Parks and Recreation Committee

CITY OF CHARLESTON West Virginia Council Member – AT LARGE Caitlin Cook Parks & Recreation Committee, Chair 1534 Summit Drive Facilities, Vice Chair Charleston, WV 25302 Public Safety Committee Telephone: 304.543.4879 caitlin.cook@cityofcharleston.org THE MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE AND MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC VIA ZOOM A meeting of the Council Committee on Parks and Recreation will be held on June 6, 2023. The meeting will begin promptly at 5:00 PM. *Join via internet: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87825585168?pwd=NDlxbVVwa0NHNWxIRUVJNTQ3UUZHdz09 Passcode: 979280 *Join via Telephone: (312) 626-6799 or (929) 436-2866 Webinar ID: 878 2558 5168 Agenda APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES 1. 4-12-2023 DISCUSSION 1. Accepting Aflac donation ADJOURN CC/ns *Meetings may be recorded and broadcast via internet https://charlestonwv.civicclerk City Council | 501 Virginia Street, East | Post Office Box 2749 | Charleston, West Virginia 25330 www.charelstonwv.gov | 304.348.8179 | 304.348.8038 fax Page | 1 of  MINUTES PARKS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING THE MEETING WAS HELD IN PERSON IN THE AV ROOM AT CITY HALL 5:30 P. M., APRIL 12, 2023 Caitlin Cook, Chairperson, called the meeting of the Charleston City Council Committee on Parks and Recreation to order at 5:30p.m., April 12, 2023. Committee Members Present: Caitlin Cook, Chair Bruce King, Vice Chair Patrick Salango Frank Annie Michael Ferrell Chad Robinson Committee Members Absent: Pat Jones Other Councilmembers Present: A roll call was taken, and it was determined that a quorum was not present. 1. Approval of Previous Minutes 11-3-2022– Councilmember King motioned to approve the minutes of the previous meeting on 11-3- 2022. Councilmember Robinson seconded. There were no objections, and the minutes were approved. April 12, 2023 Page | 2 of  2. Update from Parks and Recreation Department – Councilmember Cook stated that she wanted the new members of the Committee to understand all of the work the Parks and Recreation Department has done since the beginning of the Goodwin Administration. Director of Parks and Recreation, Rashaun Poore, informed the Committee of all of the projects completed since the last meeting in November, such as recoating all of the gym floors and updating the HVAC systems for the gyms at MLK and North Charleston. Some current projects include: • Redesigning the pump track at Cato Park to accommodate all ages • Will install a new 3-D archery course at Cato Park • Will be adding piping to the Cato Park trails to help with flooding • A new registration system to replace the paper system • Continuing the free City Lifeguard certification program • Free Summer Camp Councilmember Moore confirmed with Poore that the minimum age requirement for lifeguards was 15 years. The position pays $11/hour. Poore added they currently have 30 applications, 15 of which are certified and worked last year. They need at least 40 to operate all of the pools. 3. Resolution No. 788-23 - Renaming Cato Park trail– Councilmember Cook added that the trail to be renamed “Amanda Trail” is the trail currently referred to as Trail #3. Amanda enjoyed the City’s P&R facilities, and was an active member of the Community. Councilmember Robinson motioned to approve the resolution. Councilmember Annie seconded the motion. With members being present having voted unanimously in the affirmative, the Chair declared Resolution No. 788-23 as approved. 4. Scheduling, costs and agreements for City fields – Councilmember Cook added that as more people want to use the P&R facilities, there needs to be a system in place to empower the Department to run those facilities in the best way possible. The Committee received a scheduling system and rental guide for the fields and courts for their consideration. Poore added that the document lists information about each field, and describes the 4 listed user groups. The “Local Recreation Providers” would pay a fee, but would have priority in scheduling. The document also describes team and tournament applications April 12, 2023 Page | 3 of and deposit fees. There are also Rules and Regulations for the various fields as well as various cancelation policies. Poore added that she would in particular like the Committee’s opinion on what the charges for the various fields should be. Mayor Goodwin added that some of these funds must be used to help maintain the Department (referring to the free services they provide). She added that the Administration gives kids priority. Councilmember Robinson asked for an overview as to how the prices were determined. Poore added that she researched what other cities were doing. A lot of cities were charging $75/hour to practice for a max of 2 hours, for example. She added the current policy is to give non-profits get a 50% discount and no charge for Little Leagues. Currently, Travel Teams are allowed to use fields for free if they are not in use, but the new guide proposes charging them. Councilmember Moore suggested that the fee could be contingent upon how many teams were involved. Councilmember Cook added that it was important that the document be transparent, accessible and easy to understand. She added that the creation of a maintenance fund is also important. Councilmember Robinson added that perhaps a percentage of all tournaments put on by the City should go into the maintenance fund. The hourly rates could go directly to the Department to maintain employees, field maintenance, bathroom maintenance, etc. The Committee generally agreed that the listed hourly rates were low. Councilmember Cook suggested keeping the rate for local groups the same, and changing the rate for tournaments. Mayor Goodwin added that travel teams could include some local kids, but not 100%. Councilmember Robinson said travel team needed to be more defined. Councilmember Ferrell said the burden should be on the teams to pay for ambulance services, security, clean up, etc. Poore added that she thought tournament fees should be separate from the regular fee based on number of teams, days, etc. Councilmember Annie suggested that the document contain suggested services, such as insurance, security, etc. Poore added that the City hasn’t yet hosted a tournament, but they have rented out fields to them. The current rate is $90/day. Councilmember Robinson added that City-run tournaments is a different discussion. Poore asked how travel teams tournaments would work in terms of fees and City staff. Currently, they do not provide staff. Councilmember Robinson added that deposits should be automatic and non-refundable. Additionally, he recommended adding “or events designated by the City of Charleston.” To the line on page 7: “10. There shall be no admission fee for any events scheduled other than Tournament Events.” This will give the City the authority to set all other gate fees. Mayor Goodwin wanted to emphasize that these are open, public facilities for which other things will not be shut down during events. April 12, 2023 Page | 4 of Councilmember Robinson suggested that the hourly fee should be at least $50/hr. for travel teams. This should apply to fields as well as courts. Poore added that gym fees are in the Municipal Code as $25/hr. with no restrictions. Councilmember Cook added that the Code needed to be updated to reflect the categories in the new document. Councilmember Robinson suggested taking those fees out of the Code. The Rental Guide could be updated on an annual basis. Additionally, any issues could be taken up by the Department and Committee much quicker than through full Council. Mayor Goodwin asked how the proposed Guide compared to Shawnee rates. Councilmember Robinson added that Shawnee was much more expensive. Poore added that she intentionally set the rates to be lower than Shawnee but complementary. Councilmember Robinson suggested that a provision be added to the Guide that states something like “At the discretion of Parks and Recreation, fees can be negotiated for certain entities not defined within.” Mayor Goodwin added that the way to make money is from tournaments and larger travel groups. Councilmember Ferrell suggested that the City could get revenue from concession sales. Councilmember Cook added that taking that section out of the code would give the Committee and the Department more authority and flexibility to make those kinds of changes as needed. Councilmember Robinson suggested that they approve the Guide with the pricing listed, and add the previously mentioned non-refundable language and definition of travel teams. The Director can decide the effective date. The Committee will re-evaluate it after the Spring/Summer Season. Councilmember Cook added that parts of the guide were incomplete as her expectation was that it would become an all-encompassing rental guide. Mayor Goodwin added that there were teams wanting to use the fields now, so it might be best to approve the fees immediately. Councilmember Robinson motioned to approve the field rental fees within the rental guide to be amended at the discretion of the Director of Parks and Recreation based on the Committee’s discussion. Councilmember Annie seconded the motion. With members being present having voted unanimously in the affirmative, the Chair declared the motion approved. 5. Wertz Avenue Playground/Community Space design – Councilmember Cook added that this is one of the forgotten playgrounds in the City. The park has played an important part of the Community, but has been long neglected. The Administration has gathered feedback from the Community as to what they would like to see in the park. Poore added that the building has been demolished. Some of the ideas gathered were: • New fencing • Covered shelter April 12, 2023 Page | 5 of  • Replace the old playground equipment and basketball court • Grills, electric, running water, restrooms • A building to host community meetings and after school/senior programs as well as an emergency facility • A grass area Councilmember Cook asked how long until they are able to start the project. Poore replied that she intended to start looking into quotes for equipment and asphalt over the next few weeks. Hopefully the project will have started by July 2023. Councilmember King motioned to adjourn. Councilmember Annie seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned. April 12, 2023 Page | 6 of Resolution No. 788-23 - Approving the naming of a walking and hiking trail within Cato Park, as shown as Trail #3 on the attached map designated Exhibit A, as Amanda Trail, in memory of the life of former Charleston resident Amanda Trail. WHEREAS, Amanda Trail loved to be outdoors on hiking trails throughout the Kanawha Valley, at the Cato Park swimming pool where she served as a summer lifeguard, on the beach enjoying the sun, sand, and ocean breeze, in a kayak through the rain, or on a snowboard taking in the views of the mountains; and WHEREAS, Amanda Trail was an active young resident of the City of Charleston who played volleyball, tennis, ran track, and swam in meets at Capital High School, played numerous instruments, performed in plays, danced, participated in gymnastics, and worked on the promotions team for the West Virginia Power baseball team; and WHEREAS, Amanda Trail passed away at the age of 25 from the effects that Acute Myeloid Leukemia; and WHEREAS, naming one of the walking and hiking trails in Cato Park as Amanda Trail is a fitting memorial to the young woman who left such a positive impact on the community and her friends and family. Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Council of the City of Charleston, West Virginia: That the walking and hiking trail within Cato Park as shown as Trail #3 on the attached map, designated as Exhibit A to this resolution, is hereby named Amanda Trail in honor of former Charleston resident Amanda Trail, daughter of Linda Trail and Gary Trail. April 12, 2023 Page | 7 of April 12, 2023 Page | 8 of April 12, 2023 Page | 9 of