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RPT - DRAFT HR Meeting Minutes - 01.21.2025HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM 1. ROLL CALL Present- Committee Members: Vice Chair Nancy Tashman, Lisa Post, Amy Phillips, Derek George and Sonia Martinez. Town Council: Councilor Kevin Hyatt and Councilor Ruth Stanley Staff: Recreation Director Michael Labagh, Aquatics Superintendent Kacy Carmichael, Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Miller, General Government Fellow Arnell Wade, Programs Supervisor Luke Herron, Planner II Max Morgan, Town Manager Eric Heil, Chief Cultural Officer Danita Dempsey and Aquatics Supervisor Zak Kornhauser Absent- Committee Members: Courtney Walters Rawson, Kathy Ryan and Pat Nolan. Vice Chair Nancy Tashman opened the meeting at 12:09 p.m. 2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Amy Phillips made a motion to approve the agenda and Lisa Post seconded the motion to approve the agenda. Committee Vice Chair Nancy Tashman declared the agenda approved. 3. APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER 12TH MEETING MINUTES Committee member Lisa Post made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 12th ,2024 meeting. Councilor Kevin Hyatt seconded the motion and Committee Vice Chair Nancy Tashman declared the minutes approved. 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS No public comments were made in person or online via Zoom. 5. BUSINESS ITEMS 5.1 Health & Recreation Committee Update Recreation Director Michael Labagh offered a warm welcome to new committee members, Derek George and Amy Phillips, and asked them to introduce themselves to the committee. 5.1.1 Elect Committee Chairman Lisa Post nominated Vice Chair Nancy Tashman for the role of Committee Chair, which was unanimously approved by the committee. The committee proceeded to open the floor for nominations for Vice Chair, since Nancy Tashman vacated that role after being appointed to Chair. Committee Chair Nancy Tashman nominated Lisa Post for the role of Vice Chair, which was also unanimously approved by the committee. The meeting continued with Nancy Tashman as the new Committee Chair and Lisa Post as the new Vice Chair of Avon’s Health and Recreation Committee. 5.1.2 2025 Meeting Schedule Recreation Director Michael Labagh re-visited the 2025 meeting schedule for the committee for final confirmation with an adjustment for the March meeting to be moved one week earlier from the 18th to the 11th. 5.2 Main Street Mall Update Recreation Director Michael Labagh introduced Planner II Max Morgan to provide an overview of the Main Street Mall proposals and accept committee feedback. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Planner II Max Morgan reviewed the proposals and asked the committee for feedback, ideas and opinions. Town Manager Eric Heil provided a brief history on the Main Street Mall and its original vision and work done since its inception. Committee member Amy Phillips inquired about shading options for specific areas in the mall due to summer heat and environmental impacts here in Avon. Town Manager Eric Heil offered that permanent shade might need to be an option and that most of the conceptual plans have these spaces open with an opportunity for the addition of outdoor furniture. Town Manager Eric Heil asked for committee feedback on where to place the splash pad. Committee member Derek Goerge noted that the splash pad wouldn’t need to be near the rec center due to potential of duplication of services in the same area. Aquatics Superintendent Kacy Carmichael asked the committee to consider maintenance and environmental aspects of water management. Aquatics Supervisor Zachery Kornhauser also mentioned the environmental impact of algae growth with mulch and soil close to the proposed location in the park. Committee Chair Nacy Tashman inquired to leave it where it is currently proposed. Vice Chair Lisa Post asked for the financial implications for a splash pad mechanical room location and possible expansion of the recreation center. Town Manager Eric Heil doesn’t have the numbers yet but confirmed that the filtration and water systems will have to be different. Committee Member Amy Phillips would like to see the splash pad around the lake to be more central to main summer operations. Recreation Services Superintendent Jerrica Millier informed the committee that she has seen most splash pads be their own attraction and far away from other aquatic amenities. Councilor Kevin Hyatt compared the splash pad idea to the Vail fountain and its geographic location in conjunction to other facilities. Both Vice Chair Lisa Post and Committee member Amy Phillips agreed with Councilor Kevin Hyatt. Committee member Derek George then stated that a fountain might be a better item than a splash pad. Town Manager Eric Heil mentioned that three options to consider are near the playground, Possibility Plaza, no splash pad. Committee member Amy Phillips suggested we inquire with the developers to see the best solutions for the splash pad. Recreation Director Michael Labagh asked for other feedback regarding other aspects of the Main Street Mall Project. Committee member Amy Phillips wanted clarification on the location of the fire station, parking spaces and modified parking spaces. Both Planner II Max Morgan and Town Manager Eric Heil clarified that 3 spaces will be lost due to travel paths and reconfiguration of the area. CASE Manager Danita Dempsey reminded everybody of the “do it once and do it right” mindset and said the project could stop between the rec center and the fire station due to the potential for future development past that area. Recreation Director Michael Labagh offered and reminded everyone about the potential for a rec center expansion as well and stopping the project there would be a logical idea. Committee member Derek George mentioned that losing parking is not the route to go for Avon as it is a huge topic of discussion, while committee member Amy Phillips mentioned that being ADA compliant is very important when it comes to parking. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Committee member Derek George inquired about dismount zones and enforcement for certain pedestrian paths and Town Manager Eric Heil mentioned that bike dismount zones are needed and everyone agreed sharing of the pedestrian and bike paths may not be the best plan, but we need consider other ideas so users can safely coexist on the multi-use paths. Everyone inquired about continuing discussion at a joint meeting with the Culture, Arts & Special Events (CASE) committee on Thursday, February 20th, 2025 at 12:30pm MST. 5.3 Recreation Department Update Recreation Director Michael Labagh updated everyone on the record year for the seasonal membership & punch pass sale but has created a problem with overcrowding of the space. Luke then updated everyone on the results and demographics of Avon Turkey Trots there is formalized partnership with Vail Valley Foundation (VVF) & YouthPower365 (YP365). He also inquired with Vail Recreation District about a “Park to Park” half marathon race from Vail to Avon in the spring or early summer timeframe. Programs Supervisor Luke Herron also provided a brief overview of the smaller community-based races that the department has run in the past. Committee member Derek George inquired if the Recreation Department targeted tourists or locals when advertising the programs. Recreation director Michael Labagh said both! Winter updates consisted of new hires and position openings for the Recreation Department. Recreation Director Michael Labagh spoke to the ice rink and its consistent predictability of use due to weather conditions. New events like pond hockey, broomball and tea kettle curling are offered on a limited basis. Aquatics Supervisor Zachery Kornhauser gave a report on the Aquatics Symposium event where we sent three staff members. The event was 3 days and staff were able to learn about work safety, pool mechanical/chemical processes and leadership/management training. Committee Chair Nancy Tashman asked about shade at the pickleball courts and Michael responded that he would check to see if it made it in the budget for this year. 5.4 Recreation Survey Recreation Director Michael Labagh informed the committee that recreation center patron survey will be distributed this spring. He informed the committee that the survey will ask respondents to evaluate our operations, programs and services. Councilor Kevin Hyatt inquired about why people don’t use the facility. Committee members Amy Phillips and Derek George inquired about the fitness court. Recreation Director Michael Labagh replied that we cannot donate the fitness court to another entity due to liability concerns and we don’t have an alternative space to move the amenity. The committee agreed that it would be great to keep the equipment but understand the need to relocate it due to safety concerns and misuse by children. 5.5 Park Proposal Review Recreation Director Michael Labagh received two proposals, a seasonal mobile sauna operation with cold plunges, and asked for feedback from the committee. Committee Chair Nancy Tashman asked about materials and safety records of vendors. Councilor Ruth Stanley asked if the saunas would be donated. Vice Chair Lisa Post asked about the liability and negative attraction this would receive, and if they would charge for this service. Committee member Amy Phillips brought up the challenges with greenhouse gas emissions. HEALTH AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 HYBRID FORMAT IN PERSON AT AVON TOWN HALL AND VIA ZOOM Recreation Director Michael Labagh and Town Manager Eric Heil clarified that this would be revenue generating, and this is a commercial operation, and Avon is looking to create more private commercial relations with businesses. The second proposal is an inflatable obstacle course for Nottingham Lake. Committee member Derek George said it looked cool and asked for more information on lifeguard protocol and operational logistics. Committee Chair Nancy Tashman asked about minimum age, committee member Amy Phillips asked about liability issues but said it’s worth exploring, especially for private rental opportunities as well. Vice Chair Lisa Post asked about daily set up and teardown. Recreation Director Michael Labagh responded and said that there is an on-duty lifeguard through the vendor, Standup Paddle Colorado, and users are required to purchase passes and would be available for a designated time. Labagh continued that since this would be a third-party operation, there would be minimal liability on the Town of Avon. He suggested that the minimum age may be 5 or 6 years old, and shared that the daily setup and teardown is desired but not yet determined. Michael said he would evaluate this idea further with Recreation Department staff and return to the committee with more information. 6. ADJOURNMENT Committee Chair Nancy Tashman asked if there was a motion to adjourn the meeting. Vice Chair Lisa Post moved to adjourn the meeting. Committee member Amy Phillips seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 1:50pm on January 21, 2025. Respectfully submitted by: Arnell Wade General Government Fellow