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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_PAREB_03.07.2013Minutes of the Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, March 7, 2013 The Parks and Recreation Board of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met on Thursday , March 7, 2013. Members Present: Jean Houck, Katherine Kainer, Robert Johnson Members Absent: Staff Present: Glenn Moss, Stephanie Darimont, Adrian Duncan, Graham Thompson, Jill Kellum Minutes Regular Meeting 1.Call to order The meeting was called to order by Robert Johnson at 6:30 pm. 2.Roll Call Committee: Robert Johnson, Katherine Kainer, Jean Houck Staff: Stephanie Darimont, Glenn Moss, Adrian Duncan, Graham Thompson, Jill Kellum Guest: Dennis “Ash” Tilson 3.Consideration and possible action on proposed aquatic master plan Robert Johnson stated this is the first aquatics subcommittee meeting. Stephanie Darimont presented a packet of information showing some of things that need to be addressed. On October 11, 2012 Stephanie Darimont presented information to the Parks and Recreation Board that identified information on each pool; background information on each pool, what kind of revenue is generated, the cost for chemicals, any repairs done and any repairs that were needed. Stephanie Darimont proceeded with her presentation of each pool. Williams Drive: Williams Drive Pool was built in 1978 and is the largest pool we have in town. It is a 50 meter pool with a diving well and diving board. The pool itself is in fairly good condition. The pool pumps and filters have been renovated in the last 10 years or so. The parking lot needs improvements . In the mornings there are approximately 200 – 300 swimmers from swim teams in the pool from 6 am – noon before open swims begins. Parking is an issue in this neighborhood. Robert Johnson asked if the diving board is used. Stephanie Darimont said it is the biggest attraction in town. The kids line up at it. You can drive by it anytime between 1 pm – 7 pm during open swim and there is a line. The diving board will need to be replaced in the next few years. It was replaced a few years ago by the salvaged board from the San Gabriel Pool. The coolbrellas have been added and a few tables are being added and are coming from the Village Pool. The focus of repairs for Williams Drive is on the deck space. There is a small amount of concrete around the pool. Stephanie Darimont stated they want to extend some of the concrete area, move the coolbrellas around, and update the facilities. The basketball courts are part of the parks space and some discussion needs to happen on whether or not to keep them or try to create more parking or have someone come in and see what is feasible there and redesign the area. Stephanie Darimont showed picture of cracks in the deck and how it causes trips and falls because it is very uneven and leveling it out is not an option. It needs to be replaced and redone. The light junction boxes stick out of the ground and are covered by PVC pipe . They have sunken in and we need to find a better plan for this; it is right off the pool deck by the coolbrellas. They get ant mounds in them, they are old and they need to be replaced. The restrooms need repair. The men’s restroom has a crack in the wall where you can fit your hand inside. Last year the plumbing was pulled that was leaking inside the cinderblock walls and plumbed it on the outside. There is copper piping to make showers to make sure that there is some place for showers. The restrooms are open air. All the men’s toilets are different heights and varying in size and are not ADA compliant. Stephanie Darimont states you cannot get a wheelchair in there. There is a giant crack in the wall going from floor to ceiling all the way through the wall into the showers. Robert Johnson asked if the restrooms are locked. Stephanie Darimont stated they are locked and not open to the public. Stephanie Darimont explained that the cinder blocks are open on the top and when it rains the cinder block walls fill up with water and then leaks out of the walls for days. When the temperature increased there is algae growing from it. Adrian Duncan stated the floor going to the women’s restroom fills with water and some adjustments have been tried to divert the water with no success. The water sits and algae forms under it. He said the lifeguards do the best they can to squeegee the area to keep it as dry as possible. Stephanie Darimont showed where the walkways go from the bathhouses up to the pool. Where they intersect before the corner of the pool , they had to paint a bright yellow 6 inch stripe because there is so much change in elevation there and it is not ADA compliant and wheelchairs cannot easily get over that. The lift used to transport the people to the pool is by the bathrooms and it is pushed uphill to get to the pool and it struggles to get over that lip . The lift is 400 lbs. and two lifeguards push it uphill, over the crack. The lift is not something that can be stored outside. Stephanie Darimont showed the electrical room and explained how the electrical will just go off in the middle of the night and there is a lot of surging. The electrician stated the entire area needs to be replaced and rewired. It powers the overhead lighting , the basketball courts , pumps and the entire facility . The walls to the electrical closet area are plywood. The plumbing and electrical are separated by this plywood board and animals and rodents make this area their habitat. Robert Johnson asked if it meets electrical code. Adrian Duncan and Glenn Moss stated it is “grandfathered” because it hasn’t had a major renovation. Adrian Duncan stated there is an imbalance in the electric there and the pumps run 50 degrees hotter than they should and that is the number one cause of motor failure. They have had electricians look at it and they said once they start work on it they can’t stop until it’s all repaired, which would be replacing everything. Stephanie Darimont and Adrian Duncan stated the pool itself is solid, but the electrical , plumbing and bathhouse needs to be redone. Jean Houck stated it is the only 50 meter pool in Central Texas. Katherine Kainer stated the more the pumps run on bad electricity the more you are compromising the pumping system. Stephanie Darimont showed steps that are built into the wall of the pool and almost every set at Williams Drive is broken. They have tried fixing them and puttying them and it does not last and does not work. The ladders are out of order and if renovations are done here they would take these steps out and fill in that portion of the wall and would install removable ladders that would hook into the side of the wall and hang over. They can be removed when not used for swim meets or swim practices. Adrian Duncan stated when the steps break you have a chance for water intrusion to go into the concrete and concrete cannot stop water. Stephanie Darimont showed the ramp. If we wanted to do renovation here, per new code for larger pools, you have to have multiple ADA accessible entries and the ramp is definitely one of them but there are a lot of downsides that come with this ramp. It gets a lot of algae underneath and is hard to keep clean. The ramp is very heavy. We would redo this section and try to find a different style lift but would do away with the ramp type system that is connected to the deck. She also showed the unutilized space in the pool area that could have potential to be concrete, a smaller pool or moving the building over. Robert Johnson stated he has a suggestion for the committee. He recommends addressing the things listed per Stephanie’s recommendations and then prioritize the list. This should be done for each pool and decide what needs to be done first for the whole pool system and decide where we make investments and where we make the cuts. Stephanie Darimont stated this is the most utilized pool in town by far, during the summer season. Village Pool is second and is used year round and a very high priority. Adrian Duncan asked if the basketball courts would ever be considered as a small splash park to accommodate the younger kids and the neighborhood. Village: This pool is in the best condition besides the Recreation Center. The two high school’s swim teams use this pool. Georgetown High School uses it in the morning and Eastview High School uses it in the afternoon and Texas Gold’s swim team also uses the pool. The high school’s diving blocks are installed at the pool and they are being removed. We are working on getting the deck resurfaced at this pool and when that happens we will be removing those diving blocks. If the swim teams are still on board they have decided to go ahead and purchase new dive blocks and those would be set into the concrete. They would stay in for the school year and pulled out for the summer. This pool is a lap lane pool and gets heavily use by Village residents and there is a very large Learn to Swim program at this pool. This pool needs some minor improvements but they are things that Eric Nuner and Kimberly Garrett are working on in the Capital Improvement Projects. Stephanie Darimont showed the baby pool. She said it hardly gets used but parents do sit along the edge with babies in their laps and they put their feet in. She showed a picture of the deck that is being resurfaced. It has the pool deck on it previously that is starting to crack. Some of the corners need to be fixed and will be done in the next few months. The next picture showed the small spray pad that the parks maintenance crew is taking out. Robert Johnson asked about the area where the spray pad is. Stephanie Darimont explained the concrete is being taken out and there will be grass in that area. There was discussion about the grass area if that is the best for the area and possibility of it bringing more grass and dirt in to the pool. Stephanie Darimont stated that most people that come to the Village pool try to go to the two over hangs of the building and the shade structure that is on the left side of the pool. When people are out of the water they are trying to find whatever shade they can find. It has been talked about adding a few coolbrellas. Robert Johnson asked if the coolbrellas could be installed at this area and grass not be put there. He is concerned about watering the grass and we are trying to be a little greener in the city and conserve water so less grass may be better. Stephanie Darimont stated that Eric Nuner’s idea is to put two coolbrellas in that area. She stated she would like to have a pad underneath it but she is not sure if that is in the original plan. Glenn Moss stated in the meantime that sod would be put in the area to keep the mud issue down. Stephanie Darimont stated the shade structure that is there needs to be replaced. It has been there for quite some time; it is rusted on the edges. The top has been replaced once at least and they are looking at a different shade structure on the same side of the pool. Stephanie Darimont stated the next suggestion is not a priority; the Village Pool is lacking one thing that could help and that is overhead lighting. The swim team goes out in the morning before sunlight and they currently bring their own portable lights. It is also rented out in the afternoon to the high school and it starts to get dark. In addition to the swim teams renting it we could program birthday parties in the evening from 7 pm – 9 pm. Currently, we can only do morning birthday parties at the Village. There are sources to install the lighting. There would be a couple upgrades to the front and entrance of the facility such as lighting and updating. River Ridge: Stephanie Darimont stated this pool in good condition. There are some ADA accessibility issues. This is one of a lesser used in town. The HOA does not utilize it like they do at the Village. It does have a lot of programs and there are a lot of Learn to Swim classes held here. It is the highest rented pool for birthday parties. It is the only pool that we have that has outdoor evening rentals other than Williams Drive pool . The Williams Drive Pool is a huge venue and if someone wants to have a small party they feel like they get lost in it and it is deeper. So when there is a child that is younger we often offer River Ridge because it has shallower water. There were renovations a few years ago updating the fencing, lighting and a portion of the deck. Around the deck closest to the pool definitely needs to be replaced. There is a slope from the parking lot to different levels of the pool. The deck that is the walkway and the entrance way has sunk several inches and the pool shell is standing where it is supposed to be. She stated a ramp has been installed going up to it to avoid a tripping hazard but it needs to be taken care of. Adrian Duncan said there is a slab between the building and the pool and said the facility and the pool are solid but the slab of concrete that is 15 – 20 feet between the two has sunk . Glenn Moss stated this is emphasized by the erosion that is taking place there. Stephanie Darimont showed a picture of the baby pool and explained that no one uses it. She keeps attendance logs every half hour and there is no one using it. The nice part about this pool is that it is shallow than other facilities so smaller children don’t see the baby pool as an attraction. It could be well utilized as more deck space. Robert Johnson asked if it just need to be filled in. Stephanie Darimont stated she would like to see it filled in. Jean Houck stated they could use more deck space there. Adrian Duncan gave options for possibly filling it. He stated this is his favorite pool; the area around the pool has trees and wildlife. Stephanie Darimont stated the community uses the pool; kids ride their bikes there, neighbors ride in and walk over. It is a family friendly pool with an intimate setting. The guard office, is in good condition. The restrooms do need a little upgrading. The wood is rotting on the bottom and needs repair. Robert Johnson asked if the HOA has been contacted to help with some of the repair. It was explained that the HOA was the one that gave the pool to the City. Robert Johnson would ask of the HOA; in the spirit of cooperation we would say here is something we can do but we may need your help with them. Offer a punch list to the HOA and here are some other things on the list that are not significant from a cost perspective would you like to have these things done? If the HOA does want to see some improvements they would have the opportunity to be a part of the funding process. We could point out that this is the only pool in the city in the confines of a neighborhood that is fully supported by the city. Jean Houck stated the Village pool is also but Stephanie Darimont stated it is supported by the swim teams as well. Stephanie Darimont showed the slope from the walkway from the road down to the pool area and explained this is not ADA accessible. Eric Nuner and Stephanie Darimont have looked at this and the only way to make it accessible is to add a bridge over the ravine. She showed a picture of the ravine and how the lifeguards have to go down this ravine to get to the pump room. Tennis Center: This pool was built 1978 and City of Georgetown acquired it in 1999. There is no overhead or underwater lighting. There is no evening programming that goes on here. This pool is not in good condition. She stated the pool looks beautiful but there are necessary improvements that need to happen with the plumbing , filtration and pumps that is not something she feels we want to invest in. It would cost more money than it is worth. It would be easier to do away with this pool and build something new somewhere else that is more up to date. Stephanie Darimont stated all these pools are built in an L shape with lap lanes and she feels as times goes on the City needs to focus on some different options; some pool options that are more popular and go with the trends. So if we were to add another pool or another aquatic area in a different park we would start to phase the Tennis Center out. Glenn Moss stated that since this pool is between Williams Drive and the Village pool there is less impact on people if it is phased out. Adrian Duncan stated this pool is anticipated to be a problem this summer with maintenance. Stephanie Darimont stated she doesn’t allow large user groups to use it. She spaces out the parties and it is not a highly attended pool or a heavily programed pool. She has moved programming around to help with the circulation issues. Overtime she feels the programming and the user groups can be relocated to other pools. Robert Johnson stated that the longevity of this pool needs to be high on the priority list. He asked staff if they could run this pool successfully this summer. Stephanie Darimont stated this summer will be difficult but they can limp by. As soon as the filters go out and need repair they can’t replace without fixing everything else. Katherine Kainer stated the pool is basically on life support. Robert Johnson stated this is how the aquatics subcommittee started. He stated at the next meeting a time frame for closing this pool needs to be accessed. The tennis camp is the highest user group in the summer. Robert Johnson asked if the Tennis Center needs a water area there would a splash pad be a good solution. Stephanie Darimont stated that would be a good idea. They need a place to cool off and that would not require lifeguards. Each pool, except Williams Drive and the Tennis Center costs about $16,000.00 a summer to staff the pools with lifeguards. Adrian Duncan stated he is worried about the public and if the pool turns green, trying to get it back is going to be tough. He would not have the turnover of the time to get it back operational for public swim. Stephanie Darimont stated you would have to close 3 days in order to get it back running. Adrian Duncan states he watches this pool closely. Katherine Kainer asked if it is worth opening. Glenn Moss stated it can be opened and maintain it to its abilities at this point but if it went downhill we would have to close until it can be balanced . Robert Johnson stated he would suggest a plan that says this is the final year of the Tennis Center pool and where we are going to appropriate the some of the funds used on this pool and present this information to the Parks and Recreation Board and to City Council. Robert Johnson asked what happens to the pool when it is closed . Stephanie Darimont explained that the San Gabriel Pool was filled in. In the meantime until we can get the funds to get it properly filled it, we would keep it drained and cut out all the extras from it and utilize them at the other pools. There are pieces of the pool such as the lifeguard stands and ladders that can be used in other places. The gates are locked and the pool remains empty. Trends and Parks Master plan: Stephanie Darimont presented information from the Aquatics International Website. They have great articles about programming. In the 70’s people flocked to the pool and now people don’t go to open swim any more, you have to program for them to go. You have to plan swimming lessons and events; they will come out to them but you have to entertain them. She also presented information about the Parks master plan from 2009. Robert Johnson pointed out information in the presented article. On a federal level pools have not been a part of the stimulus plan and since 2009 approximately 350 pools have closed their gates. Stephanie Darimont stated some are due to Virgina Graham Baker bill with main drain replacement and some cities could not afford it. Some cities within the last year with ADA accessibility compliance issues cannot afford to get larger lifts and have been closing. With admission rates low also and minimal rates you are not covering the cost of your facility. That is what the article is about; getting creative and finding new ways to bring people to your pool. Robert Johnson stated, should we get negative feedback on the Tennis Center Pool this is good information for us to have, because a city our size and the extent of the aquatics program we have . This should be presented to City Council so they understand and this is not a decision taken lightly but a trend that is happening across the country and we do not want to disinvest, but reinvest our money in other facilities. Stephanie Darimont stated that on the Master Plan from 2009 it stated the recommendation was for the Village Pool and Williams Drive Pool to be converted into water spray grounds. The group decided those pools should definitely stay. They are the highest utilized pools we have in town. The master plan states they lack recreation amenities but that diving board is the biggest amenity we have beside the splash pool at the Recreation Center. Robert Johnson stated that the Parks and Recreation Board need to be aware of the revision for the master plan for Williams Drive and Village pools. Aquatics trends: Stephanie Darimont stated that some of the new aquatics trend is the theming, such as the ladybug and turtle outside and bringing it in to the event room. She feels there are a lot of possibilities for this if there are future pools; themed pools, interactive play features, zero depth entry and spray feature pools. The spray pad at the Recreation Center is very well used with over 100 people attending it daily during the summer. She states she feels we need more of these in the city whether it is a splash pad or a splash pool. There are zero entry depth pools they can be programmed and have swimming lessons and you can make them accessible to all the different user groups. This past weekend City of Georgetown hosted Division Directors from American Red Cross. They audited the staff and the facility and they stated we were in the top 5 – 10 % of pools in the nation. Stephanie Darimont stated she would like to service all age groups; from seniors to infants and make sure everyone knows how to swim. Jean Houck stated drowning is the leading cause of death in young adults and children and it is totally preventable and you can’t teach swimming lessons without pools. Stephanie Darimont stated splash pads cost a lot of money up front and they don’t have the staffing costs and they do have a lot of maintenance cost. Stephanie Darimont suggested the committee research and attends other splash pads and she will research the Brushy Creek splash pad facility for more information. Robert Johnson stated he feels like we owe the Parks and Recreation Board and City Council a master plan for the pools with priorities for each pool with suggestions for what stays and what goes. Robert Johnson would like to schedule the next meeting soon and start prioritizing the pool items to address and come up with a master plan. He would like to have a comprehensive plan and work with Kimberly Garret and Eric Nuner on this and present to council. He wants to address the future plans for the Parks system and what it needs to incorporate and the cost. 4.Adjourn Motion was made by Katherine Kainer to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:43 pm.