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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPCA.2022.0824.MinutesTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS STRATEGIC PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION AUGUST 24, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER — Chairman Garman Chairman Garman called to order the meeting of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission at 4:02 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL — Chairman Garman Present: Commissioner John W. Craft, Jr.; Chairman Patrick Garman; Commissioner Mary Edman; Commissioner Cynthia Magazine; Vice Chairman Bernie Hoenle telephone); Commissioner Kevin Beck; Commissioner Geoffrey Yazzetta (arrived at 4:13p) Staff Town Manager Grady Miller; Deputy Town Manager / Community Services Present: Director Rachael Goodwin; Executive Assistant Angela Padgett -Espiritu 3. CALL TO THE PUBLIC Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H), public comment is permitted (not required) on matters NOT listed on the agenda. Any such comment (i) must be within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and (ii) is subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. The Commission will not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during Call to the Public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action. At the conclusion of the Call to the Public, individual commissioners may (i) respond to criticism, (ii) ask staff to review a matter, or (iii) ask that the matter be placed on a future Commission agenda. No one from the public spoke. 3. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of July 27, 2022. MOVED BY Commissioner Cynthia Magazine, SECONDED BY Commissioner Kevin Beck to APPROVE the meeting minutes of the July 27, 2022, Strategic Planning Advisory Commission. Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously 4. REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER Chairman Garman asked the group if they had any reports and stated that his comments would be saved for later under "Comments from the Chairman." Commissioner Magazine stated that she saw the town council meeting and believes that every commissioner should try to watch the town council meetings, which can be viewed on YouTube, Cox Channel 11, or in person. She stated that the Council appreciates public participation. Commissioner Magazine noted that the town has a contract with a legislative consultant, Jack Lunsford, who delivered an interesting presentation at the beginning of the meeting explaining the various bills that had passed and failed. She stated that Mr. Lunsford used the town's strategic priorities as a guide in determining which bills to focus on and he had a presentation slide that outlined them. Commissioner Magazine also reported that Governor Ducey vetoed a bipartisan transportation bill that was widely supported by businesses, cities, and towns throughout the state. Nobody expected the veto, she said, but everyone who worked on the bill is trying to figure out why it was vetoed and what they can do to fix it in the next session. She stated that the good news is that the state government has not approved any laws that preempted local or town authorities in recent memory. Commissioner Magazine stated that the local election had a relatively high turnout of 60% and that the council adopted and certified the results. There were no reports from Town Manager Miller, Vice Chairman Hoenle, or Commissioners Beck, Craft, and Edman. 5. UPDATE on the Strategic Plan from Rachael Goodwin, Deputy Town Manager / Community Services Director for the Town of Fountain Hills. Director Goodwin presented the commission with an update on items listed in the Strategic Plan. Below are the highlights from the presentation. Strategic Priority: Continue to improve the Public Health, Well -Being, and Safety of our town. Strategy one: Promote the natural and built environment of Fountain Hills to improve the Public Health, Well -Being, and Safety of our town. • Task A : Continue to expand and connect open spaces and recreation facilities to create opportunities for physical fitness. Completion of walking loops in all parks, including 1/3 mile in Desert Vista Park as well as Four Peaks Park. New accessible entrance from the south end of Four Peaks Park. Crosswalks were added for pedestrian accessibility at Desert Vista and Fountain Park. Partnership with Musco Lighting for a Mini pitch system and additional lights at the skate park. Upcoming is a renovation and expansion of the skatepark, an outdoor fitness area and additional ramadas and shaded areas. • Task B: Work with local environmental organizations in strengthening our community's connection with its natural surroundings. Expanded partnership with Sonoran Conservancy of FH for guided hikes and seasonal trailhead hosts. Partner with Dark Skies for community presentations, star parties, and the Dark Sky Festival. Moving forward on Biophilic designation. Strategic Priority: Maintain current infrastructure while preparing the Town for emerging trends that increase public safety and quality of life. Strategy four: Utilize services provided by other government agencies and out outside entities in evaluating and supporting the health of Fountain Hills parks. • Task A : Utilize nationally recognized standards for maintenance of the Town's park system. In May 2021, conducted a Master Plan that assesses current facilities and conditions, with attention to the lowest scoring assets and forecasts of future needs. Additionally, safety checks are conducted and logged (Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPS!), preventative maintenance scheduled, performed, and logged. The CIP and Facility Replacement plan was built to identify and address long-term maintenance/renovation efforts. Director Goodwin reported that they were a gold medal finalist last year and that they are very proud to be one of four nationally to be named as a finalist for the Gold medal in 2022. She said that they will know on Tuesday, September 20th whether they have been awarded the grand plaque, which is the highest honor to receive in the parks and recreation industry. She said that they are very proud of that and that it does attest to the quality, standards, and maintenance that is put towards not just the parks, but programs, events, and all community efforts. 6. PRESENTATION from Betsy LaVoie, President / CEO of Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce Betsy Lavoie, President, and CEO of Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce stated that she appreciates the opportunity to present and share information about the Chamber of Commerce and its scope of work. Ms. LaVoie played their 45th Anniversary Video and followed with her presentation. Ms. LaVoie reported that they are a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors. She said that in the town's strategic plan, it mentions creating a Business Advisory Board and that perhaps the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors could serve in some way. She pointed out a few of the Community stakeholders; the Superintendent of the Fountain Hills Unified School District, the Executive Director of the River of Time Museum, the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club, and the Government Liaison for the Salt River Project. Ms. LaVoie said that the Chamber of Commerce has five staff members, including herself, and that the Vice President of Operations is Tammy Bell. She said that they do have a young professionals committee called FHYC and it stands for the Fountain Hills Young Community. She said that It is an official committee within the Chamber of Commerce. She mentioned that their longest -running committee, with over 40 years, in the Chamber Ambassador Committee. She said that the Chamber Ambassadors wear white cowboy hats and red blazers and help the Chamber with the success of ribbon - cutting celebrations to welcome new businesses to the Chamber of Commerce. Ms. LaVoie mentioned that their business directory located on the Chamber's website receives 13 — 15,000 hits per month from people seeking out local businesses and that they have their largest membership in history as the Chamber of Commerce. She mentioned the new Fountain Hills Chamber Foundation, which is a new grant writing and fundraising arm to enhance the projects and programming of the Chamber of Commerce in support of the business community, and that one of the very first projects that they are undertaking are two three -sided digital kiosks. One will be located at the Chamber and the second one will be located on town property. Ms. LaVoie said their scope of work is in four different pillars, and those are education, networking, marketing, and advocacy. Education: Chamber University offers two to four times per year to the residents and the chamber community free of charge. Marketing: Lunch and Learn is held at the Community Center. Networking: Five different elite networking groups are called Success Factor. Another networking event is FH Connect and the Chamber Mob. Through the business retention and expansion program, we do site visits to businesses with Economic Development Director Amanda Jacobs and an elected official who rotates approximately every four weeks or four businesses depending on their schedule and find what businesses need and if there are any policy changes that need to take place at the town level. Advocacy: Advocating on their behalf for choices affecting our business. Ms. LaVoie stated that The Fountain Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts helps to offset all of the other events that are not income -producing. She said that they started Fountain Hills Day, which is a celebration of all that is in Fountain Hills, nonprofits, town government, businesses, and clubs organizations. She mentioned other events, such as Oktoberfest, and Thanksgiving Day Parade, and that they host or co -host 140 events per year. She mentioned Brew with Betsy, where she teaches chamber members how to maximize their membership benefits. 7. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN Chairman Garman mentioned upcoming agenda items. He noted that Jeny Davis will be presenting on Biophilic, and he thinks that the commission will find her to be a highly engaging speaker. He commented that they will probably have a more in-depth discussion regarding the Young Professionals Organization, given that they discuss the age range of their community and the proportion of different age groups. He noted that it was included in the previous version of the Strategic Plan and that it is in the present version as well. He commented that he thinks the Young Professionals Organization discussion will result in a productive dialogue. He added that he and Vice Chairman Hoenle are still working on the Arizona Alliance for Livable Community and that they may be able to have a discussion with them. Chairman Garman stated that Commissioner Craft has been a mentor and friend to him since he moved to Fountain Hills, that they have collaborated closely over the past few years, and that this is his final Strategic Planning Advisory Commission meeting. He said that he wanted to allow time for him to address the group. It has been a special time for Commissioner Craft, who has served on the commission for seven years. He remarked that the people he has collaborated with, worked with, and disagreed with over the past seven years have contributed to his own development. He stated that he has spent the majority of his professional life in strategic business planning and that until you become involved in a government -related community such as this one and deal with the challenges and issues that are presented, you will not truly understand the planning effort that goes into creating a strategic plan as they did. Commissioner Craft commended Town Manager Miller for his counsel and support for the entire period of time. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOVED BY Commissioner John W. Craft, Jr., SECONDED BY Commissioner Mary Edman to ADJOURN the meeting of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission at 5:31 p.m. Vote: 7 - 0 - Unanimously ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: Afu, Executive Assistant STRA COM GIC P ISSION NG ADVISORY Patric Garman, Chairman CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Meeting held by the Fountain Hills Strategic Planning Advisory Commission in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 24 day of August, 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 28 day of September, 2022. SK ela Espiritu ecutive Assistant re FOUNTAIN HILLS chamber of commerce Strategic Planning and Advisory Commission 8/24/2022 (hut IV Who We Are ofIFHYC CHAMBER AMBASSADORS Pmuu.dn I)III, Chamb.r of Commerce FOUNTAIN HILLS cra,»av, of commerce 532 383 Actve Members &i172022 FOUNTAIN HILLS CHAMBER FOUNDATION CHAMBER UNIVERSITY: crab PP INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS 1 CHAMBER UNIVERSITY SUCCESS'> THRIVE TODAY THRIVE TOMORROW rFOUNTAIN HILLS \111111Ii1111N111111N ;FP'L ES IU IIIIIIIIII� TOWN OF FOU TA.N� HILLS FOUNTAIN HILLS 11111111111, 11111111111 _._ FINE DINING frL .A' U. • — 1 BIKES 111111111111 frs 11111111'u11 L.1 /JL i Burgers STATE OF THE TOWN ADDRESS FOUNTAIN HILLS PHOENIX' BUSINESS JOURNAL 2022 LARGEST BUSINESS; ADVOCACY GROUPS Fountain Hills Chambe of Commerce #17 ra: rava > OF FINE ARTS 8 CRAFTS < r 1 FOUNTAIN HILLS chamber of conzmeire FOUNTAIN \' BIAS. Al THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE w e THANKS° INC DAY PARADE w: SHERI PATTON AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE Agg 52Menrbership Benefit s tFOUNTAIN , TOWN OF FOE ,STAIN IIII.1.S Strategic Planning Advisory Commission August 24. 2022 Strategic Plan Update Rachael Goodwin, Deputy Town Manager/Community Services Director WWW. FOONTAINHILLSAZ GOV Strategic Priority: Continue to improve the Public Health, Well -Being, and Safety of our town. • Strategy one: Promote the natural and built environment of Fountain Hills to improve the Public Health, Well -Being, and Safety of our town o Task A : Continue to expand and connect open spaces and recreation facilities to create opportunities for physical fitness o Task B: Work with local environmental organizations in strengthening our community's connection with its natural surroundings. WWW. FOIL NTAI NHILLSAZ.GOV Task A : Continue to expand and connect open spaces and recreation facilities to create opportunities for physical fitness • Completion of walking loops in all parks, including 1/3 mile in Desert Vista Park as well as Four Peaks Park • New accessible entrance from the south end of Four Peaks Park • Crosswalks added for pedestrian accessibility o Desert Vista o Fountain Park • Partnership with Musco Lighting o Mini pitch system o Addition of lights at the skate park • Upcoming o Skatepark renovation and expansion o Outdoor fitness area o Additional ramadas and shaded areas W W W. FOU NTAI N HI LLSAZ. GOV Task B: Work with local environmental organizations in strengthening our community's connection with its natural surroundings. • Expanded partnership with Sonoran Conservancy of FH o Guided hikes o Trailhead hosts (seasonally) o Trailblazers • Dark Skies o Star Parties o Dark Sky Festival o Community presentations • Grant Support in partnership with Scottsdale Sonoran Preserve • Maricopa County Parks Vision 2030 • Upcoming o Biophilic designation W W W.FOUNTAINHI LLSAZ. GOV Strategic Priority: Maintain current infrastructure while preparing the Town for emerging trends the increase public safety and quality of life • Strategy four: Utilize services provided by other government agencies and out outside entities in evaluating and supporting the health of Fountain Hills parks. o Task A : Utilize nationally recognized standards for maintenance of the Town's park system lit • 41, Al it • 4I (NRPA National Recreation and Park Association `.1 NRPA Park Check Pares• NPeatlen We9b Ntl desert Mel W W W.FOUNTAINH IL LSAZ. GOV 2022 NRPA Agency Performance Review Key Fin0ings Operating EXpendkwu Per care 7,403 (FIFO pe ID.wro Raderane r8.9 $93.01/year Ain' PalidandPer 1,000 Residents: 10• nmMme par aw: 80% 0 p.'npame Ent to aImum lom Inn i4nenl awrwn Rennin to Operating 2,323 23.6% Ath 4 W W W.FOUNTAINN I LLSAZ. GOV Our Parks, at a glance: Desert Vista Park Desert Sonoran Botanical Garden Fountain Park Four Peaks Park Golden Eagle Park Avenue Linear Park Community Center Golden Eagle Trailhead Adero Canyon Trailhead Total 135.2 Acres Ck1•' "L N RPA National Necreation and Park Association 12 Acres 8 Acres 65 Acres 16 Acres 25 Acres 3 Acres 3.75 Acres .4 Acres 2 Acres W W W. FOU NTAI N H IL LSAZ. GOV Task A : Utilize nationally recognized standards for maintenance of the Town's park system Conducted Master Plan process- May 2021 o Assesses current facilities and conditions, attention to lowest scoring assets o Forecast future needs o Outlines the priorities as identified by residents, user groups, stakeholders, etc. o Departmental strategic plan created to support Town plan • Standard procedures, and beyond o Safety checks are conducted and logged (Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPS') o Licensed spray and applicators on staff o Preventative maintenance scheduled, performed and logged o CIP and Facility Replacement plan built to identify and address long-term maintenance/renovation efforts W W W. FOU NTAI N H ILLSAZ. GOV GOLD MEDAL FINALIST u".ai. ga:: The 2022 National Gold Medal Award winners will be announced at the 2022 NPPA Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday. September 20.