Do you even want to talk about this agenda?

This is what you're doing.

Are you Sabra?

Well, I'm happy to play.

Some people are just like no.

If you decide you want to say something, just like wait.

Ready?

I was looking at the clock.

And so you should have paperwork.

If you're wanting to find the other thing, so this is just electronic form, and this is paper form.

This actually is just for the um city commission.

This shouldn't even be all the odds on.

Yes.

So you can't come in and say, yeah, these are nice.

I'm getting outnumbered here.

I know.

Well, Jamal's back there.

Is he no longer on?

Kimberly?

Jamal?

Jamal, are you joining up?

Yes.

Did you meet over there?

Good dude.

Good joke.

Thank you.

Good job.

Are we ready?

No.

Okay.

Good evening.

And welcome to the parks, recreation, and beautification committee meeting.

Miss Burroughs, would you please call roll?

Commissioner Jones.

Jamal Williams?

Here.

Commissioner Paula?

Here.

Commissioner Cassandra?

Here.

Commissioner Porter.

Philip Frazy.

Here.

Brian Davis.

Kim Tipton.

Here.

Julie Serena.

Here.

Sabra Smith.

Here.

Thank you, Mrs.

Burroughs.

Before we start the meeting, I would like to welcome our newest member, Miss Julie Serena.

She is for District 4, representing District 4.

So welcome, Julie.

Thank you.

Okay, first on the agenda, we have our minutes from the January 12th meeting.

You guys have had some time to review those.

I'll take a motion for approval.

So moved.

Second.

I have a motion and a second for approval of the minutes of the last meeting.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed?

Same sign.

Minutes are approved.

First on the agenda under new business, we have discussion regarding the age requirements without a guardian at Roy Walker and the Clovis Aquatic Center.

Mr.

Hooper, I'll turn it over to you.

Yes, I believe this is on.

Yes, ma'am.

Last November, November 2024, we'd originally brought to y'all some age requirements that we were trying to get uh established at Roy Walker and at the Aquatic Center.

We basically said no one under 18 without a guardian.

Or no one under 16 without a guardian.

That was approved.

It's kind of been met with mixed results, I guess is the best way.

You know, most weeks it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Um we're wanting to kind of change that up a little bit.

We've got with the attorney, city attorney, and discuss the matter with him to where what we'd like to do is change that to no person under the age of 16 may enter or remain in Roy Walker unless accompanied at all times by a parent, a legal guardian, or responsible adult at least 21 years of age.

Kind of what's happening is a 16-year-old comes in with his three 15-year-old buddies and says, I'm the legal guardian, I'm over 16.

That's been happening.

Uh some of the other we've seen them go outside, find an older guy, come in and say, I'll be the responsible adult.

Well, he goes in one gym and they go in the others.

So there's some things like that that have been happening, and we're just trying to clean up some of the language.

Um because these have specific legal guardian has a specific meaning.

Responsible adult has a specific meaning.

Um if someone comes in and says I'll be the responsible adult, we can always ask, okay, hey, could you sign this piece of paper?

We'll get your name and number in case something happens.

Things along those lines just to help hinder or help, you know, stop some of the things that have gone on.

Uh they've had a couple of nights to where it's lockup time, turning out the lights, and all of a sudden they find three kids underneath the bleachers just hanging out waiting for everybody to go home.

And they were all underage.

Then you ask them to leave two weeks later they come back with a guardian that's not really a guardian, if that makes sense.

So this is just some of the things that happened.

So this is where we'd like to change the wording and just see what y'all feel.

Did you need to add?

Well, I think we I think we did the waivers.

Um I think I talked to you guys about the waivers a year or so ago, and that was my idea to do.

And it started out okay.

But then what ended up happening was my guys, and I'm gonna put it on my workers because some of the time I wasn't there, they would the parent would come in, well, they wouldn't check birthdays, and when I went through the forms, I started noticing 10-year-olds, eleven-year-olds, the mom would come in and sign the form, but my guys would talk to them, but never check birthdays.

And so it was it was just becoming and it was the it was getting thicker and thicker and thicker, and I just thought, no, we can't do these waivers anymore.

So I just did away with them.

Um so we're not filling any new ones out, and I got rid of the other ones.

So I just I think we just need something more definitive instead of so much gray area on that whole deal.

But we did have those kids hiding under the bleachers, the lights were out, and it just so happened one of my workers saw some a shadow or something, and they were about to leave.

They thought the place was empty.

And it turned out there was three three kids under the bleachers, you know, no telling what could have happened if they would have gotten locked in there.

They could have texted their buddies, hey, we'll open the door for you, and so anyway, we I just I just think something a little bit more definite with that would be.

Okay.

Thank you, Amy and Russell.

And also following up on that, part of the problems with the waivers is the parent would sign a waiver and then drop their kid off.

And in their mind, well, I signed a waiver and said it was legal.

Well, but that doesn't you're still not being responsible for your child.

You need to be there and watch them, sort of thing.

So that was why we kind of was also want to do away with the waivers.

And can I add something else?

Yes.

It's not so bad right now that we've got almost every single night in there.

We've got an event, we've got volleyball three nights a week, we've got upward on Thursdays, we've got upward on Saturdays.

It's when we don't have school.

It's Christmas break, it's spring break, it's summers.

That's when we see the biggest problem with all of those young kids trying to come in.

And here the last three weeks we've done a pretty good job of and of check, you know, making sure that they're not underage, things like that.

And um, but once volleyball's over in a month, upwards over in three weeks, then we're, you know, it could be back to back to having issues.

Amy, can I ask you what is the age group that you're having trouble with?

Is it all ages?

No, it's middle school.

Okay.

Yes, it's the 14, 15 age.

You know, the 16 and over, I don't worry about those, but it's, you know, and it's just like the kids that were hiding under the bleachers.

I had to check to see what they look like on camera because I wasn't there.

Got kind of got a uh my eyes on them.

Then a couple weeks later I see them walk in and I recognize them immediately.

And so I had a c I had a talk with them, and I told them, hey, you guys can't, you know, you're not gonna be in here.

I saw what you did, you know, with the bleachers, they didn't deny it.

They go outside and I watch them outside and they talk to somebody as they're walking up.

The next thing I know, they all come back in, and the guy said, I'll watch them.

Can they come in with me?

He didn't even know them.

And I said, Absolutely not.

So it's it's that age, it's that age group.

Okay.

Okay.

Do we have any discussion regarding this topic?

Um, Jamal.

I have comments.

Um I definitely understand, and you know, they're the ones, you know, working and have to compensate for everything, but that age group, it's you know, that age group across town, across our community, um, they don't have much to do.

Um like I said, it's tough.

You know, we do baseball.

It's you know, some of the 14, 15, six-year-olds play baseball, but most of the time they're out, you know, just roaming the streets.

So um I don't know if there's something else we can do, but I don't think that you know, a lot of times they don't they don't have supervision, you know, and they might go, you know, historically people go to the gym, and you know, some people may hang out there all day and you know it's not great, but it's been historically kind of a babysitter um, you know, for the community.

Um I said you don't want to put that on them, that's but I don't think we should um do more to isolate the you know kids who don't have much to do.

Okay.

Anyone else?

What would you think, Amy, to lowering the age to 15?

Because a 15-year-old can drive.

A 15-year-old could drive there by themselves.

Would you want them?

Or is is that the age group that you're having trouble with?

The sign that we've got posted says 16.

Okay.

And it's been it's been like that way since probably before I took over.

So I mean, I don't have a problem with the 14-year-old coming in as long as they're with somebody that's a responsible an adult, a parent, a guardian, somebody that's 21.

I have no problem with that.

But you know when when and I get I get what you're saying, Mr.

Williams, I absolutely do, because there is nothing for them to do.

Um but when there's when there's several of them, it becomes a it becomes an issue.

And this isn't school.

And my guys, you know, I'm just I'm just thinking if they get locked in the Roy Walker, what could happen?

You know, if one of them and they were hiding.

I was watching them run it across the gym floor and try to hide over by the boxing.

It's just ridiculous, some of what some of what they do.

Okay.

Madam Chair.

Yes, Commissioner.

Amy, do these kids just go and hang out, or do they go to play ball, or do they just a little of both, a little of both.

It just depends.

If if the courts are full and there's people playing, then they just kinda in and out the doors and roam around the lobby and you know what I mean.

But like I said, when we have events like tonight we have volleyball.

So the courts won't be available.

Uh so you're not gonna see that much of a a problem.

It's when it's when we don't have, and it's just open gym.

That's when you're gonna see the most problem.

Um and we also realize uh I I don't disagree at all with giving them stuff to do.

And the and the thing is nine out of ten of them are fine at 14 and 15.

It's those ones that aren't that tend to group together in their little twos or threes and start causing problems and start doing stuff.

And if we don't we just need a universal rule, basically, because we can't say just good kids can come in or kids not causing problems can stay, but if you act up, we're gonna ask you to leave.

Uh then they're back out either way.

So that's kind of where we're it's it's a tough call, exactly.

Thank you.

Amy tell me again, what is our exact rule that we currently have?

Nobody under the age of sixteen without a parent or a guardian is how it's posted.

So when I this doesn't change it a whole lot.

It just gives you a little more clarity.

And I don't know if you wanted to mention that what the attorney said about that.

Yeah, it it it basically just changes that parent or guardian, and there's a difference in saying guardian and legal guardian is one's actually a legal term, one's just saying, hey, someone to watch out, and then it doesn't put an age for that guardian.

That's where we had a 16-year-old coming in saying, This is my little brother and his friends, and they're all 14.

That's not a guardian or a legal guardian or a responsible adult.

Yeah, and when you're outside trying to talk somebody into being your person that you're with and you don't even know their first name, that's a problem too.

So I think the 21, because what was happening was sometimes a 16-year-old would come in and he he would bring two 15-year-olds, a 13-year-old, they would all get in there, they'd be in separate gyms, so no one was really watching anybody.

Um I just didn't know.

And and when when the whole thing with the kids hiding in the gym came up, I asked, I talked to Russell, and I said, that's a liability.

A huge liability.

And so I talked to my guys.

I said, before you turn any light off, walk the building, check under the bleachers.

You shouldn't have to do that, but in today's day and age, unfortunately, I guess that's what we're having to do.

I think that's in every business in town, really.

And and the other line that we kind of changed is we want the the kids to be accompanied by their adult, a responsible party, not just like say walk in and well, I'm gonna go play over in this gym and I'm sending my kids over there to hang out, also or whatever it is.

They actually need to be parents.

So uh tonight are you are you the agenda just says you would like to have a discussion regarding this?

Are you wanting action from the commission?

I don't feel like the agenda require or states that we're gonna have action.

Uh-huh.

So I don't feel like we can take action on this tonight, correct?

Okay, then I I apologize then because uh it would have been an action item because my following item has to do with the rule sign, which would reflect this rule.

Okay.

I just don't want to get in trouble by making a decision tonight when that wasn't on the agenda.

Okay.

So does anyone before we move off this topic, does anybody have any more to add to the discussion?

Any thoughts?

Okay.

Do we want to move on to the next item?

So I will need to bring this back as an action item at the next meeting.

Okay.

Correct.

And then the next item may be yes.

It may be a moot point without a rule change.

Okay.

Do you want to so maybe since we're having a discussion tonight, how about we have the a little bit of a discussion about the rules?

We'll just let you tell us what changes you have made, and then when we have the action item on the next agenda agenda, we will have already gone through it and people given some people some time to think about it.

Okay.

Does that sound good?

Yes.

Okay.

And and basically what we're what we're asking for and requesting is uh put up a new rule sign.

We're wanting to put one out front.

Uh we've gotten a new bulletin board type thing out at the front front entrance.

That way they can see the rules coming in.

Um we looked up and we found out that there's you know no smoking or vaping within 25 foot.

That's a state requirement.

Um these other things, they're all existing rules except for the age we were talking about.

Um that was why we like to say we want to kind of fold this into it and just put up make sure we got a sign out front so people know what to expect.

Okay.

So all the rules that you have listed here, they're all current rules.

We're just clarifying the middle one where it says no persons under age sixteen.

Correct.

Okay.

Correct.

Amy, when when in the evenings or when you typically have these troubles, how many employees are there at that time?

Like tonight I have three.

Okay.

Um I have one that coaches at Gaddis, so he has to go do track, and then he kind of comes back and forth.

Um when we when I have an event, I try to have two to three.

Saturdays I try to have two to three just because it's the it's busy in there on Saturdays with upward.

Um but if I haven't hired somebody and somebody quits, I mean I might just be one, I might be one to two.

So that's my question.

At a certain point, are you down to one person in Roger?

Absolutely.

And that's often.

When I don't have we don't have volleyball, we don't have um upward in there on Thursday nights practicing or whatever.

It could be that I just have one.

And then right now we've got Zumba and she's adding another night tonight.

I mean, she's just adding Monday nights because she's had such a big group, which those people are not, I mean, they're in there dancing or whatever they're doing.

But sometimes it can be one, but I've really tried to make sure I've got four employees and I'm scheduling them to where there's always two to three people there in the evenings.

But it's not possible for one employee to monitor every single corner of that facility.

No.

And not when they're having to watch the weight room, not when they're having to, you know, sell Gatorades and Waters, and then you know, but if there's something in there like tonight with volleyball, you don't have to worry about those people for sure.

It's the it's the nights that we have nothing and just random people are coming in and out.

It's those nights.

And like I said, it's not it's not a problem all the time, but when it is, it is.

Right.

If that makes sense.

No, it does, absolutely.

I think that helps clarify a little bit.

Okay, so Russell will bring these back up at the next meeting.

Yes, ma'am.

All right, let's move on to the uh next item on the agenda number three, request for discussion and approval of the top three litter abatement mascot name suggestions to submit for city residents to vote upon.

And Ms.

Margaret Johnson, who's head of the K-Linda grant, um, passed out a um voter sheet for everyone on the committee to submit their top.

So the public uh sent in requests on what they thought the mascot name would be for our litter abatement program.

And uh we have the list in front of us, and tonight we're going to submit our top five each and then submit those to Margaret.

So if you guys want to do that now, or you can work on it after the meeting and hand them to Margaret.

And then online, there will be a um on social media and on the city website, the city will be able to vote on their top three, and Margaret will pick the winner who receives the most votes.

Do I have it, Margaret?

Okay, perfect.

Uh let's see.

Next on the agenda, we have our reports.

Stephanie, we're ready for your zoo report.

Thank you.

Um I do have a PowerPoint.

I'm not sure if it's gonna be there.

We go.

So it's very short today.

So we did have our Love at First Height event.

Um Antonio and Jerrica were finally introduced together.

And they're doing absolutely fantastic.

They love each other.

They're all in love.

Um they're happy.

And um I have a video that that will show up as well right now.

Uh oh, yeah, we you can go ahead and play it.

Or Jericho.

Or maybe Antonio, I'm not even sure.

Okay.

And Antonio is right there.

Uh so we like I said, we did have our love at first height event.

This was pretty much for me to see how the giraffes would do when it came to the feeding platform as well as how the public would take it when it came to feeding the giraffes.

Um I only I limited it to only one hour.

So I only let the public uh feed them for one hour.

And in that one hour, we did have 80 people come.

Um I did charge five dollars for two pieces of lettuce, so we made 400 in one hour.

Um this does open up the idea of of course, do we want to do giraffe encounters now?

Of course we do.

We made a feeding platform, but the problem is uh at other zoos, they have a part-time person that literally stands there and sells the lettuce.

We unfortunately don't have that staffing.

Um maybe in the next budget that's something we could bring up, but right now I can't have my zoo keeper stand there at the feeding platform selling lettuce all day either when we have the education center, they have to run as well.

Uh so right now we're just doing $35 per person per encounter.

Um, so that's something in the future that we definitely want to um look forward to.

Um, especially if it was such a it was it was such a big turnout.

Like it was it was amazing.

Jerica and Antonio loved it.

Antonio was also a big participant in the feeding, and we didn't think he was going to be, but once he saw Jerica, like, hey, this is this is pretty cool.

Like you're getting lettuce too, let's do it.

Okay.

And so they're they're both very, very, very happy.

So yes.

And then my next slide, please.

Um, Bailey and Willow's 19th birthday party.

So Bailey and Willow did officially turn 19 years old.

We did make them a birthday birthday cake.

So we did have um, and then you oh, you can play the video.

And then she just lays down all lazy.

She's like, oh, this is nice.

That's too cute.

She's like, yeah, this is nice.

So um so the it was nice because at 11 o'clock we did the love at first height event, and then we asked people to stay till one o'clock for Bailey and Willow's birthday party, and all those people who actually went to the love at first height event actually stayed for Bailey and Willow's 19th birthday party.

So we had a big turnout for Bailey and Willow.

We all sang happy birthday to them, and super exciting.

Um they're reaching their life expectancy as a lot of children at the zoo are.

Um, so I just want to let the public know.

You know, we have our timber wolf who's 15 years old, Getty, who's 19 years old, Bailey and Willow, who are 19 years old, Jerica, who's 16 years old, Sooner, who's 16 years old, and I just want to let the public know that you know, um, we're reaching that age.

Um, so if one day, you know, one of our animals passes away, uh, they they're reaching their life expectancy.

And I I just don't want um, you know, it to be something like, oh my gosh, what did the zoo do?

You know, um, we we have very old children.

Um, but okay, and then our next slide, please, our last slide.

And then also, it was a very, very busy day um because our third event was the unforgettable scavenger hunt.

I actually didn't get a video of this, but we actually did have 18 um tickets sold.

So we made 540 dollars just um off the unforgettable scavenger hunt, and I thought I made it very, very hard for these couples, and they finished it like in 15 minutes, and I was just like, How did y'all finish so fast?

And we were able to give out behind the scenes, we're able to give out um thing a big shout out to Romas, who actually donated a gift certificate um to the zoo to um for um the couple who won to actually go have dinner on Valentine's Day um for for the prize, so that was fantastic.

But my last video has absolutely nothing to do with the unforgettable scavenger hunt, but I thought you guys might want to see this.

Um it's a little shaky because we were very excited.

Um, but that right there is our newest addition to Hill Chris Park Zoo, which is our baby wallaby.

Wow.

Oh my gosh.

Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

In the pouch.

Um, but that's all I I have.

Oh, oh, one more thing.

Um what today I actually did spend um the day with Dr.

Um George and Felis Consulting and well, Dr.

George is from Cuzos and Feliz Consulting.

All um and we walked the zoo, um, talked about my hopes and dreams for the zoo, and we did behind um behind the the scenes building maintenance facilities, and we actually did that um all day today and looked at um pretty much it was spent all day long looking at the zoo and talking about um like I said, my hopes and dreams for the zoo.

And tomorrow we will have um a lot of uh y'all will be part of this tomorrow.

Um, the meetings with Felis and talking about our master planning and where we're gonna go where the zoo is headed.

Okay, thank you, Stephanie.

Thank you.

Amy, we're ready for recreation update.

Okay.

I don't think I have a whole lot of new stuff um going on in there.

Uh it stays pretty busy, but uh the tax, the ARP's been in there since oh my goodness.

The very last week of January.

Um they'll be there till obviously April the 15th.

Um this Friday, municipal elections will take place.

They'll come well, they'll come in and set up one of the rooms for for those um voting booths.

Uh Sni Snyder's Electric did come install three camera three lights on the artwork in there, and it looks fantastic.

So they've got the other one.

They just said as soon as you get the other piece of art, let us know.

We'll come install that one.

So still haven't heard anything about that.

Um men's and women's volleyball are obviously using the gyms Monday through Wednesday nights for their league, and that will conclude at the end of March.

Beginning of April.

Upward sports is using the gym Thursday nights and pretty much all day Saturday till about three until the end of March.

So the it's been really staying pretty busy in there.

Zumba is growing.

She tonight's her first night of Monday night.

She wanted to add that class.

So she's going to be doing Monday, Tuesday, Thursday nights, and she's got she has anywhere from twenty to twenty three or four people in that multi-purpose room every single night that she has it, which is which is really, really good.

So we're in the process of actually going to get her some mirrors for the wall so that they can watch themselves and you know it will help their moves, their dance moves.

So she's excited.

She's a very very nice lady, so I'd like to do as much for her as I can.

Um karate is kind of struggling to get people.

He might have one or two on Wednesday nights, but he's still available.

He still comes in and um he still wants to his desire is to have it grow, but I just don't know if it I'm just not sure if the word's not getting out or not.

But he's still there, so he's he's working.

Um still three mornings a week pickleball coming in for two to three hours.

Um weight room stays busy all day, and lots of people coming in to play pickup basketball all day long.

And then obviously in the evenings, we have to kind of tell them, hey, you gotta be off by five so that volleyball can get warmed up and ready to go.

So that's kind of what's been going on there.

Um then over at the pool.

The only thing she had was that she has now three um CPOs.

She did get them certified, and so there's three over there now.

Okay, well that's good.

Yeah.

And that's about it.

Okay, thanks, Amy.

Uh huh.

Russell, do you have a parks update for us?

Yes.

Excuse me.

Umdate from last month um on the exclusivity fees.

I know we talked about for the leagues and stuff, um, with the original invoices sent out on 1117.

Um, y'all had asked me if they're to resend them.

Well, I just want to let you all know that they were sent out on January 1st and then February 1st again, and now they'll be ongoing monthly until all obviously those get cleared up.

Um again, we've got um American Little League just show owes for exclusivity fees at uh Green Acres uh 2000 Clovis Softball guy leaders still sitting at 10,000.

I've not gotten anything from them.

Uh Western for Beechum uh still owes a six thousand.

Um and then the two tournaments or one of the tournaments that Walter had owes me for, and then his seven on seven adult league still has not been paid.

Um we have updated all my contracts were signed for this year.

I got uh, like I say, Jamal's got me his, and I've gotten the uh one for boxing, so all those have been taken care of.

And I've actually already got two contracts for Jim Hill for next year between the NFL flag football and Clovis Christian.

They're already starting to get ahead and sign up for that.

Um that kind of takes us back to I think what I mentioned in one of our last meetings also about Jim Hill restrooms gonna have to kind of be looked at.

We're getting enough things there to where we're gonna have to upgrade that, and that's gonna be an expense coming going forward.

Um as far as maintenance goes, uh basically we had the snow and iSIS, you know, in January.

Uh we've put together a lot of benches, we've installed new tables across the splash pad to try to get some of the more of the green benches, more uniformity.

Uh same thing we installed trash cans, we forgot some slabs.

We're trying to get rid of those old red 55 gallon drums and put in other trash cans.

Uh up at Ned Howk, um, they're working on a water line uh between the two wells because we've just had problems with it over the years.

Things have just deteriorated to where they kept breaking, and then we fixed something to break the next one.

So uh we used some of our forester grants and put some money into the infrastructure up there that actually is gonna work out so we can have some stuff better stuff.

So that's pretty much where we're at.

Um questions or anything else?

Yes, Commissioner.

Yes.

Um are you going to allow the ones that haven't paid their user fee to re-sign another contract?

I would defer that to either back to you or to Mr.

Howalt on that one.

Um, like say there's there there is that question at what point?

I have a question on that same lines.

In the exclusivity contract, it does it say in there what happens if there is non-payment?

Madam Chair and members of the parks and recreation committee, basically they're in breach of contract.

And so no, I mean we do not have to honor that exclusivity agreement with them.

And so the question becomes is for example, uh if it's a youth sports league, who are we have to actually punish?

We're going to be punishing the kids.

Um, which is a challenge.

And so um, do we have to sign that exclusive agreement?

No, we don't.

Uh we can certainly lock them out of those fields.

Um, but uh ultimately uh we don't have a set policy in place that says what we are going to do.

But it would be a breach of contract.

I think we need to get something in writing.

I agree with Commissioner Kithouse.

Okay.

Um so everybody, so like those people you said you sent bills like to I'm just gonna use Clovis softball.

So they've received bills every month?

They received the original invoices in November.

Okay.

Then they've received one January 1st or within that time week, I'm assuming.

Um same thing on February 1st.

Okay.

These invoices are for the 2425 year.

So basically at the end of the year, you know, they have the year to do the perform their exclusivities or offset their numbers or everything else.

So at the end of the year is when I send out, and the end of the year is beginning of summer.

Okay.

End of May, June.

Okay.

I was just curious because on one of them, I thought it was paid in full already.

So I'll follow up on one of them for you.

Okay.

Um like I say, those have been sent out.

I've just not received anything either from paid as in the check, or hey, this is the thousand dollars worth of stuff we did.

Can we offset?

Okay, I'm with you.

But Russell, it don't they have to uh if a group is going to use expenses that they have paid to put into the infrastructure of that facility, that has to be approved prior to the expense for it to be considered part of the exclusivity contract fee waiver, correct?

Yes, ma'am.

That is the way the contract's written.

However, let's say I haven't been real hard on it per se.

Um I know like American, hey, we did a scoreboard, we got this up, here's the receipts.

It's like, okay, we'll accept that.

Um so there have been some things in the past where we've kind of fudged on, yeah, you're supposed to get permission.

And I'll say yes to just about anything.

I mean, we want the fields improved.

We want the reinvestment back, but yeah, on these I've I've heard nothing.

Is that kind of and again?

I think it goes back to some of I think you and I have had the conversation.

It's like, say, how hard line do we want to be?

Who are we really hurting or who are we really helping?

That sort of thing.

So I I don't think it's fair for the groups that are paying.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Okay.

Commissioner Cassals, do you have anything else to add?

No, I just think we need to get something in writing.

I mean, we went years and years without a penny.

And I think now that we started collecting, we need to keep it up and not let it go through the through the cracks.

Okay.

I'll I will do we can definitely uh basically add a paragraph in there that will cover.

And Madam Chair, members of the committee, and we have certainly put those dollars to use.

I mean, that's some of these projects that we're I mean, we're reinvesting in our fields above and beyond what we are already doing.

Uh so it's definitely something that that we are reinvesting in uh to put it to use.

And so uh like Russell said, I mean, we've we've been trying to be patient uh with with the leagues, but uh to your point, I mean at some point in time it's just like no.

The answer is no.

I agree.

And currently all my current contracts except the two that I've already signed for next year will be expiring towards the end of May.

So that was kind of where we did it just because of the way some of our city commission voting and we changed some numbers and policies, and that's kind of just the way it fell out.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you, Russell.

Does anyone any of our guests?

We have several guests in the audience.

Anybody have anything they would like to add to our meeting tonight?

Does anybody on the committee have anything to add tonight for the good of the order?

Oh I have a question, Amy, real quick.

Um back to the karate.

Okay.

When does he do karate?

What time?

He does it on Wednesday nights from six to seven thirty.

Do you think that could be a way maybe getting those kids who just get dropped off that have nothing to do trying to put their interest into something like to attend that?

Well, when he when he initially came and talked to me about it, he said at twelve, twelve years old, but they have to have their parent.

Oh if they're if they're under the age of sixteen, he'll 12 is his is his minimum.

Okay.

He doesn't want to have to work with anybody younger than that.

But anybody from 12 to 16, their parent has to be with them, stay in the room, that kind of thing, because they are in the multipurpose room by themselves.

And if he only has one child in there, you know, so last week I think he had he had the the kid and and his mom.

Okay.

Just sat in there and watched and and stuff like that.

So just thinking of something else to maybe direct them to go to.

So Russell, did you have something else to add?

Yes.

Um, just as another thing.

Um couple of months ago, I don't know, six, eight months ago, whatever, we approved a bo a book box up at Hillcrest.

Oh yeah.

Someone destroyed it over the weekend.

So I have contacted them, they've come picked it up.

They're gonna see what they're gonna do to replace it and put it back, but it was worthless vandalism.

I mean, ripped the doors off and tore down the counts.

So there's part of our maintenance, unfortunately.

Can I say something to Stephanie?

Yes, Julie.

Hi.

I think that's amazing.

Would you take volunteers?

Because I will totally come volunteer and sell lettuce for a couple hours.

Yeah, so definitely.

Um I know this is something actually Felix and I spoke about um so we actually don't have like a volunteer program right now.

A lot of uh people who actually volunteer are either canon um Air Force base when they come with their with their people for like one specific day, or unfortunately they're there for community service and really don't want to like be a part of whatever the happiness is of the zoo.

Um so I mean uh we would gladly take volunteers.

I don't uh that's something I'd have to talk to Russell about.

I think if they like paid up front, so you you don't have to deal with all the the money and everything.

If they paid up from we gave him a ticket or a stamp, we did stamps that day.

Um and it just seemed to really work.

And I if someone, yeah, if you just stood there and gave lettuce, the only problem the only problem I would have is again when it comes to an animal.

If she freaks out, if he freaks out, I don't know if you would know what to do.

You know, so that's the only problem.

Um but if we trained the volunteers, if we had a little like volunteer orientation, um I think that's something we could look into right now.

Um we have so many things going on at the zoo.

I don't I I don't know if Russell wants to hold the volunteer orientation, but um I I think that'd be a very nice idea.

It would be.

Thank you, Julie.

You have got a lot on your plate.

Anyone else?

I would like to just to add some context to the um user fees.

I know we talked about them, and um, you know, we definitely need the organizations to put in work on um but you know, just for instance for one field, if an organization has 100 kids, that's $20 a kid, that is just going to the to the city.

I know, you know, some of especially speaking for the um the nonprofit, you know, like the little leagues.

Um, you know, there's no one paid.

Um, you know, we're basically a community service.

Um you know, we're spending our personal time before and after work and doing that.

And like we definitely um you know, work, like we're looking to get scoreboards, we got people doing some, you know, to do electricity, but just to add the context, and I want everybody to just just to be aware, we're charging, you know, if you have 100 kids, that's 20 bucks a kid.

So we're charging, you know, we're charging more fees, you know, just to be able to keep up and or unless the leagues go out and you know, are you know doing volunteer work or you know, asking businesses, but you know, like again, I said like hey, we're we're spending our personal time, you know, taking care of the 13 to 14 year olds that are getting left off at the at the gym, you know.

We definitely know that but I also want to clarify to anyone that is i that these we're not these aren't anything new so I don't want anybody to think that we've done anything new or raised any new fees because that that isn't the case at all so I just want to make sure that that everybody knows that and we are all beyond grateful for all that you guys do for the youth in our community.

And you know they're the backbones of our community the people that the that run those leagues for sure absolutely anyone else?

And madam chair just also so y'all are aware other than the vandalism that we received at Hillcrest Park in the book box we also at Bradyfield had significant vandalism and and graffiti that incurred at that particular field as well.

Wasn't there another field too I thought there were two and dean.

Well that's unfortunate to hear for all of everyone anyone else okay our next meeting will be Monday March the 16th at 530 Margaret did you have no okay so before you leave if you want to turn in your um top five lists for the mascot to Margaret she will look at those and our next meeting will be Monday March 16th at 530 we are adjourned.