Park Board Minutes - 04/26/2012Wichita Falls Park Board Meeting
April 26, 2012
W.F. Recreation Center
Room 202, 60011"' Street
1:30 p.m.
Presiding:
Members Present:
Members Absent:
Staff Present:
City Council Representative:
Penny Miller /Chairperson
Penny Miller, Sharon Roach, Peg Marquardt,
Stephen Priester, Ben Filer, John Fritzsch and
John Hirsch!
Alan Donaldson, Stephen Garner, Nancy Howell
and Mike Rucker
Scott McGee, Terry Points, Kathy Geil, Travis
Pence, Amy McKim and Genice Wilson
Mary Ward
CALL TO ORDER:
Penny Miller called the meeting to order at 1:30 pm. The minutes of March 22,
2012 were put before the Board. A motion was made by Ben Filer to approve the
minutes and seconded by John Fritzsch. They were approved.
DEPARTMENTAL REPORT:
Scott McGee introduced the Parks and Recreation Staff to the board. Terry
Points /Parks General Services Superintendent, Kathy Geil /Senior Recreation
Program Coordinator, Travis Pence /P &R Program Coordinator for Athletics, Amy
McKim /P &R Program Coordinator.
1. Terry Points -
Park Maintenance is getting caught up on their grass and weed mowing.
They are four people short of being fully staffed. The Parks Department
has over a thousand vacant lots that they mow and over 800 complaint lots
that have to be mowed. They try to do them all in one month. About 50 a
day.
It is time to remove the Pansies and put in the summer flowers. This will be
done within the next two weeks.
2. Kathy Gell -
The 50 + Zone has been in operation for over 14 years. Current
membership is 2,293 active members. For the last twelve months the Zone
has had 79,225 total visits. The exercise room has had 31,722 participant
visits and the fitness classes had 12,416 visits.
56% of participant visits include a visit to the fitness center or fitness class.
The Zone has 38 big events a year with 2,885 participants. They have 36
different programs offered every week and 4 regular monthly programs.
The Zone and its programs are run by a staff of one full time Program
Coordinator and 3 part-time staff members, along with the help of over 80
volunteers.
3. Travis Pence -
This spring has been very busy, we have been trying to keep up with the
mowing. The athletic program now has 3 summer temp workers hired and
are trying to fill the 0 position. We are keeping them busy trying to do the
mowing of softball fields, practice fields and some minor maintenance
problems at the old complex, which is now 24 years old.
The softball fields look amazing. With the rain we have had, they are green
and beautiful. In our softball program this Spring we have 155 teams, 65
co-ed, 5 women, 12 men's church and 73 men's B, C and D divisions.
Our Kickball league, which started two seasons ago, has grown from 5
teams starting out to 23 teams this season. Kickball players are a whole
different breed. They come out with their families and have a fun time. It is
totally recreation.
We offer Volleyball this spring and had 5 teams sign up for the league.
We are averaging about 4,000 people a week coming out to the complex for
softball. An average of about 600 people each week for kickball. Last year
we started offering youth baseball tournaments. We have had three
baseball tournaments with about 20 — 48 teams this year. We have had two
softball tournaments, one Fast Pitch Softball and the Patsy's House
tournament scheduled for this weekend with about 40 teams.
The athletic division is averaging anywhere from $2,000 - $6,000 in
concessions per tournament and an average of about $600 a night during
league play.
Our tournaments bring in people who stay at the hotels in town. One of our
tournaments booked about 198 hotel rooms reserved. For all of the
tournaments we were able to track rooms rented at about 305 hotel rooms.
Summer is here and we are ready to prep the swimming pool and get it
ready to open on May 26th.
4. Amy McKim -
This time of the year is busy for all the Recreation programs. Our new
Spring /Summer Brochure came out in the newspaper on April the 16th and
it goes from May through August. We are getting ready for our Summer
Camps to start at Lucy Park, Scotland Gym and Jefferson Gym. 20 summer
employees were hired to help with our day camps and other programs.
May Vt we start registration for our swim classes and pool rentals.
Saturday, May 5th we do registration for day camps.
Summer Concerts will be June and July every other Tuesday this year. The
bands are booked and ready to go.
th
Bluegrass Festival will be the 1 and 11
0 of August and !twill take place
at the Texoma Cowboy Church, 919 Hwy. 281.
We have two new instructors for our Middle Eastern Dance class and
Zumba class.
5. Scott McGee reminded everyone that we also have a Track program for
kids from age 6 —18. The ARC Camp Harmony program also uses the
swimming pool regularly during the summer.
NEW BUSINESS:
A new sub Committee consisting of Penny Miller, John Fritzsch, Stephen
Priester and Jack Murphy met and talked about ideas to improve the trails and
parks. Some ideas discussed were security, litter, and friends of the trails and
park group.
The committee talked about doing something like adopting a highway
program and call it adopt a section of the trail or park.
Terry Points commented on the litter pickup on trails. He has a man that
picks up litter along the trails and this is all he does. In City View, Sunset Park,
new security lights are being put up for better security.
Penny Miller talked about getting a Friends of the Trails and Park group,
where friends and neighbors can adopt a portion of the trail or park to clean and
take care of it and take some work off the Parks Maintenance. She asks that each
board member to pitch it to different groups and get an interest started.
A motion was made by Ben Filer to approve this idea and seconded by
John Fritzsch. Motion was approved.
Terry Points also let the board know that the Head Start program is
donating a Pear Tree to plant in front of the Library which will be planted Friday.
OLD BUSINESS:
No old business.
OTHER ITEMS:
ADJOURNMENT:
Motion was made and seconded to adjourn meeting at 2:20 pm.
Signature: �a� .===
Penny Miller /Chairperson
RECEIVED IN
CITY CLER OFFICE
DATE: _ 1 --��
B ': I M E: Zo 6