Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting - January 6, 2026
Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting - January 6, 2026
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission held its regular meeting on January 6, 2026, at 4 p.m. The meeting included the introduction of two new commissioners, approval of previous meeting minutes, election of officers, staff reports on park maintenance and recreation updates, a review of bylaws and facility naming policies, and reports from commissioners on ward issues. Votes were taken to approve minutes and elect officers. No public comments were received during the designated periods.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the final minutes of the regular meeting of November 4, 2025, by reference. Commissioner Bullets abstained as they were not present at that meeting. The motion carried unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Introduction of New Commissioners: The chair welcomed two new commissioners: Jesse Sleezer (Ward 4), president of Mountain Ridge Little League (over 1,400 registrants annually, largest little league in Nevada using city fields), and Nathan Taylor (Ward 6), a UNLV political science graduate with 20 years of experience in regulatory and zoning matters. Both shared their backgrounds and park interests.
- Election of Commission Officers: The commission elected Richard Becker as Chair and Steve Niger as Vice Chair for the upcoming year. Both nominations were made and seconded, and the votes were unanimous.
- Public Safety Report (Item 6): No representative from the Department of Public Safety was present. The chair requested a reminder be sent to the department, as a councilwoman was expecting the report. The deputy director offered to forward any specific questions to the department.
- Park Maintenance Updates (Item 7): Steve Glimp, Parks and Grounds Maintenance Manager, reported on recent and upcoming projects across wards. Highlights included: Gary Dexter Park (Ward 1) – fence topper added to little league field; Bob Baskin Park (Ward 1) – pickleball conversion and tennis resurfacing nearly complete; Angel Park (Ward 2) – trail signage replaced; Rafael Rivera (Ward 3) – Las Vegas Lights service project sanitized the field; Wayne Bunker and Barkin Basin (Ward 4) – crack sealing and patching completed for a 5k race; Ethel Pearson (Ward 5) – Gaga pit installed with Eagle Scouts; Lorenzi Park (Ward 5) – pickleball courts opened (asphalt only, surfacing to be completed in March 2026); Floyd Lamb Park – Haybarn Special Event Restroom project, and a brush clearing effort with Team Rubicon planned. Commissioner Vocus praised the barrier fence at Lorenzi and noted pickleball play was already happening. Commissioner Martin suggested better publicizing completed projects. Deputy Director Pat O'Maray noted the communications team posts updates and an annual report is in progress. Commissioner Sleezer thanked staff for a walk-down at Mountain Ridge Park.
- Recreation Center Updates (Item 8): Lisa Tover, Recreation Manager, presented the 2025 strategic plan results and 2026 goals. Three priorities: (1) Train and empower staff – completed programmer training, social media training, and planned budget training, forms training, and facility rentals training for 2026. (2) Standardize practices – created onboarding checklists, will standardize facility rentals and develop program evaluation tools. (3) Deliver highest quality services – a Facebook ad campaign boosted community center web page views by 56% to 1300% and added email subscribers. For 2026, goals include establishing benchmarks for facility utilization, creating a committee for special event practices, and launching e-newsletters for each community center with lists of 9,000 to 30,000 subscribers. Commissioner Sleezer asked about facility rental training scope; Tover confirmed it is for community centers, modeled after municipal sports unit practices. Commissioner Martin praised the move toward dedicated communication.
- Review of Bylaws and Facility Naming Policy (Item 9): Deputy Director Pat O'Maray reviewed the commission's bylaws, including duties (naming recommendations, citizen advocacy), membership (15 members, 3-year terms, attendance requirements), officers (chair, vice-chair, secretary), and meeting schedule (first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m., now permanently in the public meeting room in Civic Center Building A). The updated facility naming policy has been submitted to the new deputy city manager for review and is expected to be finalized by March 2026. The previous version remains in effect until then. Commissioners were invited to suggest bylaw amendments.
- Commission Member Reports (Item 10): Commissioner Zamora (Ward 4) announced the groundbreaking for the Nevada State Veterans Memorial at Thunderbird Family Sports Complex on January 14, 2026, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., featuring 18 bronze statues honoring military eras. Commissioner Gabray (Ward 5) reported a homeless gathering at Lawrence Park serving food; the police indicated gatherings under 75 people do not require a permit, but the pastor involved is seeking permission. Deputy Director O'Maray recommended contacting Neighborhood Services for appropriate service provision. Commissioner Taylor (Ward 6) announced construction of a new park at Grand Teton and Hawallapie and a new police substation in the Providence/Sky Canyon area. Commissioner Vocus (Ward 1) asked about the status of Anson Park and Rancho Oki Dog Park. The chair reopened Item 7 to answer these questions. Steve Glimp responded: Anson Park renovation is a 250-day project expected to be completed in March or April 2026 (contractor started July 2025); Rancho Oki Dog Park is a 12-month process with a definitive date expected in the third quarter of 2026. Commissioner Cornwell (Ward 5) invited commissioners to a work day at the Las Vegas Healing Garden on January 24, 2026, at 9 a.m. to prepare for a project starting January 26. Commissioner Martin (Ward 2) reported a planned tour of Ward 2 parks with Councilwoman Kelly in early 2026, and a breakfast buzz event on January 31, 2026, at 9-10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Center.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Minutes: November 4, 2025 meeting minutes approved unanimously.
- Election of Officers: Richard Becker elected Chair, Steve Niger elected Vice Chair, both unanimously.
- Public Safety Follow-up: The Department of Public Safety will be reminded to present at the next meeting; commission may send questions in advance.
- Park Project Timelines: Anson Park renovation completion expected March/April 2026; Rancho Oki Dog Park construction likely to begin in third quarter 2026.
- Bylaws and Naming Policy: Review completed; naming policy awaiting city manager approval, expected by March 2026. Commissioners may propose bylaw amendments.
- Recreation Newsletter Promise: E-newsletters for each community center to be rolled out in 2026 after training.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made during the public comment periods (Agenda Items 3 and 11).
Meeting Transcript
We like getting out of time. Good afternoon, everybody. This is the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission on January 6th at 4 p.m. And I want to say that items listed on this agenda may be taken out of order presented. Two or more agenda items for consideration may be combined, or any item on the agenda may be removed or related to discussion, may be delayed at any time. Backup material for this agenda may be obtained from Lou Andy Holmes, City Clerk at the Office of City Clerk, 495 South Main Street, second floor, or at the city's webpage at Las Vegas Nevada.gov. I would now like to go with agenda item number one, a call to order and rule uh call to order and roll call. Chair Becker. Uh present. Vice Chair Niger. Commissioner Arminian. Excuse Commissioner Gabray. Commissioner Keller. Commissioner Martin. Here. Commissioner Zamora. Excuse Commissioner Burgos. Present. Commissioner Cornwell. Commissioner Robinson. Excused. Commissioner Vaucit. Present. Commissioner Jones. Excuse. Commissioner Wool. Excuse Commissioner Sleezer. Present. Commissioner Taylor. You have a quorum. Uh thank you. I'd also like to do an announcement regarding compliance with the open meeting law. Are we in compliance? We are compliant. Thank you. Agenda item number three is public comment. Comment during this portion of the agenda must be limited to matters on the agenda for action. If you wish to be heard, come forward and give your name for the record. The amount of discussion as well as the amount of time any single speaker is allowed may be limited. I don't see anybody, but I would at this time like to um just mention we have a couple new commissioners here today, uh, because we'd like to know who they are before they speak later on. Uh the first person I'd like to welcome is Commissioner uh Jesse Sleezer. He's representing Ward 4. He's uh a baseball coach and he's he's uh the president of Mountain Ridge Little League. And he has some other experiences too. If he wouldn't mind uh commissioner, would you let us know what you have? Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate it. Um my name is Jesse Sleezer, new commissioner for uh Ward 4. Um wanna thank Councilwoman Allen Polansky uh for this opportunity and uh full city council for their approval at the November meeting.
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