Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting – January 17, 2024
Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting – January 17, 2024
The Bullhead City Parks and Recreation Commission held its regular monthly meeting on January 17, 2024, at 12:30 PM. All commission members were present except Vice Chair Petrillo. The meeting included public comments, a parks update, discussion and approval of the previous meeting minutes, and a recommendation to city council to modify the Rotary Park Master Plan. Topics for the next meeting were also set.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dan Kepler, representing remote control hobby groups, expressed strong appreciation for the Parks Department’s work on the circle dirt track, noting a recent race drew participants from California, Tucson, Phoenix, Northern Nevada, and Utah, boosting local hotel and restaurant revenue. He requested permission to use the RC airport pad at Rotary Park for one‑tenth‑scale drag cars (quarter‑mile of 132 feet) two Sundays per month, and to install a dirt oval track south of the existing dirt track with a fence and using the existing driver’s tower. He cited growing interest from Utah groups and emphasized potential revenue for the city.
- Jason Newland, a Bullhead City resident who uses Rotary Park 3–4 times a week, expressed support for the master plan, requesting more walking/running trails and shade trees at beach areas, and encouraged consideration of the RC hobbyist community’s needs.
- Scotty (a community member) urged the commission to reconsider the location of the proposed ADA playground, arguing the current site next to the dog park has poor parking and potential safety conflicts between wheelchairs and dogs. He suggested moving it to the east side of the fishing pier where there is ample unused parking.
Parks Update
- Director David Heath reported:
- The municipal pool will close for the winter to install a new pool deck (funded this year), with a planned reopening by May 1, 2024.
- City council approved funding for a new basketball court at the Optimum Community Center gymnasium, which will be closed until April 30, 2024, for this and other renovations (lighting, painting, A/C, doors, kitchen, parking).
- Upcoming tournaments and events:
- SSUSA Winter Classic (44 senior men’s softball teams) – ongoing.
- January 19–21: Pylon football youth 7v7 tournament (practices at Rotary Park).
- January 27–28: 200% Sports football tournament (52 youth teams at Rotary Park).
- February 2–4: NAFA men’s masters fast‑pitch softball (600 players/spectators).
- February 16–18: AFA softball (100 adult teams).
- February 17: AYSO Colorado River Invitational (96 youth soccer teams, possibly more).
- February 20–26: Spring Worlds Tune‑up senior softball tournament (~70 teams).
- New free community programs (“Fun Believable Fridays”): Cookies and Cupid (Feb 2), Don’t Clay with My Heart (Feb 9), 321 Blast Paper Rockets (Feb 16), Fruit Smoothies (Feb 23) – spaces limited, sign‑up at BullheadCity.com/rec.
Discussion Items
- Approval of November 15, 2023 Meeting Minutes: A motion to approve was made and seconded; the motion carried unanimously (4 in favor).
- Discussion and Possible Action to Modify the Rotary Park Master Plan: Public Works Director Angie Johnson presented the proposed updates, required for grant applications. Key additions include:
- Parking expansions (northwest corner, near pump track, along Balboa Drive, between ball fields, and along the road between the dog park and first aid station).
- New restrooms (rehabbing the lift station, near playgrounds, along the trail, near beaches).
- An asphalt pump track north of the existing dirt pump track.
- A new roadway between the ballpark and park, closing portions of Balboa for safety.
- Future playground near the three‑plex fields.
- Splash pad and restroom near the existing playground.
- Rehabilitated and expanded skate park.
- Family fun zone with playground, concrete games, shade, and restrooms.
- Expanded beaches, rerouted walking trails along the river, and additional restroom at the east end of the swim beach.
- Commission Questions:
- A commissioner noted the elimination of previously planned additional ball fields. Staff explained that new four‑plexes at Community Park are expected to meet demand.
- The park will remain accessible during construction, with fenced‑off work areas.
- The grant application is for approximately $14 million (half city, half state parks); notification could take over a year, with 3–5 years to complete all projects.
- Priority will be given to parking and bathrooms, but full funding would allow rapid progress. Public input will be sought at later stages (e.g., splash pad design).
- Vote: A motion to approve the modified Rotary Park Master Plan was made, seconded, and carried unanimously. The recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council.
Agenda Setting for Next Meeting
- Commissioners agreed to add two topics to the next meeting’s agenda:
- Discussion of the request from RC hobbyists to share the RC airport with drag cars.
- Discussion of the ADA playground location (originally opposed by a public speaker).
- The chair noted that the new master plan already adds parking in the area, which may address concerns.
Key Outcomes
- Approved: November 15, 2023 meeting minutes (4‑0 vote).
- Approved: Recommendation to City Council to modify the Rotary Park Master Plan (unanimous vote).
- Next Steps: The master plan update will be forwarded to City Council; staff will continue preparing grant applications for up to $14 million.
- Topics for Next Month’s Agenda: Shared use of the RC airport for drag racing and review of the ADA playground location.
- No Skate Park Update: Staff indicated an update is expected soon and will be brought to the commission.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Welcome to the Parks and Recreation Commission. This is our normal uh regular meeting monthly of our commission. Um January 17th, 2024. Um call to order, roll call. All commission members are present except for Vice Chair Petrillo. Thank you. Like to stand up for Pledge of Allegiance, please. Thank you. Uh we will now have an open call to the public. I hope the call of the public is for citizens wishing to address the commission's on issues within the jurisdiction of the city. Your comments must be limited to three minutes or less. Members are restricted by law to not discuss or take action on matters not already on the agenda. Go ahead, sir. Good evening, and thank you for hearing me. Uh I do represent a couple of groups. One is the uh well, both groups are remote control hobbies of ours. Uh I want to thank the parks department for what they did with the circle dirt track that we had. You saw the outcome of it, a phenomenal race. People came in from all over California, Tucson, Phoenix, Northern Nevada, Utah. They stayed in our hotels while they were here, they ate in our restaurants, good revenue for the city in the general, and a lot of bragging to the parks department for what you guys did. Again, I want to thank you for that. It's come to my attention and a couple other members that the RC airport pad that's built at Rotary Park is not being used as much as it used to be. The local club has moved their site down to Fort Mojave for whatever reason, so they as a group are not using it on a regular basis. There's still people here, there's kids flying drones, families come out and enjoy it when they can. As a drag car runner, when we had our city drag sponsored, again, thank you guys for helping with that. We had a car damage by a pickup that came in, saw what we were doing, saw our marked off area, and drove in anyway. No regard to what we were doing or how we had things set up. We've been avidly looking for some place that we could call home for our drag cars. Two two weekends a month, basically, looking for two Sundays. We would like permission to use the airstrip for our drag cars. Our quarter mile is 132 feet for one-tenth scale cars. That's what we run. That airport is more than long enough with a shutdown area that we need. We would also like to see a dirt oval track put in right in front of or the south side of the dirt track. Uh, we would need a fence around it, same way it is with dirt track. Half the work is already done because you have the driver's tower there. We use one side for the oval track, stand on the other side for the dirt track. It's we've ages from seven years old to eighty-two years old, are running cars. It's a great hobby. It's growing rapidly, especially in our areas. I've been contacted by two groups in Utah who want to come down, do sand drags, which we do out by uh Target. They want to do oval tracking with us. They want to do crawling with us, which we have private property that we're using for that, and they want to do drag racing with us. And in turn, they want us to come up there. This is again revenue for the city. It uh good publication for the city in the parks department, the way you guys are running our parks. You uh just I can't say thank you enough, and proud to say these are the guys that's doing it for us. We would really like the commission to entertain the idea of allowing us to share the airpad and put in that oval track as soon as possible. Now is the time to do it when it's cool, so we can get the guys go on and get them interested.
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