e e e e e e e e e good afternoon welcome to the community relations Recreation and activities Advisory board meeting meeting is being called to order on Monday May 13th at 6:44 p.m. roll call E Stanley pres chairman Dennis here pres M Cherry pres c banks C Roberts invocation will be done by Deacon Eugene Stanley please stand again than you Lord keep Lord God keep our mind knowing and unknowing sin Lord God thank you be God by Lord God Le us right now in Jesus name amen amen amen Pledge of Allegiance my pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liity and justice for all then we have our parking Recreation director's report please good evening on um two weeks ago our flag football teams had their Championship on not this weekend just past the following weekend before and I will ATT you flag team won the championship and won a ring as well on that day as well as the 12 youth flag football team they won a trophy and aring on last Thursday the seniors of the move had their Mother's Day luncheon at Seagull Park we also have um commissioner Rose Titus she's having her Mr and Mrs senior Florida contest P um search and pageant so the deadline for that application if you want to be a part of it is May 20th 20124 also we are preparing for our summer program it's with the manager once the approval will go out before the end of the week is over also we have registration for football and cheer which started on last week Monday and conditioning will start on May 20th um I gave also um the survey that was given to us by mirle and what we're trying to do is get the input from the residents to give us some kind of idea on what they want to see exactly in our Parks we had someone from the old noaca old school came doing the workshop that the um the mayor not the mayor but the city manager had on April 24th and they gave some suggestions um the um the vice chair she has to um get the information back so that we can make sure y'all are a breath of what's their concerns are and the things that they want to see as well in the park system um the seniors on the Move we will be going to Niagara Falls on September the 14th to the 22nd that's a n-day trip we have two buses actually going to this trip in September so there is some additional seats so if you want to be a part of it you could get with Miss Diana dton which is the senior coordinator and she could give you more information and details in regards to that trip they also have already started preparing for the trip for next year the seniors will be going to New Orleans that'll be a 7day six night trip so they are prepared for that right now to be able to if any seniors or anyone from the community that's in that senior age can be a part of the trip for next year as well back to the survey um I did give out that survey but it was a draft in the beginning about a couple of months ago and we cover all the bases of the east side as well as over by Miss Banks house as well a few was given out on the west side but we didn't get that many to actually come out when we had the workshop because that's when we first passed out the package in regards to what we wanted to see what we the community wanted to see as far as ingr Park seagull Park and shabi park so we're still in the planning of trying to get some kind of idea on what you all want to see as far as parks in Recreation um we're preparing also for this weekend as everybody know that this weekend we're celebrating the city's 98th birthday so we having Community Bingo on Friday they having a family fun day the early part of the day and at 6 PM we have karaoke that night from 6:00 to 11: and on Sunday we're going to have the gospel singers from different churches to come out and sing at shabi Park that concludes my report we now move to item F the old business co-chair Roberts you wanted to um explain this please good afternoon um the meeting was called today based upon some suggestions about the park Department pertaining Ingram Park um I will say that based upon the committee we're looking more for recommendations on how to organized the um what is it just [Music] um programming on ingr Park what happens we the city of opaka Park and Recreation Department did hire a young lady to do the programming for the park system we're we're more so looking for suggestions on how we can improve the parks department from the outlook on the outside we know how the inside work the parks department the activities and different things like that but we need a different Outlook and a different take on what we can do to improve the Parks and Recreation um we had a young we had a a lady by Miss Dorothy Marson to file some complaints about what she really it was suggestions really not really complaints but suggestions on what she wanted to improve but out of the 24 items that she did um give to me in my hand it was only maybe six of them that wasn't in motion already but based upon the seniors on the Move coming to the park every day and everybody knows that the seniors on the Move goes to shabi park from anywhere from 8: in the morning to 3: in the afternoon Monday through Friday that's when the city opaka sen on the SE seagull part seagull part Monday through Fridays on um she also complained about um them doing the demolition on the par we don't have any control over that you know I made a phone call to Miss Morrison she didn't answer the phone but I was going to address it full-time staff being at Ingram Park everybody knows that if you go to England Park they have a supervisor a supervisor and two additional employ at Ingram Park so some of the things that she really actually touched wasn't a situation where they really have to fix anything it was just concerns that she didn't know I don't know where she was getting the information from and I really didn't ask but I did return the car back but she never answered but we need to do more program helping find structure of programs for um all of the the complete parks department not just one Park all the parks they have a some of you program coming they have um what's y supervisor Marine DT have came up with different ideas to improve the parks department she's done cooking she's done um um what is jelly beans she have done different things but we're trying to do a creation of big bigger ideas not just old fishing at um Ingram Park and shabi park always have football is going to go on the baseball programs we can't really address the baseball program because all the baseball leags are no longer on the North End they have baseball but it's down south and the other program that they have is Miami beach but Miami Beach only does baseball on Sundays and they only have little lead and minor a minor lead and little lead the other the other issues is trying to bring um what AIT like I said that they've been having water AIC at Shabani Park already it's been advertised they have people to come so it's not something under the behind the clock it's not that she was more so touching things that oh use the senior citizen building at England Park okay the seniors are no longer there so we don't have control over it they're they're located at Seagull Park okay you have to speak to whoever necessary that you have to speak to but but it wouldn't come across the actual parks department why they will move I don't know I I mean a don't need to ask about it CU you're not going to get a direct answer about it um far as the tracking field is ongoing tracking field basketball just ended flag football just ended everybody knows from June to August August the actual football season officially starts in the city of opaka um they're trying to bring and um um um athletic weight weight Pro weight lifting program for for people to go to the gym work out which they have improved by 25 bodies we do know that on the consistent base they have at least 25 people in the gy so those are things are emotional already but she don't see that because she didn't ask about it but I brought it to the board so nobody won't say well Chris made the in Chris made all the decisions on it and different things like that I didn't think it was fair so I just brought it to the board the overall Outlook of it programming is a big issue in 2024 kids are not outside anymore when it came with iPads cell phones um Ataris PlayStation Xboxes people start Limited at their children from the ability to think so we keep them in the house and they play the activities in the house so they're not outside activities on Miss Bank side on well on the east side they did give out flyers for the community but how do you get the community involved when you won't have the parents to bring the kids so my suggestion to the Parks and Recreation Department and the Staffing for them to do transportation from the East side to this side not every day but make a a actual um schedule where they can bring the kids from one side to the other side because we have parents that just let the children walk the street if they're not walking the street they're actually home behind the computer system different things like that so the out outside sports are very limited they have soccer over there at the England Park she said there's no Sports over there that's not true but you know you have to you have to understand the Parks Department and what you're dealing with in the New Millennium and they're back in the U 40 years ago what Ean Park used to be it will not be like that that that won't happen um another issue they're crying about baseball at England Park I don't see where there's a recommendation for Ingram part and this is my opinion not anybody opinion but my opinion I don't think it should be baseball and the reason why I don't think it should be baseball is because in the 2024 23 parks you don't see anybody building baseball fields all of them are stadiums soccer ran out of them football are ran up they're actually they're actual stadiums all of the pars you got one or two pars you might see baseball but it's very limited in day County and that's because b day County on the North End is not it's not a priority on the North End so those are the things that she was complaining about I'mma say as I spoke to the commission on um on Wednesday if we have $1.7 million for Ingram par they need to start a demolition on Ingram Park when you see when you say something and you do no work talk without work those doesn't mean anything in the world when people see things then they know you're serious but if you don't never show the progress of anything they're not they're going to keep complaining about it um another situ another situation that overall overalls the whole the whole entire parks department is you can bring anybody in and I could tell y'all the different things because I we're partnered with parks for the last 12 years and everything that have improved with Parks we teamed up not for the betterment of us but for the parks department but when you have leverage you don't have leverage to make a change you you you only limited to what your your your limitation could be and that is the difference with the parks department that was the reason why the meeting was called you know it's not a long process long drawn out meeting it was just basically she had some concerns about it like I said the thing most of them are really limited oh we need wait um we need to improve the playground okay we've been fighting for the playgrounds for what over a year I mean that was something and then the exercise equipment on the trail of the um of engram Park they need okay that is in the plan for making a correction when the plan starts everybody know we don't have control over it but those are the concerns that she had for Ingram Park so though the concern she had was just for Ingram Park right it was just for Ingram Park she didn't have any concern for anything else because um the new city hall is supposed to be completed I don't know when but they say it's supposed to be completed um shabi Park really don't have they don't they don't have a a focus plan for just Shabani Park they have a plan but not a a master plan for Shabani Park like I said the biggest feature on the park will be the playgrounds we need the playgrounds done we need the clean up of the park the the basketball courts and different things that makes the coloring even if you can't fix the basketball court put some paint on it um something to make the paint the the the park look better the lighting system they corrected the lighting system so it's not dark on the par it's not well that was concern thank you that they did do a lighting system on a part but it's like certain little things that they're addressing um but don't happen overnight but um Shaban P wasn't a big Focus for her it was more so Ingram Park getting weight weight equipment um exercise equipment out there getting the seniors back on the part different things like that but when she handed to me you know you only limited limited to comments you can give the information to whom necessary that needs the information but those were the things that she was concerned concerned about me you ex they're expanding everything now the backwards way if we had Ingam Park done one way and we had a building for the seniors to should be in there that was my opinion too or whatever the situation is you know we had to come and say something about baseball in the city of Miami um the super superintendent darari Griffin reached out to um Liberty City and the young lady said that the issue with baseball they don't have it on the North End they play baseball at um Charles haty part but most of their activ are down south so if we chose to pick up baseball they would have to go down south then you have another issue based upon Transportation that's the same thing with the different things me we all need to come we should come to agreement and this is just my opinion about that also we need a a bigger bus for the kids they're buying a bus for the seniors but we need a big bigger transportation for the kids we have the senior seniors bus and it hold what 25 what 25 people 24 people and then we have two Vans but when you're transporting 200 and something kids we need better transportation for that and that is another recommendation that we spoke about and to make different things it's not to Target anybody it's just little things that if we don't fix them we're going to run in trouble with the Parks and Recreation Department you know we have adequate amount of style in fact the hiring have been plus because we're getting them in on a regular basis now one time we wasn't so you can improve anything but you got to have the outlet to improve and if you don't show anything you don't get anything but those are the concerns we need they the Park and Recreation Department a recommendation we need a bus for transportation not just the vans that we have they're good but you're going to wear the Vans out if you don't get a bus when you maxing out your Vans to transfer to kids and different things we're going to wear a bus out Ingram part like I said everything I said about the park Ingram Park that was stuff that Miss Miss Morrison said um gave me a do some a paper some paperwork on and it's more so just to um make a couple of um corrections to it um make make some suggestions make some requests when the next commission meeting then the report will that these are the things that we're looking for yeah they have a right to do whatever they want to but once you put it in black and white these are the things that we put forth that needs to be fixed and that's it I mean get rid of the trailer personally the trailer should be on I don't think the trailer should be there it was $50,000 a waste I don't think the trailer should be there that $50,000 that hund and some thousand they waste to open it back up you don't you don't open it up just to say you open it you you don't patch it up because you can what you do is you get your plan together and make your Corrections on the part and that is a big issue with how they're running the part how how it's done on on that particular part yes it's a community part I don't know if y'all know Engle Park is not zone for a park it's not zone for a park all these years that the park been there is not zone for a park so the funding for engram Park is limited because they have to make the corrections to make the park a two-way entrance it's only a one way in and one way out so that's a dilemma too but that was my concerns those are the things that was brought to me I'm just bringing it to the board because I don't want nobody to say oh it's a Onan show that's not how I operate so that y'all be fully aware that everything is going on if y'all have some suggestions anything that y'all can improve um the programming work with the young lady what her name is Jalia they brought Jalia in and she's doing programming well she work she was registered for parking Recreation but she's willing to do the program she came from Miami Gardens to come in and help program here now how it planned out I don't have no control of that either but some suggestions will be need needed she's open to it she came in they came in with the mindset to make some things move they trying to bring in a drama program um and what was the other one it's two was two drama and something they said Tuesday okay Miss fish Miss Swift is is um doing the fishing program and Jalia is doing drama they're bringing in drama to the park um The Gentle gentleman that came with the Soca information it's a private company but he was willing to to give it to the Comm Comm the the children of the city of opaka without a cost so he's doing Saka without a cost at engram Park right so those are the things that they were brought to me or whatever the you know in opalak there not too many things that I'm not aware of because they bring them to me and it has nothing to do about it being just the city of opalak they just it just happens to be that way Miss Banks I know you know you got you you've been in the park you was in the park system for a long time or whatever I know you have some suggestions you I really have no suggestions because of I think as a board member it doesn't make a difference whether we make a recommendation or not in the past we have made recommendations with no notification from anyone city manager assistant city manager commission board doesn't matter we're going through the motion most of the information that you've given that Mrs marrison is concerned about I'm I'm thankful that we were able to get this information from you and that you brought it to the board and I'm thankful for our our director of Parks and Recreation I'm sure that being a prior employee of the Parks and Recreation I know she's doing the best that she can you know I I think that the city manager and our commission and our finance department we're not talking about something that's been that's just happening to the city of opaka so what do we do do we go another five six 10 more years in that time our our director will be ready for re reement we'll have a whole new set of people and if the board if this board makes recommendation to make our Parks and Recreation better and no one even thinks enough to even respond to us on it then what's the purpose in the board what rights do we have being a board member to even make a recommendation I I mean I'm just bringing out factors that involve our decisions and our recommendations uh on these items chair respond to miss Banks recognize I'm Miss Banks um you really know me by now personally if it's not done as long as it's in black and white I'm good with it because one thing I do know that you could beat a horse and you keep beating a a horse two things going to happen he's going to break down or he's going to it's going to move I believe and this is just me I brought it because it's so limited on the things that happen in this city here the the business of the city when you run the business of the city concerns are very much important it should be let me let me say Let Me Go rephrase that it should be should when you have people volunteering their time to help you improve something most people would take it and say you know what this is for the betterment of your city when you take on a job you go to that job whether you like that job or not you do your best for that job for some reason in this city we get in a situation where everybody is in a corner and nobody can move that's a bad thing that's not good that's not POS POS because when you make a decision it's a decision when we have the meeting I brought it to y'all in respect to everybody it's not about me whether this board run or not we could give all the recommendations whether it go or not that's the look of this community the people here have to change the Outlook we have 18,000 residents in the city of opaka people still talk about about everything that go on they had a workshop when I spoke to the commu spoke to the community in which I grew up in the east side over there by Ingram Park I was there for 40 years you know what they first thing they said is Chris why didn't you run but I didn't run because I don't let things change my life I don't I don't I don't do that I don't do anything to change my life and opaka have a way of changing your life and it's not for the better and that's a bad thing that's not good when you run you want change want fir things firm you want people to do the right thing or whatever it is you you can't do that I'm not I don't I'm not doing that I walked out I mean everybody hey why don't you do it let me tell y'all the things that's going on I don't throw rocks and have my hand I'm not that person for that if I said it I said it if I didn't do it I didn't do it but as a whole you have to put it on record people chose not to move on it those are the things that election is coming okay hey we're did this we have a booklet this is the stuff that we're promoted during this time and guess what these people are not moving on it this is the people that y'all are voting in the city of opaka that's what you have to do everybody in here receive documents for the me everybody you take your booklet you take your booklet and you flip the pages on this day I tried to improve par on this day I asked for a bus for the children on this day this is what happened they knocked it down or nobody didn't move on it it is what it is chair please anything chair recognizes Miss Banks po chair yes this is in this city and you are 100% correct you are 100% correct as a former employee for the city of opaka Parks and Recreation Department Police Department human resource department and the city manager Department I can say that the issues that we're talking about today are the same issues that have been here for the years that I've been here they have not changed when I took this position on this board I came in with an understanding that this board which I clerked this board as a member of the parks and recreation employment I took it to make a difference my recommendations was and they are on record and those recommendations have gone throw it out there air they didn't make a difference to and I I'm gonna say what I gotta say because everyone knows who I am I'm straight up the commission nor our city managers which I to me they got more than enough city managers to get involved in this thing we are now approaching summer camp where even if we had kids that wanted to go even if you wanted to just go over and just sit there as a parent while your children did something what are they gonna do just run around the park come on I'm I'm talking about our children they are the future of us when we're dead and we're gone these kids are going to be the ones going to be sitting in our places so it makes it it it take it takes me off because I to even it I look at this thing and it says public notice and I appreciate I I appreciate our clerk because it takes a lot of work to do this and then do your own job your other jobs that you got 99 other jobs too okay I want to bring that out yes because I too had to do it you had 99 other jobs and then you had to clerk aboard at six and till when I did it until 11 and 12:00 sometimes at night okay as if you didn't have a family so it would Behold our commit and our city manager to take a good look into whatever information we do in recommendation of today it should not go on ears it took time away Mrs marrison took time to give you this information you took time to bring it before the board we all have listened to all this information and we'll sit here and go through the motion and this the commission will say ham chalk it up the city manager our finance department and our commissioners should have actually have a budget to go forward with these things you don't just go through the motion I I I'm I'm not putting anything out that isn't out you have audits we have to respond on our Audits and let the state know so they can continue to give us money to take care of the things that we need to do in our community you can't expect the people in the community whether they're Hispanic black Asian I don't care what nationality to get involved when they do say it and nothing takes place or if you get people in that don't do anything to help us again you're right we put them there if it was up to me I'd get them out because if they're not going to take care of our community and our people the future children that are here and I say that because I I too have grandchildren I I I have grandchildren that I want to be a part of my community when I'm dead and I'm gone I want to know that they can at least do something in their Community to help others into my community but this this this this game plan thing and I'm you know I'm putting it out there because I too I to the board I requested some information as a public rec request for the board so that I could begin to make some better decisions for us can't even get it so don't I don't want to hear about the Commissioners and this city manager that we got okay you know I I want this to go out there I do and I know it's going out there but truth is truth so if if if if if I'm going to sit here and I'm gonna give you all of this and I'm gonna put it on notice and you're right you have to put it on notice put it on notice anyway to clear yourself that's what they're doing you know they clear theirself by saying but nothing's being done as you said we've been a whole year we've been fighting to just get a swing on the playground one swing so that we can have at least have seagull Park up where if parents or kid wants to go not all parents allow their children to just sit at home and look in front of the TV or or social media and all of this some of them do get out and let them walk and some of us are oriented to getting out into the community we can't assume that one nationality is the same for all nationalities because it's not our Hispanic sisters and brothers here in this community are very much different than we are as black Americans there's a difference as Commissioners I expect the Commissioners that I vote to put in okay not gonna go there on any of them okay because I don't waste my time I do my homework I want to know what you're doing for my community and if you're not doing anything for my community you're not getting my vote but I can't speak for the community but here we are again I've been retired out from the city for three years and we're the director of The Parks and Recreation Department know this to be true we're still fighting about the same things that we've been fighting for years that I've been here so why is Miss Banks gonna sit here and make a recommendation on something that isn't going to be done for the next 25 more years what is the purpose of the board and I say this because I want the commission of Ethics to know this I want the state of tallah has to know it what's the purpose of the board I'm being real I'm a realist when it comes to the financing of the department when I work Parks and Recreation I worked 99 jobs why because I care about my community I live in this community I've been here 53 years I've been in this community I know this community I know the people that sit on this diet is right here okay I'm not happy with it I wish more of the community would feel the same way I feel about it if if if that were to happen then we probably this would be full and and this board right here would with our our chairman and our co-chair things will begin to move because the commissioner was have to do something if they stop profiling you know it's not all everything is not about money Prestige and power it's about our children that we're talking about for the future Parks and Recreation represents them all the program and everything that you brought before me I think they are very good ideas I really do but myself I would love to see them be put into effect I would love to see I'm a Fisher lady I love fishing I would love to get on the bus and say hey I'm going fishing with Miss TN hey I got my stuff even as a as as a senior citizen now I'm a senior citizen now I believe in fighting for the future generation see them right there you don't know what they're going to be we don't but we have to assist them and help them to be better people in the community and they're watching us they're watching them that sit up here on this Di and the things that they do I I'm here I'm a part of the board until you guys throw me off y'all can throw me off anytime y'all get ready me too that's the way I feel about it but I'm the statements that I make has nothing to do with the board chairman co-chair has nothing to do with the board it has to be what I have to put out there for our commissioners and our city manager of this city because the game plan is time to stop it's going to stop because there are a lot of factors I won't go into and undisclosed right now that's going to stop it and we hope and pray that we will be able to have a we able to have a board and a commission for the city of opalak okay that makes a statement I hope they I hope they get it because your resume is not going to look good when you have that on your resume okay it's not I didn't mean to go there but I have to because I'm the type of person that I'm straight up I'm not happy with the commission I'm not happy with the city managers I'm not happy with the fact that I have to pay my tax dollars for them doing nothing and that's what they're doing nothing they can't even get the audits in to Tallahassee to to our governor of Florida I try not to do this but they all know who I am and how I am about it I'm a very serious I take it very seriously little tiny people I I love them I take it very seriously I want to see every one of them make it in life because they grow up to be us okay chair thank thank thank you chair I'm I'm done y'all I my my my voting is not going to change it's not I still stand for the recommendations that we recommended for Parks and Recreation I thought they would have been done by now I even went through the rigar of a vice mayor standing here with us and and the city manager playing games with information that we requested come on you guys are here you're here in the boy we went through this okay so what are we here for chair thank you chair and co-chair for allowing me to speak if I can be of any other help you guys let me know okay if it's G to make a difference go Roberts recogniz Miss B I feel you Miss B the only only thing that I'm trying to I brought to the board the reason why I brought it to the board I think the correction should be made I mean how we get it done we have to get to that point to attempt to make the change that's it all of the the rest of how they run mid city and what they do or whatever it is we we're not in charge of making those decisions unless the people of the city of opaka say we are tired me as a person or whatever it is I have my personal opinion about it but Welcome to the Real World but we're going to go a long we're GNA go the short way around it not go not step on nobody toes and argue and fuss with people because I I don't do that well but I'm just a believer the meeting was called because we have concerns we if the community are asking for something to be fixed it's just just as important for me to bring it to y'all so that it we can address them how they fix them they don't have we don't have no bearing on it let me let me say this I didn't come and wasn't put on the Park and Recreation board so I could be friends with people even though Miss Ray is my sister I wasn't put there for that I was put there because the last 12 years we have been out in the community to help the Parks and Recreation when when opal the city of opaka didn't have nothing that was to help them reform the Park and Recreation Department so it had nothing to do we helped um Devon and joy we helped Mr Brown for 15 years and that's another situation too you know when he was taking all the city of opaka money doing whatever he want to do with it all of those things at the end of the day we still did it it was about the children it was about making the corrections it was about doing things that would bring for this community that's what we did it wasn't about me liking you me disliking you whatever it had nothing to do with that what we need to do is find a way that we could get to the commission meeting and we come as a team hey we're spending our time to trying to make the correction work with us to fix these things now if they don't do it all you could do is put it on record this these are the things that they asking for you know if the Community Reach Miss Morris reach reached out to me or whatever I'm quite sure she gave it to somebody else I'm quite sure she did but because my heart is in the parks department and I've been in the parks department my oldest son is 40 years old I've always been that person to put things together in the parks department if it was something going on in the parks department and of course I never work for the parks department but I've always volunteered anything my children was involved with I've always been involved with anybody knows me that's who I am but as a team you do things together that's the reason why I brought it not so much as Miss Miss Banks I know that you're really aggravates you because you were there and You' seen the work you seen the different things that goes on hey I don't make decision I don't make decision all I can do is bring it to y'all as a team and that that's that's that's it now now we can make a decision on the next Commission meeting when they go for the um um um reports or the citizen form hey we're coming here y'all assigned us to the board we doing all these different things we the PE you know y'all not doing anything to help us improve the Parks and Recreation Department y'all not doing anything to give us a leadway with with this community you know we come as a team not one person but Madam chair they don't I mean come on they don't even adhere to the Charter of the city Charter information and what it says States about the boards about the recommendations of the boards they don't even adhere to that listen I'm I'm gonna speak the truth any of them that don't want to hear the truth and they need to turn off YouTube and everybody else okay because the truth is the truth it hurts it really does when you know you're doing it okay they don't even follow Charter information for this city they don't care whether you're a taxpayer whether you're a resident or whether you're one of these little tiny people that live in this community okay um shows okay chair to miss Banks we're gonna we're gonna end this in a minute wait a minute let can we recognize our Park director please has a hand up I'm sorry let me bring y'all to um some more information as far as the Parks and Recreation um I've been attending a couple of um meetings with the South Florida Coalition Parks and Recreation organization and with all the cities not just opaka with all the cities there is a major issue as far as their Sports component or other entities of parks and W so what happened was a lot of the city even halia we all started meeting with one another to try to create Inner City programming within the city not just in opaka you have Durell you have Sunny Al you have um mirar you have um a little further up north the different Everglades that they have in those different areas and what they found their self noticing like I go back to even to one of the meetings I said the same thing I'm not one of those par parents that allow my children to just focus on electronics I make them participate in anything that I have on Parks and W here for the city of Paka and a lot of people that know me I have a passion for parks and W for the seale Paka and a lot of the children that I come in contact with and some of the parents that they say why you don't let your kids go to other Parks or other cities to participate different events or activities I can but as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Paka that's not a good look for me to have my children participate in another city in a in activity that I you know I introduce to the community or I promote within the city so so that was one of my passion even when I was a Rec leader I have to make opal Locker Great again my focus is to create new ideas new activities and I think with the team that I got right now and the new staff that I will be having within the next couple of weeks um I think we will be able to offer other programs and ideas of different things that we are looking to do as far as parks and within the city um Miss Swift and Miss Marine is my supervisors on the park and like um the vice chair said that I do I have three staff members at Ingram Park I have the supervisor I have a part-timer and I have a full-tim there to cover the bases of ingr Park on a regular basis the Parks and Recreation Department is open seven days a week the pool is open every day and also on the weekend so the community have the opportunity to kind of like come out and engage in some of the things that we do have on Parks and they're able to communicate with the staff as well with any ideas that they have as well so I get in the community I know a lot of people do know me growing up in opaka I done played every sport in opaka I became the person I am in sports from opaka so I know that we can teach our children to be great but we also have to remember that it's not just about the sports component it's also about academics because we don't want no child black white hispanic Puerto Rican we don't want them to go out there and they have to speak and they don't know how to speak and they people sit back and they say oh where that child was raised at what they was taught I promote academic with all my activities especially Sports because we have a lot of talented young people in the community that's going to stand out and they going to represent us to the fullest my daughter came through the programs of the city she made it to be a cheerleader for Miami care City she's also in the magnet program that she'll start in the fall when school starts so that shows me that my staff is doing a good job of helping them understand what they need to understand and as far as academic and I promote that all the time yes we do need some people from the board to come out speak kind of help us kind of get out of the community and touch bases on what we want them to see or what they want to see ingland Park they talk to me a lot of times when I be over there I get on the cart I ride with the staff they come out their backyards they talk to me and they tell me exactly what they want to to see and one of the things that they want to see at eil Park is a better looking Park something that they could say our Park look good they always say why do we have to go to hilia to go to a park and we got a park right here a beautiful park right here in Park is beautiful but again to patch it up it's a waste of money we have to start from the ground and build it up the correct way and until we do that inam Park is not going to be the partk that we want it to be it's not going to be the part chair if I may just give me a recognized by the here one to the director if I can recall right Ingram Park I think I think coer mentioned it is not zoned to be a park I have said this many a times before commission city managers and everybody else perhaps it would be good to look at that Park as a revenue that facility as a revenue facility for us in the community perhaps we can have some type of fishing or some type of programs might be set up there at a cost to our residents I I mean everything's going up taxes have gone up even though we're not getting anything for it you know when when my when when when my in-laws and my grandchildren and and my cousins and my little nieces came down we had to go to Bunch Park we loaded them up and we went to Bunch Park cuz you know they couldn't get on the screen they couldn't get on nothing as a resident and a taxpayer it's embarrassing it's really embarrassing but as commission say this is what it is so I guess that means shut your mouth and accept what we give you and what we do the Commissioners are Commissioners to create legislation if this board makes a recommendation and we do that and we do and and and honestly all of us do our home we look this stuff over we make recommendations on it we have submitted we have requested information when we argued about the park grounds we requested information from the city manager's office that we could not get on this board so how can the board make an an objective recommendation on something when you can't even get anything from them they first have to do what they're supposed to do let me say this is you and I both have grown up in this community We Know It with our eyes closed and I'm and I'm not knocking those that don't live here because it doesn't mean because you don't live here that you don't have something to contribute to this city but when you grow up in it you get to know it with your eyes closed you get to know the every move okay I can recall and I hope they don't get angry but I'm I'm a realist I'm also I've been a money lady here a long time I can recall Ingram Park getting two sets of grant money that came in to fix up Ingram Park and in the 10 year I've been here I've only saw it one time where did the money go again I'm GNA say that they get mad I've had commission to say oh miss Bank don't say that but here we are again trying to decide what to do with that Park that facility that's what I call it because it's a beautiful place it can be a beautiful revenue for us if we have the right people that have the right mind for business and economics and our commissioners just need to look at it decide on it and do what they're supposed to do pass legislation for us in this community okay it's not for them to look pretty look nice or anything else their job is to pass that legislation and City manager's job is to make sure day-to-day operations are handled on a daily basis he is responsible for it he is right now they're highest paid we got we got a city manager and two assistants that you shouldn't even call them assistants you should just say they city managers too okay because they the salaries are my tax paying dollars is way up there but I'm getting nothing for it I can't even I can't even say come on come on booby let's go over here and sit at the park okay for a while what am I going to do look at the park no I go to Bunch Park I'm making a statement and I'm I'm I'm putting it out there miss Banks I'm in so anyway I'm not my point too and I agree with you I I already knew it I know it's not Zone I've known it for years working in Parks and Recreation I knew it when I was in city managers office because it came right across my desk I said what's this so so maybe if we do some recommendations like you said and pass it on to our city manager and our commissioners maybe they would think it you know maybe maybe that might be a good some of us might think it needs to be just torn down but it's a beautiful location it can be some beautiful Revenue coming in for us in this community which would help us because the more programming we get actually most of your grants come through you you still have to have a certain amount of kids in order to get that grant money okay so we bring people in and they come in and and I can speak on this Miss Ray knows that I can speak on it we bring people in and they come in to do this work for us and to offer their programming for us and then they pull kids from way over on I'm GNA say Diddy Rudy okay to come in so they can meet the quota to get the money and then our kids in the city get left out some of them don't even know of some of the beautiful programs like Miss Ray just said they don't know it when I worked at City we had an allocated fund that I made sure that Mr our previous director did in the finance budget that we made sure we set aside ,000 to make sure that all the paperwork that we did which R can tell you was like this and bailed out but now we're in a technology World well we need to get it out to them but we also need to consider the the age group on it because a lot of our senior citizens they don't do computer stuffff they don't even have a computer half of them don't even know how to use this so I think the key is educating our people in the community because like Miss Ray say I I did get this I got it I saw it I read it some of my community people I should say in my neighborhood even asked me about it I had a couple of them on the end that have kids and they said Miss bang what do you think about this I said who did you vote for but that's going to tell you what's going to take place okay I don't mean to get in your personal business but you know it's going to take the community to to make the change because we're coming this is an election year and you know what they're all about come on yeah they want to look good but you know you like I tell them I tell them look at what they have signed off on for you in this community if haven't done anything for you then you don't need to put them back in the office okay you need to get rid of them chair Miss thank you chair and co-chair I'm I'm done y'all my my vote isn't going to change okay but I'm gonna speak my peace about this okay because I don't have it's it's a waste of time but but out of respect for this board and the board members that are here I will comply if I had if I had any recommendations I pretty much done gave all right and they haven't responded have they I want to ask that question has anybody chair and co-chair have they responded to you all and you guys forgot to to respond to us no information that we requested we still haven't got I still haven't seen it not email not turis nothing okay we haven't got there's the clerk there's a clerk of the board right there her job is to make sure we get that information I'm I'm I'm putting it out there on them they can do whatever they want to do with I don't care okay I really don't I really don't they need to respect the board the board is here according to chart we are here to make recommendations to our commission and our city manager and what if they don't like it then they need to bring it up in the meeting and say we don't care for what the board said nor their recommendations okay you can put it lightly or you can put it however you want to put it and then we all know where we stand I'm Sorry Miss Banks is like that but that's the way I am okay I'm straight up I thank you chair coair um um in response to miss Banks Miss Banks co-chair Roberts record we're gonna go we're GNA go on faith and then see how God move that's how we're GNA run it from here on out all we can do is promote um present it if they do nothing nothing about it okay hey they don't want change I mean you can see how things go that people do whatever they want to when you run the city the business of the city the correct way all of this stuff go away and when things happen you can't point you can't point fingers at people what you do is you sit back and wait one thing I do know about God God let you do everything that you want to do and when he get tired of it he step in and he show unfortunately it just have taken o the city of opalak a long period of time that's it that's why I said I'm overall or whatever it is I'm a I'm I'm a I'm a I'm a reader I'm a book person um I'm I'm GNA do my own research this is why everything in the city of opaka and this municipality can be be picked you could pick everything here all you have to do is read it or whatever you it takes nothing to do it and it's a bad thing because when you do business business is business I could like you or not business is business when I get away from it that's the end of it but sometime your better judgment is always beneficial to you when you create some cre create form form is form that's why I hate paper people they hand you all the paper and they gonna do all this stuff and it never get done and I hate paper people I'm a reality person you know opal Locka have rules and regulations like every other place and let me say this and I'm gonna Le this with Miss BS one thing I could tell you this though if you violate a law everybody have a boss anything that you do everybody have a boss the people of opaka have to make their force of a change I'm done chair so we can get out of here um Miss Sher you have anything you want to add I did have a couple of questions in regards to like the recommendations Madame coair Roberts um you said about the transportation needs that you stay in is it like in our budget or is it something that we could do like where we could Charter a bus until we could actually get a bus for the children we actually charter bus um chair we actually charter bus for the activities that's not the issue but if we the money that we spend and chartering a bus we can get our own bus and we have drivers for it and we could pay our drivers our own employees instead of outside vendors that's the way I look at it why pay uh American Heritage um school um $800 to transport the kids today when I could get my own style in here and make that same money they might not get it to same day but they could still get the um same funding it might not be that much but you still can pay your inhouse I'm I'm I'm totally against pushing money out I believe your people your your people are your people you know and that's just me I don't want the city of opaka children to rent charter buses every every year um for the whole entire season two years a two three years ago we went all over way to uh rockage we went to we was a traveling team we did all we paid for these buses to go why do we have to do that when we get our own transportation for years we had our B our own bus it went down in the dumps but we had our own bus so why not take and invest in your future with your children and get your own bu that's just CH I'm sorry chair may I have the floor for one moment please yes I'm I'm done thank you just one moment please miss Banks recognized through the chair I was looking at something and I remembered this and I do recall a conversation that I as as a part of the seniors on the Move program and I am a member of the seniors on the Move program okay I was validated by the director of the department upon leaving the city as a senior on the Move applicant I complied with everything that they said you were supposed to do I want to put that on record I'm not a fly by person okay I can recall a conversation that I have here that I recorded with the city manager indicating that he at the meeting with seniors on the move was going to purchase a bus for the senors on the Move program okay Miss um CH Miss I'm just saying money that again I'm I'm I'm G talk about this money everything that you saying is exactly what we should be doing because we do why are we gonna spend extra money get our own you know if you if if if you get that grant money and I don't want to go there if you get that grant money and you say you need 18 seniors in order to get such and such such amount of money and we get that money we got to have 18 seniors in that program to get that funding you take that funding and you should be utilizing it in a proper manner because come audit time we have to get these audits up to the governor's office to make sure that everything is intact so it would behoove us to get our own buses to do this each one of them should have our our kids for the programs even I don't know how Miss Ray is doing it coming up you got summer camp coming up kids need to be picked up that's another thing in our community which you have on here which is a part of the recommendation and I've heard a lot of them in the community say it a lot of our parents are working especially now they're trying to hold on to everything they possibly can now okay with the way the economy is it would be nice to have the bus to pick them up Miss Ray does have and I've seen it they're great buses we need agree I'm coming in agreeance with you we we need to have our own buses to do this to pick up our own kids funding is there you know if you got two two assistant sitting there on that on that that thing one of them can be trying to obtain some money with Mrs Ray to make sure that her job can be done for our community I'm just saying because there's grant money well with everything that's going on right now everything is tight and in limbo but there's grant money to be funded to do these programs we need to search for it we need to get it in and we need to put it into effect I know she she needs a good team for Parks and Recreation I don't know how she's doing it I really don't miss Banks the reason why I said something chair for chair let me for Miss Ray to address the situation with the seniors on the move but miss Ray Miss Ray recognized through the chair right okay um it is with the with the bus we have one bus driver right now I will be interviewing for an additional bus driver rest because a new bus will be here the end of supposed to be the end of July so there will be two buses but the children will be able to we will be able to utilize those buses when we have activities as well but the requirement for the buses when you you get past 15 passengers you have to get commercial license no ifans a buts about it and they have to be trained and most of the with the city if they get any additional drivers outside of the ones that have cdfs that mean we will have to send them through a course to be able to get the CDLs the only ones that actually have CDLs in the parks and recreation department is actually miss Terry Harton Miss Prudence Rutherford and myself we only three to ask actual CDLs in the department which means it pulls from your department to have your workers that are working to actually be drivers for the city so the only driver like I said we have is Miss Terry Harden and once we complete the interviews we will have an additional driver as well and we also will have an another senior coordinator and they will be bilingual so that we can be able to relate to the seniors that doesn't speak English we'll be able to reach out to them as well so they can understand what's going on as far as this senior program as well as theart Parks and Recreation Department so there will be another bus I really want a school bus and the reason I want the school bus is more seating for the children and it's not really a big wear and tear on the two vans that we have because when you're traveling and it need to be diesel because when you're traveling from thus far and we go as far as Fort Meers Fort Pierce and all those different locations to where we do travel so it's a lot when you just useing advance and one bus and then like she said I do rent two school buses from American American Heritage to transport for our Sports component and they get paid a good piece of change as far as going from here from 6 o'clock in the morning to 2: and that bus come back and then you have another one leaving out like about 10: and coming back like about eight at night Madam director it is a lot is that funding all of that is actually budgeted money for you in your department yes in the budget yes so it would behoove us to actually save money by actually getting our own yes that's a recommendation see we're doing recommendations okay now the reason why I brought the recommendations for the school bus I don't know if everybody know and this is going to be the last for me um about it the seniors just received uh approval for a bus for $189,000 why would you do it for the seniors when you have 200 and something kids that we can accommodate that's the reason why it's such an issue with me because guess what the seniors only come when they eating some free food or they getting some free anyway well but from a financial state that money may be allocated just for the seniors on the Move program based on based on a Quant and I'm sure the the director would know this based on the quantity of seniors that you have involved in the program there's a lot of factors that come with a grant you know money that's given to us okay and you're absolutely and I hope they can account for it with 225 kids I agree we can get a nice can but I'm just saying some grants have stipulations on I know that and we may not but I would love to see some of that money go towards getting an extra I agree with that I mean I just again if we can get our commissioners and our city managers you know and finance to come in under one Accord and and do it if we can do it if that possible then a recommendation would be hey do it because we need it it would be good for us I I'm sure the director would love to have that in her Department I know it would make life much easier for her I've been there done that okay yeah of course if they can again there may be stipulations to receiving that money okay audits yeah audits oh we well well everybody knows is no secrets audits haven't been submitted yet they're still waiting on audits they still governor's office is saying hey what are y'all guys doing with the money audits we still can't say we're gonna okay I'm not hiding it I'm on this board and I'm not hiding it okay no no no no no Miss Cherry recognized through the chair okay um this question is for um Park director Mr Ray now you stated over if it's over 15 passengers we need a commercial license would it be in our interest to have those people go get a license they have a free program where you could get a free CDL license at Miami Lakes they just got a grant men and women are in that program why what can't we send some of our residents there to get the license so that we can transport I didn't know about the program itself do we have a grant writer that's another thing do we have grant writers for the city of op doing grants for us do we have yes I think they do have a grant writer now well there's our answer all we need to do is make a recommendation for the grant writer to go and look into this and hey it's free it's free said it's free so we need to do that that way we don't have to pull from the director's staff to do driving for the programs that we have because then you then you got then you got employees jobs that are missing okay they can't do everything come on okay well I'm just making a recommendation y'all ask me to do recommendations as y'all talking I'm making recommendations okay my recommendation is that we we put it we have it recorded to the clerk oh I'm sorry that's what it go go ahead we put it down there and we have it recorded it's free if it's free then we can have we can have them to make all all she has to do our director is decide on who she wants to have CDL licenses done okay I know that's been a problem in the past even when I was there um but my comment not to cut Miss Sherry off that it was a requirement when you became a parking Recreation leader their old director that was here for 15 years pulled that out of the the requirements because of whatever situation it was there for years when they became yeah it was in there when y'all was in it yeah it was in it when I started here but starx was the one that changed that when it came to the CDs but it was a requirement as as a part of the the finance at that time under that tenure it was due to lack of funding oh okay and it was switched over that they had to actually get it on their own which came out of their pockets you know there something something you can't gonna hide his Banks ain't gonna hide okay they actually had to pay for it out of their pockets okay which wasn't refunded to them by the city either and you weren't hired to have it at that time but it was the it was the policiy and procedures for the city that they they were hired in that they had to have CDL license I say that because our director actually drove during a tenure to hour okay as a driver with CDL license at one point we didn't have any that didn't have it except her as a supervisor of the partal recreation department but the city didn't have any funding to to actually even pay for any of them to go and get it come on give me a break okay Miss Miss Cherry still recognized that that was just my recommendation they have their programs out there and you Charter from American Heritage there's no business in okalaka we could Charter from to have busing I think with um all the other schools like even with Mii day County school buses you have to put in advance and get approval from the top actually when you start dealing with those buses but as far as the Spanish ones down here they already be booked prior to the time that we actually do our activities we don't have solid schedules that's why the scheduling is a big issue let's clean it up a little bit thanks for that clarification so so let us um I'm sorry has everybody has everybody got it off their chest now yes co-chair Miss Banks Miss Cherry yes CH Miss Ray you asked to be recognized it um would it be [Music] um would it would be nice that everybody complete their service whether you agree with it or not for um so it could be turned in submitted since we're boor that you know we have information on PE on our opinion on what the um Ingram Park should look like I'm not her spokesman but she was asking me did I do the survey and I I'm so I'm saying this to y'all she asked me did I do it so you know we we'll complete the survey um before we actually the chambers let me let me say this as the chair Miss Banks um co-chair Robert you you've been spot on Miss Cherry asked some nice questions that need to get answered but let me let me say this and and I think I speak for us as a as a board when I say this we we've been a board a little over a year we started off with a lot of momentum but in the middle of the politics and the game plan people started jumping off the ship when the questions got too hard or when nobody wouldn't go along with what they wanted them to go along with public information request has been submitted and it's soon to be a year that I have not got anything we talked about a $17 million budget That was supposed to been found during the 22 23 fiscal year and that money was said that it couldn't be touched now we're in the 23 24 fiscal year and nothing has been said $1.7 million of movement for engram park yet we have nothing but an iron gate and a closed gate with nothing going on on the par and I take my head off to you Miss Ray I'm pretty much like Miss Banks and to your entire staff how y'all do what y'all do with what's going on is beyond me and we as a board and I'm going to say this to this board so y'all understand why we get push back cuz you got people that sit up on this board ask questions know what they know and nobody don't want to deal with that and that's what it is so now people don't got a in pocket with individual that just my opinion people have got in their pocket with people they politic to get those people that that were in here just last month talking about the park plan which we know who all did the work I won't go there but when we're looking at what did this board ised to do and what we have been talking about doing and we have not gotten one thing the commission makes up the C so for a whole year as Miss Bank stated I didn't say it but I mention it we have not gotten one stone put on the playground that would then put a swing in place just to hold it in place so somebody could push a swing so the game plan is what it is we know people are jocking for position because elections are coming up and we know deals being cut all over the place and we're looking at again no results no results but everything that this boy came up with last year that would have been put in place by now through through all the parks through every Park in the city everything would have been done nothing but game plan but every time there's a bingo or every time somebody say let's throw a party everybody shows up now I want y'all to hear me when I say this because we not just a Park and Recreation board with the community relation Park and Recreations and Activity Board now let's look at the back blues for some Little Caesars some juice and the Pepsi now them people about to be throwed out getting the section8 vouch and don't know where they going to land now you competing with the homeless trust with people from lotus's house and Chapman and the Salvation Army and citrus and all these other places trying to get housing so now when the voucher runs out after a certain time they they only give you so long and so many times to extend that Section A voucher then where do you find your family where do you find your family you went back there to get all them people to come in here in the back blues to help you become the city manager and all they got was a slice of people Pizza of Coke and some juice and now look what don't happen now H pulling away from the table cuz it wasn't everybody back there that was down with that and all them Builders back there didn't have to be tagged but this board this board next to the commission board is one of the most powerful boards in the city and nobody understood that because they never paid attention to what it said in the child and what this board represented so we not we got three four people running the city CU we saw how that vote went and look at the mess that's being made call it what it is call the Spade what it is it's a mess being made it's too many cooks in the kitchen it's too many cooks in the kitchen and look at the mess that been made now they spent a lot of money getting people Pizza juice and and and and and a Pepsi but didn't think to put a swing on the PA now what you think was more important securing your position as the city manager which I'm quite sure it was that was more important to him because they were small children and selfish children do they think of themselves or thinking about building a park system where kids could swing and play and you could stand on your own marriage nobody can't say you didn't do your job that's the difference with that not doing favors for people not holding something over somebody head that's the problem that's going on in this city and that's the problem that we're having that's why this boy can't get nothing done I heard what she what what what what commissioner William said with a slick mouth I heard what she said during the c meeting then when I walked in she walked out but as my mama always said every dog has his day cuz that's the principle of a school with a track team that the track team can't even practice at the school because the track toore up they got the practice at mopa they got to practice at Miami Dave so what that does is show me as your 10 years as a commissioner your 10 years as the vice mayor and your 10 as the mayor and how you perform and playing games nobody got time to be playing games when kids lies at stake all of my boot campus that I have dealt with from Miami day County Jail has come from the east side of the city of opaka the side where the Parks have been closed down the very same side that we're talking about the park fixing and then we got people up here playing games with people lies because they straight work in the school system and here the school system talk about prison the pipeline but yet won't do anything to stop it they adding to it because of the game plan of what they do when they sit up here as a community and they sit up here at a CRA and they sit up here as a commissioner and play games with the person on the four floor that's called the city manager that's what they do that's what they do and I don't care if you come to a meeting and try to check me because you can't check me that's what's wrong and why we can't get nothing done as a board because we're sitting up here knowing what we know doing what we doing and we got the people that make the decisions standing up in the way blocking everything because it's not their idea and that's all it is it's not their idea because as long as the manager thought he had a friend he was at this meeting he was here he was making sure his office was here but as as soon as he found like he a have a friend he took his ball and went home so nobody can't play I'll take my hat off to y'all as a staff and people put your jobs on the line and don't know and they know they putting your jobs on the line because of the game plan that they playing with and then sit up here and act like it's your fault no it's your fault because you're the leader of the city you leading the city but then you gonna point the finger at somebody else it is a shame before God in heaven for what the commission is allowing to take place and won't step up and do what needs to be done they just like rats falling PE fing the pie Piper to the ocean they just like rats but for those who that sit up on that Das and sit up on the pool for that church think you better go and read Nehemiah 6 and go to verse 10 because even Nehemiah knew when he was dealing with a secret agent a secret informant a snitch somebody that wasn't no good for the mission but yet it still the wall still got to be built as a board we have to continue to work so let me say this as we get ready to close Rec recommendations were made and Miss Banks made recommendations Miss whff I'm going to ask you if you could pull those recommendations out when you have time in doing the minute minutes and add them on to the agenda so we could come to the next meeting next month with as soon as we set a date and have that stuff voted on and passed on to the commission for everything that miss Morrison was complaining about Miss Roberts I want to thank you for your work your time and your effort and making the necessary phone calls to get questions to get a get a question is answered but there's also one other thing I want to cover transportation for the children is just as important as transportation for the seniors the most vulnerable population in the city of opaka is the children and the seni and what is happening is we're pitting one against the other when both of them are in need so at the time I make a motion that we close this meeting can I get a second second motion second third and move the community relations boards meeting is now the journey to our next scheduled meeting next month for