Parks and Recreation Committee - Regular Meeting

with me, everyone. Welcome. This is the Person of Reaction Committee Meeting. Today is June 15, 2026, and it is about 5.35 p.m. My name is Genesis Guevara. I am the Deputy Town Clerk, and I will go ahead and take attendance. Committee Member Adrian Chavez is absent. Committee Member Asher, how do you say your name?

Erman, Asher Erman.

Asher Erman, you're present. Committee Member Frank McBride?

Here.

Committee member, Maria Maishai.

Present.

And committee member, Monica Sugar is absent. There is a quorum for today. I'll go ahead and move it to the next item, which is the appointment of committee chair and vice chair. And I will open the floor to the committee.

I've been the chair for the last two years, and I give a little background. I've lived in town since 1975. I'm a retired school administrator for over 20 years. I've worked for the school system now for 45 years. I have two children that are older than everybody else, but Marianne. Everybody is. And they all went to the camp here and the parks here. One went to Bay Harbor, the other one didn't go to Bay Harbor. He went to specialized schools for music. We live in a lovely place that has great thoughts of children from all ages, from seniors to infants. And I'm open. I get paid the same as a chair or a representative, so it doesn't... Marianne, why don't you tell us? I was also the vice mayor for six years.

So, I'll read my resume, and I will say I've been on the commission for two years, 2022 to 2024, and recently on Parks and Rec, for the last six months I've been active. And I got a lot of new projects going for the seniors, other new programs for, we're working on Marshawn classes and Tai Chi and other yoga. So I'm really excited about moving this on and I wouldn't mind being chair. Is that, can I throw my name in?

You can nominate yourself if there's a second.

Second.

Why don't you talk about yourself, please? Yeah, yeah. Do we finish that? I moved to the Surfside two years ago from California. I'm a dad of four girls. My oldest is 12. And I've been, you know, getting to know everyone in the community and acclimating and whatnot. And over the past year, I'd say we made a lot of friends. Also, I'd say... You know, my in-laws moved here as well, and I've heard a lot of chirping and whatnot about the parks and this and that. I said, you know, maybe I can join the committee and, you know, just be a voice for it. I have no desire to be a chair or a vice chair or anything of that sort. I just want to, you know, be part of and see how I can, you know, I know this town. I've been here two years, and coming from California, this has been the biggest blessing. How did you find Surfside? We came a year before that we heard Florida's a place to be and everyone was like talking about it and we went from place to place to check out all the different communities and Surfside was the best.

And have you attended some of the Parks and Rec events? Yes, any event.

So anything that's kid-friendly I've been to. Fourth of July, all the events at the 96th Street Park, at the community center, the last Thursday events.

That's a tour sport thing. But that's great. You get the feel of it. Yeah.

And I have an apartment. The top lot is directly across the street from my house.

Ah. Yeah. There you go. Okay.

It's a great place. It's amazing.

I'm across the street in a condo performance.

She keeps an eye on the park. What direction? The community center.

Yeah, just next to the community center.

Oh, beautiful.

Yeah.

I look down around the corner, Hawthorne, second house.

So you must overlook a park. Do you overlook a park?

Well, I go to the park.

Do you overlook the park?

I overlook the park. Rudy will tell you if he calls me one more time about the park.

Is that the one with the teenagers?

The teenagers?

Yeah, I was wondering if I'm the only one that notices that. Oh, you do? It's a nightmare. I wake up at 11 o'clock at night.

Oh? It's similar to that for you. No, no, no.

It's similar to that for you. If I may go back to the... Yeah, I have so much camera footage on my camera. Send it to the chief. He loves it. I mean, we've called the cops many times.

Wow. Hi.

Is this where the meeting is? Yes.

Parks and Recreation? Yes. I'm sorry. Are you Ms. Jigger?

I am.

Nice to meet you. Welcome.

Thank you. Hello. Thank you for coming. You're the new chairperson?

Would you like to introduce yourself? We're in the middle of that.

I live at 9465 Bay Drive, 24 years. I'm a dental hygienist. I just retired last year. Here I am.

You got a long way to go. 30 years I did it.

It's back-breaking labor. I wanted to be available.

WELCOME.

NOT NECESSARILY FOR THIS. FOR MY FAMILY.

IF WE MAY GO BACK TO THE MOTION. YOU MADE A MOTION FOR YOURSELF.

AS YOU CAN SEE, I WAS LATE. THAT'S OKAY, THAT'S OKAY.

SORRY. YOU NOMINATED YOURSELF TO BE THE CHAIR?

YES.

AND THERE'S A SECOND FROM MR. MCBRIDE.

THANK YOU.

OKAY. COMMITTEE MEMBER ASHER, CAN YOU SAY YOUR LAST NAME AGAIN? ERMAN. ERMAN. YES OR NO? OH, YES. Committee Member McBride?

Yes.

Committee Member Sugar?

Yes.

And Committee Member Maishad?

Yes.

Motion carries. Now we can have a motion for our Vice Chair.

I would like to nominate Frank McBride.

Somebody will have to make a motion for that.

Oh, can I make a motion?

You cannot make a motion because you're the Chair now.

Can I make a motion? Yes. I want to nominate Frank. Thank you.

Is there a second for that?

Can he do it for himself? Sure.

Yeah, you can second.

Yeah.

Committee member Ehrman?

What?

Committee member Ehrman? Is that a yes or no? Committee member McBride?

Yes.

Committee member Sugar?

Yes. Is this the whole committee? This is it. We're missing one person. Oh, okay.

So it's two for so far. You're missing one person that he cannot make it today.

Oh, okay. Got it.

And Chair Meishreid?

Yes.

Chair, the motion carries. Now I open the floor to you.

So you already called and pointed out under agenda and order of business.

I'd like to add a discussion item, Madam Chair. Sure. Yes. Discussion on possibly, just for discussion, canceling the July meeting because I did drive back from Atlanta last night to be here today. Oh, good.

Then you're going back up there.

In the last four years, four or six years, we've canceled meetings in June and July because people are traveling. They may not be here. If you don't have form, then you can't have a meeting. And just up for discussion, we do it because in the past, I see Rudy's got like summer camp on here and things like that, but there's nothing that we didn't discuss until August at the close of camps and things like that that was discussed.

But we don't know yet. I don't know how I feel about that.

Well, we're going to discuss it on the floor or something.

Yeah. Chair, if I may, there was another committee member, which was Mr. Chavez. He also had the same thought that he was asking if we could cancel the summer meeting as well, the July meeting, as he will be out of town.

And he's out of town today?

And he's out of town at the moment, yes.

That would be... Can he do it on Zoom?

No. We don't allow it through per town code.

Okay.

It's just a discussion item.

Why was the July date changed from...

It was a request. It has not been changed.

It was just a request for today.

So you made a motion to add a discussion item for canceling the July meeting. Is there a second to that motion?

Okay, sorry, because I'm new to all this. These formalities are a little bit new to me. So if you can just give me the rundown of how this works.

How to make a motion or not.

Yes, so she is the chair, so she runs the meeting. That's all we just voted on. Anybody but the chair can make a motion to do anything. You can add an item, do any type of action, anything of some sort. Any... Motion that you make, it needs a second. If there's not a second from anybody, then the motion dies, and then there's no action to be taken on that. Okay.

And everybody needs to vote. So if you agree with it, you can motion. Yes.

And then the motion needs to pass by majority. So if it passes three to two, it passes. If it's vote two to three, then it does not pass. So it needs to be the majority or the board voting in favor of the motion. Okay. Got it.

So I made a motion to add something to the agenda. To discuss it. To discuss it. Okay. And then it would need a second. If it doesn't get a second, then it dies. Okay.

Committee Member Ehrman?

Yes.

Committee Member, sorry, Committee Member Sugar?

Is this about the July 15th?

Yeah, if you want to add the discussion item or not.

Okay. Yes.

Vice Chair McBride?

Yes.

Chair Meishard? Yes. Chair, the motion carries. That will be added as item 5A on their new business.

Okay. Can I add a discussion item too?

You want to add one?

The 4th of July event.

That's in there, I think. One second. Okay. You need somebody from the board to want to add the...

This is for discussion. But I can't do it.

I'd like to make a motion to add July 4th events in the rundown from the Parks and Recreation Director.

Is there a second to that motion?

I second.

I can also say all those in favor. If you're in favor, just say aye. Yeah, that's easier. Yeah, that's just easier. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. That will be added as item 5B under new business.

Okay. Any other discussion I was going to ask about July 4th also?

Great.

So then are there any other discussion items that anybody wants to enter? Okay. So moving on to the minutes, 3A, can I get a motion to approve the minutes? From March 16th.

Motion to approve March 16th meeting from the Parks and Recreation Committee. Second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries.

Okay. Moving on to discussion items. Parks and Rec staff introduction.

Good evening. My name is Rudy Gretz. I'm the Parks and Rec Director. I've been here going maybe seven months now. What I want to do different this time around, Carlos has always come with me to these meetings, but I suggested for this coming commission, since many of the members are not familiar with the faces that work in Parks and Rec and don't have an understanding of who's behind the scenes for most of the time, I made a point, I spoke with Carlos, and we thought it would be great to bring every month a full-timer with us to speak about their role, their duties, what they could do on their day-to-day, if they want to share their contact information in regards to anything they could help within, obviously, their realm. So today I brought Matthew. He pretty much oversees, he's my facilities coordinator. So anything dealing with, if you see damage at the parks, maybe broken window glass, anything with grass, anything that's hazardous or damaged, Matthew is my go-to person when it comes to that. He deals with vendors. He handles contracts. He has communication with residents. He is handling big ones.

He's a battle brother. Or he handles them softly.

He's in contact with vendors when it comes to that. Other things that may occur, anything facility related, Matthew is my direct point of contact and he's the person I work with when we need to find a solution, whether it's emergency related or maybe it's just nothing, maybe it's just a resident complaint. Matthew is that individual that behind the scenes.

This is a wonderful idea.

Yeah, so I decided that Carlos and I spoke and we thought it would be good so you guys could see those individuals.

What is Matthew's last name?

Castro.

Spell it.

Castro. He's going to speak. Yeah, yeah. Okay. But Matthew can share what he does. Castro. Okay, gotcha. And then R-A-O. Castro.

Castro.

Well, a little bit like Rudy said, you know, I'm the facilities coordinator. I'm from Bay Harbor and Surfside, you know, 30 years. So, you know, I've been around, you know, I know the area. I love being here. Kind of took the words out of my mouth, you know. Anything maintenance related, anything to do with our maintenance staff and anything like that, you know, I'm in control trying to make the situation, you know, make it easier and also get everything going as smoothly as possible. HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR CAMP? GOING ON TWO YEARS NOW. TEN YEARS AGO, I WORKED AS A REC 1 IN 2014. AND, YOU KNOW, GLAD TO BE BACK. GLAD TO HAVE A NICE ROLE IN THIS COUNTRY. NICE TO MEET YOU. NICE TO MEET YOU, GUYS.

NICE TO MEET YOU, EVERYBODY. ALSO, IN THIS SENSE, I WANT TO EXPOSE THEM so they can have that idea, maybe in the future, maybe not necessarily at Surfside, but in their careers, if they grow somewhere else and they do great things, they already have knowledge of what to expect, how they can see. I share with my staff all the time that if you can make it at Surfside, you're going to be fine anywhere. You'll make it in. That sounds like New York. You can make it anywhere. You can make it anywhere. If you can handle it here and make sure all these residents are satisfied, the mission, administration is satisfied, You have nothing to worry about. So he's like a flower on the wall today. He's just here to learn, gain any knowledge. If he has questions, I'm sure he'll ask. But this is my facility coordinator. And I have Carlos.

Carlos. We've got promoted to assistant director. Congratulations.

I didn't hear that Carlos say it again. I'm sorry.

Got promoted to assistant director.

Okay, so you're right under Rudy now?

Correct, yes. I'll be right along.

Congratulations.

That's all he heard when I told him, more work. More work with that. I've been with the town since 2015. Started as a rec one, just grew up. Anything you guys need, I'm always open. Just anything, just come talk to me.

Congratulations.

Yeah, congratulations.

That position should have never been dissolved.

PUSH FOR IT. THERE'S OTHER THINGS I'M WORKING ON IN THE FUTURE THAT YOU'LL SEE COME ABOUT, BUT I'M TRYING TO ALIGN WITH MY STAFF HOW I WANT THEM AND HAVE MY ORGANIZATIONAL CHART department, but obviously the benefits are going to be for the residents at the end of the day. They all have, we're fully operational.

And Carlos, where are you located? I know at one point you were at 96th Street Park.

Yes, so hopefully sometime by July 4th, I'll officially move back into the community center. Right now, I'm just going back and forth between the park and community center.

will there be somebody else at the 96th street carpet that's one thing uh carlos is working on with the organizational chart um once it's finalized probably in our next meeting we'll for sure have it for you guys so you can see where we're going yeah i mean you know well do such a great job i mean he's really located i know i know that's one thing i wanted to introduce to this committee with my staff So you guys all have an opportunity to see on the faces of what exactly they're doing. Great.

Sounds good. And so the next order of business is the 2026 meeting dates and deadlines.

that will be my item madam chair this is just a procedure i do this for all the boards and committees the clerk's office we create an agenda deadline states um for um all of the boards basically and this is just so you guys know when the agenda is going to be distributed uh when the meeting date is going to be and also if you do desire to submit an agenda item it needs to go through the um staff liaison, which in this case is Rudy, and through the chair in order to get approved. But this is just so you have the deadlines by when they need to be submitted to Rudy in order for us to put it on the agenda and everything to run smoothly. We do have two changes. One of them has been moved due to Yom Kippur, which is a Jewish holiday. And another one, which is the July meeting, has been suggested to be moved from the 20th of July to the 27th due to scheduling conflicts with staff. I do ask if the committee could please make a motion to approve this meeting dates and deadlines so we have them on the record.

you guys were okay with this is there a motion what was the first one yeah oh yeah yes so it was moved it's going to be on the 22nd of september or meeting that was the only day that was moved into a holiday i have a question on that but maybe you want to who who makes the decision to uh move um the holidays the holidays i understand federal holidays but not religious holidays.

We always move them for religious holidays.

I don't like that answer. We always do it a certain way.

We always move them. Historically speaking, we always have moved them. The time that I've been here, the two years that I've been here, and the times that I've been here before, we always move the dates around for boards and committees to accommodate the community for those holidays.

So do you have a list of all the religious holidays?

Yes, we have a calendar, and we do it for all the boards and committees. It's not only for this board.

I understand that. I just wanted to know where it was generated. Okay, thank you.

Yeah, but this is the only day that we have for that holiday.

So, Madam Chair, I'm looking over your shoulder. The August meeting will be August 6th.

No, the August meeting will be August 17th.

No, that's the deadline to get something.

The 17th of August will be the date for our next meeting. You guys meet, historically, you guys meet the third Monday of the month. So that's what we try to do unless there's a holiday or there's any religious holidays that we do move meetings for.

Okay. So it's this column.

So I'll make a motion to...

I believe you had a question. I'm sorry.

No, I was just going to say I make the motion to change the date. Okay. I second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you.

Okay, so 4C is discussion on meeting time change. I guess you got this into the schedule somehow.

Because 530 is like crazy. Like I'm free all day, but I realize that you guys won't be able to come if we change the time.

You wanted to do it earlier?

Yes.

Oh yeah, I wouldn't be able to do it earlier.

It used to be at 7 o'clock. We used to have staff staying, say, from 5 to 7, sitting around.

Monica, what was your thought process?

Just earlier in the day, but if that's not a possibility, then, you know, I guess there's no sense in it.

And again, I think the reasoning was...

Mornings would be great, but I don't know if they... I would. Okay.

At least. I'm still thinking of working. I work. I'm retired, but I work.

Yeah, you just said you were in Atlanta, so you must be remote or something. I work for the school.

Oh, I see. And I attend all the new exercise programs I just introduced.

Okay, that's fantastic.

But you should hop in if you have free time.

Oh, yeah, I have a routine, but thanks.

May I suggest maybe 5 p.m. just to make it a little bit earlier?

That's okay with me, but what about you?

I would have to be more than 4 to get here by 5. What are your normal hours? My normal hours would be around 6, but it's okay to get here by 5.30, but 5 would be... I mean, I can do 7 a.m. or 6 a.m. That's great. I'm up at 5, so...

I'm still dreaming.

We can do early mornings if you want.

that supercharged coffee. So, is there a motion to?

If there's no action to change it, then there's no motion to be done. We can keep it at 5.30.

Do you have any suggestions? Besides the early morning?

No.

Okay.

Unless there's a way to do something remote, I can just hop on. Is that an algorithm? Yeah, yeah.

Okay. You want to keep it as it is? I guess we'll keep it at 5.30. Frank, did you say that's not good for you? No, it's fine. 5.30 is fine. I mean, 5 or not? No, that's not good for you. Okay, 5.30 is fine.

If it's one Monday every three months, it doesn't matter. I can make that work. It's fine. If 5 makes a difference, I can do 5.

Yeah, we'll forget. I'll forget if we change the time once a month. Should we keep it at 5.30? Whatever the committee decides. Is 5 easier on you?

No, I don't think 5 or 5.30 makes a difference, so if it's going to make you crazy with the traffic, you might as well just leave at 5.30.

Okay, you tried. But you don't know unless you ask, either.

Yeah, I just wasn't aware before I signed up.

Should we just move on to discussion, or should we move on to the next thing? Okay.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Okay. The May vending machine numbers. Rudy?

Or the new assistant? Just a little background. So we provide you guys monthly recaps of what the vending machine sells. at the community center. For the month of May, we sold 550 ice creams, we sold 410 beverages and 410 snacks, and the town made a profit of $826.

Does that go to your budget? That's a good question. That's an excellent question.

Yeah. I know we deposit the check within our system, but where it's distributed to.

So who deposits the check? Would they know?

Virginia, the other Matthew, myself, any of us can deposit it into RegTrac. And then once we, well, we deposit it into the system, and then I don't know what GL gets distributed to from after that. I'll have to ask.

Yeah, can you find out? Good question.

In school, when we had had vending machines for, at least when Obama got healthy on us, that went into a principal's discretionary budget. I could buy things for the children, I could buy things for the staff, I could buy things for the secretaries. That normal budget, I wouldn't have those funds to do. The extras.

I don't know if they have it set up that it's like revenue for the town, that it all just goes into one pot. Like party tickets and stuff like that. Revenue for you.

I don't know about that. It should be. But if not, we'll bring that up.

Yeah. I wonder when the restaurant was in service, but I know you weren't here. I don't know if anybody was here. So did that profit went to the owner?

It went to the department, and then the rest went to whoever was contracted out.

So it did go into the department?

Yes.

It wasn't a lot. It wasn't much.

We're working on that.

For the moment, could you consider the kayak rental as a vending machine? Do you know any stats? We haven't had stats on the vending of that in months. Oh, we can. We can get it. Okay, so I'd like to know, because it's just to see whether it's...

I know the main one, because I pulled it down two days ago. We only had eight rentals. And the people aren't having a fit? Mostly they bring their own, so they're not renting from there. How much is it to rent? I believe through PADO it's $25 an hour, or the membership's $200 a year. Okay. I didn't even know you could rent that when I thought that it was like... Yeah, we have cabs in PADO, they're single-use.

For the month of May, the time of service, I made $376.44.

Again, that should go for your programming, in my opinion. The ramp is being utilized by residents with their own equipment.

And only residents can use it, right? Or if you're a PADL member.

If you have the membership, you can use it.

So outsiders can use it? So PADL, is that a company?

Yes, it's an agreement we have.

But if you want to use the drop, you're more than welcome to use it.

I thought the park was just for Surfside residents.

No, the park is open to the public. I don't know. Yeah, we don't have a check-in system at the gate or anything. Just the public park? The community center? The community center is to the residents and hotel guests. Why is that? Because I guess, maybe that's the public park and there's no really like check-in system at the park.

The community center has always been open to hotel guests. And residents. Because it was years ago, there was a lot of hotels that didn't have a pool.

Oh, I see. But I thought you need to have a community center pass to get into it.

You do.

But not 96th Street?

No. What do you have to do if you're a hotel guest? Show your keys?

There's a form with a form at each hotel. Each hotel has its own custom sheet to let us know when it's filled out.

And then we confirm if you're a resident or a new lease, and that's how we give you access to your house.

When I was a kid, your mother gave you a dime and you went... 35 cents here in Pennsylvania. The good old days.

Okay, so you're going to find out where that goes in the budget with vending machines. Any other comments on the vending machines? For E. May Senior Brunch Recap.

Bingo!

Yes, we had our May, on May 15th, we had rounds of bingos, and we had a Cuban-style buffet where residents enjoyed. We had over 30 participants come in and enjoy a nice meal of bingo.

So, my question is... Is that the end of Bingo, or does Bingo go on through the summer?

That's the end of the senior, yes. Our senior month, that is the last one until November again.

Till November?

Correct. Yeah, so we start again our senior brunches and trips.

Because that's the way it's always been done.

It's usually the biggest. I mean, we have tried in August, September. We just don't get the numbers. You know, that's when the smokers come.

I know, but there's a big population here.

We have tried to run.

They probably just don't want to do it. No, they do. They don't know about it. We do. But that only 30 people showed up. No, that was a big number.

Yeah, for the bunch, yes.

Yeah, that's a big number.

Yeah, when we do it in August, only like eight or seven sign up. Yeah.

That's a big number.

Right, so I'm saying probably there were a lot of snowbirds.

No, I was there. And everybody was wanting it to continue.

So maybe you just said that in August no one shows up. Maybe they're out of town or they go to the summer homes where it's cooler.

I know, but this is a hypothetical, and again, we can discuss it later, but everybody at that meeting wanted, the seniors want to continue a lot of things through the summer because we are here, and it's going to be really hot, and we live alone, and it's a social thing. And people look forward to that. They don't have families here. So I'm trying to open everybody's eyes to the reality of the seniors. And we'll see what happens. We can talk about it more like budget and what it would really cost and how many people you need. I mean, you could always cancel it if you want to get people to sign up.

We have to place that food order in the timely manner. So what is the timely manner? Yeah, but we cater our food and we normally get large portions. We don't get McDonald's. We get a good caterer.

And they do pay for it. There's...

We have our budget set for those. It's not free.

They pay.

I said there's a fee.

Yes. So what is the time frame for when you have to order food? Like how far in advance?

A week. A week. At least a week before.

All right.

The minimum.

So this... Why don't you send them your... Do you know the people that were there? Like, do you have a group? Or just a conversation? You could send out an email blast asking who could commit and then see if you could put it on the schedule.

They have to sign up, so you probably have the record of the people that went to the May meeting. We could do a survey if they want to continue it through the summer. I know half of them are in my building. A lot of them are in the condos.

Yeah, I figured that.

Yeah.

Or is there an idea maybe to do like another, a trial run?

Exactly.

Yeah, yeah. Right, but it seems like maybe, you know, there's just more and more people moving in here and staying as opposed to constantly, you know, just getting snowboards. Thank you. Give it another shot, and if the numbers don't hit, then we have our answer.

Yeah. So, I mean, that would be good to also look up the list from the people that attended in May. Most of the snowbirds leave by the end of April. They were, a lot were already gone. It's usually even more populated than 30. Okay, so can we just follow up on...

I mean, we could probably put an announcement out to see if we do get interest. But those seniors do have to commit.

They can't say just yes and then they... No, they can pay for the fee.

Yeah, they'd have to sign up. Yeah, they'd have to sign up. But we need them to sign up like three weeks in advance, not the week of. Okay. Because if we place the order the week of, it's not going to count. Right, right. If we're purchasing for 50 people and then 10 show up, it's not really cost effective.

I get it. So what would be a reasonable... month to the tribe.

We pull one out for August. When do we normally do it? The second week? The third week? I thought it was the third. The second or third week we normally do it. We would probably, so if we do it, if we put it for Yeah, if it's August 14th, I would need, by July 31st, at least 15 seniors signed up before I could place an order.

Okay, how would we get the word out for them?

We can make a flyer. And then in all the classes we have, just make announcements, and then I could have Matthew or Carlos put it into Red Cry,

I'll walk around and put it in all conducts.

Maybe you could also preface that with saying this is a trial. It's not supposed to happen. We're testing the order. So either sign up or it's not going to happen until November.

And that's it. Bingo mornings. See if we're getting attractions.

Say that again.

Just bingo session.

Right, like on the Wednesdays where there's Senior.

Do you have the space with summer camp? They're at the park. The community center is fine.

Yeah, this was from April. So we're on for a trial, for an announcement for a trial run?

I have to go back and look at the GAO account and see what's in there to see what I could work with to order food for you guys. And then I could make the decision.

Okay, so when would that be?

Tomorrow.

Okay. Thank you. Any more discussion on it? The next item is for F, May Senior Trip Recap.

Yeah, I mean, the only one I knew was that they went to the actors' playhouse to see the title and for murder play. That was true. Yeah, I heard great, great reviews on it.

How many people went? That one I don't have the details. Twenty-six. Is that a good amount? Yeah. Yes.

Yeah.

How was the bus this time? It was there. It was there? It was there. There's been problems.

Yeah.

We showed up, yes.

It was there. No more militias.

Okay. Any other discussion? I mean, who puts together—the trips are great, the senior trips. They go to Coral Gables to this, like, off-Broadway house on Miracle—theater on Miracle Mile.

I've lived here my whole life. I know what that playhouse is! From Miami Beach. I was born in Mount Sinai Hospital. Okay, all right. Give me a recap. But I get it.

It's not only that. It's the gardens. It's different museums in different places. Really do a good job. Thank you.

Yeah, that sounds fun.

And when is the next senior trip? November? November.

It's when we run senior trips and brunches.

Okay, we'll work on that. Thank you. Any other discussion? Board G, Memorial Day ceremony recap.

Yeah, so our Memorial Day ceremony. World Day. We hosted it at Veterans Park next to the tennis center. We had about, I want to say, 30 residents show up. Obviously, we had military, PD, Parks and Rec. We all took a part of it. It was a good turnout. Obviously, the debris and stuff that's over there, you've been on that side of the town.

I thought you did an excellent job of adjusting where the canopy was set up and your speakers and everything.

I thought that was... That was coordinated with Carlos and George. I just finalized it, but George and Carlos coordinated that.

Just sad to see that through the years the veterans have dwindled. We used to have 12, 15, 20 people speak about their history in the service.

A lot of them are aging or they're just retired and they really don't want to participate anymore. They don't have the motivation to do it. But Major Shlomo did share with George and I a contact list. of more younger veterans, more still in service troops, so hopefully for next year. Maybe for veterans they will have new faces out there, so new stories. So I'm really looking forward to that.

Was there any staff member that attempted to contact ROTC or the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts?

Yeah, every time they always give the same answer. That's just sad. They can't. They always committed. There's only one group and they always commit to Miami Gardens. So we can never get them. I tried to reach out for them. Miami Beach ROTC. They stopped. So they stopped going to anything outside of there. Wow.

Yeah. So the remnants from the collapse, because it's in Veterans Park, is that under your jurisdiction now?

What's up with that? Public Works is overseeing that project. Public Works, okay. Yeah, so they have the debris stationed right off of, and I know they're trying to relocate it, but I guess they haven't found the location, and then obviously that project across the street is still going on, so. Or not. It's out of our department. That's what I wondered. Yeah, so it really has nothing to do with Parks and Rec.

in that sense. Just taking up your space at the moment, unfortunately. Well, it's not a good vibe. And that's coming up. So, who sponsors the anniversary? The tourist board? Okay. Any more discussion on 4G, the Memorial Day ceremony? No, no, no. Okay, for AHS May charter bus numbers.

Thank you. For May, we're averaging about 32 kids.

And school was still going on at that time? Correct. I guess. How does that add up for you?

You know my discussion on that.

Do you want to comment and bring everybody else up to date?

That's a $12,000 a year, $12,000 a month investment that we make that is not necessary.

What?

The school bus, the little charter bus. We have a private company that comes with a coach bus to pick up 32 children and take them a mile to Bay Harbor that costs $12,000 a month.

It's free for them? They don't have to do any subsidizing? They don't have to sign up. So those are people that have kids that live in the neighborhood that can't get their kids to school? I'm sure they can. It's just a service we provide.

The Commission's theory is that it takes cars off of 96th Street and away from the school zone to the lower... 30 new cars. 12,000 new bikes and scooters off of my school. If it's safe for the kids, it's safe for the kids. But it's not safe for the kids because they hire a coach bus, a limousine bus, doesn't have lights, doesn't have flashers, doesn't have a guard in the front so the driver can't see the children. And if you want to see my videos of children jumping off the bus and running down Byron Avenue without even thinking about looking. When crossing the street.

Why don't they downsize the bus if they have enough?

The former AC, former TV, town manager, got a school bus for a short time. The problem is they say the school bus constantly broke down. I know the commission's had discussion on buying their own van, their own small bus to keep the service going, but then you have to have at least a minimum of two drivers that are certified to be driving a bus with children on it. It's just been, for me being a principal, it just bothers me that we put children on a bus and children don't sit on the bus and behave. I know, I've been on many, many school buses before.

It just seems really high. The cost of it? $12,000 a month.

What would be your recommendation? Because this sounds high.

My recommendation? That mommies carpool. They get to know their neighbors. My kid went there. We didn't drive them every day. The neighbors took them.

I live on Bay Drive and everybody walks or takes a scooter and I see parents riding bikes with their kids on the bike. I can't believe there's a bus like this. My kids didn't go to Bay Harbor. I'm not that luxury of being able to send them there because I made my own choices but I think it's crazy. It's like right over the bridge.

It's less than a mile away and it's...

But a coach bus?

That's what... I know that the commission has looked into other companies and the manager has told me that he's still looking into other companies that would, there are private, Lou's Marina is a private school bus company. But it's still, that's the one thing that bothers me the most. Secondly is the cost.

Do we have a history of the last couple of years? Because I think we keep going through this. Sometimes we don't have a school bus. Sometimes we have a certain bus.

The school bus was weeks. That's how long the school bus lasted. And it went back to a coach.

No, but was there a time period where there were no buses at all?

Well, this just started. Like before the contract was in place?

A year ago?

Right. This just started.

Well, I don't understand why the town has to provide a school bus.

The former commission thought it was a good idea because of the traffic on 96th Street and the traffic going into Bay Harbor that it would lower.

Okay, so how do we get rid of it?

It's in discussion now with the commission and they've gone over three options, but ultimately it's up to their decision.

Is it on the agenda?

It was in the agenda for me. And? That was their first meeting. That was their first meeting. Oh, they didn't get through that? But the contract that we have, the charter of, just expired. So it would need to be renewed if we want to do it for the school year or... You can ask them.

They shouldn't renew with that. That was $12,000.

One of the options was not to provide a service. $12,000 a month?

Yes. The people should be contributing towards that if they want to bust like that. That's not right. I've never heard of a town providing a school bus. I've heard of the Yes.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools. But they're busing them basically to pay the bills. Isn't that Miami-Dade County Public Schools? Yes. So why don't they provide a bus for the kids in the neighborhood? Why do you throw the line then? Why don't they bus them?

Can you make sure that everyone talks one at a time?

Okay, yeah. Hold on once. One at a time, but can you tell us what Miami-Dade provides? Miami-Dade County.

Miami-Dade County school buses provide services to public school kids to their schools. I don't know why, if Ruth K. Brown's a mile away, Surfside doesn't have a bus.

Because you have to live 2.1 miles away from any school site in order to get transportation, unless you go to a specialized magnet program. then you would get transportation, and that's really minimal now.

So that's why the teenagers here can't find the drivers to do the routes that they have.

One at a time so we could be recorded, that's all.

So we could just not renew it, the commission could just not renew it, and then What are the other two options? They obviously renew, not to renew, and then for the town to purchase something internal. It could either be the 26 passenger trolley type of bus, and that would service seniors and our youth, or we could get an actual school bus. But then that would cost additional. We would have to, like Frank said, we would need a minimum of two CDL drivers. Obviously, maintenance and cost for the fees and fleet, pretty much, all the maintenance that will cover for the year. But the initial cost would be just the purchase. Then everything else would be... Is there an option to just not offer the service anymore? That is one of the options, but they haven't chosen one.

Could we make a recommendation from our... Our committee?

What was your recommendation? Okay. One was how long has the bus been in service? I made my recommendation to the top manager. That's it?

Madam Chair, you can make a recommendation, but somebody will have to make a motion to direct Rudy to make a recommendation to the manager to bring to the commission.

Thank you. So could there be...

I have a motion to bring a recommendation not to renew it at all. I second that.

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.

That's a good way to get things, recommendations from the committee to the commission because that's why they selected us.

And it keeps it in the forefront of their discussion.

Yeah.

Great. So you guys are aware now, I'll make the recommendation to Mario, the town manager, and he takes my recommendation and he presents it to the commissioner. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

But the recommendation... It was already on their agenda. It's obviously on their mind.

But it also gives it a push to the director and the committee.

Eventually it has to be discussed, but ultimately the commission makes the decision on what they want to do.

But you'll say the committee also recommended it yourself?

Well, now I could add additional. I made my recommendation as a department head, but now I say my committee's behind me. They think we should not reveal these contracts.

Perfect, okay, thank you. Any other discussion on the school bus?

Great.

Shocking. I know. 4I, YMCA, YMCA, summer camp week, what number?

Week one we had a total of 20 kids, and this week we have 11 so far.

Why is it called YMCA Summer Camp Week? Is that just for YMCA? They're the ones hosting our camp, yeah. Oh, all summer or just for? All summer, yeah. So the new summer spring. Oh, we bring back the space. Is that something new? It used to be just Surfside. They used to be just Surfside, that's correct.

But after COVID, we switched to an outsource, which we started with para programs and then we switched to the YMCA. To bring in other kids?

Is it mostly Surfside?

Yeah.

It should be mostly DCF and Children's Trust compliant. What? DCF? What does that stand for? I know what Department of Children and Families are. Department of Children and Families and Children's Trust.

Those are the kids that come?

No, that's the, because YMCA is under that branch. Oh, yeah, yeah. So they have the staff that's already credited in that, so they could supervise.

So it's not sort of like counselors, like... Surfside employees know. The teenagers that used to work in the neighborhood at the camp and that type of thing. Oh.

Okay. I'm old. It's an easier environment for the town because they do the hiring and they do all the certifications and they do all the licensing.

Most of those teenagers are lifeguards.

At least they have a lot of jobs. Some of them are recreation leaders for us or they'll be lifeguards. Oh, okay. They're just not with the summer camp or aftercare.

So week one equals 20 kids. Is that good? I have no idea.

That is really low. It's pretty low. I don't know. It's pretty low.

So do you sign up, like, for the whole summer or just one week? Weekly, yeah. Weekly.

They do weekly registration. How much is it?

Like, how much?

Compared to previous years, is this 20 number on par, or is it just... Well, every year, after your summer camp, prices go up.

It feels like daycare prices go up. No, he meant the amount of kids. I'm saying the amount of kids. It's a little low, I think.

When did YMCA start doing that? Oh, you said COVID.

Are they doing anything at the school? So for residents, it's $195 a week. Non-residents, $250. Okay, thank you.

I don't think it's gone up that much. It seems... I mean, it's a lot. They have to have activities for them all day.

Right.

But do you know Bay Harbor is having a special program this summer also? They're doing one at the actual school.

Yeah. And that takes kids from us.

Surfside Camp used to be packed. Absolutely, yeah. Most of our kids are staying at school. You know, we don't have to care, too.

So does he have to pay anything for the YMCA to be in that camp, to be using our facilities?

They pay us. How much do they pay?

Well, then we're not losing anything. It's a win-win. We're taking care of the kids. They're taking care of the licensing and qualifications, hiring.

So no matter what, you get paid? So they renew the contract every year?

Last week was the first week anyway. The school just got out.

Right. People go on trips.

Yep.

School's out.

Okay.

Was there any more? Were you looking at any other numbers? Or are we good?

I don't know. If we lose our phones, we're in trouble.

We're looking at... I just didn't print anything. This is my computer. Absolutely.

Well, if you're not using the iPad, are you using the iPad? No, I'm not.

So should we move on?

Yeah, I'll read it to you. Okay. I'm just curious. It's not over right now. Okay. New business, you wanted to add the dates.

Yes. So moving on to new business. Item 5A. Item 5A, the July dates.

All right.

You wanted...

I wanted to make a recommendation and discussion to cancel the July meeting because of people traveling. For instance, if we didn't have a senior brunch, a senior trip, Memorial Day, no school bus, So what would we be discussing except for 4th of July?

Maybe we should flip these and find out what 4th of July is going to be all about.

Oh, you mean that's after the fact. If you removed the May item from the agenda, for instance, what would you be discussing? Summer camp, how many kids came to summer camp, and that's about it, an introduction of a new staff member.

unless somebody puts something else on the agenda.

Historically, over the last four years, I've been on this committee off and on since a long time, 25 years. Over the last four years, we've canceled meetings in June and July because of people traveling. I drove back from Atlanta to come to this. So in July, I'm expecting another grandchild.

Oh, wow. So you're going to be back in Pennsylvania? Back in.

Oh, okay.

They don't give you a date.

Yes, Mr. Chavez, which is not present today, he also had mentioned that to me regarding the cancellation of the summer meetings.

I just wanted to throw it out there. If I have to be back, I'll help you. I made the motion to cancel the July meeting.

Yes, I mean, since you presented it that way, it makes...

All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.

Item 5B, 4th of July.

of residents, they celebrate Shabbat. It hasn't been on a Saturday since 2015.

Yeah, we always celebrate on July 4th.

So the last time it was on July 4th on a Saturday was 2015. The concession stand was actually operational at that time, so it wasn't a conflict. This year, one of the conflicts was the kosher option. So you guys are aware, we will have a kosher option. We're going with no time kosher catering. And then we'll also have two food trucks. At the community center, our activities will be from two to seven. All the family activities, our relay races, our foods, our giveaways, we'll still have the same rundown. Maybe a couple new attractions, but nothing crazy. And then this year with the Commission and the mayor they wanted to have a collaborative effort with Bell Harbor and Bay Harbor. So traditionally our drones and fireworks normally they fire off behind on 93rd Street on the B side. So this year once we conclude our activities at 7, From 7 to 9 p.m., Bay Harbor is going to host an activity and event on 96th Street. They'll have a live band, entertainment. They're going to provide another food truck, and then obviously children activities as well. And then they'll have a dance party on the beach, and they'll have the stage, and I'm sure the elected officials will have a dance party. p.m. the drones and fireworks will be shooting out from the jetty so the actual watch for our residents to see these attractions will be often between 95th and 96th Street this is something that was proposed by the commission of the mayor they got with me Originally I wasn't for it, but it was something they suggested to make like a collaborative effort between all of us.

So what you're saying is the commission, the old commission agreed on this?

The mayor and the commission, yes.

Was it public, on public record?

No. It initially started with Mayor Shlomo meeting with the other managers and mayor. They had a discussion about traffic lighting And they couldn't finalize anything, so they said, if we can't work on this, we'll never be able to do anything. And for some reason, it just switched over to the July 4th amendment.

So when did all the commissioners and the mayor vote on this?

They didn't vote. They just proposed it and wanted to do it. Is that legal? I'm not sure. I'm not a legal department.

I can't speak for that.

Good answer.

They want to show an effort that they're all trying to work together. So they're trying to have kind of an event together. Okay. In like an effort to show all the residents that they're trying to work together in a sense, I guess.

Well, because we need to work together to fix the traffic problem, which is the next. One of the, one of the things we need to fix.

Is the reason why they're doing that. Yes. Yes, I'm sure. So the two to seven. Which is really bad.

Is going to be for Surfside and Bay.

No, no, no, no. No, no, no. Two to seven will be for the residents of Surfside. Okay. Those will be for us. And then the, the actual. I mean, I'm pretty sure Bay Harbor will find a way to come participate, but they won't be in our relay races and they won't be able to get food or giveaways.

Got it. So that's going to be for our residents. So then at 7,

bay harbor and 96th street is going to host their little activity and we'll be able to go listen to the 96th street park if you just walk east like if you're under the ocean right stage entertainment okay a live band i'm pretty sure they're gonna have a singer oh okay so they'll be able to host us as well but at 9 00 p.m

The fireworks are coming from the jetty. I know. So usually there's like three things going on at once.

Traditionally, we're used to it all being right here. Right. So now all of it is going to be at the jetty. They have 600 drones now and fire, water fireworks as well.

So Rudy, what you're saying is... So Rudy, what you're saying is that Festivities start at 10 a.m. No, 2 p.m. 2 to 7 p.m. But I thought you said you have relay races.

That's from 2 to 7.

That's 2 to 7.

The morning hours are for vendors and our contractors and all our activities.

Okay, so that's changed. You used to have some stuff going on. Anyway, okay, 2 to 7. And... So nothing's going on on the beach then. You're not closing the beach down for the fireworks like you usually do in front of my condo. Okay, so then now, wait, now my question is, are we going to have the beach concession open then?

That day, no.

Why?

They're not staffed. Why? They're not scheduled that day.

Why? Because originally you had the fireworks going on there. Well, let's get it back on then. You're taking the fireworks away from us.

That's going to cause a lot of congestion, Marion. And it's going to be a safety hazard.

You have it at 102nd Street are the fireworks. What do you mean the concession?

Do you always have the chairs? Yes.

On July 4th?

No, because they close the beach down for our fireworks go on right next to, right behind the community center.

Right, so it's dangerous, right?

Right, but now we're not going to have them there. They're at 102nd Street. So we need the beach chairs back as our concession.

The beach chairs don't work until 9 p.m. anyway.

That's true. They work to 630, though.

So they wouldn't be there to see the fireworks anymore. So you're suggesting to see the fireworks or not to see the fireworks?

No, I'm suggesting that I want my beach chairs back. If we don't have the beach closed, that was the only reason.

It could be a recommendation, but remember, we're going to have a thousand people out there. We normally have attendance of the public. I know.

I'm one of them. I'm always there.

How are we going to accommodate 1,000 people for those beach chairs?

You already shut down.

But if we offer beach chairs to one resident, other residents are going to want them.

They're going to go with the way the beach chairs always run. It's no different. They'll bring their own chairs or set up their tents. But the beach chair program will run the same.

Do we have the staff?

You want tents behind your apartment? But they don't work till 9 p.m. And then also on 4th of July, we need that open.

There always is. But isn't it private behind your apartment?

The beach is public. Madam Chair, there should be only one conversation. Excuse me.

All right. This is, there's only one conversation. Hello. There's only one conversation at a time. So that because this is being recorded, And it's hard when more than one person talks at a time. So, again, my concern is there's no reason to close down the beach chair concession if you're not closing down the beach. That's what would happen.

Marianne, how do we transport the chairs out if we're going to have the green space full of activities for families?

They're right on the edge, just the same way you always do it. They set up at 10, this starts at 10. They set up at 10, and they close at 6.30.

It starts at 2.