Four members, no public, and 74 pages of attachments

If you read nothing else

• Four of seven seats were filled. District 3 and the At Large seat are vacant, and Board Member Schuller said her term ends in March 2022.
• The minutes approved were those of July 15, 2021 — six months earlier.
• No public participation was recorded, though a member of the public was present.
• The 50-meter competition pool: $15,215,200 excluding gross receipts tax, 15% complete, estimated completion December 21, 2022, with roughly $430,000 of scope value-engineered out and ARPA funds proposed to add it back.
• The board directed staff to determine whether it can have one email address for the whole board or one per district — the record does not say who decides.

Who was in the room

Public comment

Kept at length on purpose. Every point raised is listed, in the order the minutes record it.

A board email address

Chair McClure said that in discussion with Board Member Engle they would like to institute an email address for the Parks & Recreation Board and publicize it so the public can send requests.

The board discussed, with input from Director Delgado, whether it would be one email for the whole board or separate emails for each district, what platform would manage it, whether there would be management problems, whether this had been discussed with I.T., a proposed business card carrying the address for members to hand constituents, how the address would be advertised, and whether both the board address and members' individual emails should be posted on the city website.

The item was listed as an action item and resolved into a direction to staff to find out what is feasible, not into a decision.

Telephonic attendance — moved to discussion, then closed

Item 6.2, Board Member Telephonic Attendance, was moved off the action agenda into discussion on a motion at agenda approval.

Chair McClure explained that pre-approval to allow a member to attend a future meeting by telephone cannot be done, because the member must be voted in by a quorum at the current meeting and the member being voted in cannot be counted as part of that quorum.

No motion followed. The record does not say what happens to a member who cannot attend in person.

Keep Las Cruces Beautiful

James Woods reported the Great American Clean Up held in April 2021 was scaled back to about 200 volunteers, collecting three tons of trash plus the roll-offs stationed there.

Toss No Mas in October drew about 425 volunteers and collected over five tons of trash plus roll-offs.

The next Great American Clean Up is coming in April 2022.

The graffiti team has abated 1,070 locations, averaging 90 to 100 per month, much of it on electric boxes, mailboxes, poles, culverts and ditches.

Team Ups to Clean Ups continue; some districts have a big turnout and some do not.

Bataan Memorial East and West has been a focus. AARP, an Adopt a Spot group, collected over 25 bags on the frontage road between Rinconada and Sonoma Ranch this month; Americas High School's Martin Luther King Day service brought 30 students who collected over 40 bags.

Woods attended the Keep America Beautiful conference in November 2021 and reported litter studies show cigarette butts are the number one item of litter, with face masks second.

Chair McClure asked what from the conference he would like to implement locally. Woods said the recurring question was who you use as a messenger to get volunteers on board and how you decide which areas to focus on; his main takeaway was identifying that messenger. McClure suggested using the Youth Advisory Board to spread the message.

Go Bond update

Deputy Director of Public Works Tony Trevino presented on the Parks and Recreation Go Bond projects, covering start date, current status, completion or estimated completion, and overall program schedule.

Question 1 covered the Hadley Recreation Complex, Parks & Sports Courts, Unidad Park, the East Mesa Public Rec Complex, and dog parks. Question 4 covered walking, jogging and biking trails.

Board Member Montgomery recalled that in the Hadley Complex work there had been discussion of a restroom being rehabbed where ADA access would be lost because of the redesign — it would not be quite as wide — and asked whether that was still targeted for a future time or a future Go Bond component. Trevino reported those items were taken care of and all restrooms have ADA accessibility for their stalls.

The slides filed behind the minutes carry figures the minutes text does not: Hadley construction start 10/07/20, 100% complete, completion date 8/23/21; Parks & Sports Courts construction start 10/05/20, 97% complete, original completion date 12/31/21 revised to 4/22/22, with Young Park additional erosion control work and a field notice issued; Rinconada Dog Park earthwork 85% complete and Burn Lake Dog Park earthwork 88% complete; trails start 4/07/21, 91% complete, completion date 4/27/22, with pavement markings and handrail installation complete.

50-meter competition pool

Trevino presented a project update on the Community Competition Pool from contract award through current status, floor plan and project photos, and reported the project as being 15%.

Board Member Schuller asked whether, construction having started, there is a built-in cost of inflation for materials, or how that is anticipated going forward. Trevino said the route taken was a CMAR — Construction Manager at Risk — which gives a guaranteed maximum price, so the price is set there.

The slides filed behind the minutes record the contract awarded to HB Construction on June 10, 2020 at $15,215,200 excluding NMGRT; notice to proceed June 29, 2021; construction start July 15, 2021; estimated completion December 21, 2022; earthwork 60% complete, underground plumbing rough-in 33% complete, concrete footings and CMU block installation started.

The same slides list items value-engineered out due to funding constraints — signage, building plaque, appliances, bleachers, cash safe, davit crane, blinds, data/telecom, audio/visual, access control, security/cameras, irrigation and landscaping — at an estimated cost of $430,000, with ARPA funds to be used to add them back into scope.

Special projects, and the spreadsheet behind them

Landscape Architect Catherine Mathews gave the board a Special Project Priorities and Status Spreadsheet dated 01-18-2022, described as a weekly tool for the projects team — Mathews, Parks Administrator Franco Granillo, and Project Specialists Wilfred Martinez and Sergio Esparza — to track where projects are going and communicate about where each stands.

Mathews said projects are prioritized using a matrix that objectively evaluates them for the Capital Improvement Plan that goes into the budget, and the same tool is used on projects individually as they are assigned.

The spreadsheet's pages: top ten projects, next ten, On Deck (funded but not started), Supported (Parks & Rec as client, Special Projects supporting), Parking Lot Items (coming, needing small attention, not yet active), Completed Special Projects, Internal Projects, Internal Project On-Deck and Internal Completed, and Idle Projects — "projects that are moving nowhere but want to be kept in mind for possibly coming up in the future."

Each row carries project name in number order, lead person's initials, phase status (planning, design, construction, close out), a color code for phase status — green for going well, orange for a little bit stuck, red for effort needed — consultant/contractor/vendor, contract status, budget amount, budget source, PO number, and notes.

Chair McClure asked what the problems are for projects coded red. Mathews responded it is sometimes trouble getting an RFP out because assistance does not arrive in a timely manner, or quotes come back out of budget so scope has to be fixed, or the budget is too high.

Trees, Branigan Park, and the legislative docket

Board Member Schuller asked what has gone on with the dying trees at Pioneer Woman's Park. Granillo reported studies were done, a certified tree arborist was hired to go through the trees in District One, and Council gave funding to assess the trees further. Hazardous trees are set for removal this coming fiscal year on a three-year tiered plan that also addresses the tree situation if there is another storm like the one this past summer, ways to increase tree canopy, and removal of dangerous trees.

Chair McClure asked whether there will be community input on wayfinding. Mathews said absolutely, and that the work will also be showcased to the public.

Board Member Engle asked whether the design of the Woman's Park gazebo fits the master plan presented to the board in the past. Mathews responded yes.

Chair McClure asked who owns the park on Hayner. Mathews said it is Branigan Park and a master plan is being done on it. There has been a suggestion the city purchase the area around it, which coincides with the Amador Proximo plan, a guiding document for creating the master plan; if the city bought the land, staff is working with the consultant on how it would lay out.

McClure asked how purchase of the land would be initiated. Mathews said initiating purchase is out of her hands, but staff is taking the idea as expressed in Amador Proximo and planning from there. Asked how it is put into fruition, Mathews described the sequence: public first, consultant produces a master plan consulting the public several times, the plan comes before the board for recommendation to Council, then to Council for approval. She said it is anticipated to go to Council by June 2022.

Board Member Schuller asked what else is on the legislative docket for Parks and Recreation. Director Delgado reported funding for another skate park, more funding for Woman's Pioneer Park, and the Veterans Memorial Park parking lot.

Board Member Engle asked for a summary of Downtown Pavers and Trees under Internal Projects On-Deck. Mathews said there is some lifting of the pavers and a solution will have to be found. Engle said that across the street on Main Street from Ikard's there appears to be a tree that once existed and is no longer there, leaving a hole that could be a trip hazard and a liability for the city, and asked if this could be expedited before someone trips. Mathews said she would make note of it to address as soon as possible.

Fees and charges red line

Director Sonya Delgado told the board that before the Covid-19 pandemic the Fees and Charges had been reviewed with the board, and since then additional changes have been made. A copy of the 2021-2022 Fees & Charges / Facility Use Policy / Red Line had been emailed to the board before the meeting.

Delgado went over the additional changes and said no action is needed at this time; next month's board meeting will be used for public input and any questions the board may have.

Explaining the removal of Fields 11 and 12 from High Noon Soccer Fields, Delgado said Parks and Recreation is still actively seeking the lease and legal is still working on it.

Chair McClure asked what it means to rent a trail. Delgado said Las Cruces has running groups that like to hold runs on a trail, so the trail has to be closed off and Parks & Recreation rents it.

McClure asked, regarding the field lease at High Noon Soccer, whether Legal could come and explain their process, "as this lease issue has been going on forever."

Board Member Engle asked whether there is a minimum number of people needed to rent a trail. Granillo said when a large group comes, staff works with Public Works and the Police Department on a traffic control plan, and they help determine minimums and maximums and what portions of trail the event requires. On the $2 fee per person, he said it is easier to set a fee per participant than a price per mile.

McClure asked whether there is consideration of permitting trails during heavy use times. Granillo said the groups that have come in are not too big, they build events around the size of trail they want, and he has never come across an issue with times or space.

McClure asked whether there is publication of a trail being used for an event. Granillo said the biggest advertisements he has seen are on social media, and he can work with running groups on it.

Engle said it would be beneficial to ask a group using a trail to be tolerant of other users, if that can be written into the rules. Delgado said this can be done.

Staff comments

Phil Catanach reported all recreation facilities are open, swimming pools and recreation centers fully serviced and programs running. With the Governor allowing opening in July 2021, staff moved forward with community events — Fourth of July, Movies and Music in the Park.

Adult Indoor Volleyball is running with 48 teams, over 500 players, playing over 200 matches in the season. Youth Indoor Soccer has 16 teams and over 160 youth.

Staff is teaming with McArthur Elementary Community School to organize teams; there are three teams at McArthur and of the thirty-three youth playing, thirty had never participated in organized sports. A grant was received to pay the league fees. Staff will do the same with Youth Basketball.

Chair McClure asked whether transportation is provided for the youth in the community school. Catanach said yes, they are driven to games on the school bus and practices are at McArthur Elementary.

Robert Nunez reported the After School Program, Teen Program and Weed & Seed Program are running, with fluctuation in numbers as school administration has limited how many may attend, and staffing challenges met by pulling staff from other sections.

Over winter break staff partnered with Friends of the Organ Mountains and Cruces Creatives. Weed & Seed recently worked with the National Guard from Fort Bragg, who are going to Africa and wanted to see how the programs run so they can try something similar there.

Nunez reported the Youth Development Diversion Program is about 10% behind budgetarily with the grant, as referrals from the Juvenile Probation Office have fallen with JPO working remotely for the state; staff is looking for outside-the-box ideas to get youth into the program. He added there have been challenges in the South — Anthony, Doña Ana, Santa Teresa.

The Youth Board application has recently been revised and will move forward once the new Teen Connection Recreation Services Supervisor is hired. Additional funds have been applied for through the Keep Las Cruces program to pursue a Youth Conservation Corps grant to rehabilitate murals throughout the city.

Chair McClure asked whether Parks & Recreation is experiencing hiring delays. Nunez said a minimum of four weeks, realistically six to eight. Board Member Schuller told him NMSU has a career fair in February.

Franco Granillo reported that when things shut down in March 2020 his staff was back within a week because of cleanliness and safety issues at parks; through the pandemic things have been normal for the parks section, with maintenance kept up and new properties absorbed. The challenge has been getting leagues back open, though leagues followed the direction and guidelines given at the league meeting.

Director Delgado said the department's Peak Business Plan is being updated to incorporate items from the City's Strategic Plan and Elevate Las Cruces; the department is mid-budget-process and she will bring the budget to the board once complete.

Delgado said staff is looking for a facility for Frisbee golf and will come before the board once places are identified, then to Council for a final decision and funding — a request that came from the community through a Councilor. Asked by McClure whether it will look like a golf course, Delgado said it will function like one but not look like one, using natural terrain and possibly an existing facility.

Delgado said the department has started the National Recreation and Park Association accreditation process.

Board member comments

Board Member Montgomery said it's great to be back.

Board Member Engle said it's good to see everybody again and urged everyone to get their shots.

Board Member Schuller commended Parks and Recreation, said it's great to be back in person and rewarding to see the department has not stopped progressing, and that staff doesn't get enough kudos. She said her term ends in March 2022 and asked that anyone who knows of a possible replacement relay the information. Delgado said the City Clerk is aware and will notify Councilor Flores.

Chair McClure said Parks and Recreation deserves credit because recreation helps mental health and staff has helped people get through day to day, that the city would not be the same without them, and to make sure to let staff know it.

Recorded votes

Left open at the gavel