After orientation, the new board builds a survey subcommittee — and takes its e-mail off the website
The regular meeting followed the same evening's work session at approximately 7:30 p.m. The board voted by roll call to create a three-member subcommittee to work with staff on a community survey, and heard that the City Clerk had advised removing board members' personal e-mail addresses from the City website in favor of one general Parks and Recreation address.
If you read nothing else
- This document is headed "Amended Minutes." Nothing in it says what was amended, when, or by whom.
- Held the same evening as the work session, "following the work session," and called to order at approximately 7:30 p.m.
- The board created a three-member community-outreach subcommittee by roll-call vote, 7-0: McClure, Haas and Raish, plus staff.
- On the City Clerk's advice, board members' personal e-mail addresses were removed from the City website in favor of one general Parks and Recreation address. The chair said she preferred a more direct-to-member mechanism.
- Public Participation: "There was none." Staff Member Comments: "There were none."
- A hiking program discontinued by the City drew "a flurry of e-mails"; staff met with a member of the public hours before the meeting and floated it as a February agenda item.
Who was in the room
Present
- Cassie McClure — District 1 (Chair)
- Kenneth Coppedge — District 2
- Aracely Tellez — District 3
- Stan Engle — District 4 (Vice-Chair)
- Eric Montgomery — District 5
- Laura Haas — District 6
- Fred Raish — At large member
Absent
Staff
- Robert Nunez — Interim Director, Parks and Recreation
- Phillip Catanach — Recreation Services Administrator, Parks & Recreation
- Hazel Nevarez — Senior Office Manager, Parks & Recreation
- Sergio Esparza — Project Specialist, Parks & Recreation
- Claudia Chavez — Interim Youth Services Deputy Director, Parks & Recreation
Others
- Greg Shervanick — public
- Becky Baum — Recording Secretary, RC Creations, LLC
6.1 Board e-mail update — personal addresses come off the City website
Robert Nunez stated that in a recent conversation with the City Clerk it was advised to utilize a Parks and Recreation general e-mail for the board. There was also a question of a business card.
The City advised not to use board members' personal e-mails but one general e-mail for the board. This would allow the general public to send questions and comments to the board, and Parks and Recreation would then forward them to the board member for that District, or to the whole board. The City recommended a group e-mail that would get to everyone.
The advice of the City Clerk is no personal e-mails on the City website, and so that has been removed.
A business card with a blank space on the back for insertion of a name is needed/wanted.
Chair McClure expressed a preference for a more direct-to-member mail mechanism. The record shows no resolution of that preference against the City Clerk's advice.
6.2 Community outreach — a survey, and a subcommittee to write it
Robert Nunez stated this was a discussion from back in November regarding reaching out to the community on their requests, complaints and suggestions in regard to anything Parks and Recreation.
There was a discussion on providing a survey to the community for various topics, or to provide information. Internally staff can work on a survey and do some research. Chair McClure would like to see a draft by next meeting with questions.
The survey would be a matter of engagement. Each board member is a representative of their own District, and it would be good to bring issues of concern in specific districts to the board.
Suggested questions recorded: what do you not see in a park? What do you see that you don't like in a park? What is missing, for the children, for adults?
It was mentioned that what you want to get out of the survey should be well defined before adding questions to a survey.
A suggestion was made to build a committee to work with staff to craft the survey. Board Member Haas volunteered. After the vote, the subcommittee was named as Chair McClure, Board Member Haas and Board Member Raish, which will include staff members.
9. Board member comments — the hiking program
Board Member Haas thanked the City for the warm welcome. Vice-Chair Engle and Board Member Coppedge welcomed the new board members. Chair McClure concurred with the above-mentioned comments.
There were a flurry of e-mails concerning the hiking program.
Robert Nunez said he spoke with Linda Peterson, a member of the public, a couple of days earlier regarding the hiking program, and gathered some information. There was a brief meeting prior to the board's meeting that day that seemed to go well, and the City was provided information on the group's wants and needs.
Discussion included what could be offered at this time, and looking at other options available to bring back that program, either under direction from the City or by contracting. The discussion will continue. Nunez said maybe this could be an agenda item for the February board meeting.
Chair McClure read part of an e-mail into the record and tied it to outdoor recreation and to economic development in terms of pulling people here.
What the document does not contain
The agenda numbering skips: item 6 (Discussion Items) is followed directly by item 8 (Staff Member Comments). There is no item 7 in this record, and nothing explains its absence.
Item 5, Public Participation, reads in full: "There was none." Greg Shervanick is nonetheless listed as present under Others.
Item 8, Staff Member Comments, reads in full: "There were none."
No adjournment time is recorded, and the signature line on page 4 OCRs as "Chairperson'" with nothing after it.