Parks & Rec Advisory Board · February 16, 2023
The recording failed, so the minutes were written from memory — and a commenter asked for verbatim minutes
The board's own record opens with a note that the transcriptionist's file of the meeting did not process, so the minutes were summarized from memory and the times approximated. In the same meeting Gregory Shervanick recommended that meeting minutes be verbatim. Six discussion items — trails, the hiking program, the outreach survey, the 50-meter pool, skate park renovations and Apodaca Park — are each recorded in a single paragraph.
Called to order 6:00 p.m. · adjourned approximately 7:30 p.m. · 3 pages ·
source document ↗If you read nothing else
- The document's own first note: "Transcriptionist file of meeting did not process, so minutes will be summarized from memory, and times approximated."
- Gregory Shervanick recommended that meeting minutes be verbatim — in the meeting whose minutes were written from memory.
- The January 19 minutes were amended and approved with three specific corrections, one of them restoring the chair's stated preference for direct-to-member mail.
- Staff confirmed there is currently no hiking program, because the department does not have staff with the certifications the previous employee held.
- Apodaca Park Aquatic Playground and Multi Use Path: grant funding awarded, planning and design starting in the Fall.
- Staff Member Comments and Board Member Comments both read "No Record."
Who was in the room
6 of 7 seats represented.
Present
- Cassie McClure — District 1 (Chair)
- Kenneth Coppedge — District 2
- Aracely Tellez — District 3
- Stan Engle — District 4 (Vice Chair)
- Laura Haas — District 6
- Fred Raish — At Large member
Absent
- Eric Montgomery — District 5
Staff
- Hazel Nevarez — Sr. Office Manager, Parks & Recreation
- Catherine Mathews — Landscape Architect, Parks & Recreation
- Claudia Chavez — Deputy Director, Parks & Recreation
- Pat Acosta — Juvenile Program Supervisor, Juvenile Citation Program, Parks & Recreation
- Sofia Hughes — Case Manager, Weed N Seed Program, Parks & Recreation
Others
- Dan Carter — Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance
- George Pearson — public
- Linda Peterson — public
- M. Nakashia — public
- Gregory Shervanick — public
Public comment
Kept at length on purpose. Every point raised is listed, in the order the minutes record it.
7.1 Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance — Dan Carter
Mr. Dan Carter of the Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance gave a presentation on trails in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County.
He said they are available for partnership with other trail managers and for trail expansion opportunities.
Nothing further about the presentation's content, and no board response, is recorded.
7.2 Hiking Program — Phil Catanach
Phil Catanach, Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation, informed the board there is currently no hiking program, due to not having expertise staff for a quality and safe program.
The previous staff member was certified and trained in search and rescue, wilderness first responder, and CPR, which allowed for such a program.
Catanach advised he would look into other options and possible partners, and if he can find qualified staff, will look for budget.
Catanach is not listed among those present in the attendance block of this document, although he is recorded as presenting items 7.2 and 7.4.
7.3 Community Outreach Survey update — Robert Nunez and Chair McClure
The item is credited to Robert Nunez, Interim Director of Parks & Recreation, and Cassie McClure, board chair.
The entire recorded content is that the board is considering creating a survey that would allow them to gain information on the wants and needs of constituents in their district.
The January 19 meeting had created a three-member subcommittee for this and the chair had asked for a draft survey with questions by this meeting. No draft is recorded as delivered, and the subcommittee is not mentioned.
Nunez is not listed among those present in the attendance block of this document.
7.4 New 50-Meter Community Pool — Phil Catanach
Catanach provided the board with a short PowerPoint presentation on the status of the 50-meter pool.
He invited the board to an upcoming scheduled tour of the pool on the morning of Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
No status detail from the presentation — schedule, cost, or opening date — is recorded.
7.5 Skate Park Renovations — Catherine Mathews
Catherine Mathews, Landscape Architect for Parks & Recreation, informed the board on the status of the renovation of the existing skatepark on Walnut St.
She invited the board to attend the next Skate Park Renovation Public Input Meeting, to be held February 23, 2023 at the Regional Aquatic Center, 1401 E. Hadley.
She informed the board that a second public meeting will be held April 6, 2023 at the Regional Aquatic Center.
No status detail from the renovation itself is recorded.
7.6 Apodaca Park Aquatic Playground and Multi Use Path — Catherine Mathews
Mathews updated the board on the current status of the Apodaca Park Aquatic Playground and Multi Use Path.
She informed the board that grant funding was awarded and that planning and design would start in the Fall.
The grant amount, the awarding agency, and the total project cost are not recorded.
What the document does not contain
Item 6, Action Items: "There were no action items."
Item 8, Staff Member Comments: "No Record."
Item 9, Board Member Comments: "No Record."
The adjournment line is damaged by OCR and reads "Meeti adjou ed at approximately 7:30 p.m." The time is approximated by the document's own opening note, and the signature line reads "Chairperson" with nothing after it.
Recorded votes
3. Approval of AgendaMotion carried unanimously
Approve the agenda.
Moved by Laura Haas · seconded by Stan Engle
4. Approval of MinutesMotion carried unanimously
Amend and approve the minutes of January 19, 2023 with amendments: under 6.1 Board Member Update, note Chair McClure's preference of a more direct-to-member mail mechanism; page 3, line 31, under Board Member comments, specify who Linda Peterson is and the subject of the paragraph; page 3, line 40, place an end quote after "relocate here".
Moved by Laura Haas · seconded by Stan Engle
This is the amendment that produced the separate "01-19-2023 P&R Amended" document. All three corrections are visible in that amended set: the direct-to-member preference appears at 6.1, Linda Peterson is identified as a member of the public in Board Member Comments, and the quotation ending "relocate here" is closed.
Left open at the gavel
Unassigned
Verbatim minutes
Gregory Shervanick recommended meeting minutes be verbatim. No board or staff response is recorded, in a set of minutes that was itself summarized from memory because the transcriptionist's file did not process.
Phil Catanach
Hiking program — options, partners and budget
Catanach advised he would look into other options and possible partners, and if he can find qualified staff, will look for budget. No date and no reporting-back commitment recorded.
Staff / outreach subcommittee
Community outreach survey draft
The chair asked at the January 19 meeting for a draft with questions by this meeting. The item was heard, but the record shows only that the board "is considering creating a survey." No draft, no subcommittee report, no new date.
Catherine MathewsApril 6, 2023 (second public meeting)
Skate park public input meetings
Board invited to a public input meeting on February 23, 2023 and told a second is set for April 6, 2023, both at the Regional Aquatic Center. No commitment to report the results back to the board is recorded.
Phil CatanachFebruary 21, 2023
50-meter pool tour
The board was invited to a tour of the pool on February 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Nothing records who attended or what the pool's status is.
Catherine MathewsFall
Apodaca Park planning and design
Grant funding awarded; planning and design to start in the Fall. Grant amount, source and project cost are not recorded, and no return date to the board is set.
Unassigned
Trail Alliance partnership offer
The Southern New Mexico Trail Alliance said it is available for partnership with other trail managers and for trail expansion opportunities. No staff response and no follow-up are recorded.
Unassigned
The lost recording
The transcriptionist's file of this meeting did not process. Nothing in the record says whether the recording was recoverable, whether any other record of the meeting exists, or what was done to prevent a recurrence.