Bullhead City Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting – April 17, 2024
Bullhead City Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting – April 17, 2024
The Bullhead City Parks and Recreation Commission held its regular meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. Commissioners present included Chairman Cox and Commissioner Bell, with Commissioners Becker and Cribb absent (only three of five commissioners were in attendance, constituting a quorum). The meeting covered routine approvals, a superintendent’s report on park improvements and programs, and two recommendations to the City Council regarding additions to the Arizona Veterans Memorial North: a Coehorn Mortar donated by a DAR member and a Military K‑9 Memorial sponsored by Veterans United.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of January 17, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes – The minutes from the previous meeting were approved unanimously (3–0) after a motion and second.
Public Comments & Testimony
- A member of the public (Linda) approached to speak on an agenda item but was directed to wait until that item was called; no other public comments were made during the open call.
Discussion Items
Superintendent’s Report
- Parks and Recreation Superintendent Dave Heath reported on several capital projects: all chain‑link fencing around the soccer fields at Rotary Park will be replaced with green‑coated vinyl; a new shade structure (Romata) will be installed at the 2‑to‑5‑year‑old playground at Ken Fovard Park; 320 barrier floats will be added to the swim beach at Community Park for safety; and extensive renovations are underway at the Optimum Community Center, including painting, roofing, new HVAC, basketball court, stage and curtains, 460 parking spaces, and conversion of the 700 building into three indoor pickleball courts (usable 365 days a year). Construction is expected to be complete by May.
- Upcoming events: U Triple SA Softball (April 20–21), Dot Foods Picnic (April 20), Memorial Walk for Kirk Tracy (April 20), RC Drag Racing at Rotary Park (April 20), Mayhem Motorcycle Rally (April 23–29), and numerous other tournaments and community events through May.
- Summer camp registration opened, offering 41 camps (up from 30 last year), with theater and drone camps closest to selling out. Camps run May 28 – June 28 at the Anderson Auto Group Field House.
- Municipal pool reopened with a detailed schedule of lap swim, water walking, and water aerobics Monday–Saturday; open swim Fridays and Saturdays 1–5 p.m. Swim lesson registration begins May 1. Parent/tot lessons through level two are free; other sessions $20.
- Indoor pickleball continues at the Boys & Girls Club Bullhead City branch ($3 per session).
Item 2 – Coehorn Mortar at Arizona Veterans Memorial North
- Denise Atwater Valen (Honorary Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution) presented a proposal to donate a full‑scale replica Coehorn Mortar (a small artillery piece used during the Revolutionary War and later conflicts) to be placed adjacent to the existing DAR memorial. The mortar would be non‑operable (no vent hole), weigh approximately 80 pounds, have a 3‑inch bore, and be mounted on a concrete base with metal carriage (about 2 feet long, 18 inches wide). Ms. Valen noted that the mortar would represent the Revolutionary War and complement the existing howitzer. Commissioners discussed historical context and unanimously supported the recommendation.
Item 3 – Military K‑9 Memorial at Arizona Veterans Memorial North
- Linda Saldana, on behalf of Veterans United, proposed a bronze military working dog memorial. She initially gave dimensions in feet (length 120 ft, width 40 ft, height 80 ft) but later corrected to centimeters: the statue is 120 cm long, 40 cm wide, and 80 cm tall (approximately 47 × 16 × 31 inches), weighing about 180 pounds. Two possible locations were suggested: between the Vietnam Memorial and USS Arizona plaque on a platform, or on a pedestal near the Eternal Flame. Commissioners expressed enthusiasm, noting the importance of honoring military canines. The motion to recommend passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Motion 1 (unanimous, 3–0): Approved the January 17, 2024 regular meeting minutes as presented.
- Motion 2 (unanimous, 3–0): Recommended to the City Council the addition of a Coehorn Mortar at the Arizona Veterans Memorial North.
- Motion 3 (unanimous, 3–0): Recommended to the City Council the addition of a Military K‑9 Memorial at the Arizona Veterans Memorial North.
- Next Agenda: No new topics were proposed; the commission did not set specific items for the next meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Welcome to the Parks and Wreck Commission meeting. Your interest in the business of the commission is appreciated. If you wish to speak on the agenda item, please come forward when the chairperson opens the floor for public input on that item. Call to order, Debbie. All commission members are present except for Commissioner Becker and Commissioner Gripp. Thank you. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Now we will have the open call to the public. We will have a talk, Craig. For citizens wishing to address the commission on issues within the jurisdiction of the city. Your comments must be limited to three minutes or less unless you're speaking on behalf of a group of citizens present. And then the time is five minutes. At the conclusion of the open call to the public, individual members of the commission may respond to criticism made by those who have addressed the commission, may ask staff to review a matter, or may ask that a matter be placed on a future agenda. Members are restricted by law to not discuss or take action on matters not already on the agenda. Is there anybody that would like to speak from the public? Go ahead. Please come forward. Please state your name. And we had um purchased, and I know they was in on this one. Linda, uh Mr. Excuse me. Uh Chairman, if you don't mind, I'm gonna uh let you know that she's here to talk on item number three. Oh, you can wait until that item on the it's on the agenda. Okay, I just want to put it in. Thank you. As soon as I saw that picture. I go, okay. Anybody else? Come on, Pam. I know you want to say something. Hi. Okay. We will uh dispense with that. Thank you. Um there is no presentations on the agenda, but that will be discussed during the uh action items. Uh parks and recreation superintendents report. Dave, go ahead. Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman and Commissioners. We have two projects that will soon be breaking ground at Rotary Park. We will be replacing the entirety of the chain link fence around the soccer fields. The new fence will be a little bit nicer and it will be coated in green vinyl. Uh the Ken Fovar at Ken Fovark Park will be constructing a new shade Romata to provide sun protection over the next uh over the two to five-year-old playground. And both of these jobs should be done in in May. Uh at community park swim beach, we're adding 320 barrier floats to the swim beaches. This should make the area a lot more visible and safer for everyone that's in the in the swim beach and everyone that's on the watercraft, too.
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