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5. HR Meeting Minutes 9.14.21-DRAFTHEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 TOWN HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 PAGE 1 | 4 1. ROLL CALL Present- Committee Members: Chairperson Tom Kiddoo, Vice Chair Pat Nolan and Members Kathy Ryan and Pam Warren. (Pam Warren was present via phone) Town Council: Councilor Scott Prince Staff: Interim Recreation Director of Recreation Michael Labagh, Town Manager Eric Heil, Project Engineer Tim Thompson, General Government Manager Ineke de Jong and General Government Intern Emily Myler. Absent- Town Council: Councilor Lindsay Hardy and Mayor Sarah Smith Hymes. Committee Chair Tom Kiddoo opened the meeting at 11:04 a.m. 2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Committee Member Kathy Ryan made a motion to approve the agenda for September 14, 2021 with the addition of a business item about sand in Harry A. Nottingham Park. Committee Vice Chair Pat Nolan seconded the motion. Committee Chair Tom Kiddoo declared the agenda approved. 3. APPROVAL OF THE July 20, 2021 MEETING MINUTES Committee Member Kathy Ryan made a motion to approve the minutes from 2/16/21. Committee Vice-Chair Pat Nolan seconded the motion. Committee Chair Tom Kiddoo declared the minutes approved. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. 5. BUSINESS ITEMS Recreation Center Update Interim Recreation Director Labagh updated the Committee on the Rec Center’s COVID-19 procedures. He said reservations have been phased out conservatively but that staff will continue to change policy as the State recommends. He said that attendance is bouncing back, and he’s optimistic the Rec Center will recover unless there are more restrictions in the future. He also went over monthly revenues as well as reports on separate programs. He said that fitness classes have moved outside over the summer and people are expressing hesitancy to move their recreation back indoors as the weather gets cooler. However, swim and summer camp rosters are maxing out most of the time. He also introduced new Recreation Services Superintendent Jaqueline Elder and said a new Aquatics Superintendent and a Guest Services Coordinator should be starting soon. The Committee commented/inquired: A. How does use compare to this time in 2019, pre-pandemic? B. What revenue is counted in this report? C. Does the Recreation Center know how many visitors and program attendees are locals vs. visitors? D. Is there a waitlist for the Summer Camp? E. If local families are not being able to access summer camp because it fills up quickly with visitors, Council should take a look at policy to give preference to locals. F. Will a new Rec Director be hired? HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 TOWN HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 PAGE 2 | 4 Interim Recreation Director Labagh said attendance is at about half of what it was in 2019. Many people are not yet comfortable to come use the facility. He said that the summer camp usually had one or two visitor families every week although it fluctuated. Town Manager Eric Heil said the Town plans to begin the hiring process for a new Recreation Director around this time next year. Capital Projects Update Interim Recreation Director Labagh introduced Project Engineer Tim Thompson, who is helping with improvements to the Rec Center pool and hot tub, locker rooms, bathrooms and steam room and sauna. He said the locker room remodel has been delayed but the project is the same as when it came before the Committee last time. The pool is overdue for replastering, which will make it brighter and safer. The hot tub has been leaking for several months now, causing it to be closed since June. Project Engineer Thompson said the leak has been tricky to find, requiring a full excavation to fix it. The Committee commented/inquired A. What is the start and end time for the locker room project? B. Are there any incentives for early completion or punishments for going over the estimated time? C. Are the supplies available during the shortages in construction materials? D. What areas will be closed, and will fitness classes continue? E. What will the kitchen be used for? What is in it? F. How large is the kitchen? Who cleans the fridge? Interim Recreation Director Labagh said the projects should take the whole month of October, with the affected areas closed during that time. The upstairs as well as the first-floor lobby and fitness studio will remain open. Other fitness classes will stay outside as long as possible throughout October. The kitchen will be available to the public to serve food at senior programs and room rentals and host a potential nutrition program. The kitchen will likely be cleaned by building services. Project Engineer Thompson said there are contingencies in the contract if the work goes longer than promised. The kitchen will be 7.5 feet wide and 10 feet deep. There will be a microwave and fridge, with a similar function and style as the Council kitchen in Town Hall. Reconstruction of Pickleball and Tennis Courts Interim Recreation Director Labagh said the courts will likely need to be completely reconstructed in their current state rather than resurfaced. The Town can decide on different court layouts in three options and would like the Committee’s input. He went over four options, with the first keeping the same layout as the current courts, and the next three increasing the number of pickleball courts over tennis courts. He said the Town is also looking to add shade structures, benches and water stations. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Is there enough demand for pickleball to add that many courts? B. Is there enough space to add so many courts as option 3 proposes? C. Option 4 meets the needs of Avon’s older population, many of whom are vocal pickleball enthusiasts D. Option 4 looks very crowded, but I’m not an expert in how much space pickleball needs. E. Is there a pickleball club to engage on this decision? F. Is the basketball court also part of the project? HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 TOWN HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 PAGE 3 | 4 G. Paddle tennis courts can be used year-round, can the pickleball courts be doubled as paddle tennis courts so they can be used in all seasons? H. The Town can look at nearby courts and see what kind of use they’re getting. I. The Golden Peak courts have lights and speakers and host tournaments, is that a goal for Avon? J. Why are people training on courts that are smaller than tournament size? K. Engage Avon can be used to get feedback, but it’s better to just reach out to the players directly, and Council will ultimately decide based on feedback and evidence. Interim Recreation Director Labagh said that there is an active pickleball community that would like to see more, better courts. Option three might be tight but should be doable. The Rec Center is connected with an informal leader among the pickleball players and can reach out to tennis clubs to engage. The basketball court is not being resurfaced in this project. Town Manager Heil said he doesn’t know how tennis players will react to converting their courts to pickleball. The size of the court space doesn’t allow for tournaments, and Council has decided not to build tournament-capacity courts elsewhere at this time. It would be helpful to put some signs at the courts to invite users to submit feedback. Project Engineer Thompson said a court designer is working on the project now. This means the Town needs to decide on a layout this fall. The courts won’t be much smaller than tournament size, the space that changes most is the width between the courts in options 3 and 4, not the length. Avon wants to hear from the community how much space is needed between courts. Community Survey Results Interim Recreation Director Michael Labagh put the survey results (available at Avon.org) on the screen and asked for Committee feedback. Harry A. Nottingham Park (“the Park”) is getting a lot of use and is generally approved of although many respondents felt it can get too crowded. Most dissatisfaction revolved around the Park restrooms. Respondents supported maintaining the open container rules in the Park and expressed interest in more food and beverage vendors nearby. He was surprised that 37 percent of respondents don’t use the West Avon Preserve. Town Manager Heil reminded Committee Members that the Town is planning to do a survey for only Rec Center patrons with more specific questions. The process can begin at the final Committee meeting of the year in November. He said that it seems like most people are exercising in the community, but about two thirds choose to go somewhere other than the Avon Rec Center. Most people approved of the Center’s fees, which is good news. There was interest in indoor tennis/pickleball courts, but almost 20 percent of respondents were happy with what the Rec Center currently offers. Some respondents asked for a skate park but there’s not much room left in Harry A. Nottingham Park for something like that. There may be opportunities at the Village at Avon. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Many people said walking in Harry A. Nottingham Park is too dangerous. There should be a dismount zone on the North shore of the Lake. B. EagleVail doesn’t allow Avon residents to use their facilities, so Avon shouldn’t allow EagleVail residents to use its facilities. C. Prices haven’t gone up in a while, by keeping rates the same it’s the same effect as lowering them as operating costs increase. D. If people aren’t complaining about rates, maybe they should go up. E. The number of fitness classes has gone down. The Rec Center should offer a television in one of the studios where people can play their own classes on their own time. F. The Wellbeat on-demand fitness videos are great, although it’s hard to share the space. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 TOWN HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 PAGE 4 | 4 G. Is it difficult to find staff to lead fitness classes? H. There used to be a coffee cart and a popsicle cart in the Park that have gone away. The Town should get them back. I. The Town should focus on improving current amenities before adding a skate park. Town Manager Heil said a dismount zone is a great idea, and there is a proposal to widen the path and to potentially ban bicycles in the Park. Before the Rec Center raises rates, it’s focus will be on rebuilding patronage post-pandemic. There is a staffing shortage everywhere and it’s a challenge to hire staff across town. He’s interested in getting more food and beverages in the Park, including having Colorado SUP Co. provide beverages and bringing in food trucks or carts. Interim Recreation Director Labagh said he doesn’t know exactly how fitness classes are different today than 20 years ago, but many people on the survey asked for classes to be offered outside work hours, which is where he is planning to focus. There are currently screens with a subscription to on-demand Wellbeat fitness videos, but DVD players can be added. He is working on solutions to increase hiring. 2022 Long-Range Planning Interim Recreation Director Labagh said there are plans to add recreation at the Old Fire Station and Main Street Mall and continue to expand the Rec Center in 2022. Town Manager Heil said there are a lot of bids to use the Old Fire Station, and with high satisfaction at the Rec Center there’s no rush to make big changes. It’s a good time to focus on thoroughly considering all ideas in an open-ended way and engage the public further. Sand in Harry A. Nottingham Park Committee Member Kathy Ryan requested additional sand at the Nottingham Park Beach to widen the beach area and to cover the bottom of the lake where people walk in and swim. She said after the mudslides in July, much of the sand washed away. She’s happy to see the bottom of the lake again recently and hopes that the fish population bounces back with better care this winter. Town Manager Heil said there are plans to add sand to the beach and to better care for the fish over the winter. 6. ADJOURNMENT Committee Member Kathy Ryan motioned to adjourn the meeting. Committee Chair Tom Kiddoo seconded the motion. Committee Chair Tom Kiddoo declared the meeting adjourned at 12:36 p.m. Respectfully Submitted by Emily Myler General Government Intern