Parks, Recreation & Beautification Committee Regular Meeting - September 22, 2025
Parks, Recreation & Beautification Committee Regular Meeting - September 22, 2025
The Parks, Recreation & Beautification Committee met on Monday, September 22, 2025, at 5:30 PM in the North Annex, 701 N. Main, Clovis, NM. The meeting covered approvals, new business items, and updates from the Parks, Recreation, and Zoo departments. A key theme was ongoing challenges with public restroom availability, lifeguard staffing shortages, and new fee structures for recreational facilities.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The committee unanimously approved the minutes from the August 18, 2025 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Commissioner Debbie Zamora addressed the committee about locked restrooms at Ned How Park and Hillcrest Park. She reported that on Saturday, September 20, 2025, approximately 65 people were at Ned How Park, including a diabetic individual on medication, but the bathrooms were locked. She expressed frustration that only one set of keys existed and that the city should keep bathrooms open to the public. She also noted that Hillcrest Park restrooms have been locked for an extended period due to vandalism and repairs. Commissioner Zamora advocated for locked bathrooms during non-daylight hours and suggested better communication and staffing. She also clarified the rental process for the band shell ($150 with $50 deposit, first-come first-served) and asked about key distribution for renters.
- Committee Member Jamal shared observations from travels to other New Mexico towns (Carlsbad, Dexter, Roswell, Los Lunas) where parks and recreation staff actively manage facilities, including nighttime checks and weekend presence. He suggested adjusting schedules to have a parks employee check restrooms at night.
- Commissioner Porter expressed that the frustration stemmed from the unsatisfactory response Commissioner Zamora received initially, and agreed that bathrooms should be locked at night but staffed during events.
Discussion Items
- Restroom Issues (Continued): Russell Hooper, Parks and Recreation Director, explained that the new restrooms at Ned How Park were completed on Friday, September 19, 2025, and keys were turned in that day. The bathrooms were left unlocked, but a design flaw allowed users to lock them from the inside and exit. The city is exploring different locking mechanisms. For Hillcrest Park, a $60,000 repair was approved by the city commission two meetings ago, and a purchase order has been issued for stainless steel equipment to reduce vandalism. The timeline for completion is approximately eight weeks from the date of the meeting. Commissioner Hooper also mentioned ongoing discussions with IT about installing cameras at restrooms for security. The committee requested a concrete plan with options for bathroom management, including technology and staffing, to be presented at a future meeting.
- Item 2: Court Rental Rates for New Pickleball and Basketball Courts: Russell Hooper proposed setting a rental rate of $5 per court per hour for the new pickleball and basketball courts at Hillcrest Park. Currently, the generic field rental rate of $10 per hour applies, allowing a group to rent all eight courts for $10. The new rate is intended to be more reasonable for individual reservations while not overpricing for tournaments. The committee approved the motion unanimously.
- Item 3: Fees for Leagues Utilizing Roy Walker Outside Normal Business Hours: Russell Hooper requested an increase from $25 to $50 per hour for leagues (e.g., volleyball, upward sports) that use the facility outside of the normal 10 AM to 2 PM Saturday hours. The fee covers two employees needed to open and close the facility. The rate is lower than the standard gym rental rate of $75 per gym per hour, as it applies only to established leagues. The committee approved the increase unanimously.
- Item 4: Lifeguard Staffing Discussion: Russell Hooper reported severe staffing shortages, with only 2 of 3 full-time lifeguard positions filled, 2 of 4 part-time with benefits positions filled, and 25 of 25 casual lifeguard positions filled (mostly high school students with limited availability). The starting wage was increased to $14.50 per hour. The city offers free lifeguard certification training for applicants. The full-time positions come with benefits including a retirement plan with 14% city contribution. The college and Cannon Air Force Base pay more, but the college job is considered easier. The committee discussed the need for better advertising of the pay increase and benefits, and the possibility of a signing bonus (though legal concerns were noted). No formal action was taken; the discussion was informational.
Reports
- Parks Update (Russell Hooper): Attended the National Park and Recreation Convention in Florida, found new vendors for sports field lighting. Ned How Park restrooms completed; water issues resolved by switching to tank-style toilets; automatic faucets to be installed. Cameras being considered for restrooms. The range held its last American Trap Association shoot of the year with 188 rounds and $1,000 revenue. Upcoming events include a memorial shoot for Joe Whithurst.
- Recreation Update (Amy Wyatt): Roy Walker ADA doors completed; lettering for address to be installed. Painting of gyms in progress. Art in Public Places: two of four pieces installed; third to be installed on September 30; lights will be added after all installations. Zumba classes started September 2, now twice a week, with 13 attendees last Thursday. Coed volleyball started September 8; youth league starts September 25. Pickleball groups at Roy Walker three times a week and at Hillcrest Monday, Wednesday, Friday evenings. Aquatics: Potter and Splash Pad closed for the season; four new lifeguards hired, four more recommended.
- Zoo Update (Stephanie Chavez): Queen, a 23-year-old red tail boa, was humanely euthanized due to disease. A baby wallaby is in the pouch. The zoo may have a baby kangaroo (Pepper showing signs). Zoo beautification event held with Girl Scout Troop 10639. Zoo staffing shortage: only one maintenance person remaining; two new hires requested. ZAA conference next week in San Antonio. Haunting at Hillcrest event scheduled for October 26, 2025 (Sunday), expecting over 3,000 attendees; entire zoo will be open. Sloth encounter (Snail) and capybara encounter (Peggy and Lucas) now available. Jericho the giraffe has not become pregnant after six cycles; a new stud giraffe, Antonio (6-year-old, from Florida), will arrive in November. Antonio will be owned by the city, unlike the previous loan arrangement. The zoo will proceed with introductions and facility modifications.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Minutes: Unanimously approved.
- Court Rental Rates: Approved $5 per court per hour for pickleball and basketball courts at Hillcrest Park (motion and second, unanimous aye).
- League Fees at Roy Walker: Approved increase from $25 to $50 per hour for leagues using the facility outside normal business hours (motion and second, unanimous aye).
- Bathroom Plan: The committee directed staff to bring back concrete options for bathroom management (locking mechanisms, schedules, technology) for future discussion.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for 5:30 PM, Monday, October 20, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. And welcome to the Parks Recreation and Beautification Committee meeting. Commissioner Paula here. Commissioner Cassows here? Commissioner Porter? Commissioner Jones. Sarah Smith. Phil Frazy? Here. Brian Davis? Here. Todd Kirkendall? Here. Kim Tipton. Here. Thank you, Vicky. So move. Second. I have a motion and a second. All those in favor say aye. All right. Anyone opposed? Same signed? We've approved the minutes from the last meeting. We are going to um recognize our visitors here in a minute, but before I do that, we are going to make an adjustment to the agenda. We're going to remove item one from our new business. And so we'll start with item two. But tonight we have a special guest, a fellow commissioner. Would you like to come up to the microphone, Commissioner? Hi Debbie, welcome. So how I address you commissioners and committee members and staff. So we had a get together yesterday at uh Ned How Park, and there was approximately about 65 people within the bathroom, about a hundred yards from the bathroom, people fishing, family, and the bathrooms were locked. She's on medication, she's diabetic, and it was too far to go around to the other side of the bathroom and I never went and checked to see if they were unlocked or or not. But uh I think it's a shame. Um I reached out to Claire and uh Russell was in the text and just was in the text. And my concern, and it made me a little bit upset, is why are there only one set of keys to the bathroom or one person in charge of the keys? That makes no sense to me. You know, if we're it's it we're a big public area, you know, we're open to the city. The park should be open to the public to have bathrooms. So and then um Representative Zamora, you know, my husband called and talked to Claire on Saturday. Hill same with Hillcrest. You know, riding the bikes and taking the kids and the bathrooms are locked. There was a wedding going on. So I just I think we as a city need to do a better job of having the public bathrooms to the public. That's easy accessible, you know, or but they don't have to be locked. And I think the text said you said about eight weeks for the Hillcrest part to be why is that? I mean, how long has it been in disrespects repair and why is it taking so long to get it repaired? I don't know who to address that question to Madam Chairman and Commissioner Zamora. And so we have been working with various contractors since they were vandalized to get quotes on the replacements and to fix them. Uh the original contractors uh said that we were gonna have they were gonna have to have pressure issues, so they're gonna have to replace the other the entire plumbing system within the walls, essentially.
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