2024-2-5 RAC Minutes
Minutes of the Recreation Advisory Committee held on February 5, 2024.
Members present:
Jennifer Baumann
Silvia Clarke
John Ise
Dino LaCapra
Gayle Mercado
Sheryl Piper
Jessica Pluhar
Sharon Thompson
Members absent:
Sandra Carro
Also present:
Angela Dorney, Parks and Recreation Director
Leslie Rackl, Executive Assistant
George Burch, Mayor
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m.
Ms. Mercado made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2024 meeting.
Motion seconded by Ms. Thompson and unanimously approved.
Ms. Dorney related that the Athletic Department will be hiring a new office manager as Kyleigh
Grundy has been promoted to the position of Assistant Program Supervisor.
Ms. Dorney distributed a list of Parks and Recreation’s upcoming special events to the
Committee members. It was noted that the Fitness In The Park series is doing well.
There will be a community based CPR class offered on March 23 with a minimum enrollment
of six people. This will be Red Cross certified with a cost of $75 to cover the certification costs.
Ms. Dorney added that there is a movement in the state legislature currently to have CPR
certified staff in high intensity sports at no cost to them.
Parks and Recreation will also be bringing back the Father Daughter Dance this spring.
Mr. Ise inquired about Plaza 98. It was related that the Chamber of Commerce puts on their
Sip, Shop and Celebrate event in December. This past December the venue was changed to
96th Street to make it fair to all businesse s in Miami Shores. The Village runs the remainder of
the Plaza 98 events.
Mr. Ise also suggested a movie on the athletic fields as well as bike rides in the Shores.
Ms.Clarke suggested there be more emphasis on promoting events. Ms. Dorney noted that
the upcoming Fine Arts concert is being advertised on Eventbrite, social media as well as the
Facebook community page. A suggestion was to cross promote events at schools.
In terms of having a successful 5k, Mr. LaCapra suggested combining Miami Shores wi th the
running calendars. It was noted that previously Parks and Recreation held a 5k Turkey Trot
the weekend before Thanksgiving which was very successful.
Ms. Dorney related that the RFP for the Parks Master Plan has already been written and is
expected to go out within the next few weeks. It will take approximately 2 -3 months to hire a
consultant once the RFP goes out.
Mayor Burch related that in the 2022 5 Year Plan, the most important item next to septic to
sewer was downtown Miami Shores; recreation was farther down on the list. Mayor Burch
encouraged Committee members to speak to their neighbors and family about a bond for a
Recreation Center. It was also noted that the Miami Shores Country Club will be asking for 15
million from the Village at the next Council meeting. Ms. Piper added that residents will want
to know how a bond will financially impact them personally. Ms. Thompson said that the City
of Doral added a calculator to their website so the residents could see their direct impact. M s.
Clarke said that her neighbors did not receive enough information when the Village attempted
that last bond. Ms. Dorney noted that charrettes will be needed to get a clearer vision from the
community. Mayor Burch said that 35% of the population in Mia mi Shores are on fixed
incomes. Ms. Thompson suggested that any of the Committee members cannot attend
tomorrow evening’s Council meeting, they send in an eComment, which will be read at the
meeting. The Committee suggested putting both the Miami Shores Country Club and
Recreation together in the Parks Master Plan, noting the broader the range the better.
It was noted that the increase in tax revenue in the Village was 1.6 million due to the increased
values of homes. Additionally, the budget next year will drop since ARPA (American Rescue
Plan) federal funds from COVID-19 of five million will not be available next year. The 5 million
must be used for infrastructure and used by the end of this year or the ARPA funds will
disappear.
The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.