Community Services Advisory Board

CITY OF BUCKEYE ~ Community Services Advisory Board Meeting BUCKEYE AH. J l O" A July 16, 2025 Minutes HYBRID MEETING City Hall 530 E. Monroe Ave. Buckeye, AZ 85326 6:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order/ Pledge of Allegiance/Roll Call Community Services Advisory Board Chair, Terry Vrabec called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Board Members Present:, Chair Terry Vrabec, Vice-Chair Kathleen Rossetti, Randal Kidd, Sebastian Trupiano, Anastazia McMurray, Matthew Dudley, Caleb Elms, Garnett Sailor (V), Jim Roth (V) Board Members Absent: Joanna Brace, Jack Lynch, Riley Quinlan, Holly Rohl, Nathan Madden City Staff Present: Director, Miranda Gomez; Deputy Director, Robert Wisener; Deputy Director Kelby Mieras; Parks Manager, Mark Bianco; Senior Center Manager, Phil Yabes; Events Manager, Kim Anderson; Library Manager, Elizabeth Garcia; Library Supervisor, Peter Grant; Administration & Project Manager, Sarah Hughes; Management Assistant, Chelsea Furman-Kosut; Management Assistant, Krysta Sanchez 2. Comments from the public No public comments received. 3. Approval of Minutes 3A. Community Services Advisory Board to approve minutes from the May 7, 2025 meeting. Motion made to approve the minutes by Terry Vrabec, seconded by Anastazia McMurray. Motion approved unanimously. 4. New Business 4A. Department Communication and Reports Chelsea Furman-Kosut, Management Assistant, provided an overview of the changes made to the way information is shared with the board. She explained that, as discussed at the previous meeting, the department transitioned from providing detailed bi-weekly updates to offering shorter, high-level weekly updates and monthly summaries. Updates on strategic plan initiatives are now sent every other month. Chelsea noted that this format aligns with what City Council receives, focusing on progress in a clear, concise, and digestible way. She asked board members for feedback on whether the level of detail, timing, and frequency of updates meets their needs or if any adjustments should be made to improve their usefulness. Board members suggested separating highlights, challenges, and next steps into distinct sections rather than presenting them as a single block of text. Chelsea acknowledged the feedback and explained that the department is exploring formatting options, though some limitations exist because the reports are generated directly from software. 4B. FY26 Budget Sarah Hughes, Administration & Project Manager, presented an overview of the FY26 budget, which was adopted by City Council on June 3rd. She reported that the department’s total budget is approximately $22.3 million, reflecting a five percent increase over the prior year. The budget includes funding for 11.5 new full- 7/16/2025 Community Services Advisory Board Meeting  time positions, including administrative, programmatic, and park ranger roles, to support growing needs within the department. Sarah highlighted that the budget continues to advance master plan and strategic plan initiatives and supports capital projects such as the Skyline Regional Park parking expansion, playground replacements, and several carryover projects. 4C. Kell Park Playground Replacement Mark Bianco, Parks Manager, presented the community engagement and selection process for the Kell Park playground replacement. Three design options were presented to the community through an in-person voting station located at the Downtown Library Branch. Option 1, which features a book theme to complement the nearby library, received the most votes. Mark emphasized the importance of engaging park users in the decision-making process and explained that the new playground will include ADA-accessible features, shaded swings, musical instruments, and book-themed benches. The board discussed the project and a motion to approve was made by Terry Vrabec, seconded by Anastazia McMurray, the board unanimously approved proceeding with option 1 as presented. 5. Community Services Director’s Report Miranda Gomez, Community Services Director, provided a comprehensive report on department activities and achievements. She shared updates on public art projects, including traffic signal box art installations and murals at the Coyote Library and Sundance Recreation Center. The summer reading program has been successful, with over 2,000 participants, and the department’s long-awaited bookmobile is expected to arrive in October. Miranda also noted that cooling centers and hydration stations have been opened to assist residents during the summer heat. Recent events, including the Memorial Day and Independence Day celebrations, were well attended and received positive feedback. Additionally, the department’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan was adopted by Council in June and the and the implementation of the Library Master Plan is progressing. The Department will be undertaking an Arts and Culture Plan in FY25. She announced that Board Chair Terry has been named Arizona Parks and Recreation Association Volunteer of the Year, with formal recognition to take place in August. 6. Comments from Board Members Chair Terry Vrabec: Thanked staff for their hard work and appreciated everyone’s presentations. Vice Chair Kathleen Rossetti: Hearing Miranda’s report about all of the events shows how much Buckeye is growing. It’s great we’re supporting our community. Nathan Madden: Absent. Sebastian Trupiano: I went to the 4th of July event, another great firework show. Great work. Holly Roehl: Absent. Jim Roth: It’s great to hear all of the action and energy. I also went to the 4 th of July event, it was a great show. There’s been a lot of hard work over the last year. Randal Kidd: No comment. Caleb Elms: Great presentations tonight. It was nice to hear from some different team members. Anastazia McMurray: Great job. I’m so happy with all the work you guys are doing. The Kell Park replacement is a huge part of cleaning up downtown. Matthew Dudley: I’ve heard great things about the 4th of July fireworks and music. I was out of town, in California. They had a drone show. I would love for us to look into incorporating that in the future. Riley Quinlan: Absent. Garnett Sailor: No comment. Joanna Brace: Absent. Jack Lynch: Absent. 7. Adjournment Community Services Advisory Board Chair, Terry Vrabec, adjourned the meeting at 6:49 p.m. 7/16/2025 Community Services Advisory Board Meeting  Terry Vrabec ___________________________________________ Terry Vrabec, Board Chair ATTEST: ____________________________________________ Chelsea Furman-Kosut, Management Assistant I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the Community Services Advisory Board Meeting held July 16, 2025. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. *
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