08.08.2019 Parks & Rec Minutes1
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ISPER
OWN OF
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"A Place Where Everyone Matters "
1. Call to Order / Roll Call.
MINUTES
Regular Meeting of the
Parks and Recreation Board
200 S. Main Street
Thursday, August 8, 2019
6:00 p.m.
The meeting was called to order by Rebekah Land, Vice Chair, at 6:00 p.m.
Board members present: Rebekah Land, Vice Chair, Gina Kern, Secretary; Shannon Crawford; John
Metcalf, and Cameron Reeves.
Staff members present: Dudley Raymond, Director of Parks and Recreation; Matt Furr, Parks
Superintendent; Trevor Helton, Recreation Services Coordinator; and Patty Kendzie, Senior
Administrative Assistant.
Also in attendance: Drake Dunn, President, Prosper Youth Sports Commission (PYSC).
2. Consider and act upon approval of the Minutes from the July 11, 2019, Regular Meeting of the
Parks and Recreation Board.
Motion to approve the Minutes by Metcalf. Second by Reeves. Approved 5-0.
3. Comments by the Public.
There were no comments by the public.
4. Appointment of Hike and Bike Trail Master Plan Steering Committee members.
Raymond said the committee will be comprised of Parks and Recreation Board members, Town Council
members, Citizens -at -Large and experts in the field. Land appointed Reeves and Kern to serve on the
committee and Crawford as alternate.
5. Prosper Youth Sports Commission update.
Dunn presented the update and said the Leagues now send data directly to Raymond. He presented the
slides compiled by Raymond and described: the growth and participation numbers from the spring and
fall seasons; field capacity; and field utilization (practice and games). Raymond said statistics are based
on full availability -- from 5-9pm, with four time slots.
Dunn said the Leagues are beginning to figure out they need to utilize all the time slots, and also to be
efficient in the space. There is a method to distributing practices and each League has its own
methodology.
Parking is no longer the issue it was due to the opening of the new PISD stadium. Prime hours remain, yet
it is manageable. Metcalf asked if parking was an issue at Parks and Recreation -sponsored events.
Raymond said Town events do not take up field space.
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Dunn said the City of Celina has begun running their youth sports, so soccer registration may have
negative growth this year. Because Celina kids now stay in Celina, they spend less time on Prosper fields.
Dunn noted the field usage statistics presented do not account for rainouts — 80% field utilization is the
suggested goal, leaving 20% for rainouts. Synthetic fields help because they don't stay rained out long,
yet some parents are unhappy practices cannot be rescheduled due to regularly -scheduled games being
played on the synthetic fields. Dunn commended staff for getting the fields playable even during rain.
Regarding the fee increase, Dunn said it did not deter many from registering. Just a few complaints were
fielded. Raymond said many field options have opened up over the last couple years, including eight acres
at Prairie Park.
Kern exited the meeting at 6:22pm.
Dunn said the goal is not to have too many fields in excess capacity. The Leagues are now well aware that
Council presentations are made more frequently and more information is shared. Dunn encourages the
Leagues to share all information. He said strides have been made and there has been improvement.
Everyone needs to keep everyone else accountable. Allocation of all field space after regular season play
is over must go through the Town; the Leagues need to book practice space through the Town. Raymond
said he has not received much push back regarding booking space and he feels trust is building amongst
the Town and the groups. There are good people serving on the Boards and it takes time to build a history.
Dunn said the Leagues definitely trust Raymond and the staff more than ever before.
At the last PYSC meeting, the PISD stadium was discussed. Leagues understand parking will be full on
Friday night game nights and no League activities will be scheduled.
Dunn said the Leagues are now beginning to project the number of teams that can be handled. Folks still
wait until the last minute to register and the Leagues have tried everything to change that, including early
bird discounts, but have not had success.
Land thanked Dunn for coming to the Board meeting. Dunn invited the Board to reach out via email with
any questions. Raymond added that PYSA runs smoothly due to Dunn's competence and he has the
Leagues' respect.
Raymond said he has shown the field utilization slides to the Town Council. Baseball and softball are
getting close to capacity. Fall registration numbers will be interesting to see if numbers taper due to
increased fees for non-resident and Celina kids. He said to remember the slides show projections and
estimates and it's important for the Leagues to use the same variables. At some point, there may be the
need to split out tackle and flag football, because they have different needs. Prosper doesn't provide
facilities for basketball. There is registration through PYSA, yet basketball play is on PISD or leased
facilities.
6. Informational items.
a) Recreation Update
Helton said summer camps and classes have concluded, with more than 450 children participating. He
noted it was helpful to have newly -hired Recreation Specialist, Jonathan Weeks, onsite during the
programs. Fall registration is now open for Soccer Sparks, Archery, Tennis and Adult Softball. New
fitness programs for Active Adults begin next week. The instructor will tailor the class to the fitness level
of the actual participants.
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Plans are underway for the Community Picnic on September 7. Nonprofit exhibitors are signing up. The
picnic is an opportunity for Parks and Recreation Board members to volunteer. Shifts are available. Please
email Helton or Kendzie for details. Raymond asked if the Board knew anyone interested in helping with
events, which are a lot of work for staff and possibly not a sustainable model.
Raymond said The 407 Rec Center Open House on August 7 presented a good time to discuss Active
Adult programming and to meet and listen to residents. Staff received good feedback and answered
numerous questions. He thanked Land and Reeves for attending.
Land suggested adding Lawn Yoga or Tai Chi at Boyer Park as recreational programs.
b) Park Development Update
Raymond said several trail projects are in the works, as well as monument signs. He thanked staff for
their hard work on these projects.
c) Park Operations Update
Furr said tackle football began July 22 and flag football began August 5 at Frontier Park. Two extra, full-
size fields have been added. All fields are ready for play. Lacrosse will begin August 12 at Eagles
Landing Park. Furr said the dead fish issue at the Amistad small pond happens every year due to the heat.
Ponds are stocked every two years. Crawford asked if there is an issue with algae bloom and Furr said
there is not.
7. Discussion regarding any miscellaneous business or items to be placed on future Agendas.
The Board discussed moving the September 12 regular Parks and Recreation Board meeting to another
date due to schedule conflicts.
S. Adjourn.
Motion by Metcalf. Second by Crawford. Meeting adjourned at 6:55 pm. Approved 4-0.
Gina Kern, Secretary
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