One item, 24 minutes: the board sends AARP's FitLot to Benavidez Park
A special meeting held via Zoom webinar took up a single action item. Staff asked the board to recommend a location for an AARP FitLot outdoor fitness park, and the board recommended staff's preferred site, Benavidez Community Center Park, on a roll-call vote of five ayes.
If you read nothing else
- A special meeting, held via Zoom webinar, called to order at 6:10 p.m. and adjourned at 6:34 p.m.
- Five of seven members present; the At Large and District 3 seats were recorded absent.
- AARP chose Las Cruces as New Mexico's site for a FitLot outdoor fitness park; staff asked the board to recommend where it goes.
- The board recommended Benavidez Community Center Park — staff's preferred site, and the same site the Senior Advisory Board had concurred on earlier that day.
- The record shows no public comment item and no comment from the one member of the public listed as present.
Who was in the room
Present
- Cassie McClure — District 1 (Chair)
- Jeff Thompson — District 2
- Stan Engle — District 4
- Eric Montgomery — District 5
- Megan Schuller — District 6
Absent
- Eli Guzman — At Large
- Maryln Zahler — District 3
Staff
- Sonya Delgado — Director of Parks & Recreation
- Phil Catanach — Recreation Administrator, Parks & Recreation
- Franco Granillo — Parks Administrator, Parks & Recreation
- Catherine Mathews — Landscape Architect, Parks & Recreation
- Hazel Nevarez — Senior Office Manager, Parks & Recreation
- Robert Nunez — Youth Services Administrator, Parks & Recreation
- Ikani Taumoepeau — Assistant City Manager
Others
- Gregory Shervanick — Public
Introductions and a new member
Board members introduced themselves and stated the district they represent. Chair McClure welcomed Mr. Jeff Thompson as the newest board member and said introductions would be done at the regular Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting on January 21, 2021.
Staff introduced themselves and stated their position.
Item 2, Conflict of Interest: no conflict of interest.
4.1 Location for AARP FitLot park amenities
Catherine Mathews, Landscape Architect, informed the board AARP is interested in making Las Cruces a location for a FitLot Outdoor Fitness Park. AARP initiated a program to put one of these fitness parks in each of the fifty states and three other locations. Las Cruces was chosen in New Mexico to be the site for the FitLot Outdoor Fitness Park.
Mathews said Parks and Recreation staff have been working on determining appropriate locations for the fitness park and are seeking the board's recommended location to take forward to City Council for approval on the agreement, the location, and then construction and installation.
Mathews gave a PowerPoint presentation describing the FitLot fitness park and the park selection criteria: accessibility, restroom availability, close to a transit (bus) stop, water fountain, parking lot, high visibility location, and an existing park.
The presentation included a matrix identifying parks meeting the criteria. The possible park locations meeting the criteria were Benavidez Community Center Park, Valley View Park, East Mesa Mini Park, Apodaca Park, La Buena Vida Park, Sunset Hills Park, and Hadley Avenue Recreation Complex. Mathews reviewed how each of these parks was identified against the required criteria, mentioning similar amenities in or near those locations.
Mathews said the staff preferred location is Benavidez Community Center Park, which meets all the criteria. She said a master plan process was completed for that park in the last eighteen months, during which neighbors showed interest in seeing development occur at Benavidez Park, and the plan included outdoor fitness stations — so the project fits ideally in the approved master plan.
Mathews said a similar presentation was given to the Senior Advisory Board earlier in the day, and that board concurred and agreed on Benavidez Community Center Park as their recommended location.
What the board members said
Mr. Montgomery said he thinks his district would want him to advocate for East Mesa, but thinks that staff's recommendation logically fits better, and supported that option.
Mr. Engle concurred and said Ms. Mathews made a compelling argument for Benavidez, and that it happens to be in his district.
Ms. Schuller said she appreciated how Ms. Mathews explained how other parks had outdoor equipment available to them, so it looks like with this grant the city is able to get another outdoor facility similar to where the existing ones are, and not bombard or overwhelm a single park with that type of equipment. She appreciated the presentation and the note of what is similar.