Minutes Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting of March 7, 2019, 6:00 p.m. , Field House Hall, 3700 N.W. 11 Pl., Lauderhill, Florida

Board Members Present Patrick Brochu Bill Gilmartin Daniel Mulieri Christina Clifford Tyson Jones Kristen Reineke Terry Danger Javier Lasaga Howard Garson Arthur McNeil

Board Members Absent Larry Goehrig Barry Harris Stephen Lawson

County Staff in Attendance Cyndy Baker Meoshi Jackson Marc Scharphorn Cheryl Cayer Sarah Perkins Ellice Weaver Benjamin Conley Gayle Preston Dan West Cathy Hagen Dori Remillet Mike Fayyaz Gary Remillet

Guests/Members of the Public None

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (Board) meeting was called to order by Chair Terry Danger at 6:01 p.m., after which all present recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was called; a quorum present.

Announcements: Board member Dana MacDonald resigned her appointment, effective March 6, 2019. She represented District 4 for five years.

Approval of Minutes: A MOTION was made by Daniel Mulieri to approve the minutes of the January 18, 2019, meeting. The motion was seconded by Kristin Reineke and was passed unanimously.

Park Manager’s Report: Ben Conley and Marc Scharphorn, Parks Managers at Central Broward Park and Broward County Stadium (CBP), welcomed the Board. While initially named Central Broward Regional Park, the park has now removed the “regional” moniker to be more consistent with other county parks. This multi- purpose, 110-acre facility held its grand opening on November 9, 2007, as the first regional County park to be acquired and developed through the County’s 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program. Additional funding came in the form of grants, such as $5 million from Florida Forever. As one of the largest parks in central Broward County, it serves many residents in Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Oakland Park, Plantation, Sunrise and Wilton Manors. There are multiple events held at CBP, including but not limited to, festivals, soccer matches, football games, matches and concerts.

Amenities include various recreational courts and fields where patrons can play a game of soccer, , tennis, football, and . Patrons can also reserve one of the nine shelters for family reunions, birthday parties, baby showers and many other events. The park also houses Tropical Splash, which is a recreational water facility. There is also an instructional pool that has been used to provide about 1,900 swimming lessons to local residents and 680 lessons to campers over the past summer. Patrons can also enjoy gliding across the lake on paddleboards, as equipment is available for rental at the marina on weekends.

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One of the most popular components of the park is Central Broward Stadium. While it was originally built as a cricket stadium, it has now come to serve multiple sporting events. In September 2018, national soccer teams for Columbia, Chile and Peru used the facility for pre-World Cup matches. In January 2019, the National Soccer Coach’s Association Certification course used the field to host more than 120 participants. The stadium also held two international cricket matches with an attendance of 8,000 combined. In August of this year, 15,000 patrons are expected to attend another cricket match between the and . On March 16, 2019, the Seventh Day Adventist Conference will be hosting its Global Youth Day, with more than 2,500 expected participants. Overall, operating expenses for this facility totaled $965,000 in Fiscal Year 2018. For the park itself, revenue totaled $990,000, including paid admissions that totaled $187,864.85.

Mr. Scharphorn went on to explain that World Wide Sports Management Group, LLC (WWS) is currently CBP’s largest tenant, going onto the third of their fifteen-year contract. Altogether, WWS has spent over $450,000 upgrading to LED lights in the stadium, which consume only 30% of what regular lights would. WWS also invested in a Super Sopper, which would help to quickly dry the turf in the event it started raining during a cricket match. WWS also invested in two large screens that can show advertisements from countries around the world. There are going to be three camera stands as well as one portable camera to broadcast games to international audiences.

In August 2019, there is going to be a two-day match between the West Indies and India. 15,000 people are expected to be in attendance for that event, so bleachers will be constructed to add capacity. When Chair Danger asked how parking would be handled, Mr. Scharphorn replied that CBP’s parking lot can accommodate up to 1,100 cars. The overflow parking will be in areas outside of the facility. With big events like these, WWS is responsible for coordinating parking, so they will usually contact the Swap Shop, the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center and sometimes the Lauderhill Mall for the use of their parking lots. The is back and CBP is going to host three different teams from the league sometime this year. There will possibly be a match between the West Indies and on Labor Day weekend.

CBP is also working on a similar soccer contract to have an organization come in and run soccer events, academies and instructional programs. The Paris Saint-Germain Excellence Center is set to have its last negotiation meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. If all goes as planned, the organization will have exclusive use of the outer fields of the stadium for their soccer academies, camps, and tournaments. This five-year deal will include an upgrade to the facility’s locker rooms. Upgrades will also cover certain halls, the flooring, wall features, office space, shade covers, bleachers and, along the way, two half-size artificial turf fields.

For CBP itself, capital improvements will include facility upgrades and batting cage upgrades. A clay wicket area will be added for practice. A parking lot paving project will begin for the areas near the stadium. As cricket brings in large media production, the paving project will provide a proper space for satellite and production trucks. The existing playground is also scheduled to be replaced. The shelters, which have been impacted by the South Florida weather, are going to be repainted. CBP is working with a health foundation to add a fitness zone around the lake, as has been done for Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City. During Hurricane Irma, CBP lost 110 trees, so 28 trees are coming in from a tree connectivity project and will be in the ground in about one month.

Dan West, Director of Broward County Parks and Recreation Division (Parks), mentioned that WWS is going to invest up to $1 million to replace the scoreboard that was bought back in 2008. As for the events being hosted, those that are televised are viewed by about 1.4 billion people, as these teams come from various nations. Parks hopes that CBP sees at least two or three large tennis events in the next couple of years. Central Broward Stadium is at a point where it is in line to become a world-renowned facility. Mr. Scharphorn also added that the park is bringing in eight major league lacrosse games from The Florida Launch in Boca Raton this summer.

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Bond Construction Update: Mike Fayyaz, Construction Management Supervisor, Highway Construction and Engineering • Anne Kolb Nature Center Observation Tower – Construction has begun. Work with the contractor has been running smoothly and is on schedule to be completed by the end of May 2019. • Quiet Waters Park Cabins – The permit for the project is still under review, but the contractor is ready to start as soon as the permit is issued by the Building Department. • Deerfield Island Park Boardwalk Renovation – The contractor for the project, Lambert Bros., Inc. has been onboarded. They are buying equipment to make the project go smoother. • Everglades Holiday Park – Permits are still pending approval from federal, state, and local agencies, but it is getting closer to the end of review. Upon approval in, hopefully, less than two months, the plans will be issued to four prequalified contractors. Construction activities are set to start by the end of the year. • Miramar Pineland Nature Center – The design for this project is complete. Construction documents have been submitted for pre-bid permit review. Within the next month, Purchasing will advertise the project for bid. • Shooster Preserve Natural Area Improvements – A contractor is in place for this project, but the work is going to be done in the wetlands, which means construction will have to be done in a such a way that avoids destroying the natural features within the park. Physical construction is set to start in the next few weeks. • Snake Warrior’s Island Improvements – The preliminary design was submitted to the City of Miramar for development and committee review and has been approved. The final design is currently being drafted, and construction is set to start before the end of 2019. • North Tradewinds Park Project – The project has been divided into three phases: 1) designing underground utilities, 2) designing roadway and parking facilities, and 3) all architectural and building components. The first two phases are under design; construction is expected to start by the end of the year. The team for this project is working with the Purchasing Division to advertise for certification of the architectural firm for phase three. If all goes according to plan, construction will start in 2020. • Anne Kolb Nature Center Exhibit and Aquarium Project – The RFP for the exhibit was advertised and three bids were received. The Purchasing Division is now reviewing them to make sure they meet the requirements. The auditorium needs additional design features that the consultant is working on.

Parks Foundation Update: Cyndy Baker, Manager, Communications and Public Outreach Group, reported that the Parks Foundation has been very active. Thomas Oats, a corporate and real estate lawyer, was announced as the newest member of the Parks Foundation. On March 2, 2019, the Foundation hosted the Third Annual Family Fun Day at Tradewinds Park. The event features hay rides and a car show. The same day, Butterfly World on the south side of the park had an anniversary special that discounted their regular admission prices. Also, there was a large soccer tournament in another area of the park that same day. Mr. West commented that Tradewinds Park welcomed around 13,000 people on the day these three events were held.

The Parks Foundation received $5,000 from Florida Power and Light that is going toward a gopher tortoise habitat preservation project on Deerfield Island. A contractor will soon be selected to remove the invasive species there, which will make room for a crew of individuals to come in and plant native species. Parks also received was a $1,300 grant from the National Recreation and Park Association which is going to be used for further development of senior programming at the neighborhood parks in the Broward Municipal Services District.

Another matter the Parks Foundation has been involved in is coordinating an event with the Florida Youth Orchestra, a group that has been to Carnegie Hall twice. Parks staff, Foundation members, the director of the Cultural Division, and a few individuals from the Florida Youth Orchestra did a site visit at a few of the parks and decided that Plantation Heritage Park would be the best location for an event in February 2020. Mr. West noted that the Parks Foundations is looking for one or several large companies to sponsor and get involved in this Parks Advisory Board Minutes – March 7, 2019 Page 4 event. They are trying to involve people from different parts of the county that love parks and can contribute in various ways. The symphony will allow the public to experience something special at a reasonable price and to bring friends and families outdoors in a unique environment.

Ms. Baker also mentioned that the Communications and Public Outreach Group is fairly active on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Recently, staff uploaded an educational video about the prescribed burn at Fern Forest Nature Center. The video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7wCq_frP2I.

Parks and Recreation Division Update: Mr. West began by explaining that the Parks and Recreation Division focuses on its three major fundamental missions: Recreation, Preservation and Education. This will make the agency increasingly successful. As Parks is a branch of Broward County government, it cannot compete like a private business, nor does it seek to because revenue is not a focal point. If the agency is shaped to be as efficient as possible, Parks will create revenue, as shown from the 80% increase in revenue since 2010. Nonetheless, revenue is the component that enables the parks to provide the services they do. This includes being open every day in a calendar year, excluding Christmas day. During the recession, the parks were only open 300 days out of the year. Since then, attendance has skyrocketed over 200%.

Another component of the division’s success is assuming management at Everglades Holiday Park. With Bridges Enterprises as the concessionaire, operation of the airboat attraction brings in a large percentage of the annual revenue. These funds are used for capital improvements, such as the $2.7 million bridge project at the park that is being completed with the help of the South Florida Water Management District. Everglades Holiday Park houses the best gateway to the Everglades in South Florida.

Over the next couple of years, Parks will be focusing on revenue sustainability, outreach, awareness and especially safety services. While a large increase in attendance has been beneficial for the parks, it has also made them more vulnerable. To make the parks safer for their customers, Parks is going to increase the physical presence of law enforcement and invest in technology designed for keeping people safe.

Parks is also working on replacing equipment and renovating facilities. However, these endeavors can be costly. For example, a new water slide for Paradise Cove, C.B. Smith’s waterpark, costs approximately $4 million. Parks staff currently uses software such as Kronos, PeopleSoft, and RecTrac to perform internal processes and daily activities more efficiently. Over the next couple of years, Parks staff is going to discuss enhancing these processes by incorporating and introducing new systems like AIM and Enterprise Resource Planning. The last areas that will be examined revolve around employee growth. Parks is going to be asking for more funds to go into developing staff, their skillsets and their careers.

Parks will hold one more meeting to negotiate the price and scope of services for a consultant to prepare a comprehensive system-wide master plan. This will enable the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division to meet a new requirement for accreditation. Parks will also apply for the National Gold Medal Award, a process that will take a few years.

New Business: None.

Old Business: None.

Public Comment: None.

Adjournment: MOTION was made to adjourn the meeting by Chair Danger, seconded by Vice-Chair Mulieri, and approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

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Public Forum: The Public Forum was called to order at 7:00 p.m.; a quorum was present. As there were no members of the public who wished to speak, the Public Forum was adjourned at 7:01 p.m.

Next Meeting: The next meeting will be held at Tree Tops Park in Davie on May 3, 2019, 7:30 a.m.