12.6.2023 Park Board

okay we're ready regular meeting of the Park Board of Park Commissioners agenda in order of business Wednesday December 6 2023 this meeting will be held at in the council hearing room beginning at 5:30 p.m.

citizen input must been submitted by email to the parkboard at Fall River ma.gov by noon 12623 meeting will be available in reviewing at for of government TV Fred tv. and channel 18 um in attendance is uh recording this meeting is for of a government television correig Salvador reading over the open meeting law pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make any audio or video

recording of this public meeting or may transmit this meeting through any medium attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible right rule call Commissioners BJ McDonald Amber Burns Victor farius Helen Regal Joseph the Sila citizen input was there in a citizen input does anybody have for

citizen input acceptance of the minutes from November 1st 2023 regular Park board meeting motion to accept motion by accept by commissioner Rigo dri a second second by commissioner farious all in favor say I I I new business item a request from Joe Marshall removing the old V Vietnam Wall sign located at the bottom of President Avenue entrance to the park and replacing them with new more upto-date

signage inside our packet there's a new sign I believe it's being uh constructed by Diamond that's a I know that one black white but this is the color version looks nice I make a motion to oh anyone second commissioner Burns made that motion seconded by commissioner Regal all in favor say I I I Item B Tree on Lawrence Street are lifting sidewalks and damaging the curbing in streets uh so there's pictures in here show

you these trees are like totally true I know trip has it in everything so we're looking at removal right motion to make a motion to cut down the trees well I think we should have someone investigate to make like do we normally have somebody go to make sure already pictures that you see the sidewalks that the tree is growing right out into the street it's lifting the asphalt I mean I think um it's something

that we're not going to be able to do now we're going to have to do it in the spring but they figured at least if they got the permission from the board now if they had an opportunity to be able to remove those trees at some point um they would be able to take them down so would be removal would we be putting a new one in place or is it just take I think that

they're open to that but that has to be a specific kind of tree these trees were put in some time ago when those trees were not specifically made for sidewalks so I think with the with the tree um company and the the arist and all that converging together they're going to come up with a species of tree that's not going to grow like this okay years ago the trees that were planted there

they put the cement around it yeah but now they don't put the cement around trees when they plant a tree no yeah I'm not sure they'll put as many trees back they may space out the trees more but they a lot of people fall I was going to say it doesn't make a difference to me whether they put it back I just know most of the time they have to come back

to the board for a second so I just want to make sure we making the correct motion so that they don't have to come back to us no the board can make the motion because it's so obviously damaged it that they don't have to come back and uh I know Mr Marts is here from uh the director of the cemetery and tree division uh and I know he'll work with

um uh Darren Darren from the DCM who does the sidewalk crew and everything so they'll end up fixing that all back in this morning how many is it how many trees are there that need to come down I want to say there's three or four because it goes up the street I think four I think I believe there's four three so then you have to redo that whole sidewalk it's a decent stretch of

of sidewalk if you g down on North Main Street back North right where Sher is DCM workers are the ones that have been doing okay 10 to 10 to 15,000 by the time they remove the trees and but that's something that they DCM Handles in house yeah they'd fix the whole thing the tree company whether we remove the trees or whether the tree company remove the trees they may be removed by a tree

company it may be a contract Al together but then DCM would probably be the ones to put back the sidewalk y um all right do I have a motion a motion to cut down the trees second commissioner Rego made that motion seconded by commissioner farious all in favor say I I can we also add I I don't know how everyone else feels I don't mind if we don't put trees

back so we don't have to deal with this in the future so if that's something that like they determine that it's not a good location for trees trees you can modify the motion modif that you modify that yes okay so it's not we don't we may not necessarily put trees back or there's not a specific request for it okay Victor was the second yes commissioner Rego second by commissioner Faris all all the favorite live

hi and commissioner Burns made the uh the amendment Amendment well she she can suggest the amendment yeah but to amend her motion Y and Helen aged to amend the motion and Victor second it again okay we're also okay item C request from marck Conrad request to improve improvements at Griffin Park Fort Street uh um that I have two things I'll let anybody else to speak but uh my thing

is I don't mind the dog dispensers the outlets I do have a problem with the outlets because who's going to you know are we're going to leave these outlets on we're going to be going there to turn them on and that and then yeah the general Public's using electricity off the city yeah know I was going to say the out was Cars vacuum cars no and like anything else when we do

have events there y we have everybody else got a generator I was say yeah we've always needed generators the only alter you know we can look into it is if there is an actual cabinet of an electrical cabinet there sometimes we can put a breaker and it shuts that power off but you do still deal with the vandalism whatever so if the board is would rather not go that route at least

we just say it's not some we don't entertain other you know at other locations we have had problems like Joey said um the dog dispenser is not an issue I can put that there without an issue okay there was one there they just it was fell over yeah so okay I guess my only thing on the on the power is is it is it shortsighted to not look into securing something like I agree that it

shouldn't just be a free-for-all but is it a bigger conversation like in instead of just an outlet that we're thinking do we need something down there so basically I can look into if there is a an electrical cabinet and if you put the electrical cabinet something that could be they could use it for an event right but they wouldn't be able to use it hairy Cary so to speak so I can but it's

obvious that that's going to cost money and you know it's a much bigger deal than something small but to just I don't know not that just to push it aside and say no we can't do it is that option maybe you know I can see if there's something available like there may be a cabinet there nearby or something for a telephone or whatever and it can house

that plug I I can look into it so if you want to say yes on the dog dispenser and as for the electrical outlet we will look a little bit further into it and this board can entertain it if there's an area that we can cuz I would think there would probably be some other um well in specifics as far as like how much electricity is coming in and how much you need for different right things

and all of that like so no they normally need just a plug yeah okay you know an outlet for most for most of the events that they have at a park and as I said we can say right now we're not going to approve it but the board I can look into that situation for the board and I can speak with Mr Conrad as well okay so if you want you want to leave it like that

that's fine too and I think in the if we do go down that route I also think we need to talk about the difference between someone getting a permit for the park and then getting a permit for the park plus the electricity there yes okay yes we do have a fee for using our Elric gotcha okay yeah cuz like like for instance you you guys have been associated with bigger events that Kennedy and

everything Kennedy there is a big one for the fees in that building that's secured in there but that's a big event like that I was going to say we always use and they pay for it and everything else most of these other smaller events and have generators they're generators and they're grounded to the ground you know um all right so I make a motion that we fix the dog bag dispensers and

that we investigate potential future um electrical outlet all right uh that uh motion was made by commissioner Burns do I have a second second by commissioner rioo all in favor say I I item D is a thank you letter from Maplewood neighborhood association for allowing the tree plant in memory of Ron svy uh I know when we uh first uh approved this last month was it last month or October uh last month last

month I think yeah it was last month uh they wanted to do a maple but then Mr Smith and Mr Mountain work with them because uh putting a maple back up in Maplewood would be just we took down Maples and everything so a 40 foot tree it it would have been a 40 foot tree behind the thing so after grow so they recommended a smaller species of tree and they were fine with that and they've

already PL it's already been planted right yes thank you place this on file place this on file second commissioner far made that motion seconded by commissioner burn all in favor say I I item e address Cemetery regulations veterans flags and slm is on grave sites so I know the by speaking to the veterans officer U Michelle ham um and then uh Mr demid who is uh the wall counil chairman the president and uh

Miss Smith Miss Martin everything from the C everybody's in favor of this um to put these flags up one week prior to Memorial Day yes like they normally go up and take them down a week after Veterans Day the national cemeteries is are not do this because then our Manpower they're getting all baded they rip the in the snow they're laying all over the ground and then our guys are

trying to like Huff through the snow and everything to try to pick up these flags and that so I think we just stay if we stay with the national cemeteries and everything it'll be the same thing everybody's in favor I have no issue with that follow their lead if that's uh what they think I mean everybody's in agreement I'll make a motion to approve second commission uh McDonald made that motion

seconded by commission Oro all in favor say

I item F requests from requests an update on stead mural Kennedy Park Garage Rafford Avenue I'm not sure if you guys have uh I've had uh Miss Smith reach out to them and they sent us this letter uh because I know they originally wanted to do this back way back in the spring and then it kept getting push back push back push back they did do at least 85% of this there's just a few

more details in the one main picture of Olstead there was some health issues and everything so what I talked to them was they want to see if they can come back in the spring of do this and put the sign up there saying anticipation uh with the QR code that this will be completed the spring of 2004 so people will know but I did ask Miss Smith to let them know that uh I wanted the

staging and everything out of there for the winter that they need to get that out if for safety wise yeah I don't see a problem with that okay other than that the mural is coming out nice they also asked for a letter Joey just because yeah a letter support for what they've done so if the board has no objection to giving them a letter stating that they are going to complete

it in the spring they have our permission it's in the last paragraph of that she just wants Mrs Smith will get that address uh drawn up and then I'll I'll go by and sign it for her okay make a motion that motion to approve hey motion to approve by commissioner Rigo seconded by commissioner faras all in favor say I I thank you item G lift from the table I make a to oh

sorry go ahead I make a motion to lift from the table second it making a motion to lift from the table second by commissioner rioo uh commissioner far uh commissioner Burns made the motion second by commissioner faras to lift off from the table uh Al Al Vera director of City operations to appear before the board update status of Park projects Oliver all right so go back from last month's meeting minutes

so good good afternoon good evening uh so the first one is the fireworks for 2024 contract renewal good evening board Commissioners um I just had a meeting with the mayor this morning and he mentioned that that was already completed yes I completed that I moved it Forward okay all right item two Father Kelly Ball Park Ballfield lights architect bid specs so I met with u Mr um Jack Hackett um

this is a May uh 2022 CPA project it's a $400,000 project it was approved uh it's to install four new light poles lights netting and scoreboard um several months ago we uh after I started I uh put out an RF uh Q for qualified Architects we hired five Architects uh and the reason why I se Stark was one of the selected uh Architects the reason why I hired AR Stark again was simply because they had

completed the Kennedy Park lights so it was typical somewhat of a typical project do you mean the Maplewood the maple wood I'm sorry no problem no problem what did I say Kennedy Maplewood no problem they just had completed they pretty much have the uh the template all set up so that um that is all set it's signed it's in process right now and we're working to try to get the specifications ready uh and completed

after the new year is there's a time constraint on that right that's a June 24 okay yes okay is is it is it projected to be completed by then it should be completed by then abolutely I didn't know if they had like I didn't know when their exact start date was but just and that's what I'm working with Mr hacket about just trying to figure out what the his schedules are um but we

have to get this project out of the way I was going to say with with Jack if there's any hang up with his schedules like there shouldn't be a schedule if this isn't completed if I'm being I mean I don't know if everyone else agrees with that we need to get it done so his Jack would be open to that too right like if he's got to take take some time

off I mean he he comes in here all the time so I would think it would be a priority of his I would think to get it done and we can f and I'm hoping we can phase that through so that's what we're working on that and I mean starkk has the template so we should be able to work through that okay yeah cuz I know I'm I'm getting a lot

of I know a lot of the guys that are in that league and they keep coming to us thinking that we are holding it up and I'm like no pacbo is not holding up we're waiting and we're going to have Mr Oliver in front of us tonight to get some answers and everything because I know this letter was from Mr hacket uh dated back on uh September 29th uh that he had met with you to go

over the project in that and he said you will be meeting with your committee um what committee is that cuz we've never met with you about this I don't know what what he was referring to but um I told him that I once I received any more information that I would get back in touch with him okay okay all right so at this point there's a there's a there's a plan there's an architect they

have it all so it's just a matter of getting them out there to do it they're putting all the they putting copy oh we don't have a copy of that I don't have a copy of what of like what their their project their process and so Mr hacket emailed that to me I can share that with you that was from the that was from uh CPA no but when you meet with did you

meet with Stark did they give you their proposed plan proposal I signed it yeah okay is there a I guess do we have that did the can we can we get a copy of that and then also if they have any projected dates I don't know if that's even a topic of dis I'm hoping it's a topic of discussion but um if there are any mention dates to also include that just

so that we know when that would be typical of The Proposal though right of when they're going to start if is that like so once it's signed they start they initiate it so he he's going to get back in touch I'll I'll have to get some dates from him okay he knows he knows the time slots that we're working on okay the other thing I wanted to bring

up too is uh Mr Oliver you just said you signed a proposal on that couple of things has been troubling me is prior to you coming AB board and everything and throughout the years in that this board it's either myself and two other Commissioners have signed contracts proposals everything I'm seeing you're signing stuff Mr D me signing stuff I'm signing stuff there should only be this board signing stuff

that's been for years like that that way this board knows everything transparency what's going on we don't want anything being signed without this knowledge of this board okay I'll pass that over to the city administrator to make sure that and right here just to give you some clar in case you don't know the park Bard commissioner shall have the ex exercise all the powers and duties conferred by

the law upon Board of Park Commissioners in the cities and also this is our powers of Duties uh agenda 54 and 53 of Mass General law it's right here and then Port of Comm uh General 54 and 55 control of recreational facilities cemeteries trees shrubs uh and public ways the border of Park commissioner shall have charge of maintenance control and regulations of the use of recreational facilities parks and

playgrounds and cemeteries together with all buildings and fixtures containing therein in addition to all trees shrubs grass and Public Waste and mediums cuz I know part of emails and everything getting back you were concerned about getting keys to the buildings and that I think if there's and the department of facilities and everything we have our guys Miss Smith if there was a problem Mr the Dem or Ron caser and

everything from Parks or Chris and Foreman of the cemeteries and I they can get them into any buildings I don't think the reason why we do it to leagues and everything we have the stamp process what keys are getting assigned and everything so that way we have control of that and this it goes through the spood so I'm just going to clarify something right now uh when I was hired

I was hired as the Op City operations person that oversees dcms Parks cemeteries trees so under my under my regime I want to make sure that I have I have some control over the buildings what you're telling me today is that the park board does not want me to have access into any of those keys or buildings is that what you're telling me today I wouldn't I mean I wouldn't say

that I just think that there are I think in in my eyes yes you you could have access however if it's like if you need to get into something there are multiple people with those keys is that what you're saying that they can let him in yes I mean are there a lot of key like I feel like that's but I am the director I am the director of all these departments

and you're telling me that I can't have control over that that's what I want to find out right now because if that's the case facilities repairs things uh we oversee all the buildings we oversee just about everything with I need access so I have to refer to someone that works for me to get access to that I've never seen that in in my history of working uh and I've been in facilities and I've

been in engineering for many years that's never been the situation but if you're telling me that's what it is today then we'll take that yeah My My My Philosophy is why cannot facilities contact any of the supervisors or anything of that building well I am I am the decide I am the director so that's what I'm trying to get at if I can't have the keys why should my subordinates have keys well I

guess the question that I don't the disconnect that I don't get from all of this would be the people that are in there every day should have the keys whether that's you or the uh the employees that are you know call it boots on the ground that are going in and out of these buildings I would imagine as the Director you're not coming in and out of the buildings every

day so you I would say you should have keys but I would think that the people that need to get in and out of them on a regular basis should also have keys and there should be a way to kind of log who has them coming I have a box with a combination in my office with Cemetery Keys now DCM Keys now facilities now the only ones I don't have have a Parks so

that's what that's what we're we're referring to I have that box up closed and when I need to go into that I will without having to ask permission for him anyway I I think the only thing is that's different is with all them other buildings well cemeteries too them buildings fall under R jurisdictions by Mass General law I guess I guess my question is so when he's saying part Keys is this

like Kennedy Park has like he has his his storage um the guy what's the guy's name the baseball guy Ken Park Jack so no no not Jack um John so is he saying he wants the keys to his thing I think he wants keys to every building we don't have keys to those those people have their own Keys what we have done is they have had keys on an as if okay the Plumb

is coming today we'll give you the key here's the key whatever come back what that's what we have done because that allows us and this people that have been on this board for a while know that we have had issues with buildings being left open things not being H so the board had decided at that point that this would be done on an ads needed basis Mr olera is not in and out of our

buildings on a daily basis he's that department is in and out of our buildings to winterized buildings to but to say that it's I would bet that facilities has not been in and out of our buildings other than to winterize something or to do something they've never been in for emergency they've never been in for whatever so which buildings are we can we just call out a building like what like at like your

office or are we talking about like a random Closet in on Kennedy Park everything garages bathroom buildings compensation the thousands and thousands of keys that we may have yes so what has been done is because things were left open and as an example I just said the other day we winterized britland Park when you're done my foreman said his Foreman when you're done with the building of

winterizing it please let us know so we can go back and make sure the building is secure I did not know that the the job was done I went myself and I saw the plumbing things on the toilet on the sink whatever so I knew it was done but we were not notified that it was done that's why we used to say here's the key return the key back to us because when

that key came back to us we were 100% sure the job was done and we went and secured it that's how this is operated if the board wants to change that that's entirely I guess my question is what do you and this not to sound disrespectful but like what do you need the keys for like is there something specifically that has happened come up that you needed a key and you could couldn't get

it no I mean we we we I've always generally had keys for everything that I've overseen right that's that's really what it's just it's just a way of me managing my departments that's how that's how I've always done that I've always had access if somebody has has a request for a key I have the final one so I can get just about every into access into everyone okay so I guess my

only I understand what you're saying and maybe if there's like a master key or whatever however if someone needed access access to something are they directly contacting you probably not right if someone can't find a key everyone comes to me if they can't find a key if they can't find a key okay I guess I guess my only question is I feel like if like and this is just me because I'm obviously I've worked I've had

events and stuff if I can't if I need something it's I'm contacting Nancy or I'm contacting someone in the Park's department so that's the only reason why in my head I'm like if no one's contacting you for these keys do I think that you should have some sort of master key yes however do I think you should be handing out keys for the parks department no we don't have a master key

okay then I have I don't know yeah I don't I don't I don't duplicate anything that so but that's so in my head if someone's like hey I need a key to this I don't think that you should be the one handing out the keys either I think the key should only be if you need to physically get into somewhere but if someone needs a key to access something I don't think that they should be

getting a key from you period cuz then if that's the key you have you give it to them you don't know what happens to it it ends up or they leave it open like Nancy had said I think if you need a key for your own purposes like if you physically need to go in there by yourself not for a particular job then yes you should have a key but if it's

because someone needs to do a job there they should not be getting the key from you because then it's on you to track that God forbid something happens then now an Nancy was going to have to answer to it or or someone else in fmer or an outside electrician or whatever because most of the work is with someone from outside coming in so I don't know I I always said if this Department

was made up and plus I have Union Personnel if his people are going to go in for an emergency I'm going to have a union issue because it's going to be an outside person but but I listen I just I'm not going to get into the middle of this the point of it all is there has been no situation where they have asked for entrance into a building and we're not able to get

in plumbers electrician plumbers come in tomorrow okay here's the key just get it back to us when he's done now I don't know whether they're handing the key to the plumber whether someone is accompanying that plumber into the building I have no idea not my concern besides the fact that if it comes back I know it's complete yeah that's how because we have multiple buildings used by leagues organizations and I don't

have keys to those buildings MH I don't have keys to those buildings I don't think that you're wrong about saying you're the director you should have the keys but I also think no one should be asking you for a key so I think if something was to arise I think someone would need to contact someone from the parks department unless you're physically going to sit there with them the entire time while you're

allowing them access just I don't know who these people are but if if that is the case then I think I think you would have to be there the whole time to ensure all of that mind you I was the Director of Finance for the Housing Authority there were certain keys I didn't have and I had no problem with it because I trusted the people underneath me and that was on

them that's your job to make sure everything there goes according to plan you call it a day mind you if they're out then yes they give me the keys and I'm handling it while they're out but other than that that's your job so I don't have an answer to this do I think you're wrong no but do I think you should be handing out keys to other people if they need access no oh I've

never handed out a key that would be for my use I can I can tell you that but if the board's the board's already talked about that they've made their decision that's fine yeah this has been going by PRI boards it's been late with all due respect I don't I don't like to do what has been done in the past commissioner what I like to do is assess each situation and make sure that the

situation fits the right the right outcome that's that's I don't believe in in just this is what we've been doing for the rest of our lives like I said if something pops up like you I don't know a I don't know what these buildings look like I don't know what happens at these buildings I'm I don't know a scario in which you have to go in there yourself as the Director I don't um if that if

something happens and you're like hey I needed this and I couldn't get to it then we could revisit I don't really know but I don't know if there's ever going to be a time where you physically can't get access to something if you truly needed it um correct I I I I'm I'm the mindset that I like belts and suspenders something happens to Miss Smith something happens to the foreman

there I'm the there is no other there is no other keys hanging out there so that I'm being the director that I would have to to change those locks that's what I would have to do if there was no access for those I think the only way nany's leaving here is in a pine box but well she could hit the lottery know I mean true at the end of the day that's that's

the way I see it yeah but um okay but the board spoken I got it y okay speaking of that though uh talking about weather rization looking at the emails and everything that were going back and forth uh that we asked for uh you said you don't like to go by history of years stuff going on so you're telling me in your words that you do not recommend that we have to do what we probably was

doing for weatherization that on these buildings can you rephrase that I think that's Case by case can you rephrase that pad that's the splash pad the splash pad so can you just expound on what you're referring to so I will tell you this that when I was here 10 years ago mhm 12 years years ago I wrote I wrote the preventive maintenance plans for for all the buildings that's what I do that's what I

that's what I've been educated in that's my experience uh I have put uh preventive maintenance plans for winterization of all our buildings whether it's Comfort stations whether it's it's other buildings so as far as working on on winterization I've done that for many years so if you have a question and concern about that I can expound on that but I understand what winter ation of a of a of a building is or site all

right that email that you have and you were that you had been copied on is simply that if the and this was going back to the board if the procedure was going to change all I wanted was this is unnecessary it doesn't need to be done done that's it so the board could be presented the change has happened we're no longer going to do this particular procedure this is what's going to happen

that email Exchange took place simply for me to get that in writing so that we would all have the documentation that if anything down the road happened this was what we did this was the change in the landscape done that's all that email exchange was about has have have all Splash B been winterized Smith SM they've all been winterized we contacted the same the only issue that we had with the splash

pad was the city plumber or the plumber that is provided by the city did not show up on that day so whether that plumber went and inspected everything that the the company did I don't know that that's why I was asking Mr alera everything beened according to whatever on the day the gentleman came from the company the plumber did not come on the same day they he didn't show up so and that's something that the

board is aware of as well he just happened not to show up that day so we had the the individual the water department come from and just shut it in the street so we could continue to do what we had to do as far as the splash pad was concerned and if there was any additional things that had to be done by the plumber he wasn't there that morning

he would have to do it eventually I just wanted to make sure the plumber went back checked everything that he needed to check and we were good to go the gentleman that does the splash pad doesn't necessarily have to look at any of the other yeah um irrigations any of that he simply winterizes The Flash Pad I am assuming that the water comes through the same pipes but I'm not a plumber

that's why the plumber I was just asking has this plumber gone out has this been inspected are we good to go have you received that email like whether whether it's a yes or a no um yesterday I received um something that I asked that I I can follow the board well no I don't need it I'm just saying do you know right now whether or not a plumber has inspected

ask no no no I need to know if you have been informed have you been informed that if a plumber has gone and inspected yes or no I have not been informed if he went inspected but I was told that I should read up on mization okay so Mr alera have you received word from a plumber under your regime that the winterization has been inspected and is okay it has and I did

and I did inform Miss Smith so so what I will what I will say here is there are there are certain there are certain uh Human Resources issues that we're going through right now that I'm not able to say I don't want to know any of abely just and I'm not in that position to expound on that's all I need and every time I have a and every time I get a

question related to that uh incident that we have going on I will tell you the same thing okay yep um that's above my pay grade I just needed to know do you know that the plumber has gone and you are is good to go we are fully winterized we and there's there was question about should we should we have belts and suspenders and we corrected that okay that's all been there he has

yes that's what he's saying the reason why asking you these questions Mr Oliver unlike like yourself you and we represent the taxpayers absolutely and when if people are not showing up when other companies are coming down and that that's costing the taxpayer dollars more that we have to pay extra FS you're right commissioner and if jobs are not getting done we have to answer it you

can ask any of these board members we're the ones getting crucified on Facebook not any department heads and everything it's the board members are getting crucified on Facebooks social media we're getting harassed by uh constituents and everything saying why is this going on why is this going on that's why we have you here to get the answers so here's what I will tell you about that I have a plumber that's a a

vendor okay okay I don't have a plumber that's a in-house plumber okay so when that vendor is able to make it he's pulled off jobs to make sure that we take care of some emergencies I am at the liberty of a vendor for electric electricians and for plumbers okay and I have we we're trying to find electricians and plumbers for in-house we don't have that okay so I guess my only request is in the future

if you do find out like hey he got pulled for another job just notify the powers that be so that Nancy knows like hey this guy is not going to come he'll be there tomorrow we need to do X Y and Z because at the same time if we're hiring someone to come and do this we can't reschedule them because we're still going to end up needing to pay so just if everyone can just communicate

and let each other know like hey if you know something just let her know so that we can plan accordingly so that the board knows there is a um software that Mr ala has and we put the information in on the software oh okay and we did I did put it in that on such and such a date um I think I put it in on the 4th that he was coming on the 11th um the

contractor so I said please notify everyone else that needs to take part and particip at in this winterization so that we can all be there and get this done I did not hear anything okay contradictory so I assumed everybody is going to be there that's so and then it was just that day that yeah and like last minute things happen all the time emergency so I understand that all I'm saying is we we did do doil

diligence to set schedu with the outside vendor okay it was do like we just said come on tomorrow we did do diligence okay okay so we're all set on that topics next item uh $775,000 for funding from capital budget for light pool removals so just to clarify this goes back to your predecessor uh who my predecessor Mr Perry he's not my predecessor well I mean I'm sorry you're before you yes

dem's predecessor yes yeah well before Mr Dem uh so um this goes before that that we met with this why hasn't this money be put part of the capital budget and everything we talked to the mayor and everything of the safety issues with these lights coming down that we've already had a few of them fall down the city waiting for a lawsuit because it's going to cost a lot more than $75,000 if

it kill someone so commissioner we uh you're referring to the 2020 report y I started January uh 2023 okay I am working probably about 20 somewhat projects between Architects between contractors so this right here I haven't gotten to I haven't found the money it's all about finding the money and I haven't gotten to that so uh I will say that I'm going to say the next part is that um there is an HR issue that we're

working on and I can't give you was say we need to stop talking about that I feel like just answer the question and I'm not trying to be rude but like we get it all the T of purposes right there's a there's a manager of of uh parks and then there's myself I can't be the only one doing work that's all I'm trying to get it so I'm going to leave

it at that okay okay I'm not going to leave it at that I have to this is too much we're asking why it's not budgeted hold on one second this is this is what I'm going to refer she doesn't handle the budget Mr Smith no I put it in our budget it was this last council meeting yourself and Mr Akens are the ones that went to the park board went to the city council

and put the budget together correct the council hold on the council before the budget was put wanted a joint meeting with us and said they wanted more money allocated for projects and everything this now this money wasn't allocated so how is this her fault or only of this park booy's fault it's people that put the budget together you're right so I did not I did not take a uh an item out of any budget okay so

I've been I've been already talked about about you move this out of my budget I did not pull any money out of any budget so I don't know why that got pulled out I wasn't privy to that I I don't I don't have that power to pull or or or whatever without authorization and who would authorize that it would be the city council so the the CFO would probably work on something

like that and it would be so remember the 2020 wouldn't it have been in the budget in 2021 or 2022 just to clarify there was a there was a light survey done in 2020 and at that point in 2021 and 2022 and 2023 and in 2024 that money was this $75,000 well yeah it'sa not going to cut it anymore and in a matter of fact this past last week December I was asked for

an upgraded capital I once again put that in it but I upped it to 125,000 because I can't imagine that I'm going to be able to take these down my concern is if I'm not going to be able to speak for my own budget and to advocate for these types of things not to come out of my budget then how can we you know we have ax manager yeah we have a pox manager

but the pox manager puts these items in her budget I do not have privy to the city administrator I do not have privy to the CFO meetings when we're discussing these items so my opinion is of the fact that if Mr olivea is going to be the department head then he has to advocate for these kind of things not to come out of our budgets these are the things that cannot come out of our

budgets in Li of vehicles in lie of different items like this these are the items that need to go into our budget and and I've had the conversation of I can handle the day-to-day the grass cutting the park permits the whatever what I need someone above me a supervisor that supervises me to do is to advocate for these kind of projects and to to make sure people know how important they are that they cannot be pushed

aside that's where I come from I I don't want it has nothing to do with HR matters has nothing to do with I'm a manager and I have 500 projects if the money is not in the budget I cannot move a project forward so the are so is have you already met with the city council for the fy2 24 budget we have not now now so so this 2020 report right was just

brought to my attention regarding a report I knew about these polls but there was no money for that so we we're going to make sure that we have the money for that and between you and I there's there's got to be a way to St phasing those we we just don't go out and we just don't put $75,000 and to do that we can phase that with monies that we currently have now

that's all I'm trying to get so so here's the thing when I started that was one of the first things I remember because I joined in in May of 2020 this is one of the first things I voted on four almost four years later we're still here so you're not wrong yes we can phase it but at this point they need to go CU in 2020 we were told they needed

to go so yes so if they would have been faced from 2020 absolutely but now at this point we're four years in I don't even know like what they look like no I'm assuming we haven't redone the report because that's like a waste of resources but yes if we would have started in 2020 the phasing absolutely but at this point we need to just make sure it gets done because there was one

was it last year that fell and Father Kelly fell yeah so that's so you're I'm not saying you're not wrong then yes if we would have started back then absolutely phase it but for now I feel like we just need to figure out what we can do I agree and I will tell you I haven't even been here a year yet right so I'm trying to get as many things on

on on the board and trying to get designs trying to start there's been projects that have been waited for several years and I'm taking control of that I can't move a mountain in one in one day so there's a lot of work that's happening I just I just need more time and more more support to be able to do that and funds so and we' even asked this was Opa funding everything that's

when Opa was the new thing all this money was coming in perfect time to get this done yeah and yeah we're I'm not saying that anything that like you're not going to be penalized for past Discretions by any means but this is the position that you agreed to take on it is a lot trust me I know I've I've been a director in the city before it is a lot however this is where we are Welcome

to the Jungle we just got to figure it out together now believe I will tell you this I don't even have a copy of this report so what I need to do is get a copy of it I need to find out if they if they put some type of rating to it per poll in that from those ratings we can start start having those taken down yeah I was going to say that there definitely

was a rating and I'm pretty sure the 75,000 were all there were some that were like green yellow and red I think the 75 is majority of the red um no the green was it they were not defective no red was defective and I believe yellow it said was um um National WD pole yeah they but I'm saying the 75,000 was only to replace the red it didn't even wasn't even

touching they never even gave us a price what that was was I had solicited a price from a contractor and said if these polls this poll between this height and and I I I know I passed this information on I was gonna say yeah no a million oh to me um if this uh pole was 35 ft it was this much money if the pole was 50 feet it was this much money and

at the time the pricing that I got they were not going to dispose of the poles because so you yeah I remember that CU we had to be able to like cut them down the PO we were going to use them in parking lots as you know stopping like we did at the you know vehicle stop my my concern is there was no improvements put in this budget okay

not so if you could on what is today Wednesday if you could send an email you can CCS on it to uh Mr Aliva with that reporting and then if you could do your due diligence to review it and then make sure we somehow try to figure out how to get everything that's in that report that's red it's there it's not going to be green now so it's definitely still

going to be red if not I don't know what the next color is but um if we can try and make sure that that gets into the fy2 24 budget I know a physical copy was presented to that office on numerous occasions and I'm sure if it's probably somewhere in like in the past that office yes I mean and I it may even be an email copy somewhere but I have no

problem I can forward an email um copy of that I'll have to go back and my emails to 2020 because that's when the gentleman I was going to say I might still have it too via email um but yeah so that I I know you you started when January 23 January okay cuz I know you you were new to January 23rd it was the F uh February Valentine's meeting that

we were supposed to have a joint meeting and it was only myself and uh commissioner R because commissioner farious and commissioner Burns going make it at the time commissioner Sylvia was Ill so commissioner McDonald wasn't even on the board yet but I know we had to change it and that's one thing they you were there at that uh February meeting February yes when they said they asked questions and that that

they wanted this Park Board involved and what we see the outcome of these pox and that what projects we want done in that and to increase more money into Parx and that that was Council kadim Council Pereira all of them that were all so that's I think the big thing here is and then no disrespect the past is in the past we just got to figure out a path and move forward because I feel but

maybe that's the answer there was a meeting that there wasn't you know if it was only two Park Commissioners that were able to attend we have a full board this year maybe they have a full board well for a joint meeting at the time they could have a full board because they have posted it so maybe that might be also another way to advocate for some of these projects with the city council

the board can help advocate for just so the board knows in our present budget that budget had over $230,000 of improvements that budget had um I think it was this is proposed proposed 200,000 maybe 250 for a study because they wanted some kind of a study done it also had the $775,000 for the polls MH um it had a substantial amount of money that was cut from that now I'm

not saying Mr Olivera has any say of what was cut but I think when I asked him he said the CFO cut the budget because they had to balance the budget the cfo's office it wasn't just the CF cfo's office whoever whatever not individual person however that didn't help us any because we didn't have the money in our budget not a dime so yeah so if there's no money you can't do it

anyways it doesn't matter right so maybe that's the solution there was a meeting last year I'd be open to another meeting thing I'm I'm going to reach out to council repos and say now that we have complimentary of full board again I think it's time that after the New Year we have that joint meeting to discuss all these projects and all the what they want because like they said they want to

make Far River the mecca of all this all the houses and that coming in and that and the apartment they want these Parks looking good and that that we need to meet curious too is if there are any other outstanding items that this board has voted on in the past projects that haven't gone anywhere like is I don't know if there's a way to figure that out but you know this is one example but if

there are others and we're going to continue the conversation cuz then you can start to prioritize you know I would assume there's probably more than one project that this board has appr playgrounds in our budgets that been replaced that probably has gone through an approval process and all that that are ready to go where the board is ready to move it forward but there's no money

the money to move right so at that point the board should probably be able to review some of those outstanding items before any new things because I'm just thinking back to Prior meetings and we've talked about you know volleyball courts and this and that and all these different things but what about the stuff that you know has been voted on in the past and I'm even newer than you Mr

Aliva this is my fifth or sixth meeting I started in June was my first or July so to me it makes sense to look back maybe on some of that other stuff that we've looked at in the past we've paid for a study to you know analyze these lights and we had a price four years ago of 75,000 it's probably double that now to do so what else is still out there

that we should review and prioritize to say let's start with these before we start talking about any other new product tell you one thing three three Po in general Columbus abacot and britlin do the the fitness center and that three playgrounds all came down two of them ABA and uh at uh excuse me uh Columbus Columbus came down for safety concerns came down it keeps getting pushed

now easy things to that's not fair for these neighborhoods that now they can't get their playground again they have to go miles other par and that what we're putting up pickleball cours we're putting up volleyball courts and all to appease everybody else let's put the stuff back that we took down because of safety issues I when is your budget due we're working on that right now we're

working on that but so can I just make a recommendation let me review this report let me come up with a plan to make things that's what I do I try to make sure I can I can prate what we can do and try to get the emergencies out of the way MH I haven't seen the plan I'll put something together after I write it I I read it and then I'll come back or

I'll write an email I'll come back if you want and say this is the plan I'll even write the specifications we don't need a designer I'll put it out and I'll procure it and I'll get the work done just so you know it's not a a report it's basically pictures of polls and they're just identified it's not a full-fledged report who it was an outside vendor outside vendor who went around what

happened was they needed to do inspections and at one point they said have your guys do an inspection they stick a screwdriver in it and I go no my people are not qualified to do an inspection like that for a poll I'd like to have it so it went out in 2020 and this company went out and they just inspected poles what it is it's it's a bunch of overhead views of map

and I know that like I said this this has been distributed to multiple deponents and it has the different poles identified in cuz you guys had a copy I remember it you that what you got was the actual total report what it is is it identifies the polls good bad worse yeah whatever and that that's what it is I have no problem that will be forwarded tomorrow I think my big

thing is we need to figure out like if you have an actual date of when your budget needs to be submitted to see if we can figure this out before then budget are submitted usually in February reviewed in March is you do you have a uh July fiscal year or April July okay so we're working on capital projects right now we're putting those plans together cips okay yeah and the cap

these are in that Capital project I put them again okay in this capital and then I well okay all right so yes is there a guarantee we get the money I guess if the board wants but I think that I think that it might be important in within the next couple months as the budget start coming together and we identify maybe some of these that are have been outstanding and we you know

the can's been kicked for a few years in coordination with any new capital projects to be able to prioritize those and go to the city council and say these are important these polls are for four years ago they told us these folds were going to fall down and you know every year the money's come out of the budget I personally think with that issue if this board wanted to go to this and have the

council and say this is that much of an issue this board could send a letter to the council and say we would like to see some type of money appropriated for this will you get it I don't know can this board say this can has been kicked down the road long enough and we would like to see if there is an appropriation mhm I think before you do that I think there's probably enough projects to

discuss in one meeting and say look here this is one that we've identified obviously from four years ago but I'm sure there are others and I'm sure Mr alera is working on others that you know he sees fit and there's probably other safety you know issues with playgrounds and things but that's probably I think the way to approach it cuz collectively we don't have the power to write the

check to get stuff done we need the city council and we need Mr ala's office to kind of all be on the same page with this is number one two and three you know we need those done before you start cutting anything like can we at least get one or two things done per year and then we can tick up the list yeah I have one question though I know when that

when it came to the budget and everything like that there was said I don't know who said it but was said that there was other ways of getting funding to get stuff done and everything uh when the budget was uh reduced in that CDA Opera I know have done a lot of stuff Community Development and everything but some of them things cannot be done for repairs and everything you can't use certain funds

for repairs soly where are we coming up with this kind of money when St some the average thing gets broken and that how are we replacing this if we don't have money in the budget so so here's here's here's what I'm dumbfounded right right so we we have it's a $75,000 since 2020 if I was here since 2020 21 I would do several polls a year cuz I know some polls are in rough condition

right that's what I would do if I was here so now I'm here now I'm saying we have to do a whale on all the polls well this this there's going to be ways of just taking down some poles that are in rough condition that we know of MH and that's what I'm going to do with my report so here this is what I'm saying just as I'm going through Mr ala now I had another

previous director that I had to go through so I wasn't privy to take down one or two polls at a time that was up to that former director to make that decision if I'm going to be working underneath if I'm working underneath Mr ala the previous person that was here before I worked under them as well so I didn't have the privilege of saying I'm going to take down five polls or I'm

which we did take down polls over the years we have taking poles down it's but it's more of hey this is literally like this because we had a bad storm so it was one of those things but so we had the money to take polls down but we only took the ones down that either have already fallen or we had a bad storm and they're literally going but there's been

I want how many do you think we've taken down the last four years there's been a decent amount at least six have fallen yeah some of the major ones got taken down thank godwood Hon that there were 66 polls Father Kelly will get done when that gets done there were 66 PO with Maplewood being eight of them probably so yes in that sense we did do those polls yeah but as I

said this was an All or Nothing philosophy that was out of my hands so luckily through different projects we have been able to eliminate some of that liability um like Mr DVA just said we did Maplewood and uh Kelly's polls there are two or three of those seven that were determined to be DET defective polls one of which came down and now hopefully within the next couple of months those will be taken care before

we move on how how often are the polls need to be inspected is it every 5 years is it every I've been here very many years and that's the first time that anyone has ever asked for those PS to be they were dropping like toothpicks and I'm like there's a problem here we need to have and so since then have do we have something that says like we should inspect them every five years or we all

right I don't have that CU I would think that that should be don't know if kind of goes hand in hand with as we start you know taking them down and putting them up well I think you're putting aluminum poles now is the shelf life and what's the shelf life on an aluminum pole much more than a wooden we we probably won't these things have probably been up since our parents lived

here yeah they've been up probably the 70s all even sooner yeah maplewood's poles have been up since probably and we just took down a couple that were bad was through the pickle ball cards when then the went up so them lights came down but I know for a fact by that report you got dery playing at North P them polls are bad yeah those polls yeah you that you ever have that come down on

a high school game or something well don't put that in the I'm just saying I'm not I'm not I'm not trying to be let me to play there anymore though do they huh they still playing there yeah they still going to use that let me look at the them Diamond I'm going to make that that recommendation let me review what What U Miss Smith has yep um I'll put something together I don't believe all all polls

need to come down all at once cuz right now that's $75,000 if I can get a quar a quarter of those polls down right now under this under our operational budget then that's a quarter that's down that's my mindset and then we can pick and choose the next worst because again I came for an older community as well and we had almost the same thing so that's that's part of what

we have to do so okay 75,000 we'll reduce that by by taking little bit bites and pieces out of the worst ones the other thing I know it's always like when someone goes to how we got these lights done now with Father Kelly they went to CPA uh Maplewood went to CPA it ends up turning out that the city still has to run the project uh has to what excuse me run the project okay these organizations

can't actually do it because it's so Ste property and everything okay my next thing is when when father Kelly's done I would like to see Kennedy get done is be the next one to get them lights done and that because that's used and not only that that's used for the helipad them right there need to be getting done I was going to say I think we just need to go with which ones are

the worst like I understand what you're saying but I think if Kennedy's are not I believe Kennedy's were not identified as bad yeah I was like we have to go with the worst but the thing is but I'm saying these are to get replaced they're still used we also talked about in Prior meetings if it was an underutilized place we're not going to put them back up you were going to take them down and

just leave the wire in a something cap if they ever had future use again then it was right there okay because there's no need to put PS back up if that's not going to be no it makes no sense correct so there's a lot there yeah yep all all right let's move on all right number four uh I no no fault to uh you or nothing like this because this is going

back I've been on the board same time as uh commissioner Burns North Park terer seating project from Rona Fiola this no this is some this this is um yes this is part of a multi-tiered yes but I'm saying this just came to us this year this money oh I understand that but I thought this was wasn't this uh because it was the first money that was given that went to the skate park

not skate park excuse me the ice SK Rank and then she came up with this one and it's been almost two years I have 2021 I have 2021 2021 so not nothing to do not to you just cuz I know she gets correct always asking us like what's going on what's going on cuz that yes we just don't want to lose this money we want to get stuff done so we met on site Y and

um again this is a 2021 ear Mark uh we brought in RTA Architects initially they were having a hard time finding landscapers because this a landscape designer they found a landscape designer I contacted them and said what what's going on we have the landscape designer they've already ex finished the existing conditions they're working now on getting the design for the uh tier design approach can you remind me

because I don't remember this which part is going to be teared North Park where the stairs was where the stairs was they planted grass so they planted grass so what she wanted to do this money was to do like and then that way they can have like people can just sit with lawn chairs or something oh gotcha trying figure put the concrete stairs back but like have it like different layers so

that way people can sit there and so it's just moving land essentially we're not building anything is that the idea behind it like I think it's a a little bit but we're we're building it's we're not building any structures we're not changing the park it's that big hill we're going to create more Hills going to create can you're not going to create it's going to be like almost a step down

getting rid of the sledding yeah sled they got a SL would slid down there anyways because it was concrete there so you slid over to the right one but that yeah that is what this project is going to be is that that Hill will or the the hill above like where the I know I feel like I didn't grow up on that end of the city so I'm trying the third Baseline yeah the third

Baseline okay so that Hill not this hill yes okay not President Avenue side inside the park Drive side where those steps were CU they used to be step you could sit and watch the game they got rid of the steps so now they're going to gotcha so so so again my my only thing is if this is all whatever then I'm sure the board is going to say can they have

a copy of this agreement Am I Wrong well there isn't one yet right there's no proposal yet there's there is we we have we have the agreement I know what te looks like what was how much money was e in 2021 do we know uh I believe it was 200,000 yes yes Y and the plan we have fits that budget where still probably not yeah 3 years later right okay okay

no but that's what the designer is going to um show us and we have to work around those constraints to see what we can do because I know for the first money was marked for taking and this is you know no fault to anybody when people get money and everything it should come back to the professionals that knows what the landscape of the parket and everything are CU that money was going to be

earmarked to take down all with a little Le Fe this all that wooded area cuz they wanted to just clean that up well if you take that down it was designed in the thing that would have caused the landslide down to the brand new Mountain Middle School if you ever had a trench or rainstorm you can't do that so that's why we had to shift the money over to do the skate pop the ice

skate ring which even cost more than the 75,000 I think that was air 125 was air marked for that so this is the thing when people come with projects like this we should be this board has to be involved okay so just so I'm recording this correctly the RTA architect um found the landscape design they have finished the existing conditions is that correct correct they when when I say

they found a landscape designer so when you go when you go to an architect right they have to bring in a sub MH so some some larger design firms have those type of folks on on board others most of them don't so we brought we brought this company in and then they had to bring in landscape architect or designer and what they couldn't find one at the time because everyone's just busy with a lot

of funds that are public funds that are out there so they they reached out and received another one so was this something that went out for RFQ so when I first started I put an RFQ out and we hired five Architects on call okay so we have five Architects on call and we're utilizing a lot of those at this so I would just recommend that if to push this along or and this is just in

general like if we have someone slotted and they can't find someone do we not just move to the next one well they had one they just could they just the scheduling wise they just couldn't couldn't fit that fit that work in so okay I mean I could have gone to another one but he already had the he already had that so we entered so we entered into an agreement with this person and

the board can have that agreement whatever is that what you're saying AB okay so I think that's what the board is saying we don't know these projects have moved along because there's not they don't have anything back to them yeah cuz in Prior we've always got stuff and then we've signed it right the architect would come before you and you'd say we're going to vote on that architect

exactly and then you'd say okay that architect was awarded the North Park project exactly I I had no idea this yeah I'm I'm very con confused so when you go out for RFQ when you get these five architects who do you go to to approve the CH of those five the choice of those five we have a designer selection committee and that's that those are uh various folks within Government Center that make those

decisions I guess I'm just very confused because that who who who are the five people we have Paul furland we have the the engineer Paul furland is the water and sewer we have the city engineer we have the uh City assistant planner we have myself we have Kent Pacho who is the city operations these are all people that are construction no no no I I'm not questioning that I just I feel like in

the past we've always I think the question that you asking and correct me if I'm wrong is when you decide that this particular architect is going to do a park project correct when does it come to you guys CU I feel like we've always gotten like if someone goes out for RFQ or RF for a p project part it it comes back to us like these are the five people that that bid which one do we

want to use and then we choose okay all right but what he what Mr olera is saying to clarify for him is the city has these five Architects I think what the common ground is what that you guys are looking for is where do we fit into this picture so if you have a park project and this committee has decided that they're going to award it to RTA Architects this board would like it to

be brought to them and say we're just updating you on the North Park project we have now awarded that to RTA architect but why wouldn't we be the ones that are awarding it like I feel like that's that's what's always happened I feel like that happens for every other project because we had some what was that a few weeks ago I don't remember what the project was but we had

to pick which one we want it's obviously usually the lowest bidder but like we always are the ones that say there is no lowest bidder when you do an RFQ it's not a lowest bidder okay so is that the the RFP request for qualifications versus request for proposals versus so what he say people that have the same qualifications but I think what you guys are looking for is so that you know your

project is moving forward that you it once it is to the point where an RFQ is assigned to a park project then you're asking that it be brought to you so that you say this project is now design because the reason that that's on that list is because we had no idea it's in design I feel like it's even going to be before that when you're creating the RFQ

if if if it is a park project I feel like we should be notified there's an RFQ that's out we'll let you know what who what comes of it type of thing and then then it comes back and says these are the the five people we've chosen this one ex perfect example the qu the trail The Overlook that's proposed and like Jerry laon Square all of that stuff we were getting copies of this stuff

what was going to get bit out how much money it was and everything this is what we haven't been getting I I was and I understand what but just before you even so like when you're like all right the north what are we talking about the North Park tier when you create the RFQ I feel like we should be notified like before it even goes to who I don't know how the process works like if people

apply for it or and then those whatever the list those goes to the five people I feel like when it's created if it falls under the park Spectrum it should come to like we should just be notified that it it was created so I did a general one for the city right so folks like at the school department can use these five so it's for the Citywide got so okay so

what what I'm hearing right is that again so pardon the ignorance if you're saying that you want more handson to review that what I can do is the next time there's a project here I can say these are the five that we have if you don't want these five then someone's going to put out an RFQ for for other services yeah understand now so the the five arits that's who I thought you were saying you were

putting an r RFQ out specifically for this project that's why I was like I'm very confused this is a non the Housing Authority does the same thing they have like five Architects on and then like this one gets this project that one gets that I think what you were saying is of those five Architects they specializes in school in City buildings in Parks but they didn't have one that

would do this particular type of project so they had to get a sub which they had difficulty they all pretty much there's only one that we have that has that in house the others all have to sub that out I mean it's not a it's not a common thing to have not a it's not a common thing to have a landscape designer on I guess when a proposal I was going to say

well or where you're where they're assigning that RFQ or whatever the the architect when you're assigning a project to a particular architect as soon as it's assigned we need to know if it's a park project if it's a park project so so here's my question to you mhm I have the five that are on y if there's a next project do you want to vet those five no or you're okay with

the decision that was made that this is the this is the company that we have you're going to present it to us what it what the work's going to entail how much it's going to cost and everything like that and that we'll sign off on it yeah it's just so that we know what because we'll sign the contract and all that stuff that's what we've been doing for years again so that's it's just to be notified

what you guys are actually working on that that's I think that's under the park right I think so Mr Oliver what they're saying is they had no idea this Pro nor did I know this project was assigned to anyone as far as we knew the person was not available or had that obstruction or couldn't find whatever and it wasn't it was just on a working on it and that's why they're saying what's going on with

it I don't know I haven't heard because when someone called me in October I said we weren't working on that Mr ala was working on that and that's when you had reached out to that gentleman from RTA I believe so I think what this board is basically saying is when you have movement on a parac project a simple email anything that can be put before them to say the teered seating is now in the

hands of such and such and they are going to complete an existing conditions report I think that's what they're asking so so corre in June in June we met on site with RTA right so I had myself Nancy and then we had Charlie there with the designer yes so that's where we we initiate that yes from that point on it was in their hands and we're we're in that ball so what you

need to do is get a copy of The Proposal corre I'll have that with the other copy of the proposal for the Kelly Park yep and then even if you get any communication with them like hey I'm waiting to hear because we can't find this person I need to sub it's going to take a little bit longer that could be something that email or whatever you receive you can forward it to Nancy she

sends it to us and it's we had an item on the agenda today you just place it on file we know about it we got it on record call it a day okay all right Uh I that Y and not just P projects that's consist of cemetery design work anything expansions everything uh the quick a Shan River Trail uh any future Trails I know we were talk because it's always and I and from day one I've

already said it I don't know how you feel but I've said it is the trail was turned over to us once it was expand uh done and then we expand wouldn't it make sense to have one of these P board members to be actually on the design if you're going to start talking about a future Pro uh future thing to turn into the pot wouldn't it make sense to have one one of us

assigned to that committee to be designing it and everything else so that way we know what's going on instead of just here you go guys now it's going to be part of the prodct yeah that I don't know if that was even known at the time that they were doing it but no I know I wasn't here when that when that happened so no but saying I said that from day

one that we voted on this since the time I've been on this board and it's been going on four years already that we would like that in the future any propos linear Parks everything because I know the former planner wanted to do let's cap the sit the rest of the highway over here and do a park a downtown park over here then there was talk about where Dave's Beach was like

oh there was some more land to get from the state and a this is where we should be involved because right now Manpower we don't even have enough manpower to handle what we have but we want to keep adding more agreed okay so just so I I have this correct the architectural agreement for Kelly Park that we have with stock is going to go a copy two circles here and that's going to be then

the other thing was the North Park ter the propos seeding proposal is going to that to you're going to send it to me I'll forward it to them and then I am to send you the lighting survey yes am I correct correct with all this okay all right uh just so I have it recorded correctly five do we want to talk about this in I don't know number five is it

the volleyball no no labors no that's no I believe that's that's with HR that's in the work in they working with the Union I have been in contact with them it's been approved from from all the way down to where we at okay yes that's all we needed to know all right uh volleyball court I know at Kennedy this is uh CDA and oper funing and that's what I was saying about this

is for three things I know on this Mr demme sign one paperwork you signed another thing and then I signed the actual contract myself and the mayor and everything it's like it's always like certain things we're not signing and it's like when it comes to CDA or Opera cuz it's HED involved with the parkboard signing it I should be signing we should be there was always three of us myself the vice chair and one other

member one of the three it's not hot because I used to get the contract from say he used to drive to my house to literally bring I need you to sign this I need the Victor not hard I can get it done quick Miss Smith one day hold on a second with this Opa funding for this I think it was what M uh the OPA coordinator she gave it

C FR on a Tuesday it's not hard you know what I mean so to say that oh we're waiting on the p no we're not waiting once a month we don't meet one I I'm always in contact with Mr Smith and I and if I need to be in contact with them I can get in contact with them I believe in in the board meeting I'm going to say it was back

to 2018 because we've had this issue with signing whatever there may be um minutes that have this and we also have a procedure of how the board wanted the contracts to move through I can look that up I will for it to Joey if that's says what exactly says I can forward it now whether Mr Olivera is getting different instructions from the city administrator as to who's to sign what I

don't know that that's something that he may have but this board I know did say they wanted the chairman and two members cuz that's the majority of the board because we had had issues with contracts being done contracts going forward contracts being signed and no one knew that they were even signed Helen's not in because it was a very controversial meeting um and it was determined at that point that it was

going to be how the pro process for Park projects was going to work the bids were going to be brought forward whatever I can look up that information resurface it if that needs to be done if that's what the board wants to and and it was before I was on this sport but I've been watching these meetings for years and I've seen the meetings how it went down and there and it's not not you it's

people before you and everything with CBA funding and everything that came back to this board either the board didn't know about it and that's why now anybody that goes before the CPA they have to get approval from from us first a letter a letter to say that we're supporting that uh if it's any in the cemeteries or anything and then before I can even move forward that CPA want him and hear him and then

uh um getting back CPA funding that was not even been spent yet years and the park board was like what's going on and then CPA is asking questions and like this shouldn't be happening if we're getting the money let's get the job done so do you have a procedure policies do document that says this is what we're looking for that way I can refer to that I believe I have I will for get that

over again I okay and then I have one when because we're talking about the volleyball I just have one I don't want to say complaint but I I'm I have one pet peeve yeah sure um I am I 100% am not okay with the location of this volleyball court I feel like we have talked about it we talked about it several times we had several different options and this Choice was made with

and we did not approve it we got it after the fact so I think in the future I understand that there are bigger people involved but if anything like this was to come up again for public record um we should not be signing off or approving any bids unless we say yes because I'm pretty sure that we all had a different Park in mind and this is where it ended up and none of us

approved this um so I'm just letting you know that I'm not saying that's on you by any means no no no I'm not saying that you are by any means but if anything ever does come to you oh we want to put a a core at this park it has to be I think the first question is is it approved by the park board um just because we did

not approve this it came to us after the fact to like ratify the decision but we didn't approve it um so just and I'm not saying that's on you by any means but if you were to receive anything like this in the future you saying don't let it happen basically um but if but if you're if you get something that says hey we want to put this here's who's doing the bid if there isn't something attached

that says we approved it Y in my eyes it's not approved and I don't know how that works from there I'm just letting it to be known that this was not approved by us I remember that mean it was Mr Olivera did come here it was about when the U we had said that if we were going to put a volleyball court we would recommend the Ecuadorian volleyball court be either at palaski or

Maplewood and then lo and behold it's going down we signing contracts down in Kennedy Park and we're like and I personally think we never agreed to put it down in Kenedy commission I had not no involvement in that no and we're not you said I was here so that just implies that I was part you you let us know that this is where it was going I remember

came the day that it was going to be put in the Outfield yeah of the Loa Kennedy that was and then that was entertained I think there was a conversation fure that if it were to go in I'm not saying he had he was here to present the other situation in which I have a question can I take that down what down that volleyball um in the middle of low Kennedy pop it

looks like an IA to be honest with you I mean is anybody using it no not that I know well no one's going to use it right now so maybe in the spring maybe right so here's my concern the poles are black and I think if I have to leave those poles up I'm going to have to paint those poles some type of down if no one's using them just take I don't know if they're

um You probably have to paint them yellow or something they're black right so if we could just make a recommendation we can probably put some stripes on that just for safety issues how about the reflection tape reflection tape so at the end of the day taking down something that was it it could be used right now and no one's using the ball field then I I say hold it tempor

I'm going to take the net down because all of the other Nets are down the Nets are coming off P are like in the ground yeah they put oh then yeah take put them in the L field no I'm fine with that I thought you meant like it's something you can just easily pick up oh then no then leave it yeah no then leave it um but yes I apologize for I should have

been um more thorough with my explanation you had come to us with the lower ball field we had given other suggestions we don't want it there we don't want it at Kennedy we would like it atent the next time it came to us it's it's going to Kennedy and we're like what the I literally after the meeting I was like am I going crazy like I thought we had said we didn't want it there so

when we it came back to us after that initial meeting it had been decided by I don't know who it's going to Kennedy even though we specifically stated we didn't want it there because now my issue is the parking lot there's already there's traffic down there the parking lot's minimal they're parking on the grass they're doing all of that other stuff that we don't like but now we're

adding additional um courts there that now where where are they going to park so that's the reasoning we had said no and then that's a bigger conversation I do not want to get into and just so that you know am the project that volleyball project has since um there's discussion of a sidewalk because we were concerned about how would there be access to that and the additional parking they're looking

to put on Bradford Avenue to clear out some of that parking from the pool area Y and utilize that with the sidewalk coming in from that area gotta as their access so you had asked Mr denme the last time um when that came here was that going to be something that was address the parking so while we're on that subject just so that you know there is a walkway that is being proposed and parking on

Bradford so that the two should remain separate now so who does that proposal go to that's a CDA project it's just now being proposed as a change order okay to that original volleyball project I'm not sure if it's going to go through so what that information came to me I believe yesterday okay um because of the the sidewalk and the access that's not something that was in that original bid okay um

um the parking is not a cost it's just by putting the sidewalk in the direction it's going it's hoping to deter deter the parking to that area but once I know if the cost of that M particular sidewalk um and if it is going to be proposed as a change order I can bring that to the board but right now it's in the initial this this is what it's going

to cost are we going to be able to do this if we do where is the money coming from okay so when that change order does happen that original contract came to this board I believe for award so to speak that will come I use that term loosely that will come as well and just like I discussed this with the administration that too was when that Kennedy Park V Bol I said well we are

going to cuz like for future things like underutilized parks and that like fields and that what should come down if we're not let's put up like allpurpose fields or something like future projects and I I did say all do for the equadorian and let's make sure we're putting up regular volleyball in that PS too CU not everybody plays so it might not be underutilized right now but if you build

it they'll come it's the old say you know what I mean so we should be doing for both okay we should be having other that would probably just be extra lines anyways right I mean well no because it's higher it's a lot higher and they don't like I don't I think it's not sand right they like playing on hot surface yeah we won't put sand back anyway because sand is You guitar or like that rubber I

think it's going to be what as something like that it's probably like a tennis court right a pickle ball court yeah y okay uh the rubber Rising was an additional that's everything that's here that we have there's two other things I wanted to bring up though uh won square that is our prview when I asked Mr he came uh Mr uh came here and said that they came in a little overow budget

and everything they were going to try to do a lot of stuff inhouse and everything to save cost and everything I notice I know DCM was asked if they could do some of the work over there and they were strapped they couldn't do it and everything but then I noticed other guy other departments over there doing work overtime was our actual parac laborers asked to work in that project since that is a

parac I believe again that was that's Mr Panos but I believe everyone was asked well I think I asked him and I don't think they were asked other other departments were over there so I don't think I think guys that actually work in the Parx should have been asked first because it's labor work maybe they wanted to earn some extra cash okay that that's a Mr Pano's project y I'm assisting him with

procurement process and make sure that um any type of sub that is utilized there that I'm writing the specification to get that work done so I will I will look into that and the same thing with like that like uh when it comes to the design stuff what future plans and that for that that needs to come to us that's never come to you no it has so we're not

we're not deviating no no it has come but we just want to make sure that whatever goes back in there first it's coming to us for the I was going to say Chris is usually really good with that right so we're following the spec the specifications right so we're if if it had demolition by a contractor we're doing the demolition in house if it's an electrician we're utilizing if if

there's a sub that's needed y I write the specifications off that design the actual Department that oversees that has been asked first before we're bringing in any other departments because then we don't want Union issues either that they weren't asked I'm not sure if they were okay uh and like like I said future things I know DCM and Mr piran and everything I've been doing some work in that clion

that piece of land that's being added on who's that going to be under is that coming to the parks eventually that trail and all that stuff so you're you're talking about um the cook Pond area and that new parket lot so I was part of that that that work with with Mr demn and um we just fenced it in y uh I'm assuming it's going to be right now it's under dcms jurisdiction or city operations

jurisdiction I'm not sure what's going to happen they may there's going to be some grass there's going to be some asphalt EXC but um I don't think we've gotten to that stage I going to say who makes those decisions so not the decision for the project but like to transfer like who transferred the quick Shand tril does that was designed by El like Community activists and everything that

and then I think the only reason why it came to us at the time is when the uh the J uh Administration when they that company wanted to put a propos road and that's when it came oh we need to put this to the pock board so they stop them they needed you to put the Hammet down so I was going to say keep my thoughts to myself um no it was not it was not done

under Parks yeah but when it you know they kept on referring to it it's a linear Park it's a linear Park it's a linear Park and as Joey said when there was the controversy of what should this person had been given I don't know some kind of an easement or whatever I don't even know what happened but it was then said it should go to the parks is there any Rumblings that like there's is

there anything going on with this that makes you think that it would come to us well I'm just saying I'm saying it's going to be a walking trail and everything an ancient thing afterwards and everything and so once it's done somebody has to someone's gonna have to cuz like right now someone's gonna have to cut it was the walking trail for instance but if it doesn't go to Parks who would it go to it's probably going

to come to Parks right I would imagine no well it's it's like the it's like the City Pier that's the Redevelopment Authority that owns it but there's some some DCM I think goes there to do the trash and everything else and then they have a private landscaper and everything so that's why I'm asking like if we're doing it could very well be M want to make sure that we have Manpower that's

going to be covering this stuff it could very well be maintained by DCM because DCM does maintain half of the rail trail yep so I'm not sure but as a you know as Amber or Joey said if it's something that is going to be turned over to the park board then perhaps someone from the parks or the park board should be involved in MH we could just knowing

what's going on I I I get that but I'm not going to say that if DCM is doing it that it wouldn't remain y with DCM I I I don't know we'll we'll assess that we we'll assess that and get more in because just to clarify with the trail like before the park guys would cut from Rodman to britland park and then facilities would do from berlyn Park to Quick aan DCM would do from

Quick a Shan to Bron Avenue three different departments cutting this now it's split all guys poac goes from Rodman to Quick aan DCM goes from quick aan to Bright half facilities out it so that's why I'm asking because we want to know where our guys are we're you know it's not just that's why everybody like everybody oh well the PO look like this all the pox we have all these pox we have Trails

we have Islands we have cemeteries all what how many guys seven guys eight guys well full comp compliment you would have and the same thing with Mr M his guys don't they're not they're on staff themselves with Oak Grove North barrial St Valentine's they have the other one that's up on uh Meridian Street even though they old cemeteries nobody's getting bu there anym they still have to maintain it

sure so when I so right now who's meain is is DCM or facilities going to maintain we're we're not even we're not even completed with that the defensing has just been completed now we need to do some probably some potential Hydro Seating so there's some additional work that needs to happen okay all righty no one's going to cut it till spring all right I think that's it right

y so I do have I do have one thing we uh when I first started here we I uh um I was prevy to be in front of the city council and they had concerns about the maintenance of our our Parks um and we were in that meeting meeting mhm uh so that prompted me to put a uh an ifb out for Parks uh inspections for U playgrounds MH uh we had the inspections

completed I'm not sure if you were privy to seeing those but um those inspections uh vital to our safety of our of our U children uh I also piggy back to the school Department's uh playground equipment to be inspected now we have to just make sure that we maintain those um riew the reports to maintain that that equipment I not to say we were impr I know there was one thing that came out

of that report and it was Davis playround oh don't no no I know but that's where it came from and then all of a sudden that's what caused everything before no no no I'm saying that's what was brought that that nothing should be there and everything uh and and safety thing and stuff were taken uh equipment was taken down correct and that so that's what I'm and then we like took care of some stuff and

that so that's pretty much what we know about it so what what I will say is that when you do an inspection right you do it number one for for a few reasons the first one was for safety uh the second one is you don't you don't have anything inspected if you're not willing to make sure you maintain the equipment per the report so that's what that's what we

need to focus on to make sure that those those um are taken care they've all been addressed since G but we're still working through that okay I have two those reports determine that there were two locations One location had a substantial amount of um identified issues Corrections that total to the amount of nearly $10,000 what we did to the best of our ability was what we could do those have

not been addressed so I'm going to be completely transparent with this board those have not been addressed there was also another Park location where there was a that he provided a list that was $2,000 that has not been addressed I can probably address the $2,000 we did whatever we could sidewalks to meet Ada we did with DCM did whatever we could to remove playgrounds that he identified as

this is horrendous this needs to be remed Davis that was this was it was Davis it was Abbott it was Columbus we removed them all so that that all was done we still do have a pending issue with one of our parks and that's a $10,000 issue which can you tell us which park it is pesy okay let me ask but we have done the Ada sidewalks there we've done whatever else was in that is it

something that it's like a a safety like we should we've identified most of the you know the potential level one so they call them safety concerns but I had to remove some playground pieces um so at this point you know every that is very typical that that we remove the concerns right away and then we we we so now but that is one of the M that to be honest with you we had a pretty good

report card considering what we work with Okay we had a substantially yeah check mark check plus so to speak and we did it it did allow us to remove what many organizations and many neighborhoods didn't want us to remove but by having that we we removed them done there's nothing more that could be said it's mandated I'm not going to keep it there any longer but we do have to address some things and again

they require funding we identified the major concerns M but we do have minor concerns to address so at this point we we need to address those going back I want to say it's probably about about three years with Council uh president Ponte yes and uh what's his name pekam I talked about the Ballfield lights going back and everything like that they had mentioned about the Patriot playground that that

there was extra money over and that in different budgets and everything have we ever determined where this money was going to be if we could use this money elsewhere and everything was it a bonded was it a bonded project I believe so yes it was specifically for you can't take you would have to have them specifically remove that money from that particular air Mar and I I I don't think that

that's that you might have about I want to say there's a little bit money left where the Patriots Place money was there are other project money that are it was in facilities actually but it shows up as Parks because it was Mr Gallagher at the time yep I don't know if that money can be utilized or am moed or transferred and that's what I'm saying if it if it can't be like if it's only

like if it's for a certain park it is it has to be for that Park correct and specifically for something with that project like I can't take playground money and go fix a ball field with it I have to fix the something in the so like for for instance unless you go and request where I was getting was we just had it with the Ballfield like yourself and Mr Mar had to pay for these trees to

come down I their budget if we had money there utilize that for them trees to come down in that pocket no you would have had to go before them and request that that money be utilized saying you only have so much money in your budget if we have this other money hanging there so if if it's bonded money right if it's bonded money typically what happens is you can utilize that for say

if it's a Parks project and you have additional funds that's been bonded you can write a request you go through city council it gets approved that you can transfer that for Parks related T tasks so we wouldn't do a parks to facilities we' do parks to Parks uh so it's doable I just we need to figure out where that where that money's at okay yeah can we check like all they posted a list not that long

City get anate it's in every city council quarterly report yep let's get an update is that the for our next board meeting the the playgrounds that had to be taken down for safety concerns are there plans to replace those I know that money is the issue with every project but where does that fall on the priority list to I Believe Miss Smith put put that into the capital plan didn't you I

saw some playgrounds there are play but the playgrounds are in the capital plan I've put those same playgrounds in my CDA requests hoping that somebody will bite whether it be the capital or the CDA I've put them in I I usually put them in both because if it happens in one but I think that kind of goes back to what we had talked about earlier getting getting the city what I was

hearing was abaca and Columbus and I think Columbus was getting talked about first to get replaced and then probably out a call we and I think theity down the line to your question commissioner I think the city council is involved they were actually the ones who were advocating because councilor kadim is always like I've done this every we every year and if you break it down every park has $2,000 we

need to Advocate we need to get more money in our pox budgets so I'm not saying that the city C we can't sit here and say that the city council does not no that's not what I said you know what I mean or is not we should right I just think that when it's when it's I think that when it's presented at the time it's presented in such a big bundle so to speak sure that

sometimes it gets lost in in the wash that makes sense if you're looking at the whole budget I don't know what the number is but the $2,000 line item to fix the slide gets exactly or or are we going to fix this particular basketball court or we going to buy an ambulance it gets lost and I've said this every year on the food chain unfortunately we if if anyone's going to

fall we tend to fall I mean this Administration is really Pro parks and is is looking to do improvements in Parks I will say that I have we've had multitude of improvements over the past five six years we have had quite a bit of improvements but I think I think when it comes to the big picture and that's why I say we we really need to advocate for what we need because it gets lost in

the wash very quickly but maybe that's something that if it's next meeting or the meeting after is the outstanding items that we've kind of kicked the can down for the last few years the lights and if there are any other stuff and then which Parks lost their I can actually send you I can send you over the last couple of years what I have proposed in our budgets like in our Capital budgets

because we put in like a fiveyear plan I can probably go back see maybe to 20 maybe 19 and see if I still have those and you can see what's moved forward and what we keep repeating if that's something you want I'd be interested just to see that and this is why the years ago prior Po Boys had approved like the standard type of mentions that we put in so that way if they have

something brok down they can go replace it's the same thing why are we like circumventing wheels and like we shouldn't be having all these different types of playgrounds and if we can get a PO from that let's have Surplus on hand so we can fix stuff right away the other thing I wanted to ask you Mr Al you did come from new beit and you did work with the schools inight before why is it

we've been talking about it I know myself and commissioner BNS and that why is it the school department can charge for fees and everything for all the uses of their fields and everything but we this city nobody ever wants to touch this I have no Miss Council Kam Kadeem and everything is's in favor of why are we not coming up with a fee structure for our city fields and our britlyn

should be a premier field we should be you know we got all these professional we just had that we had approve right away we had fee structures coming we had a professional team that was get Amber going again we had a professional I'm stressed that ented themselves into uh the MASS Soccer sort they made it to the playoffs and then they're calling us we need this field right away you know what I mean it's like this

is something that we should be charging if there this is a money league and should be if they and they're going to dery and everything they're going you know everywhere else that's new though is the school department fee structure new or has that been around long no no I mean when when I first started in new beit I revived the new fee structure there but uh the schools are are different breed because they're they're

in a different type of budget system and does New Bedford charge like to use their Parks yes they do I'm not sure if they do I know I was at the schools and we had fee structure for everything whether it wasi I I have provided fee structures suet suet yes they I know at one time they were I'm not sure if they are right now cuz this is what we had her do the

homework she did it and we met with them and it's and you sent it home for my dog to eat years I feel like we' talked this has come up in every meeting that push down down down down down it's like but where does that start I guess I we have to come up with some sort of the parks department listen I said it we don't need to reinvent the wheel come with the

school department has a fee yep we could do the same fee y they have their fee structure and i' I've presented this before I mean yeah multiple years I remember the first time and I was in favor and everyone else chew me up nonprofits get a little bit of a discount well that something that the board could just vote so we vote but then I think it has to go to the city council the city council

ordinance ordinance definitely an ordinance yes we'll have the jurisdiction of that but they still have to come up with the the the structures and all I I mean well what makes sense right cuz we talk about all this money for things we need to fix and do and there's a little bit of Revenue that could probably stay in the parks for how often they're utilized so all right all right thank you so we

all stay on the same page communication that I think we'll be all fine all right thank you thank you thank you happy holidays we lost to she went went to she was over it all right um I know uh she's coming out for commission inquir she wanted to say something hey get r at that guy oh my God

Al commissioner inquiries commissioner inquiries Helen uh Mr uh commissioner rioo you had a I think that we're going to try to get some more money in our budget so that we can decorate the parks no Jesus no matter where you go you go to tarton it's the park Department that go you go to Su vfit it's the park Department this is a shame we don't decorate any of our Parks we got to do

something well you just missed it cuz New Bedford and tart charge to use the parks so they have the extra money to put the lights up that's what we got to do we could always use Perpetual car don't start I'm kidding H but you're not wrong I wait so the T taon green the parks department does thatment they they we do all we we take care of all the greens as par Department

as well we take care of all the greens STP so that's why I'm saying they probably decorate TT and green like we would decorate Broadway like it's one of their main intersection to and green yes but I know but I'm just saying like they or or some main green that would be in the middle of like Plymouth Avenue or something you know do we have let's say we add all the money in the world do we

even have the capacity to decorate like they do like with like power sources what you get me I think well the other thing I'm sure you could do is coordinate as far as like volunteers I know like no no no not that like do we physically it's not the Manpower it's like do we actually have the probably do the tot and green because it's a very Consolidated they probably have cabinet

they probably have an electrical cabinet you're saying yes they probably do do we have that capacity um I didn't mean like Manpower but like the actual capacity to be able to capacity we do have the capacity to decorate around the pond we've done it before the the skating Pond we decorate the poles we've had Flags you know seasonal flags hanging from those poles or we've had small

wreaths and the poles are all lit and whatever and we have put um lights in the trees around there we have done all that before yeah um we haven't done it in in a number of years there is a very big pine tree at Broadway right at the center of the park that you might be able to figure out some type of power sauce there and decorate that one tree I

mean they have the tree lighting down there you could you know light the trees and whatever in Kennedy Park but and it would I mean but it's a simple a simple decorating because it's on a on a well you said ta and green that's go Bigg or go home Helen this the simple decorating on the poles it they're on timers yeah right so that would be yeah that's simple the timers would be able to

function to put all the lights on the poles and like the wreaths or whatever so that alone would be a starting point and that's what I said to Helen you know if we do this we probably have to start small MH and see where it goes so I you know I not this year of course but I think the starting point would be the poles around that skating area in

Kennedy Park so that if it is ever flooded and the lights are on it's a nice little venue okay so what was the other thing hel did you have something something else to say do you I want to miss the M yes I went to the cemetery to see my visit my sister's grade we got all that crap that they made that hit the front page which cemeter years back it's still

there when is it going to be picked up and discarded that's what I'd like to know what is it leaves no it's no it's you know when the it it was a s subject years ago do you want me to address that Chris or do you want me to go ahead I I did have a conversation with Mr Martin about this because we've this has come up before and and Chris is more than

welcome to come up here but he it's it's something where they pick it up they bag it they tell the people these are prohibited items what what is it on the sites there would be artificial flowers all the rules of the cemetery are posted no artificial flowers no stuffed animals no no whatever the gentlemen from oh you guys are taking them off Graves no no no no I'm not no understanding where it was I didn't she

just said stuff I didn't know come back and get it Goa in the Catholic cemeteries that's not allow that stuff is it doesn't go this is where and this board this board had a significant significant um in the past repercussion what would you call that Fallout because it hit the front page and there oh that we said yes to remove all of it took all monuments off the gra

remember the old the ears and it it was a big thing that ears were taking off the the S all and they would just we had done exactly like Mr Martin is saying before we completely made the sweep and and take it out we were like put them in bags please don't put these back this these are prohibited items they're like back they went we we we've gone through

this I I I been there done that I feel for them but I would be upset if my family was buried and there some of those of what Helen is talking about gotta so you guys are taking them off putting in the back they didn't say they were taking them off backing them off no no no no what I'm saying so you're taking the items bagging them and then leaving them at the grave site

prohibited items okay we tag them we say this is not acceptable according to the rules and regulations of the cemetery mhm and we we bag him we tag him we leave them there for Chris can you just come up here so we don't have any sorry I just I feel like I didn't know any of this so that's why I'm I don't really hang out in Cemetery so no it made it made the just address your

state your name and that so that way it's put a record Chris Martin uh director director of trees and cemeteries thank you okay so yeah so you you're remove anything that's not the like the the alcohol whatever you're throwing away anything else you're bagging it leaving it there and hoping they take it with them right okay so according to the rules and regulations there's not supposed to be plastic

flowers um glass items of candles and other like that correct so those things we put put them in a bag and tag them stating that they're unacceptable items to be left in the cemetery because when we're weed whacking and such you hit something that's glass goes into guy's eye there's or cut or and and what a lot of people don't understand even the plastic flowers they have a wire in them mhm so when we're cutting

grass that it punctures the tires we go through tremendous amount of money in tire repairs just from the wires okay because it it it punctures the tires so we've tried to address this in the past and it didn't go over so well gotcha so we try to minimize it as much as we can but it's it's just it it just keeps growing Roger so is there like a time frame that you

like you leave them for certain yes for certain items especially like holiday items there's there's a a time frame of when they can be there and when we remove them MH um I would think this time of year too it's getting a little cuz it starts snowing and things are blowing around and that's what happens too so when there's a funeral we have to if there's a snowstorm we have to clear

that whole section of that lot to bring people in and you start going over that with the snowblower it starts breaking the machines it's just it's a ma it's definitely a major problem but we haven't being able to come to a happy medium over and that's why if you know like the new P the expansion we had the flat of Maas put in and certain things some cemeteries allow was the little

like ears I was going to say my grandfather literally like super glue them to the sides of my grandmother so that he could still do cuz I he I think now that you're saying that he was putting them in the ground and they were disappearing he thought someone was stealing them but it was probably what's happening is people are putting little temporary fences on the whole lot rocks gravel right and that's you can't have

that's what happens is you know they it's like a contest some people will put like white rocks in front it's the same thing it's the same problem with cutting the grass and weed whacking that stuff can fly around hit somebody in the face MH so when you bag that stuff how long do you let that stay there for if they don't pick it up we usually when we bag it we leave it there

for a week or so and then we'll take it and we'll bring it and put it in in the building depending on what it is we'll put it in the building and store it for up to 30 days half of the stuff is not in the building the stuff is all over the back there I think it should be cleared away they don't I give him 30 days if they don't take it he right but

we after a week we leave it tagged on site for a week and then we will take it from the site and we'll hold it up to 30 days before anything before we can do anything with it with the discarding it you contact the family and everything to let them know usually if depending what it is I mean obviously if it's plastic flowers we don't have the the maner to

do be able to contact all these people that would be a full-time job for one person to to sit on a phone all day and do that it's just impossible all these things are in the rules and regulations that are not supposed to be there but they know if they're looking for that item they can go to the office to find out uh uh we'll hold it up to 30

days all right but again it it's a difficult thing it's a difficult thing to enforce because a lot of time we'll bag it and then we'll remove it and hold it for the 30 days in the meantime they'll people come back and put more stuff yep so it's it it's just that cycle over and over and over and to not to make more work because I know some stuff dealing with

it it's culture different race races and everything that different religions and no I'm saying different so do we have some of the documentation rules in that in different languages I'm not sure if it if it's in multiple language I would assume when they're signing their contract to buy the plot all of that would be in there correct right okay now that's how but you don't know who the rest of the

family is coming there putting this stuff I understand that but I mean I'm assuming someone in that family has that paperwork so if if right normally pass it along say it's the owner Joy's trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that they don't know the rules right maybe they don't know the rules yes is that could that be a potential solution where you send a letter that says here

are the rules right I just I don't know if that there and I believe this is still true there are rules and regulations posted I as soon as you drive in there right there entr yeah yeah so the rules are there the rules are there I'm just saying is cuz if you guys Google prior meeting for when this was all big controversy yeah believe me counselors everything wanted her head on a plom

when she took over the C at the former director had to clean up I'm just making sure this board this room you want to talk about when we had a couple people in here this room was deep all the way out in the family members in that media cameras everything yeah that's how bad it was we just don't want to go down that road again right right no well I don't think I'll be

honest with you and I and I know where Helen's coming from but I've been in in Chris's situation and you're damned if you do and damned if you don't you try your best to try to keep everything and say all right we're going to keep it for this long we're going to do whatever and and to to you know reiterate on what Joey's saying yeah that it would be nice but how many

languages are we going to have to put this I I think everybody has like probably can be translated on your phone right I mean when you take a picture of something can you can it translate yeah I don't know so we have a lot more things that are at our access now that weren't out our access some time ago Google translate this and that but I mean I don't think we're ever going to

solve this problem without a very another large controversy is there rules on I'm assuming the part uh the the website and is that in different languages like or like when the rules are on there is it like a PDF you click on this and it pops up or is it just you go to the website these are the rules does anyone ask I think it's a big long pamphlet to be honest with you now we

got Bo we got PS with Bo you just hit it and you'll get the W oh the Q QR codes the stuff that was taken off at that time was put in a certain corner cuz I went down and looked at it has that all been removed or was that stuff still there all the stuff that was removed previously years ago yes oh yeah that's gone half of that stuff is still

there am I right no it's gone all that stuff everything that was removed years ago that that stuff is not there and then what we did was uh was one of my uh things that suggestions when they did the expansion some of the earns that were never uh claim claimed by the we put in we utilized the corners in that of the new expansion in that so that way there would be some new and old to

replicate to make it look historic and so that's why they put flowers and I they'll have boy scouts or Garden Club or anybody comes in and like puts flowers in them in the springtime to dress it up a little bit it would be nice if you could just send everyone a letter and everybody would just follow the rules no and and that's the thing they they they got I remember it was an a gentleman a father

that he grieving his daughter and everything they even met with him and some of the other people that wanted to to help out to try to come up with some policies and everything else but you're not going to satisfy everybody yeah that's the thing everybody it's got to be rules for everybody and and the same thing same thing I used to work this so I give it credit to these

guys dogs are not supposed to be in that Cemetery we had elected officials walking their dogs in then parks in that Cemetery Park well a cemetery is considered a park but that one is fec's on on someone's grave ton that family's flipping out I had to come home and shower and like that they let us go and then because you weed whacked you get that all over you you ain't going to stay like that for

the whole day you know it's wrong but when people follow rules keep have signs there to say that you're all allowed and it's happening but what are they supposed to do get stting F fights in it getting arguments with people you can't no no I think we what we do is the best we can without creating another it sounds like you guys are right just do what you can but but it is it is when

we sometimes you just got unfortunately and they're putting something that's not acceptable we try to explain right you know the not necessarily everybody has those rules cuz just over the past couple of years we've been handing out all that information right right so some people might not have the rules so we'll explain to them the guys know this is you know this is the procedure we'll

explain to them most of the time people will cooperate with you on that stuff the rules the rules when we had the disturbance when they come to buy a determined that the rules andand was like okay we're going in tomorrow make a motion we should try to get that all in different languages there should be we have a printing press downstairs let them print it in all different languages so when

they come up there Cambodian they get the Cambodian off they get the Spanish they get it in Spanish or Portuguese and portugu a lot of people don't understand I work with these people that come every day I'll tell you half of them they don't speak a word of English they don't understand nothing so I think it should be in all different languages and I want to make that motion I can't read

Portuguese you what I can't read Portuguese so you'll get English you can read English no I can't even read in English I was going to say that's your own problem go back to school and you drive your school what a shame I mean I I don't think it'll solve your problem Helen but it will give you as Joey says it'll give you a little bit more of a leg to stand on because more people will understand

and I don't think it's going to I don't think it's going to cost that much money to have someone translate I think you could go into to say it lit takes two seconds controvery on our hands afterwards no I think that we is there a Park like a oakr cemetery like Facebook page there's a friends of of I was going to say we should distribute it there and wherever you think people

would well I think I think if you put it on the website you can change the language on the city's website what Helen I think is asking is when when we had this whole issue we we came up with the policy that when a grave is sold the rules are going to be handed because the the biggest thing was well we don't know what the rules are we don't know what

the rules are so when someone purchases a a plot now a condition of the paper work that they get are those rules so I think what Helen saying they sign that they sign that they they're the one in the ground so they're not looking at the rules no the guy that's the guy that's the guy that's paying for them to go in go correct so I mean I think to have

that paperwork 25 copies of whatever in a different language is what H I'm I'm going to make suggestion you said that there QR codes correct the new it the new website and everything I think like Miss uh commission McDonald said Put it on the website and that the QR codes simple enough so we're not making 10,000 copies of papers and all different you got your basic Portuguese Spanish Spanish and pretty

much these people don't always these people go on a website yeah but hold on hold on everybody has a smartphone hel I was going to say during urant you need simple enough maybe it can come up with the old L's phone hold on a second well I'm sorry that you have a flip phone I don't have a smartphone all these people don't have I I think have but the thing

is city council maybe they can come up with a QR code for Portuguese Spanish attach them to the ones that are already there and that way if they rules and regulations in the language and that way they can scan whatever language they need and it'll come up on their phone I was going to say or you can have the same QR code and then in the actual website there's a drop down and it

literally so it's the same exact thing but it automatically translates so you don't even need multiple it's like what's your Lang you click it bam it's done well so then if so correct me if I'm wrong if it's in English on this barcode that he's saying y don't we have that already yeah yeah we just have to make sure that it's on the new web the what whatever it is I don't think

anybody goes to our web page to be honest with you well they just started it so I think if they adverti it more no we've had a web page I know but this new one this new one that they just came up with like the last month is supposed to be a lot more friendlier and find more stuff and you guys say what you want best I still say flyers I still say the the pamphlets I

vote for the pamplets so you're asking the tree Department to cut trees down to buy out more paper okay why not I don't think that you I I think for the most part you're going to pass out what you pass out I think on occasion you may pass out a different language paper because I mean Brenda has to communicate with this person and I don't know that Brenda knows all these languages no no

and that's the thing is most of the time they people that cuz there is a language barri they usually do bring somebody that's kind of the in between and then if it's Portuguese and we need Jeff will usually do that um but for the most part usually it's pretty good cuz normally they'll bring somebody with so I mean I don't I don't if and I'm not being disrespectful but I don't think you need

a vote of the board if you wanted to try that have that paper was at the cemetery with whatever a few different languages I can help you to see or I'm sure Brenda can go on the website get that translate print out five six copies just have them in the office and that would make yeah I'm sure we could figure something out to do that to I know for a fact this

some my had some teenagers are for me they went to The Grandfather's not sure what cemetery was but they said it's their culture they went there to do a shot with him on his birthday and they left it on the grief so you know what I mean that's what's not allowed but that's the thing it's I don't think it's so the going to tell somebody how to grieve I don't think that's the of the I

think it's the people that's going there to visit that's doing stuff course it is but that's how they're grieving that's I guess the other question that goes with that though is how much of it is throwing the rules out and disrespecting the rules and how much of it is oh I didn't really know that that was R that's my culture that's not really isue I don't think that's an

issue at all at the end of the day that you know if they go there and do that that's their thing and and and I think everybody understands that and and we get rid of that stuff yeah that those are the types of things he gets rid of right away so that's the part like that's they're grieving you see it you it's not allowed you take it right it's just like we know that

that's how the process goes sometimes and and and we understand that you know that's my two cents all right any other was like 50 cents Helen any other commission inquiries nope nothing okay all right motion to adjourn uh well actually want to wish don't you care I want to wish everyone a happy holidays and safe New Year see you guys in January thank thank you thank you guys everything everything you guys

do and uh that's it okay happy holidays to everybody need a motion in a second motion to adjourn motion commissioner Burns made that motion seconded by commissioner rioo did I thought it was Victor all it's okay don't make a who knows