A summer counted: 70,000 pool visits, 19,000 meals, and no action items

If you read nothing else

• Aquatics served over 70,000 patrons since May 25 — a count taken only at the cashier, excluding swim teams, rentals, splash pads and the interactive fountain.
• The summer food program provided just over 19,000 meals from 12 city sites; the state reimburses roughly $70,000 of it, and the nonprofit that ran it declined this year, forcing a late start.
• The Youth Development and Divergent program's CYFD award rose from $300,000 over the last four years to $578,000, still going through signatures.
• No action items on the agenda, and nobody spoke at public participation.
• Bradley asked why there is no plan to shade all the parks, and why some have no water and no bathrooms. Staff said not all parks are designed to have bathrooms.

Who was in the room

7.1 Recreation Programs Update — Phil Catanach

Catanach said he oversees aquatics, athletics, recreation programming, community events, and employee wellness — programs that build community, foster potential talent, release creativity, improve physical wellbeing, and create memorable experiences.

Aquatics. The summer season runs Memorial Day to Labor Day and covers the Regional Aquatic Center, the Natatorium, East Mesa Bataan Memorial and Laabs outdoor pools, the Mesa Verde and Unidad splash pads, and the Plaza de Las Cruces interactive fountain. Free swim days fall on Memorial Day, Father's Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Over 70,000 patrons have been served since May 25, counted via transactions with the cashier; that count excludes swim teams and fee-paying groups, and excludes rentals, the splash pads, and the interactive fountain, which the minutes say draw hundreds of people each day. Staffing was 38 lifeguards and five head lifeguards. Twelve swim lesson classes served 126 participants, at eight students per instructor per Red Cross.

Athletics. Leagues, sports sessions, open gym, and tournaments, held over the summer at Meerscheidt Recreation Center, the Ron Galla T-ball fields, and the Provencio/Van Dame soccer fields. Teen sessions run Monday through Friday at Meerscheidt and averaged 80 teens per day. Programs included an adult basketball league, super fours sand and six-by-six grass volleyball tournaments, a little sluggers T-ball league, a youth outdoor soccer league, and indoor youth volleyball for grades 3-8. Sixth and seventh grade championships were being played that night and the next; eighth grade was set for Saturday as part of Las Cruces Public Schools and NMAA, which had to be completed by that Monday to participate in NMAA sports. Adult sessions cover pickleball, basketball, volleyball, and fitness.

Recreation programs. Athletic, fitness, recreation, wellness, social, artistic, and family programming, including therapeutic activities for people with cognitive or physical disabilities, art classes, community events, and outreach with the mobile recreation unit. The division oversees Frank O'Brien Community Center and East Mesa Recreation Center. It helped provide the summer food program at East Mesa Recreation Center, held a Mother and Son dance, ran mobile unit events for people who cannot get to the centers, and takes part in National Night Out, Lift Up Las Cruces, and the Kids Expo giving out school supplies.

Community events. Free family events — the Mayor's Jazz Fest, Music in the Park, Movies in the Park, Community Concerts, the Electric Light Parade, and the 4th of July concert and fireworks. The Fourth drew about 8,000 to 10,000 on the field and reached over 25,000 with the fireworks show.

Employee wellness. Now part of the employee benefit package, with incentives and rewards, aimed at decreasing health costs including insurance cost, sick leave use, and unproductive work time. The Ziggy challenge tracked walking distance with prizes and a new one started in July; eight-week challenges cover losing body fat, gaining muscle, or sticking to a challenge. Water polo with inner tubes was held, a Saturday volleyball tournament was set for the following week, and employee basketball season starts in September. Families can participate, not just the employee.

Board Member Beard asked about putting Parks & Rec information in the water bill; staff said that is very expensive and not cost effective, and that they have tried to get information into students' backpacks. Beard asked about expanding employee wellness to the general public; staff said it is geared to employees, and noted Parks and Rec separately offers 21 different fitness classes amounting to 48 classes every week, with senior programs offering another ten. Beard also raised a lack of pickleball courts: there are eight at the East Mesa Sports Complex, eight at Apodaca Park, and the Frenger tennis courts are being rehabbed to add four more for a total of eight there, plus daily indoor pickleball sessions at Meerscheidt. Beard mentioned other communities have courts that serve tennis and pickleball on the same court. Harrison-Rogers said they are looking for a site to host pickleball tournaments, which average 24-32 courts, and that it takes time and money.

7.2 Youth Services Program Update — Robert Nunez

Nunez described out-of-school-time programs including Keep Las Cruces Beautiful, Youth Development, and the Divergent Program.

The summer recreation program ran at four city sites in conjunction with the public schools for approximately five weeks, with 240 participants signed up and approximately 52 children per site, kindergarten through fifth grade. Field trips and visiting presenters were provided. Children are transported by City vans, public transportation, and the Las Cruces Public School bus system.

A. Fielder Memorial Safe Haven grew out of the Weed and Seed program, a grant that started 23 years ago — weed out the bad, seed the good — in the historic district at 906 N. Tornillo Street. It moved to Parks and Rec in 2014 and averages about 60 children per day. The National Guard visits all locations for presentations and brings a climbing wall and obstacle courses.

Teen Connection serves ages 12-18 and starts later in the day. Kindergarten through sixth grade programs run 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with breakfast and lunch provided; teenagers get lunch and snacks at 10:00/11:00 a.m. Teen programs are free; kindergarten through fifth costs $100 for the summer or semester. Teen Connection is housed at Frank O'Brien Papen Community Center and picks up youth from approximately nine to ten middle and high schools. Summer attendance averaged about 45 teens a day. The program runs 52 weeks of the year and is open the majority of no-school days. Parks and Rec partners with Friends of Organ Mountain and other biking organizations, and participants do community service throughout the City at all ages.

The summer food program provided just over 19,000 meals. The original nonprofit partner declined this year, which caused a late start; the City partnered instead with the Boys and Girls Club, NMSU, and other organizations, strategically placing sites around the City. Las Cruces Public Schools also offered sites at its summer school and summer activity locations. The City is reimbursed for a majority of the meals by ECECD through the State of New Mexico at $70,000, which the minutes say was just almost fully reimbursed. The City offered 12 locations and the public schools eight; anyone age one to 18 could get a free meal. The program ended July 12 and school started the 22nd. Meals are prepped at Las Cruces High School, packaged in containers, and coordinated out. The City ran this for 35 years, the nonprofit took it over in 2010, and it is now back with the City. Nutritional education programs are provided alongside.

On Youth Development and Divergent, the City just met with Las Cruces Public Schools and is working closely on formal and informal referrals of youth ages 12-17 who need assistance making the right choices without the stigma of juvenile involvement. The program was recently notified and awarded, and is going through the process of getting signatures — from $300,000 over the last four years to now $578,000 awarded from CYFD.

Board Member Bradley asked whether the programs or athletics can be used on college applications as extracurricular activities. Staff said there are volunteer programs where participants would be allowed to log volunteer hours, and that they are working on a near-peer program.

7.3 Metro Verde Twin Parks and Safe Haven Improvements — Katherine Harrison-Rogers

Two projects are complete. Safe Haven has a new playground and shade structures, plus basketball courts and other play areas. The play area is 2,300 square feet on an overall site of 6,000 square feet total. Play equipment includes slides, climbing features, and a balance beam. The money came from the general fund to replace play equipment and shade structures, at about $309,000.

Twin Parks — recommended for renaming by PRAB to Ocotillo Park, which has not gone to Council for naming — covers about an acre on each side of the street in Metro Verde, Metro Central Phase 2. It has grass areas as requested by area residents, plus rock surfacing, turf grass, a lot of perimeter trees, ADA walkways, a bike rack, shade structures, pet pickup stations, picnic tables, benches, and play equipment on engineered wood fiber surfacing instead of rubber. Cornhole boards are concrete fixed structures the developer installed, along with a minigolf course and a chalk wall. The developer built the park and was reimbursed via park impact fees; staff noted the reimbursement is generally not the full amount spent on the build, and in this case was about $350,000.

Harrison-Rogers said there are a lot of active projects and she will bring a couple of newly completed ones each month. Highland Park is currently under construction. Veterans Park is expanding the parking lot and redoing the existing one. Pioneer Park is replacing the gazebo and improving walkways. Klein Park has improvements, a new mural, replaced roofing on the amphitheater, and painting and concrete work. The skate park is in the middle of construction. East Mesa is a continuing phased project that will go on for several years; staff just reviewed 60% drawings of phase 2, which includes another skate park, sand volleyball courts, and basketball courts. Pickleball is open at East Mesa, with a grand opening September 13.

Board Member Bradley noted a lot of work and upgrades but said there does not seem to be a plan to shade all of the parks, and asked whether there is a reason not to — both to protect the equipment and to make the parks more usable — and also raised parks with no water and no bathrooms. Staff said Parks and Rec is trying to do a better job of addressing this and is doing some of it through replacements and improvements; East Mesa is in the early stages of playground design and will include ample shade. Chair Raish raised pickleball and shade. Harrison-Rogers said shade structures are on back order, due in September, and that not all parks are designed to have bathrooms: the larger parks yes, but at smaller neighborhood parks the theory is that people live close enough to use restrooms at home. Provencio/Van Dame is having bathrooms designed; the ones at Valley View and Apodaca are being replaced. Unidad Park has one that "shows feet" and was designed that way, which staff said seems to be well received overall. Board Member Haas asked about the longevity of the shade materials; staff said about 10 years, and Harrison-Rogers said she will return with more information.

8. Staff Member Comments

Harrison-Rogers asked the board whether it would like park tours — possibly East Mesa, or segments of the City in park tours. She noted that because this could entail a board quorum it would have to be coordinated and posted with the City Clerk.

Phil Catanach said the Unidad and Metro Verde splash pads would move to Friday, Saturday and Sunday only starting the 26th, since school has started and they are not getting as much use. The Plaza fountain will run until early October. Music in the Park that Sunday featured a Kool and the Gang tribute band and a quartet, and there was a concert at the Plaza that night.

Greg Shervanick said the Bulletin and some fliers stated that Parks and Recreation is the controller of all the trails and bicycle paths. He said the county is promoting a large safety issue involving county roads and City roads, that there is an open house at the county the next day, and that the MPO put out a new bicycle map.

9. Board Member Comments

Board Member Beard asked about getting things on the agenda. The answer recorded: the Tuesday before the board meeting, with information sent to the Chair, who does the agenda setting with staff.

Vice-Chair Haas thanked staff for the presentations and the PowerPoints.

Board Member Grandjean said she has teamed up with her City Councilor and will be doing so quarterly, inviting the community in her district to come and give small tidbits, since the PRAB meeting might feel scary. Locations will vary within the district.

Recorded votes

Left open at the gavel