Peter Bahrs commented on the reporting; he asked if
the data could be matched up next to the cost recovery pyramid. Kimberly Garrett stated the
cost recovery will address that and we do not have that information yet and that model will be
broken down by service area. Eric Nuner stated the city's new financial software will help with
the data and we need the policy in place to start using it. Kimberly Garrett stated the recreation
center is not just the recreation center but all the programs that are run out of it. Chad Holz
asked if the registration software reports on facility rentals and programs as this might be items
that are missing. Chad Holz asked if we can schedule our park tour soon. Kimberly Garret
stated we can schedule the park tour, and everyone would have to wear a mask, but we can
ride all in the same vehicle.
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Legislative Regular Agenda
I Consideration and possible action to approve minutes from the April 8, 2021 meeting
- Jill Kellum, Administrative Supervisor
Motion made by Lindsay Cooper, second by Chad Holz to approve the minutes from the
April 8, 2021 meeting. Approved: 6 - 0 -1
Adjournment
Adjourn - Katherine Kainer, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chair
Motion made by Katherine Kainer, second by Jack Flatau to adjourn the May 13, 2021
meeting. Approved: 6 - 0 -1 The meeting adjourned at 7:54 pm.
Katherine Kainer, Board Chair
Jf
Lindsay Coop , Secretary
AJilleellum, Board Liaison
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