We'll uh call this regular meeting of the park board of commissioners to order. Today's Monday, November 24th, 2025. The meeting is being held in the council hearing room starting at 5:30.
0:11Um pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium.
0:20Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived and those present are deemed acknowledged and permissible.
0:30Roll call.
0:31Uh Nick Cecilio Bigfas BJ McDonald.
0:37Any um citizens input there? Nobody was signed in I don't think. Right. There's nobody here. Good.
0:42Um do I have a motion to accept the minutes from the November 10th park board meeting?
0:47Make a motion. Second it. Motion to approve by Commissioner Rigo, second by Commissioner Farius. All in favor?
0:53I.
0:54Motion carries. Um item A is just a letter from Michael Montigney requiring uh for a request to remove a tree at 160 C Street. Darren, we're you took a look at that. We're good. Looked at with the tree w. It's good to go.
1:09It's got to go.
1:11I'll make a motion that we now accept.
1:14Motion to approve by Commissioner Ferris, second by Commissioner Rigo. All in favor?
1:18I I.
1:20Motion carries. Uh item B is also a request from Darren Maderas. It's for a tree removal at 73 Grove Street. So I'm assuming if you're putting it in it's dead and it needs to come down.
1:31Tree look.
1:33All right. I make a motion to remove the tree.
1:36Motion to approve by Commissioner Cecilio, second by Commissioner Rigo.
1:39All in favor?
1:40I.
1:40I. Motion [snorts] carries. And then item C is a letter from uh Daniel Aguar on behalf of the engineering and planning department. It's uh regarding his request to sub submit improvement proposal at uh Father Kelly Park. Thanks for coming down, Dan. Good evening.
1:57Thank you for having me. For the record, my name is Dan Aguar. I'm the director of engineering and planning for the city of Fall River. Um I can say it's nice to appear before you. Um and nice to see that Darren is here in this full-time capacity. Before we get into the merits of of this specific request, um I wanted to bring you all up to date a little bit on the open space and recreation plan
2:20that we've worked on for the last two years. Um with a number of moving parts, uh SER did the majority of the work, but we've had public outreach meetings, we've had online surveys, um a number of different things. And part of what we came away with from that entire procedure were the types of things that the city wants or that the citizens want to see in our parks, whether it be safety lighting parking amenities.
2:49Um, and it runs runs the gamut. So Darren and I are going to sit down and go through that that proposal. And part of what we discussed in that was the creation of off- streetet parking in some of the parks that that need it.
3:03That that brings us to to tonight's proposal. But in it, it was specific that whatever department it may be, whether it's through planning, through engineering, through anywhere, that we should have a list of shovel ready projects to go before CPC requesting funding. It shouldn't be a scramble. It should be a laidout plan over 10 years across the gamut. If we want to install ultimately 200 benches throughout the
3:31parks so that they're all the same, then we should be able to put in a request every year for X amount of benches. So, there should always be something that we could roll in whether big, small, or indifferent. So, I'm glad that we've now got somebody that like Darren that we can try to move some of this stuff forward. Um, this is a specific request having to do with Father Kelly Park. Um and where we've received
3:58complaints in some of the um the process for that open space and recreation plan was about the need for parking during the super busy times when there's softball tournaments and that park gets utilized. It's it's high intense for a day and then you don't see anybody there for weeks, right? So, we had looked at this as an opportunity uh to limp in a little bit with some park improvements
4:22with a small parking [snorts] facility at this location. We had submitted to the CPC for uh an eligibility request which we were approved on and our support and our submission is due December 2nd or 3rd coming up very soon.
4:37So, what I was able to do, and I don't think this was has been the case normally, um I did reach out to all of the city councilors independently, state representative Alan Sylvia because it is in his district, um discussing what the project is and asking them for their support. So, in the packages that I brought to you today, you'll see that we have letters from State Representative
4:56Alan Sylvia, Council President Joseph Chimera, Council Member Sean Kadim, uh, Council Member Brad Kilby, and I'm assuming we'll get a few more in over the next week or so. Um, and when we put our application into CPC, the lynch pin and the most important letter of recommendation would be from this board, right? Um, I have not been involved with a lot of this work in the past, it's always been through
5:24operations and parks and but where this came through the open space and recreation plan, I felt if someone's not going to take it up, I might as well take it up. Um, so that's why it's it's nice to see that Darren's where he's at.
5:37So this can be a concerted effort and I can help him with with putting forth through this effort both with CPC and and here as well and also asking for the right capital funding from the administration. So, so much of what what the comments were about parks, a lot of it's just general maintenance. Um, and we know we don't get enough money to take care of the parks, right? I've said
5:59it over and over again, the city of Fall River is great at building new things.
6:03We build some of the most beautiful schools and parks and projects, but nowhere is a funding mechanism put in place to maintain any of it. Not even paint, barely even cutting grass, right?
6:14So, it's important, you know, in that open space and recreation plan, one of the goals was to insist that the proper funding be put in place to maintain the things that we do have. I personally think we should spend more time and attention improving what we have.
6:28Yes.
6:29Um, rather than building new. I know there wasn't for a long time um the idea of this lower Kennedy Park overlook project um which some funding was put in place for some preliminary design that when I came in we did pick up on that and continued forward. Um but it was going to be a $5 million lift to build what these architects had come up with and yeah it would be fantastic but to me
6:51it's one more thing that we're not going to take care of. I would rather see those monies go to the existing parks, adding lighting, adding some playgrounds, adding some parking and improve what we've got and maintain it.
7:01So, on that, we're proposing to build a um a parking facility, updated landscaping, some lighting, um some seating and picnic areas in this location of the park that seem to be the mo the least intrusive out of anywhere in that park.
7:18What you see on the sketch before you is nothing written in stone. It's just an idea. It's a sketch. Final design would again would be uh coming through this body. I think that's very important that we just don't say, "Hey, we're building this right. You should all have input on what we propose in these parks." And once real survey work comes in and we look at locations of trees, it can be
7:40changed dramatically. Um we thought in the location that it was in minimize the amount of um exposure to existing walkways, existing trees. But again, just a concept to get us in front of CPC, see what we can get for funding. If they come back and tell us, well, we're only going to give you $100,000, we're not going to be able to do much, right?
7:58So, I believe the request was about 500,000 for this project to be done completely. Um, we'll see.
8:06Is [clears throat] the city kicking any in? I know that. Well, I I think depending upon what CPC gives us, that will determine how grand an improvement we can make. Um, I do have commitments from the city to offset some funding. Um, what that number is, we really won't know until final design.
8:29So we'll go to CPC, we'll ask for funding for some architectural drawing, some survey work, final design, and then we can go finalize what we need for construction. And it can be phased, right? It can be this is what we want to do, this is what we have funds for, this is how far it can take us, and then we can plan for the following year or the year after to finish the project
8:49depending upon what you know this board specifically would like to see in that area. Um, a lot of that is some public comments, public hearings.
9:00It's it's a little bit disheartening when when we we we try to reach out to the public and get input and we get very little. Um, we had open um public hearings here in the atrium, serpent staff, three or four members, big beautiful poster boards, lists of all the things that we want to do. We had four residents of the city of Fall River show up.
9:22you get more than four posting on Facebook that we're not doing anything.
9:25Right. Right. So, you ask for comment.
9:27Um, and when I told him that night, I said, "Well, the good thing is I said, what you guys have to say, look at the weight that it gets, right? That's the only public input we have from this event was what you specifically want."
9:38Um, so what I'd like to get [clears throat] um is some type of a letter of support um conditional upon of course your final approval, your input and everything into the design, but I would feel it would be deficient to submit to the CPC without something from this body. Um, so I'm hoping that we can generate some interest in your minds.
9:59Um, and I would like to every year or two stop picking off a park and adding some parking or maybe sooner than that.
10:06We'll we'll see. What's that?
10:08It needs it.
10:09It needs it everywhere. You know, um even Maplewood Park, for instance, park that I grew up in, right? And Plesusky Park, I grew up on Coral Street, Niagara Neighborhood Association, Helen. Um and that's those are the two parks that I grew up in. Pilleski has no parking, right?
10:23Um Maplewood has a beautiful parking lot. Never once did we park in that parking lot as a kid.
10:30Never once. We parked on Albert Street for everything. We parked in value land where I worked as well, you know. Um, and that parking lot, we got a lot of comments about it's unsafe, it's not lit, it's, you know, I had done a bunch of survey work in my past.
10:45Is it still not lit?
10:46They're putting the poles in.
10:48Are they? Okay. For the parking lot itself.
10:50Yeah. For the parking lot.
10:51That's fantastic though, right? Cuz it's especially after they built that new field. Um, which I had done all the survey work for the park for free and did all the the design for them to get that park built. Um, and they've just done great, right? But that parking facility is big, especially when they have tournaments and everything else.
11:08So, that's uh it's good to see that type of improvement, but it's not the only park that needs it, you know.
11:14Does anyone have questions?
11:15I just just have a comment. I know it's all based on funding and final designing and all that stuff, but I would hate to see Well, it all depends what we get from what you guys get from money from CBC, but I would hate to see this project go through and not maximize that space for as many parking spots as possible. I know this is just a sketch, but I hate
11:31to see like uh like we, you know, everything gets torn up. We put a we put a nice parking sp like lot in there and there's spaces for 10 cars. That won't really do much.
11:40You kind of want to maximize the space for as many spots you can get because it's going to alleviate like all the parking around it, you know?
11:47Right. And and that's where the balancing act comes in with it's a park, right? It's not a parking lot, right?
11:52So, you don't want to go in and destroy everything. I tried to fit something reasonable within the existing we'll call them historic walkways, right?
12:00Because they they've been in there a while the way that they've been laid out. They're not very efficient because they all scatter in different directions, but it looks nice on an aerial photograph. So, what we can actually get in there and the number of spaces, yeah, a lot of it will depend upon Yeah.
12:14the funding and also your control over the park and what what you want to see, right? I like I said, I just would hate to see like like a you know, nice parking lot and there's like five spots.
12:24What the heck? You don't like I hate that. I'd hate to see that.
12:28Well, cuz the driveway ends up being as long as the amount of asphalt as it is to get into the parking space.
12:33So, final design.
12:35I think I think there's 18 on here right now, right? Like logistically, the driveway works best in that location cuz it's further enough away from the intersection.
12:44It's not taking up parking that's already on the street on Globe. So, I contemplated, well, do we come in from Globe? Well, if anybody uses on street parking, they park on Globe. So, we're trying not to do another curb opening there. Um, so cuz that's my other concern and Darren and I kind of talked about it a little bit with um is the the people that require off streetet on street parking
13:07are how do we and it might not be really a question for you. It's more of a logistical thing if and when this gets done, but in my mind, how do we make sure people aren't parking their cars there overnight and going into their some park traffic? I mean, that's difficult to do.
13:23I mean, of course, you can post signs, right?
13:25Um, but they along uh Maplewood Park.
13:29They use that driveway. That Oh, no. I know.
13:32We have to address They do park on over there.
13:35I uh that last row of houses that had just come in, that Bristol Pacific built up at the corner of Stafford Road.
13:42Um I've I see what what's happened there. I had permitted all that for them when they built those houses.
13:49And they've they've crept a little bit into the park, you know, a couple of the houses for sure.
13:53And I think um the school just designated as a bus.
13:58They use it as a bus.
13:59Well, that's it. And is is but is that bus stop? Is that City of Fall River buses?
14:03Well, Charter Charter Atlanta.
14:06We had this a couple years ago and it's kind of a little bit of a gray area as far as because it's not really a bus stop, but but that They've been using it for years.
14:17That road at the end has balllets for a chain that was originally.
14:21Absolutely. On both ends, right? Yeah.
14:23When the park's closed.
14:24Yeah.
14:24Supposed to be. Yeah.
14:25But they've gone away from that.
14:27They don't street.
14:28No. Uh Park Drive, Maplewood.
14:30Stafford Road. Park Drive.
14:33The driveway that runs parallel to Stafford Road at the top of Maplewood Park where everybody parks or something else.
14:38Turning bus. They're parked there to go to restaurants and you know. So that was like that's like the concern here like you know I you know I like the idea it's just that I know it's not on your end it's come people start putting unregistered cars there. They're repairing cars and they're leaving cars overnight. We had that problem at Lafayette.
14:57Well I just got a call this week about the law at Hunter. The city's public law in Colombia and Hunter.
15:03Uh people calling and complaining about they're storing construction equipment in there.
15:08So it it all comes down to enforcement.
15:10Again, we build something, but we don't take care of it. Taking care of it means keeping the asphalt up, trimming the trees, making sure the light bulbs work, and enforcing whatever ordinances are in it at night or I don't know, you know, figure out something and kicked around the idea.
15:25Listen, so part of the open space and recreation plan, a lot of it was based upon funding and coming up with funding sources, right? So there was, you know, let's let's discuss branding efforts.
15:36Let's discuss, you know, should it be kiosk paid parking? Um, just about anywhere you go. I spent a lot of time in Onset Harbor. I don't know if you've ever been out there. You go to Mark Anony's for pizza and they have a beautiful mun municipal parking area down on where they've got this little marina and it's not a fancy place, but you can always find somewhere to park,
15:54but but you have to pay, you know. So it would have to be a discussion that the park board has and said are we okay with paid parking in these lots you know for any event whether people are using the park or not however it works but it's a discussion um because the more money that the more money that can be brought in and hopefully directed right to the maintenance of that park for instance um
16:21then everybody wins from it. That's like even here we talk about parking garages for how long, right? That we've needed parking garages. Park all the money that came in from parking garages went to everywhere else but parking garages.
16:33That that shouldn't be right. So you need to maintain the facilities that you have for sure. But all those types of discussions of course would would be part of the actual and then I think we should probably I'm all for putting the letter together so that they can submit it to CPC.
16:50[clears throat] But as far as public um input too, we may want to pull some of the softball guys and what they think.
16:56Absolutely. You know, those guys spend a lot of time down there, too. So, so I was told by them that they do park like where you're going to take parking where you put that turn off lane, but they do park in Henry's at night.
17:09Okay.
17:10They let them park there, but this will be an addition too because you're losing that whole lane.
17:14Got it.
17:14Going to the light. So, yeah.
17:15Yeah. So, could you talk about that just a little bit too? So this also is part of the reconstruction and redesign of Glo.
17:21So we were given a $7 or $800,000 grant to reconstruct Globe Four Corners. All the signals configuration of travel lanes. And so like as you're coming south main heading north, for instance, and you approach Broadway, right now everybody sits in that same lane no matter what movement you're making, whether you're turning left, whether you're turning right, whether you're bearing right.
17:43So now there'll be a couple of designated lanes. What that did though was that that's going to remove some parking at that intersection in a couple of approaches, you know. Um but it's not this isn't being put in place to replace all of those parking spaces because if we're going to regulate who can park in there, you know, if it's open during the day, it's open during the day. Um and
18:06that's why you can contemplate Yeah, I can understand putting in a kiosk for paved parking if someone other than using the park. Worst thing to do is have a parking lot that nobody uses.
18:15Right. Right. So, if it's if it's available there when the park needs it, great. If it's available there during the day when anybody else needs it and they're going to pay to stay there, you know, because you can have it paid a certain period time of the day when you know that they're not having softball tournaments Monday through Friday from 8 to 6, you pay whatever, five bucks an hour to park in there. You you'd be
18:35surprised how that generates money sometimes.
18:38Yeah. But those are all discussions, you know, logistically of how do we how do we deal with adding these parking lots to all parks because it's going to be the same no matter what park you do it in. People are going to want to park there.
18:51Helen, you got anything? Anybody else?
18:54No, I'm good.
18:55I guess the only other comment, Dan, is a little off the off topic, but um the open space and recreation plan too as a whole. Yep. It's something that um we've talked about as as a board back to when Nancy was here. We had some conversations with an outside engineering firm that foot would focus and take our data that we that you guys created for the open space plan and
19:19really drill into the parks and kind of align with exactly what you're saying.
19:23So it would fall maybe a little bit outside the scope of of you and more in the parks department, but it could be a cohesive plan to your point to say because one of the things that I've been saying since I got on this board is I hate the fact that we have fields and parks that there's no more little leagues at. There's no more, but we have, you know, vibrant soccer
19:46leagues now and they're looking for extra places to play. And we have football. The Falcons are always looking to for places to play. They I know um Councilwoman Pereira, she's been talking about the Titans are looking for places to play. Y So, some of kind of reanalyzing and then to your point earlier, getting some public input from some of these leagues that we have that are utilizing our facilities for how we
20:09can maximize the use of some of the parks that right now if you drive by them, and it's not a shot, but they look a little neglected because they're not there is no North Park Little League.
20:19There is no Columbus Park lit league.
20:21So it would be nice to figure out ways.
20:25Well, so in this open space, what what I would suggest is sooner than later, I would I would love to come to a meeting. And again, the open space and recreation plan was is this fat bound document, but there's a section in it that's really the meat and potatoes of what did people want? What do we have? My big thing was, hey, let's create a a database of what do we have
20:48for amenities and in what parks. There should be a website that I can go on the city of Fall River Parks and if I want to go play pickle ball, it tells me which parks I can go to. Shows up on a GIS map. This one's here, that one's there. Across the board, all about open space and recreation, but so much of it is parks. So, we've compiled all that information as part of this. Um, I
21:08actually wanted it. One of the the top goals was to create an open space and recreation committee that looks at not just the parks too, but monitors this stuff. So, we've got this the last one we had a it's a 10-year plan, right?
21:21And is that required by law like every 10 years?
21:22It absolutely is. Yeah. So, the one we're just doing now, it's it'll be from 2025 to 2035.
21:29But what we do is we we we create it because we have to and then it sits on a shelf, right? So it would be a a committee that would monitor, hey, these were our goals. Are we achieving them? Are we working towards them? Do we have an overall plan moving forward? So all of that was was a lot of those types of things is more of what I wanted to put like a framework for improvement
21:53rather than saying, "Oh, we want a basketball court here." So not so specific park projects, but just in general what we can so that we can have meaningful decisions on what we do in the parks. So, I'd love to come and go through with that, go through all of that with you um and get your input and Darren and I can work, you know, outside of this realm as well so that he gets a
22:13full understanding of these are the tools that we're trying to give everybody, right? you know.
22:18Well, and so the board knows too, Darren and I had a meeting with the mayor last week um kind of to talk about some of that stuff and you know I know there's been some frustration with the board because there are certain projects that we don't know about until there's a shovel in the ground and you know the conversation with the mayor was like for the most part I mean as the the chair of
22:42this board I don't think that we should get in the way of progress in you building things in the park, but I also think if we're going to be here as a board, we should have some say in in how it shakes out, where it goes, what it is, that type of conversation. Um, so we had that conversation, you know, with with the mayor last week. So, it's appreciative that Dan's here, you know,
23:05because I'd like to kind of shift our this board and and the focus away from, you know, removing trees. If the tree's dead, let Darren take it down and, you know, we'll we'll support him and let's have more highle conversations about how the board can help move the needle in the direction, you know, that this going to be the most beneficial for the most amount of people.
23:28That's Yeah. And and and address I mean the the amount of public survey work that we did, I think we ended up with like on the online survey 584 people responded, which is actually which is a good number, right? Um, and it's it's primarily bathroom facilities they want in parks, lighting, safety, and and and you in the in the document, it's all the surveys, all the questions. So, you can
23:54see demographics, all of that kind of stuff. So, you can see the kind of questions we asked. There were some open-ended questions. Hey, did we miss something? Just tell us what you think, right? And people come up with some different different things. Um, but I think it's all it's all beneficial. So yes, I I think this board, you know, could serve a higher purpose like you're like you're saying and have some real
24:14meaningful input on somebody should, right? So it should be right to Yeah. You'd like to you would like to think so. Yeah. So I I can offer that again.
24:25I took this on because at the time there was nobody there. Right. If it if if Darren was involved 6 months ago, I would have said, "Darren, you want to move this project forward?" Um but again his plate's full too, right? So Right.
24:40It would it would have been great if he was part of that committee.
24:43Yeah.
24:43Right. So on that open space and recreation committee representing the the parks were the city administrator and Al Aloe Vera.
24:51That's that that's the only input. I did not pick the committee members. That's who I was given to to work on this plan.
24:56Um but it would have been nice to have had a Darren to be part of that that could be back and forth with you. So, for the year, you all could have had input and and it may not be I we've got a short window to add some things in and Darren and I are going to go over that kind of stuff. Um because when you start to look for funding, it's nice to be
25:18able to point to a document that says, "Oh, this came up in the open space and recreation plan." Like if if nobody said we needed parking, how can I come tell you we need parking?
25:28Right? If I said, "Hey, we want to put bathrooms in every park." Well, why?
25:31Because Dan Agar thinks it's a good idea. No, it's because what the respondents to all of our work, you know, two years worth of work, said these are the types of things. And nobody said we need a new park, right?
25:42What they said is we have these beautiful parks, we just don't take care of them. And I think everybody understands that. So, we appreciate your work, though. And um and hopefully I think Palaski Park has a lot of land that's not being used.
25:54It is. Yeah. Yep. And we don't need today's in today's world, we don't need two baseball fields in every park.
26:01No, they're not getting used. We don't need three basketball courts. And you know, we used to go to Maplewood Park to play baseball. We went to Pleski Park to play basketball when I grew up cuz Maplewood's basketball court was horrible at the time. Pleski Park that that was the place to go play basketball, right?
26:16And tennis. And we didn't play Maplewood because it was terrible, but Pleski was always in good shape. Um, so those are I think that was one of the takeaways from the meeting with the mayor too was as we continue to meet especially throughout the the winter um and there's not going to be a lot of events and things going on that we're going to have to talk about and and vote on. Think about, you know, different
26:38things that you'd like to see and we can send suggestions, you know, to the mayor's office. He was open to that like, hey, the board thinks I think Dor and I have already talked about Pilaski Park.
26:48He's got a couple of ideas what he'd like to put there.
26:51We have to see.
26:52So like I think Huh.
26:54So my capital plan has to be in by January 1st. Capital improvement. It's finalized by then.
27:01Your capital improvement plan or the administration's mine. My my You've submitted your stuff already?
27:06I submit. So right now I like I told them I'm at three and a half million.
27:10Yep.
27:11And most of it's maintenance.
27:13Most of it is maintenance.
27:14And what was it in the budget for maintenance last year?
27:17The capital improvement plan last year was like $180,000.
27:20Yeah.
27:21So again, in in your request, you [clears throat] can point to the capital uh to the open space and recreation plan that one of one of the primary goals was was to adequately fund the maintenance of parks. One of one of the top five goals that we had, that was one of them.
27:37I think one of when I came first came in this job the one of the first conversations I had with BJ was hey let's not let's let's get away from building new stuff let's just fix what we have cuz we have a lot of stuff that's just been let go that budget doesn't even pay for cutting grass what was in previous right capital improvement plan well the capital improvement plan was
27:59just like improvements I'll give you one example I read one turn a park they wanted to redo a court there it was like it but I but if you go through the plan None of it was ever done anything with it. It was just it was just wording on paper.
28:12Well, we've been we've you know the the parks department has obviously been in transition for a couple years now. So, now that there is some stability um hopefully there's some we'll get some momentum and start increasing the budget so that there's more money to maintain these. I mean there's definitely let's people don't think it's popular but so there were there was funding put
28:35in place for more Quickicoan rail trail.
28:37Okay.
28:38Yes.
28:40There was $4 million allotted through OPA.
28:43When I came in I said well I said I think we should cut it down to one segment that we don't have anything over which was from Quicoan to Father Travaso's park. So to me, rail trail should have an ending to it, right?
28:55Connect parks for parks and um we didn't do I turned the other three million back and said we can spend that $3 million in places other than building more rail trails. We're not taking care of the rail trails that we have. Why are we going to build another two miles of rail trail? So stuff like that. So when you start thinking of funding that's there and not building new things all the time. Um
29:18and there's like a whole other issue to the rail trail thing. It's, you know, my guys will maintain it. But then you got we got the homeless issue on it, which is now it's a police department problem.
29:26But it's it's it's like it's the Golden Gate Bridge, right? If if you're not familiar with it, they never stop painting the Golden Gate Bridge. They start from one end, they go all the way through to get to the other end. By the time they're at the other end, they turn around and they got to go back. It's it's nonstop. And that like a rail trail, that's what it is, right? by the
29:44time you cut clear weed whack blah blah blah all of the rail trail you you really should be going back to the beginning again right um so adequate adequate staff adequate funding that's all that that those were the primary goals of how I wanted this open space and recreation plan to be because in the past it was oh we want to build this or we want to build that and we want
30:05nowhere was there ever a discussion with let's let's try to maintain and improve what we've got was there is there anything in the open space like quality Quality of life enforcement of ordinances.
30:15Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, 100%. That's what I was saying before like who's going to park where enforcing existing ordinances.
30:23Was park police a topic?
30:25We did talk about reinstituting the uh tree commission.
30:30Okay.
30:31Which I guess that was kind of got abandoned and never done anything with again. There was not a discussion there was about environmental police, right?
30:39If if that falls under the same. So I think we were trying in it. We said we needed to get to five environmental police and whatever they cover if that's all parks. I think what we're down to one now or two maybe. Michael Abasier was instrumental with working on this plan. Of course, his interest is the reservation and all those types of things, but there there is a line item for trying to get back to five
31:00environmental police officers. Now whether or not they could that could be cross you know responsibility help your guys a lot if there was some enforcement. I mean everything from um the illegal dumping that you have in the parks to you know people camping [clears throat] out and that type of stuff.
31:16Right. So environmental police I mean right the responsibilities can be pretty broad right I don't see why they wouldn't extend to I think all all open space and public places part of the police department.
31:26They are part of the police department.
31:28Yes 100%.
31:29Yep. So, yeah, all good stuff.
31:32Do uh anybody else have anything here or take your vote?
31:37Want to Anybody want We have a motion to accept.
31:39I'll make a motion to accept uh the plan for uh So, the motion will be to accept the plan and we'll we'll put forth a letter.
31:48Yes.
31:48Get it to Mr. Aguard so that he can I wouldn't even accept the plan. I would just say letter recommendation a letter of recommendation final design to be determined through the park board.
31:59You know, give yourself some authority in the letter that you're writing.
32:03Okay.
32:03Um something something to that effect.
32:05Second.
32:06So the motion was made by Commissioner Faras and second by Commissioner Rigo.
32:10And to be clear, the motion is to just put forth a letter of recommendation um to CPC that we think it's a good idea.
32:16Yes. you know, and then pending final drawings and renderings and all of that once the dust settles with the funding and we figure out, you know, what we're going to be capable of. So, the motion was made by Commissioner Ferris, seconded by Commissioner Rigo. All in favor?
32:30I I. Any opposed?
32:32Motion carries. Thank you.
32:34Thank you. You guys have a nice holiday.
32:36You too. Happy Thanksgiving.
32:37Part of me was hoping you were going to say no and I didn't have to worry about getting my my application in. Well, because we're also I've got the other one was uh Columbia Street, the little park there that we got the that piece of property from the church.
32:49Yeah, from the church. So, we'll see what we can do on that.
32:52All right. Thank you again.
32:53Thank you.
32:54You have to sign.
32:56Yeah, I'll I'll set I'll type, you know, I can work with Mindy to get something written up.
33:01I don't know if she's coming back Monday. I have to I have to get BJ knows what CBC wants it to say.
33:06I I got to We got to get to him by Tuesday.
33:08Yeah, that's fine. We'll get it to you by Monday, too.
33:11That's fine. So, he'll just have to slip it in his packet of stuff.
33:17Um, anything else? Anybody? Any old business?
33:20No.
33:20Any commissioner inquiries?
33:22No.
33:23Questions? Anything?
33:24Oh, good.
33:24December.
33:26So, we're going to No December meeting.
33:27We'll meet after the new year. It'll be the first Wednesday.
33:30No meeting in December.
33:30No, we'll meet in January.
33:32Okay.
33:32The first Wednesday in January. So, whatever date that is. I think we have the room already.
33:37Yes.
33:38Set for 2026. This was just a special b we I pushed it up so for courtesy for for Dan. There was some miscommunication as far as when this came in and when it needed [clears throat] to be done and the CPC application is due like I think the third. So we just had to make sure everybody was on board with this to get him the letter before that date. So do you have something here?
34:00No, I was just going to make a motion to adjurnn.
34:02Oh motion to adjurnn. Do I have a second?
34:05Second.
34:05Second by Commissioner Ferris. All in favor. Motion carries. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving.