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05.11.2017 Parks & Rec MinutesPIOWN OF SPER Prosper is a Place Where Everyone Matters. 1. Call to Order / Roll Call. The meeting was called to order at 6:01 pm by Barbara Cottone. MINUTES Regular Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board 108 W. Broadway St., Prosper, Texas Town of Prosper Municipal Chambers Thursday, May 11, 2017, 6:00 pm Board members present: Barbara Cottone, Chair; Mandy Goddard, Vice Chair; Jeff Hodges, Secretary; Rebekah Land; and Rick McGrath. Amy Bartley and Chuck Smith were absent. Staff members present: Dudley Raymond, Director of Parks and Recreation; Paul Naughton, Landscape Architect; Matt Furr, Parks Superintendent; Julie Shivers, Recreation Coordinator; and Patty Kendzie, Senior Administrative Assistant. Also present: Drake Dunn, President of the Prosper Youth Sports Commission. 2. Consider and act upon approval of the minutes from the April 13, 2017, Parks and Recreation Board meeting. Motion to approve the Tour Draft Minutes by Goddard, second by McGrath. Approved 5-0. Motion to approve the Meeting Draft Minutes by Hodges, second by McGrath. Approved 5-0. 3. Comments by the Public. There were no comments by the public. 4. Discussion and presentation by the Prosper Youth Sports Commission (PYSC) regarding the group's mission and participation numbers for youth sports in Prosper. Drake Dunn, President of the Prosper Youth Sports Commission (PYSC), gave an overview of the Commission. He described the organization's mission, governing bodies, league boundaries and member organizations and sports programs. The Prosper sports programs that comprise the PYSC are Prosper Little League (PLL): baseball and softball; Prosper Area Soccer Organization (PASO): soccer; and the Prosper Youth Sports Association (PYSA): tackle and flag football, lacrosse, cheer, basketball, volleyball, golf and swimming. Page 1 of 4 Dunn presented a detailed breakdown of participation numbers for each sport by category: resident; non- resident/in PISD; non-resident/non-PISD (in boundary); and participants outside league boundaries. The Spring 2017 season had the most players and teams ever. Cottone asked Dunn's opinion about the participation numbers trend, stating it appears the average percentages for most of the leagues is about 75% resident and 25% non-resident. Dunn agrees and said lacrosse is the exception. There are fewer resident participants. Lacrosse is the newest sport in the PYSC and all games are interleague, with teams playing other towns. A side note is that the Prosper Eagles High School Lacrosse team has applied for membership in the PYSC. Dunn said each sport handles registration differently. Each league has some form of cap on registration, to guarantee certainty of practice space. Cottone asked if residents receive priority, are allowed to register first, in the registration process. She also asked if there is some type of cap on non-residents. Dunn said every sport uses an online registration tool, and currently there is no priority given nor non-resident cap. Adding these type registration parameters would require additional administrative work. Dunn said the league boundaries are determined by the governing organizations. Cottone expressed concern about the number of non-residents. She asked what the Town can do at this point to ensure all resident children have access to recreational sports in Prosper. Dunn said that, unless the Parks and Recreation Board and Town Council request a change in registration procedures, the PYSC will most likely keep doing things in the same way they have been. Dunn said several factors make Prosper a popular place to practice and play. First, Furr and the Parks crew are the best in the business. Next, Prosper has some of the nicest fields and facilities. Prosper Little League consistently draws more teams than McKinney Little League. Looking ahead, Prosper will be the premier facility in North Texas once the Frontier Park North fields become available. Also, important to note is that Prosper ISD boundaries are twice as large as the Town of Prosper. Cottone asked what future challenges Dunn foresees with Prosper sports. He said practice space is a key factor and also that resident/non-resident and non-resident/non-ISD participant numbers should be looked at. Hodges asked if a give and take collaboration would work regarding practice space and out-of-town teams wanting to play in Prosper leagues. Dunn said teams typically practice in their home towns, yet the concept may be something to consider. The Board discussed practice times and the importance of younger players placed in earlier time slots. Dunn said he agrees with a recreational focus for the Prosper sports leagues. He also believes the Town should be able to generate revenue from field rentals. Shivers said there is little opportunity now to rent fields, as they are rarely available. Page 2 of 4 Furr said he has reached out to Celina, yet they have not been responsive, regarding installing lights so Celina teams can practice and play at home. Goddard and McGrath expressed concern about those kids who move to Prosper during in the summer only to find that all recreational sports are full, so they cannot play. McGrath related his personal experience of moving his family to Prosper in the summer. Lacrosse was the only sport with registration slots available. Lacrosse has been a positive experience. He asked Dunn if PYSC keeps track of how many residents try to register and are either told no or placed on a wait list. He suggested the Board request statistics from PYSC about the gap pool, including indicators and numbers. With this information, the Parks and Recreation Board can make an informed decision about the timing on limiting non-resident registrations. Dunn said he could pose the question, believing football is likely the most impacted at the current time. He said the PYSC may be able to put together those numbers for the Parks and Recreation Board. Dunn said parking at Frontier Park has become somewhat of an issue, due to park and natatorium construction. He added that, on Saturdays, there are spaces available, yet not the ideal spaces. Board members discussed the PYSC governing organizations and the fact that these organizations determine the league boundaries. They discussed the benefit of contacting them directly for boundary information. They also discussed the potential benefit of an early registration period giving residents priority. Dunn suggested the Parks and Recreation Board and Town Council should get involved if they would like to see this type of tiered registration. Raymond said he will ask each sport league to: capture the gap numbers; keep a tally of statistics on residents that are turned away; and provide feedback on a tiered registration process. Cottone said it is a problem if Prosper is saying no to a Prosper child who wants to play. The Board agreed. The Board commended Dunn and thanked him for the informative presentation. 5. Informational items. a. Recreation Update Shivers gave the Recreation Update. Registration for Summer 2017 camps, classes and clinics is now open and she gave a brief overview of the schedule. Registration for Adult Summer Sunday Softball opens May12. Archery classes will begin June 1. This change is to make sessions fit with PISD's new earlier back -to -school schedule. Planning continues for the Prosper Christmas Festival at Frontier Park. Goddard exited the meeting at 7:20 pm. Page 3 of 4 b. Park Development Update Naughton gave the Park Development Update. Frontier Park construction is well underway. It's anticipated installation of the synthetic turf fields will begin in the fall. Also, additional hike and bike trail has been poured in the new development of Falls of Prosper. The trail now extends to Kroger and is expected eventually to connect with Cedar Grove Park. c. Park Operations Update Furr gave the Parks Operations Update. Soccer will host its first tournament on May 20. The Parks crew is still in maintenance mode. There will be no All Star baseball tournament this year. Little League is moving to USSSA and baseball parents have decided to form teams and travel to a tournament in Flower Mound. USSSA is less restrictive and most area leagues have moved away from Little League. This move will affect field layout, yet only in a minor way. 6. Discussion regarding any miscellaneous business or items to be placed on future Agendas. Land asked about a damaged swing at Rogers Middle School. Naughton responded that the maintenance of the playground falls within the responsibility of Prosper ISD. Raymond said he would reach out to the district to inquire about the swing. Cottone closed the meeting stating Hodges will be missed. He will no longer serve on the Parks and Recreation Board, as he has been elected to the Town Council. 7. Adjourn Motion to adjourn by Hodges, second by Land. Meeting adjourned at 7:28 pm. Approved 4-0. Page 4 of 4