Parks & Recreation Advisory Board - Regular Meeting

Alright. Today is Wednesday, 01/28/2026. It is 10AM. We are in Room 244. I call this Alright. Veterans Park ad hoc committee meeting to order.

Yeah. Does that mean you turn what?

Is it a cell phone? No. It's just it's on.

It's your yeah. It's that. It's that.

I'm sorry?

It's that. We're all hearing it in the speakers.

I know. That's what I'm trying to. Okay. Let's try again. Roll call. I ask members to state their name.

Sergio Stephens. David Rambo.

Melanie Wilson.

Bill Hadowski. Jeff Nelson.

Chuck English. Pledge allegiance to the flag. I'll lead this one. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America

and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,

indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Do we have any public comment? There is no public comment. I need a motion to approve the 11/26/2025 Veterans Park Ad hoc Committee meeting minutes.

I make a motion to approve the minutes.

Motion made by Ms. Wilson.

I second the motion.

Seconded by Mr. Rambo. All those in favor?

Aye.

All those opposed? Motion carries unanimous. Okay. New business. Selection of chair and vice chair. Now this is the item. I'm looking for nominations for chair.

How can I do this when the vice chairman is not here? How can I pass the gavel?

Pass the what?

The gavel so I can make the motion.

I think you're looking for any nominations for Chair.

That's what I just asked for.

Okay. I nominate Chuck English to serve as Chair.

Is there any other motions?

Any other nominations?

Any other nominations? Not hearing any. I

move to elect Chuck English as chair.

Need a second.

Second.

I'll second the motion.

All All those in favor?

Aye. All

those opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. We now need a motion for Vice Chair. Again, I would nominate Ms. Wilson, if I can. Alright. Are there any other nominations? Any other nominations? Having none, let's vote. All those in favor?

Aye.

I have

a motion for it. So some motion and then a second for the vice chair then. Someone has to make a motion to

I think Chuck did, didn't you?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I make a motion.

We need a second. I'll second the motion.

He can't Here we go. We have a motion and seconded. All those in favor?

Aye. Aye.

All those opposed? Hearing none, motion carries unanimous. Miss Wilson? Congratulations.

Okay. Did you want that? You

would have got chair. Okay. Moving on. Discussion and possible action regarding the review and approval of draft 2025 annual report. We have the report. Does anybody have any recommendations, suggestions, or comments related to this report? Hearing none, I need a motion to accept.

I'll make a motion to accept the fiscal year twenty five annual report.

Need a second? I'll second it. And we have a motion made by Ms. Melanie, seconded by

Ms. Tan Goshen.

Feels good.

Feels good. Alright.

I go first name. Okay. Alright. That's good. All those in favor?

Aye.

Those opposed? Motion carries unanimous. Alright. Moving right along. Okay.

Alright. Item seven, updates regarding Circle of Honor. Mr. Nelson.

Yes. So with the holidays, there wasn't a lot of work as we talked last month. They're back out there this week. The sub base for the pavers is going in now. The footer for the footer prep for the, and installation is scheduled for very soon. It looks like they're out there working now. I thought it would be poured today, but or this week, but it looks like they're behind a little. So they're going to be pouring the south sidewalk and the footer prep for the shade structures. That was supposed to have been by the end of the month. So they're behind a little bit.

So hopefully, this week, they'll still get some of that poured. After that, they will be moving to the seat wall and knee wall prep and pour, and that will become probably at with half of And year. Of And schedule for that to be here early March. So when that's here, they'll be able to really fine tune what what the completion date is. It looks like they're still looking for substantial completion in June.

So that hasn't changed. And the only thing that could slow that up, weather, but other than that would be the arrival of the Granite. But I think they're feeling pretty good about the Granite arrival in March. Everything else is going pretty good. I did some other updates. The committee had asked. We have seven tribute papers that have been paid for. We have a few others that are we're just awaiting payment. There is February is going to be our big push for the pavers and any of the tribute programs. And I did talk to our marketing manager.

The way that they're getting that out, they're putting it they're pushing those out in different a couple different several different methods. They're using e newsletters, bulk mails to businesses. They're also doing social media posts, which will really be they're really gonna focus on that for this next month in March or in February. Chamber of Commerce Chatterbox are getting information out there. Flyers at community outreach events.

So at our events, there's flyers for the tribute program. The website, there are a few anyone that visits our website and looks up current projects, and that's where a lot of traffic goes to current project. People like to see what's going on in the city. There is a circle of honor, and it does link the tribute program right there. Another way on our website is you just go to parks and Recreation in our Civic program.

If you click on that, it links the tribute program for the Circle of Honor as well. Currently, the pavers are there was pavers and flag assemblies on there. We have not really had much. We have one, inquire about the flag assemblies. It didn't materialize.

So we're pulling those off, and we're going to be adding some medallions that people can purchase through the Tribute program. That's not finalized yet, but that will be coming up probably in the near future, hopefully by February. We'll be having another so it will be pavers and medallions, those kind of things. So that's really where we are. I think what we're going to see is now that they're really geared back up out here, we're going to start seeing the concrete going in, the footers going in, the pavers will start going in.

The last the deadline for the pavers to be involved included in the initial construction is May, I believe '28. I believe it's February 28 on the website, but I think we have to change that a month. So I will verify that. I think it's March 28 when that has to be included in the initial install. That doesn't mean people can't continue to donate pavers for that.

And we'll look at one or two times a year to get enough pavers that will go in. We won't just do them individually. We'll hold off until we have enough, to do that. And we haven't determined if that's going to be every six months or annually, we'll put the new pavers in. That's a lot of where we are right now.

I would say, and I'll try to do this to try to get when we get any substantial work done out here, I'll try to get some photos out if I can, people aren't able to get out here as often as you'd like. So I'll try to keep everybody, up on what what's going on. And if I knew know there's something big going on, if they start the paper prod process, I'll I'll try to get it that out information out as well. So, everybody's involved. And if they want to look and take a look, you can't really get inside the site, but you can see from the fencing.

So anyway, that's really where we are on that. Any questions on that? I mean, that's what I know. And I did go by this earlier this morning. They are out there. I I was looking to see if they had the the footers, dug and poured, but I didn't see that. I saw some paper material out there. And and, so I think they're getting the the base prep right now.

What

will the medallions look like?

I don't know. It's going to be I don't know exactly what they're going to be. They're going to be for any every military branch. I don't know the cost. I don't know. So, Trista just is working on what that may look like. I know she's been working on that for a little bit, but I'm trying to get when I have that, I'll get that out to you. I don't have a rendering or anything yet. Punta Gorda, they're

monument area. They have their nine inches or 10 inches medallions and like CV groups. Are we going to have something where sub vets or tin can sailors or something could put something in?

Well, I think that's where the medallions might be coming in for people to do that.

No, I don't understand what aspect.

Have you been at Memorial in Punta Gorda?

No, yeah.

Okay. They have twothree version of the Vietnam Wall. And across from

that, they have a wall.

And they have pavers where individuals have donated pavers. But on the wall, they'll have plaques from the different military groups.

Don't we have pillars going around the circle with

each Yeah, we have each military group with the glass monument. That's what we have. But these are going to be the medallions, I think, are going to be kind of in place of what you're describing for people to donate. There's some sense. There are groups that were in the Navy or groups that were

in the Air Force, special forces, things

like I understand. Yeah. Okay.

Where are they going to hang the medallions? Where are they going to put the medallions? Is there a place for it? I think at the back wall. Back wall? That's my understanding. I have not had that conversation with Assistant Director Sturgis, but I would assume that's where we would do that.

Yeah. Yeah. That's where I thought they were going to need medans are talking about. That's where I thought they were going to go with the flags for those. Okay. Alright. Any other discussion on that? I'm gonna be significantly interested in the landscape plan and what's going in there. Mhmm. That's that's we're on that right now.

And I think right now, they've done a great job. They haven't they haven't overexcavated. I think we're in pretty good shape. I think they've under excavated, which I think you're happy with. But

it's interesting that aspect of it. Yeah.

I I think we're gonna be fine with that, but we'll we'll watch that as as we get get down the road. They're staying within that footprint right now. They're doing a pretty good job.

Yeah, I see that. Yeah. I check it out every time Any I come other discussion, gentlemen, ladies?

Just out of curiosity, were we

still doing that wind phone? Because I thought at one point we had

What was that?

Was it like a wind phone or something like that that we talked about towards the back

of the park? The wind phone, I think that is something that's still something that we're looking at. I don't think it's going to be involved in the original construction, but I think we have that is still there. That's a meditation type place, yes. I just don't know. I don't think we have finalized that's But going to look we do have a spot called out, I believe, on the plan.

I'm slowly working on getting that wetland straight.

I'll put it out. That's okay. I'll move that as a future agenda item. I'll do a little research on that for you and see where we're going to go with that exactly.

Maybe the medallions, too, the details. Yep. I'll put

that on. There we go. I think

10 inches or five inches.

Yeah. I'll look at that. Yep.

And then I'm sure the engraving on the medallion.

Stuff like that. Yeah.

Well, the group that donates them might have a symbol or something or an insignia that they they may want to.

Okay. I'll do that. Yeah.

Anything else?

It says on the website that each medallion will be engraved with the name of the honored individual and proudly reflect their service Okay. On the six

So that's

a little bit different.

That's on the website for the medallion coming soon. Celebrate the courage and commitment of a US veteran or active duty service member with a customized branch specific military medallion. Each medallion will be engraved.

But it doesn't say about

the cost or anything like that?

About what? The cost. No. It's coming soon.

Oh, it is coming soon.

Talks about the pavers are $100 and it gets that size, but it doesn't have any detail about the but I'm sure, though, you could put the 10 can sailors or, you know, that kind of thing on the medallion. Right. It doesn't have to be specific to veteran. Yeah. I wouldn't imagine.

Yeah. Yep. Yeah. We'll have to look into that. Alright.

That'd just be a good way to get the group involved and get them the sponsor of Medallion.

Yeah. Yeah. Did we ever did we ever send a letter out to all the organizations?

I believe they went out. I think I'm then, Mallory, you you said that your group had received one.

Yeah. Okay. Okay. Wanna try to keep track of that. Anything else? Hearing nothing. Future agenda items. Didn't you just

I got wind phone on there. I have the medallions, just a little bit more information on. Anything else you wanted to add?

Anybody have anything else that they'd like to add to the next? Okay. Alright. Alright. Public comment?

No public

comment. Alright. Does anybody have anything else I'd like to discuss? Hearing nothing, I adjourn this meeting.