Loading...
Minutes 04-27-26MINUTES OF THE RECREATION AND PARKS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD ON APRIL 27, 2026, AT 6:00 P.M. IN CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL 100 E OCEAN AVENUE, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Dr Phyliss Pacilli, Chair Dr. Tiffany North Barry Doctor Matt Wojciechowski ABSENT: Thomas Devlin Alison Pandev "Jay" Pastorius 1. Call to Order Fabien Desrouleaux, Assistant Director, Recreation and Cultural Services Dawson Danois, Recreation Manager Dr. Pacilli sat as Chair and called the meeting to order at 6:01 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 3. Roll Call Roll call was taken with the above members noted as present. 4. Agenda Approval Motion Mr. Doctor moved to approve the agenda. Mr. Wojciechowski seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 5. Approval of Minutes a. February 23, 2026 Motion Mr. Wojciechowski moved to approve the minutes. Mr. Doctor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 6. Unfinished Business a. City Website Updates Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 27, 2026 Fabien Desrouleaux, Assistant Director, Recreation and Cultural Services, advised Justin Johnson was out and that Mr. Johnson was working to get the new programming information online and modernized. He commented that the links will lead directly to registration page and facilities registration will be more user friendly and public facing, allowing users to see the availability of the various facilities. He commented this should be completed by the end of summer and that there will be a link to Recreation and Parks on the main website page, which can be accessed via the City app as well. 7. New Business a. Project Updates i. Beach Renourishment Project Dr Pacilli stated she was out there recently and it looks great. Mr. Desrouleaux said they are beginning demobilization this week and the project is concluding. He said staff is in talks with the County for obtaining a shell deposit, and they are working out legal and insurance issues. He noted the shell issue arose during dredging and shelling was quite popular. He advised that this will be updated on the website, social media and on site. Mr. Desrouleaux said they were looking into access live cams to view the beach and what the surf looks like and there will be cameras in the upper and lower parking lots. Dr Pacilli noted she did not see a public phone. She said she saw someone that locked their phone in their car, so they couldn't call an Uber or locksmith. She thought some type of phone or emergency phone should be available. She said that there is as ranger there from 5 AM to 10 PM, seven days a week. She suggested putting a sign up advising them to contact a ranger. Dr. North loved the idea and added that sometimes they have an emergency call box, but it may be an option. Dr Pacilli agreed they should have a blue box. Mr. Wojciechowski requested the camera views include the bike racks. Wilson Field Maintenance Closure Mr. Desrouleaux announced closing the field should start this week to allow the grass to rest and recover. He noted that this is the athletic field next to the Sims Center and it is fenced off. iii. Pence Field Maintenance Closure 2 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 27, 2026 Mr. Desrouleaux said the field at Pence Park was slated to close May 1St, but supplies they needed came early and they had no rentals, so the park was closed down a week and a half ago. He added they will incorporate field restoration periods into the annual plan, and stated that they never closed any of the fields to allow the grass to recover. He advised this would be done about twice a year after the busy periods. b. Esports Program- Carolyn Sims Mr. Desrouleaux said this will be at the sims center in the upstairs computer lab. He said it is at PB Lakes High School, Keiser University and FAU. He said it is a huge success at all of those location and the HS has a wait list and the program grew from one classroom to an entire wing. He said kids are getting scholarships, NIL funds, getting paid for it, and have paid tournaments. He said they are excited about some of the spin-off programs. The person handling this program will teach esports and teach them behind the scenes matters such as coding, graphic design the social networking side, game development and additional skills, which is the focus of the program. It gets kids off the streets and inside the building as they learn a trade. He said Ms. Washington is trying to obtain grand funds as it is an expensive venture. He anticipated this program would start in late summer or early fall, and the fees will be based on how much grant funds they receive. He said it will advertise the program on social media He said they will have an open house and they offer an introductory clinic, and have demonstrations at an open house. They will start middle school students for grass roots and then high school for the competitive levels. Mr. Doctor asked about security. Mr. Desrouleaux said the equipment will be locked up every evening and they are looking into getting IT crates and lock them in locked rooms. Dr. North asked if there is additional information about the program. It was pointed out Esports is a competitive video gaming and students work in leagues. Dr. Pacilli noted she researched an esport tournament and one student won $1 M. c. Recreation and Parks Budget Discussion Mr. Desrouleaux introduced "Reggie" and stated he is the department's new Recreation Manager. He commented facility supervisors will report to him, he is training with Mary DeGraffenreidt, and he will report to Ms. Washington. He commented they had a budget meeting and tare looking at a flat budget going into next year. He said they reallocated funds to cover upcoming additional expenses and the department should be in good shape, even from a staffing perspective. They are looking for partnership opportunities, especially for sports and special events. He commented that he expects things to look the same and does not expect much growth. 3 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 27, 2026 Dr. Pacilli commented for Old Business they had spoke about signage in parks and about labelling vegetation. Mr. Desrouleaux said he did not have an update and will follow up with Ms. Washington. Dr Pacilli suggested starting with one park and working with Mounts Botanicals. She noted they have a lot of walking trails and that she visited the Secret Garden who had it and it was great. She noted they also had scavenger hunts. Dr North also suggested using the Boynton Beach Garden Club. Dr Pacilli said they can, but she understood that Mounts Botanical Gardens has grant funds. d. Chair and Vice Chair discussion/vote Dr. Pacilli suggested they not vote on Vice Chair because Ms. Pandev is the Vice Chair and they should just vote for Chair. She said that she would be interested in serving as Chair and no one else was interested. Motion. Dr North nominated Dr Pacilli as Chair of the Boynton Beach Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. Mr. Doctor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 8. Public Audience None. Mr. Dawson Danois a/k/a "Reggie" stated he has lived in Boynton Beach 38 years and attended school here. He stated he was previously with West Palm Beach for 17 years, starting as a camp counsellor, and he worked his way up. He commented that he saw an opportunity to come to Boynton Beach. Dr. Pacilli welcomed him. Dr. North said she has been a resident of the City for more than 20 years, and her background is in special education. She provides full cycle grant consulting services and was a prior member of the Education and Youth Advisory Board, serving as a prior Chair. Mr. Doctor commented there is a neighborhood park he frequently drives by and no one ever uses it. He wondered if it needed marketing. Dr Pacilli noted it is used during certain hours. Mr. Desrouleaux said Justin Johnson is starting to highlight parks and noted that there are 31 parks, which is a lot and that people do not know about half of them. He explained that 4 Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 27, 2026 they added a listing of all the parks and their amenities in the Boynton Connect Magazine. Dr. Pacilli asked if staff considered interactive exercise equipment. She said people like it a lot. She said exercise routines could be done while walking through the parks. Mr. Desrouleaux said he thought it would be popular. It was important to program spaces as much as possible. He also announced upcoming events before next meeting, such as Tiny Tites Flag Football at the Hester Center on May 5th, from to introduce children ages 3 to 5 to the basics of football. He mentioned the Mother's Day Luncheon at the Intracoastal Park Clubhouse this Saturday May 2nd from 11 AM to 1 PM and the theme is Twinning. The cost is $20 for residents and $25 for non-residents. He said staff hoped attendees came in matching outfits and ADA accommodations are available for anyone that may need them. He mentioned that the Luncheon is usually quite successful and a suggestion was made to post the information on the front page of the website. Mr. Desrouleaux said they are getting a proper weather station and service at the Hester Center. He pointed out that they will have a lightening siren, and the firm they are using, Perry Weather, offers custom notifications. He noted that this system is more user-friendly, cost effective, and they will have more control, He advised that this will be a pilot program and pointed out that it provides the City with an on-call meteorologist so they can get a more in-depth reports than Google or Apple Weather provides. He said if it works, it can be used at other locations such as the Little League and Barrier Free Parks. He noted that the warning system will alert when sensing lightning within 10 miles, providing the public plenty of time. 9. Items for the City Manager's Attention None. 10. Future Agenda Items Mr. Wojciechowski commented on a follow up about Tree Program in the City, which was Community Greening and in two weeks, they delivered two trees to his front yard. He said it was a great program. Chair Pacilli thought they should follow up with the program and it could be an opportunity with open house, to have Community Greening there. Mr. Wojciechowski also noted that the City has free rain barrels through the Utility Department. Dr. Pacilli suggested if the City is planning a large open house for Esports, they could have people present for the Tree Program and rain barrels. Have a program and do something once a month. Meeting Minutes Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 27, 2026 11. Next Meeting Mr. Desrouleaux noted the next meeting conflicts with Memorial Day. After brief discussion, the Board decided to meet on Monday, May 18th, with the backup day as May 27tH Motion Mr. Wojciechowski made a motion to move the next meeting from May 25th to May 181h. Mr. Doctor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 12. Adjournment Motion Mr. Doctor moved to adjourn. Mr. Wojciechowski seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 6:46 PM _ r Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist N