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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_Workshop_10/4/2021Elf MINUTES WORKSHOP MEETING VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA, FL OCTOBER 4, 2021 6:00 PM COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Frank D'Ambra III at 6:00 p.m. A roll call was taken by Deputy Clerk Mary Ann Grieser. Present were: Mayor D'Ambra III, Vice -Mayor Stone and Council Member Brandon. Council Member Young attended via Zoom. Absent were: Council Member Prince. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Our Parks Our Values - Parks and Recreation Master Plan: Proposed Scope of Work and Timeline Community Development Director Nilsa Zacarias provided an overview of the master plan packet she had prepared for Council. She went over the definition of "stakeholder" and emphasized it was anyone involved in the process. Ms. Zacarias answered questions regarding greenspace, resident surveys, kiosks, greenways/blueways, and proposed meetings. Additionally, Ms. Zacarias was providing this service to the Village as part of her normal contract, with few additional minor costs for printing, etc. Council Member Young had concerns regarding "tracking the timeline" to ensure all components of feedback and different scenarios were captured. Manager Allen felt the timeline was aggressive, however, he would do whatever the Council directed. Additionally he would work on tracking the process. Mayor D'Ambra III believed the timeline was possible and felt it was important to try to get the information to the State. Council Member Brandon stated she was not in favor of pushing forward quickly. She also wanted to remind the public that Tequesta Park and Paradise Park were not owned by the Village. She felt the Village boards needed to be involved and knew that they were bound by Sunshine Law and could only meet once per month. Mr. Tom Bradford of 44 Chestnut Trail, addressed Council and stressed his belief that there was a lot of information with little transparency. He felt the process should not be rushed and should be unbiased in format. Ms. Jessica Namath of 20 Shady Lane, conveyed that the process was too rushed. She felt that social media was a great tool to be considered for feedback. Mr. Mark Sapire of Yacht Club Place, addressed Council with his thoughts on water quality, acquiring neighborhood land for parks and environmental concerns. Ms. Marcia Nielson of 94 Beechwood Trail, addressed Council and asked that they place time and resources into Remembrance Park right away. 2. Discussion on Recreation Center Policies and Fees Mr. Greg Corbitt, Director of Parks and Recreation, presented a power point, which included information on hours of operation, front desk operations, resident vs. non- resident benefits, minimal fees, non-resident fees, classes and summer camp. Manager Allen stated that the information presented was very preliminary and could change. Mr. Corbitt planned on having the new position dedicated to the front desk with the ability to help out with businesses as needed. Additionally, there would be a software system that would track residents and guests, using electronic photos while also offering meeting management capabilities. Council questioned why the center would not be opened on Sundays, and it was noted that there would be a need for more staffing if it was opened up seven days a week. Also, the area churches had been gracious in allowing overflow parking in the past, and the Village wanted to be sensitive to their needs on Sunday, as well. Vice Mayor Stone asked that the fee for non-resident children be reduced to $5, as he felt the $20 was too much. Additionally, he felt that a soft opening should run for the first month. Mayor D'Ambra believed the costs of membership for non-residents should be reflective of the value the Village was providing. He reminded Council that the taxpayers of the Village were funding the building, maintenance and staffing of the new center. Mr. Tom Bradford of Chestnut Trail opined that $20 was too expensive for neighboring kids to join a pickup game of basketball, although he understood the need to charge something. Ms. Amy Angelo, a Tequesta business owner, approached Council with a question regarding the projected revenue for the Recreation Center. Council explained that it was more a concept of recouping some of the costs of building and that there were projected revenues and expenditures within the budget. She asked about the summer camp pay structure with the subcontracted camp company. 3. Discussion on Recreation and Business Relations Coordinator Manager Allen envisioned the new position helping out with memberships while being at the point of contact at the front desk. He felt this new position could reach out to businesses, organize business events, send out emails, and offer a little more than we have in the past. Additionally, the new position could attend chamber or rotary events to promote Tequesta. Council Member Young was concerned with American Rescue Funds being used for the position at the Recreation Center. Council Member Brandon preferred the new position be more of an internal position, while at the same time serve as a point person for business relations in a limited manner. Vice Mayor Stone believed cross training would be a part of this new position. Mr. Corbitt believed his department could make it work. Mr. Tom Bradford of 44 Chestnut Trail, shared that he had been involved in 3 recreation centers opening in his career, and that the staff would be extremely busy. Mayor D'Ambra III shared that he had viewed the Recreation Center last week and was thoroughly impressed with the building. Council thought a virtual video would be a good idea to share with residents. Ms. Marcia Nielson of 94 Beechwood Trail commented to Council that a volunteer program at the Recreation Center would be a good idea. Ms. Amy Angelo, owner of Oceana Coffee, believed two people would be necessary to fulfill the job duties at the recreation center and for the business liason position. She urged the Village to have a plan to help the businesses with the upcoming bridge construction. 4. Discussion on Temporarily Increasing the Number of Authorized Positions in the Fire Department Manager Allen explained that there were currently several issues regarding absentee employees in the Fire Department. Additionally, there were several pending retirements that needed to be addressed as they related to the number of fire department employees. Fire Chief Trube stated that four out of seven officers would be retiring within the next five years. His department was experiencing minimum staffing on a regular basis, across the board. Due to vacation time, sick time, FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) and workers compensation, the issue had become problematic. Fire Chief Trube was asking for a full time firefighter to help with the staffing issue. There was already a list of potential candidates for consideration and the process would take approximately five weeks. Vice Mayor Stone asked for figures and information on donated sick time, trade time, overtime, and policy. Chief Trube stated there was no overtime involved in trade time, as it was an agreement between the firefighters themselves. Vice Mayor Stone asked for figures on how many shifts (that were being covered for firefighter Stack) were receiving overtime. He felt there should be a Village policy regarding trade time and overtime, as the current scenario was hurtful to the residents of Tequesta. Manager Allen would take a look at the policy but believed it was not problematic across all departments. Chief Trube believed the former intern program was costly and ultimately not successful. Manager Allen would bring the item before Council for approval at the next Regular Council Meeting. 5. Discussion On Extending the Lease of Paradise Park Mayor D'Ambra III informed Council of the latest developments on a possible lease for Paradise Park. The owners were open to an agreement which would preclude the sale of the park during the process, and would begin December 1st 2021 through June 30, 2023. The Village would have the opportunity to apply for a State grant, with the ability to terminate the agreement if the grant was not funded. If the grant was funded, by at least 80% of the (appraised) purchase price, the sale would go through. Council Member Brandon felt that spending money to buy time was not ideal in her estimation. Vice Mayor Stone did not want to move forward with the lease agreement. Council Member Young did not support the endeavor to lease and purchase Paradise Park. In other matters, Council Member Brandon asked that Council consider accepting public comment via online submittal forms (within certain parameters). Manager Allen stated that online comments were already available online. Mayor D'Ambra felt that citizens were able to email prior to meetings as well as after the meetings and those communications could be shared with the Council. Manager Allen felt the Village could promote the communication avenues that were currently in place. Mr. Tom Bradford of 44 Chestnut Trail, was glad the Council had decided to not pursue the lease/sale agreement for Paradise Park. He felt efforts should be focused on workers within the Village. Mayor D'Ambra informed Council of the Palm Beach County road improvement update and the Village would submit areas of concern for repaving after the Jupiter Inlet Bridge was completed. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM MOTION: Vice -Mayor Stone made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Council Member Brandon seconded the motion. Carried unanimously 4-0 (absent: Council Member Prince). Respectfully submitted, Lori McWilliams, MMC Village Clerk Note: These summary minutes are prepared in compliance with 286.011 F.S. and are not verbatim transcripts of the meeting. A verbatim audio record is available from the office of the Village Clerk. All referenced attachments are on file in the Village Clerk's office.