[0:13] Good evening, everyone.
[0:17] But, we'll go ahead and um
call this meeting to order.
[0:23] Uh item number two, um information only.
Information items will be provided to
[0:29] the board in writing and are not
intended for formal presentation.
[0:35] Um thanks uh items 2A and 2B.
So,
[0:42] um
any questions from the board?
[0:46] So, we'll go on move to item uh three,
consent items.
[0:51] Uh consent items will be provided to the
board in writing and are not intended
[0:56] for formal presentation.
We may vote on them collectively unless
[1:01] a board member requests that any item be
voted on separately.
[1:04] And if not, uh I would like to have a
motion to accept items 3A, B, and C.
[1:14] Thank you. Can I have a second?
>> Second.
[1:17] » All those in favor, please say I.
I.
[1:21] Any opposed?
>> I.
[1:24] » Item uh four,
information and discussion items will be
[1:28] presented verbally to the parks board
and are for discussion only. No action
[1:33] will be taken on these items at this
meeting.
[1:36] First item is item 4A, parks and
recreation youth sports programs.
[1:43] Correct?
>> Good evening, uh Chairman Moy and
[1:46] members of the parks board.
Happy to be here this evening with you
[1:49] folks. Um our youth sport sports
programs across our system have always
[1:54] been uh uh, amazing for our our youth.
So, I'm going to ask uh, special
[2:00] operations deputy director Greg Lyons
and our downtown deputy director Tony
[2:04] Salinas to give you an update on our
youth sports programs across our system.
[2:12] » Thank you, Marty.
Good afternoon, Chairman Moya and
[2:15] members of the Parks Board. This
afternoon, we are presenting an update
[2:19] on our Parks and Recreation youth sports
programs.
[2:26] Our youth sports programming serves
participants ages 3 through 17.
[2:32] And and we are proud to offer activities
year-round so families have access to
[2:36] recreation no matter the season.
Altogether, more than 22,000 kids take
[2:41] part in these programs annually,
reflecting the strong demand for
[2:45] accessible and inclusive sports
opportunities across the city.
[2:50] With that brief overview, I'll turn it
over to Tony, who will walk you through
[2:54] the different youth sports programs in
more detail.
[3:02] » Good evening, Chairman Moya and members
of the Parks and Recreation Board.
[3:06] I'd like to begin with one of our most
popular youth sports programs, youth
[3:10] soccer.
Our soccer programs serve children ages
[3:14] 3 to 15, offering opportunities for
skill development at every stage.
[3:19] We operate more than 80 soccer programs
across the city, ensuring broad access
[3:24] for families in every area. Each year,
approximately 2,000 participate building
[3:29] foundational skills, teamwork, and
confidence through active play.
[3:37] Another popular option for families is
youth flag football.
[3:41] Flag football continues to grow rapidly
within our youth sports lineup.
[3:45] Interest has expanded significantly in
recent years, especially among girls.
[3:50] The program serves youth ages 5 through
15, offering inclusive and
[3:55] age-appropriate opportunities.
With 35 programs offered citywide,
[4:00] participants enjoy fun, low-contact
introduction to the gridiron sport that
[4:06] builds teamwork and confidence.
Flexible practice and game schedules
[4:11] throughout the week make the flag
football a favorite choice for families
[4:15] across the city, supporting more than
200 young players.
[4:22] Our youth baseball programs are a grand
slam.
[4:25] We serve children ages 4 through 12, and
this sport continues to be one of our
[4:29] most popular offerings.
We provide more than 40 baseball
[4:33] programs across the city, giving
families convenient options in their own
[4:37] neighborhoods.
Last year, more than 600 young athletes
[4:41] took part in our leagues, developing
skills, staying active, and enjoying
[4:45] supportive, team-focused environment.
[4:50] Next is our volleyball program,
another sport experiencing steady
[4:54] growth.
Youth volleyball is offered for
[4:57] participants ages 10 to 13.
More than 60 programs operate at sites
[5:02] across Phoenix. Participation remains
strong and consistent, with over 400
[5:07] youth being served each year.
These programs help develop fundamental
[5:12] skills and teamwork in a supportive
indoor environment.
[5:18] Next, we tee up for golf programs.
Serving participants ages 3 to 17,
[5:25] these programs offer are offered at all
seven city golf courses.
[5:31] Technical difficulties. Please hold.
Stand by.
[5:36] Keep going?
All right. It's a nice slide, but I'll
[5:39] describe it to you.
>> [laughter]
[5:42] » Uh these programs are offered at all
seven city golf courses, ensuring broad
[5:45] access for families.
Youth golf hosts more than 14,000
[5:50] participants annually, reflecting strong
and sustained interest.
[5:54] Offerings range from Itty Bitty Open
to First Tee programs all the way
[5:59] through high school state championship
events.
[6:05] Now, we move on to our largest sports
partnership, the Junior Suns program.
[6:11] Junior Suns basketball continues to be
one of the largest and most popular
[6:14] youth sports offerings.
The program serves participants ages 5
[6:19] through 15, providing age-appropriate
skill development opportunities.
[6:25] We operate more than 100 Junior Suns
programs across the city.
[6:29] These programs provide consistent,
high-quality basketball experiences for
[6:34] youth at all levels.
Last year, more than 4,000 young ballers
[6:38] participated in the Junior Suns program.
Participants benefit from skill
[6:42] development, team engagement, and the
strong partnership the city of Phoenix
[6:46] has with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix
Mercury organizations.
[6:53] Youth sports participation continues to
grow across both merging and established
[6:58] programs. Ball hockey now serves
participants ages 7 to 13, expanding
[7:04] engagement in this fast-growing sport.
Karate offers opportunities for youth
[7:09] ages 7 to 17, and remains a strong,
steady contributor to overall
[7:14] participation.
Esports maintains high interest,
[7:18] engaging more than 200 young players
each season.
[7:22] New programs introduced are cricket and
disc golf,
[7:25] attracting smaller groups, but provide
valuable variety, and broaden our
[7:29] recreational sports.
Together, these offerings expand the
[7:35] range of interest and activities that
are available to youth across the city,
[7:38] supporting continued growth and
inclusivity.
[7:42] At this time, I'll turn it over to Greg
to discuss park facilities.
[7:49] » Thank you, Tony.
[7:52] To support all these youth programs, the
department relies on several major
[7:56] sports complexes across the city.
Facilities like Rose Mofford, Desert
[8:00] West, Papago, and Reach 11 provide the
fields, courts, and amenities that make
[8:06] some of our leagues and tournaments
possible year-round.
[8:11] The Rose Mofford Sports Complex is one
of Arizona's premier destinations for
[8:15] youth and adult recreation, offering a
plaza-style environment that welcomes
[8:19] both players and spectators.
As a long-standing host site for
[8:23] national championships, college
invitationals, regional tournaments, and
[8:27] high school playoffs, the complex
continues to serve as a major hub for
[8:32] softball and soccer, drawing more than
200,000 participants and spectators each
[8:37] year.
Its expansive layout includes multiple
[8:41] lighted soccer fields, six enclosed
softball fields,
[8:45] tennis and racquetball courts,
volleyball and basketball courts,
[8:50] a running track, pickleball courts, and
a 2 and 1/2 acre dog park, providing a
[8:55] full range of amenities that support
year-round recreation and community
[8:59] engagement.
[9:03] The Desert West Sports Complex is a
major recreation destination that
[9:07] supports both daily community use and
large-scale tournament play. It's widely
[9:12] recognized for hosting local, regional,
and national softball events, including
[9:16] the Senior Winter Worlds Tournament and
the Saucony Cup,
[9:20] each drawing more than 4,000 players and
spectators.
[9:23] » [clears throat]
>> The complex features four enclosed
[9:25] softball fields, along with a broad
range of amenities such as ball fields,
[9:29] soccer fields, basketball and volleyball
courts,
[9:33] tennis and racquetball courts, urban
fishing, and a permanent concession
[9:37] area.
Making Desert West a versatile and
[9:41] highly active hub for youth and adult
recreation.
[9:48] Papago Sports Complex is a key hub for
both league play and major tournaments,
[9:52] hosting local and regional, national,
softball and baseball events throughout
[9:57] the year.
Its north side features the Papago
[10:00] softball fields, which along with Desert
West consistently host large signature
[10:04] events.
Softball complex includes four enclosed
[10:07] softball fields.
South side contains Papago baseball
[10:10] fields, leased to the city of Scottsdale
for the San Francisco Giants year-round
[10:15] player development program.
[10:19] Reach 11 is a 1,500 acre recreation area
that combines natural desert, trails, a
[10:25] horse park, and one of the largest
complexes in the western United States.
[10:30] We manage the complex under a federal
land use agreement. The site supports
[10:34] recreation while maintaining its primary
role as a flood detention basin for the
[10:38] Central Arizona Project.
The sports complex hosts international,
[10:43] national, and regional tournaments in
soccer, lacrosse, field hockey,
[10:48] football, and other field sports, and is
organized into five major areas. The
[10:54] east and west field zones,
the Diamondbacks youth baseball complex,
[10:58] an extensive trail system, and Horse
Lovers Park.
[11:02] With 18 regular soccer fields,
four youth baseball fields, and more
[11:06] than 20 miles of natural trails, Reach
11 serves as a premier destination for
[11:11] both competitive athletics and daily
outdoor recreation.
[11:17] As we conclude today's overview, I want
to highlight the continued impact we
[11:21] have on our youth programs across
Phoenix. From entry-level activities to
[11:25] competitive leagues, these programs
provide thousands of young participants
[11:29] with opportunities to stay active, build
skills, and connect with their
[11:33] community.
Our sport complexes, partnerships, and
[11:36] year-round operations all support a
vibrant system that meets the diverse
[11:40] interests of families throughout the
city.
[11:43] Thank you for your time and support as
we remain committed to offering
[11:46] accessible, high-quality recreation
experiences for all youth.
[11:52] At this time, we'd be happy to answer
any questions.
[11:55] » Great. Thank you. Awesome presentation.
Board members, any questions?
[12:01] Right here, sir.
[12:07] » Oh.
Uh I'm I'm wondering about the survey
[12:12] that you plan to send out to
uh and whether
[12:18] I guess what I'm wondering is to what
extent is the
[12:23] Parks Master Plan thinking about or
integrating information about youth
[12:28] sports?
And if there's a survey being done at
[12:32] the end of this year when the master
plan is going to be done, you know, what
[12:36] are there ways that those two things can
be the survey results can be integrated?
[12:42] » Um Mr. Chair and members of the Parks
Board and Board Member Vieira, our our
[12:46] Parks Master Plan is um focusing on a
lot of different things including
[12:52] programs and services for for our youth
including sports. So,
[12:55] uh we will have um
uh results later this fall to share with
[13:01] with the Parks Board um and then
determine what uh changes we need to
[13:06] make across our system. Um and I'll let
Tony, I'll let you talk about the survey
[13:11] for sports.
[13:16] » So, uh
Board Member Moylan and uh
[13:20] Chairman Moylan and Board Member Porter,
uh currently after each league uh
[13:25] concludes our program concludes, the
parents will receive a survey so that we
[13:30] can get feedback on how to better our
programs.
[13:33] We do share that with the divisions so
that we understand what the community
[13:37] needs are and how we can make
adjustments for the next season
[13:42] or session of classes or leagues.
[13:47] Any other questions?
>> Great, Renee.
[13:50] » Great.
[13:53] » Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um
I have a a couple of questions about
[13:58] sort of program capacity and sort of
trends.
[14:03] Um first of all, let me just say, I
mean, this is a way better than what I
[14:07] had when I was growing up in terms of
diversity of programs, availability of
[14:12] programs, quality and diversity of
facilities. I mean, it's just
[14:17] so impressive what we have available and
what we offer. What What I'm interested
[14:23] in as understanding
A, where is there demand
[14:30] that just gets sucked up so quickly that
lots and lots of people are turned away.
[14:37] And then secondly,
what are you seeing in terms of trends
[14:41] of of
either growth, I mean, Tony, you
[14:45] mentioned
you know, girls are getting more
[14:48] interested in flag football, but what
what other trends are out there in terms
[14:53] of growth of types of programs or demand
for certain
[14:57] types of
youth facilities and that kind of thing.
[15:06] » So, as far as
Sorry.
[15:09] Chairman uh
Moya and board member Neymar, as far as
[15:13] the demand, um whenever a facility fills
up, uh the spots fill up. So, the beauty
[15:19] of parks and recreation is that we have
all our sports happening at the same
[15:22] time, same season.
So, there's never really a facility
[15:26] that's not too far away, and that's how
we will help the other facilities fill
[15:31] their leagues or programs.
Um if there's an opportunity and
[15:38] options to add more practices and games
during the weekend the weekend, they
[15:43] will add more uh
teams to the league. So, that's how we
[15:49] we we do our best to accommodate, but we
definitely stay in contact and we share.
[15:53] And the the key is to, you know,
register as soon as that registration
[15:57] opens, and so that we can definitely
accommodate. Now, if it's a family, and
[16:02] you know, we don't want the mother to
have or the father to have to drive 5
[16:05] miles, you know, every Saturday, we'll
do our best to accommodate to get the
[16:09] whole family in so that they're in
one location.
[16:13] And as far as trends,
we are the majority of our full-time
[16:17] team are certified youth sports
administrators,
[16:21] uh which is a certification obtained
through the National Alliance for Youth
[16:24] Sports. And they have a
national database that
[16:30] tells us what's trending and what's
going on, and a lot of times it's going
[16:35] to be the public. They'll they'll come
in and they'll tell us. So, that's how
[16:38] we find out about, you know, flag
football and and and all the girls that
[16:43] want to play it. And, you know, a lot of
them don't want to play coed. They want
[16:47] to be playing, you know, all girl
leagues. Uh the majority of our leagues
[16:51] are coed. So, that's we take community
feedback and feedback from days in the
[16:56] National Parks and Recreation
Association as well, following up with
[17:00] with trends that are are coming our way.
So, right now I can say pickleball's a
[17:03] big one. The flag football's a big one.
And e-sports, believe it or not,
[17:08] e-sports is is
taking off.
[17:12] Thank you.
>> Thank you, Rick.
[17:15] » Can I ask one quick question? Is
e-sports
[17:17] really a big thing for kids
or
[17:20] people under 18.
>> Um
[17:24] Chairman Moya and board member Porter,
I'm sorry can you repeat that?
[17:29] » I'm surprised to hear that pickleball is
a
[17:33] an emerging popular sport for the alpha
Gen Alpha.
[17:38] But you're saying it is.
>> They love it.
[17:41] They love it, yes.
[17:45] » Rick.
Emma, any questions?
[17:48] Aubrey, I see you online. Any questions?
[17:53] If not, I have I have a couple.
Sorry.
[17:56] I have a couple of quick questions.
Tony, you you
[18:00] noted some of the the the numbers for
baseball in terms of participation.
[18:05] So, help me understand the leagues. Are
are those numbers
[18:08] uh
leagues that the city
[18:11] um
coordinates with or do we track or are
[18:15] there other leagues
that aren't part of the city that
[18:19] utilize some park as well?
[18:23] » Chairman Moya, those that data is
specifically for city-run programs.
[18:28] Uh the city of Phoenix are all of our
leagues and classes are recreational,
[18:32] which means anybody that wants to even
learn the sport in a team atmosphere, we
[18:37] welcome them.
And others use it that are great at the
[18:40] sport and they just want to, you know,
increase their skill set. So, these are
[18:45] just our our
specific parks are our city of Phoenix
[18:49] run and that's why they got those cool
Phoenix plays jerseys and socks.
[18:54] » I wonder those come in extra large.
>> We can make that happen.
[18:59] » [laughter]
>> Um so, again, so this has to do with
[19:03] numbers as well because I see our
beautiful facilities and obviously the
[19:07] Rose Mofford one and the one
the baseball one that we had lots of
[19:11] discussions in this meeting before near
Scottsdale, but it's in Phoenix.
[19:16] Um
so do we
[19:19] Marty, maybe track all of those numbers
because
[19:24] um
if we do if we do how how do we do that
[19:28] because obviously when we bring in these
big soccer teams and these big baseball
[19:36] do we track all that and if so how and
where would that show up?
[19:43] » Thank you, Chairman members of the Parks
Board. Yes, we do track that through our
[19:46] ActiveNet program and the last count
that we had just before doing this
[19:51] report were over 60,000
uh participants that use all of our
[19:55] facilities that that's not part of our
city programs but the from other
[19:58] programs that come and use our
facilities.
[20:01] » Great, that's great that's great to know
because obviously they're just not
[20:04] sitting there they are utilized by
others and not only uh for those city
[20:09] league programs. So again, great you
thank you great presentation.
[20:15] Oh, and one thing and I don't do the I
don't get caught up in the whole
[20:18] formality thing cuz at home I'm hey you
so if you miss it I don't I don't get
[20:26] you know, anyway, thank you.
So next we have Parks
[20:31] Parks Volunteer Program update.
[20:35] » Mr. Chairman and members of the Parks
Board um
[20:39] the city of Phoenix has a system-wide
volunteer program called Volunteer
[20:44] Phoenix. In 2024 the approval of the
mayor and council the Parks Department
[20:50] did receive a volunteer coordinator
position. Joining me at the table uh
[20:54] this evening is our volunteer
coordinator Jenna Kirchhoff who will
[20:59] give us a summary and kind of status of
the Parks and Recreation Department
[21:04] volunteer program. So I'll I'll over to
Jana.
[21:08] » Thank you, Director Whitfield. Good
evening, Chairman Moya and members of
[21:11] the board. It is my honor to be here
today to give you guys an update on the
[21:15] Parks and Recreation Department
volunteer program.
[21:20] The City of Phoenix operates a robust
volunteer program called Volunteer
[21:24] Phoenix, which strengthens community
service by increasing volunteer
[21:28] participation, expanding opportunities,
and building strong partnerships. These
[21:33] partnerships include AmeriCorps, Keep
Phoenix Beautiful, and HandsOn Greater
[21:37] Phoenix, among others. They also host
the annual Volunteer Impact Awards
[21:41] ceremony, where amazing volunteers are
honored for their dedication.
[21:45] The Parks and Recreation Department
works closely with Volunteer Phoenix to
[21:49] place corporate and large group
volunteer requests,
[21:52] find volunteers for internal Parks
Department special events, and recruit
[21:57] volunteers for specialty programs like
our volunteer coaches and park stewards.
[22:02] Together, we engage with interested
individuals to identify and sometimes
[22:06] create opportunities that meet their
requests. Volunteer Phoenix frequently
[22:10] features department requests for
volunteers in their monthly newsletters,
[22:14] as you can see displayed on your screen,
our request for volunteers for our Earth
[22:17] Month tree plantings.
The Parks and Recreation Volunteers
[22:22] Program, also known as My Phoenix My
Park, provides a variety of
[22:25] opportunities for interested
individuals, groups, and organizations
[22:29] to get involved. By focusing on
recruitment, retention, partnerships,
[22:33] and impact, we aim to increase volunteer
participation in the maintenance of our
[22:37] parks and preserves each year.
We recruit volunteers through online
[22:41] engagement, flyers in community centers,
and promoting the program at community
[22:45] meetings.
By recognizing the value and hard work
[22:48] of our volunteers through award
ceremonies and appreciation events, we
[22:52] encourage individuals to continue their
volunteerism with us.
[22:56] Retention is also supported by
establishing long-lasting partnerships
[22:59] with organiza- organizations and
corporations.
[23:03] Volunteers can get engaged with My
Phoenix My Park in a variety of ways,
[23:07] including sports coaching, the Park
Steward program, park cleanups, tree
[23:12] plantings and invasive removals, special
events support, trailhead engagement,
[23:17] repainting and beautification, native
seed collection and disbursement, and
[23:21] our wonderful Phoenix teens program. All
of these efforts result in enormous
[23:26] positive impacts for the parks in the
community that we serve.
[23:31] The Adopt-A-Park program is a way for
individuals or groups to take ownership
[23:34] of their volunteerism by committing to
multiple park cleanups events throughout
[23:38] the course of the year.
In 2025, a 10th grade class from the
[23:42] Arizona Autism Academy adopted El Oso
Park to learn life skills and give back
[23:47] to their community. The class visited
twice monthly to rake playgrounds and
[23:51] clean up trash, volunteering over 300
hours during the school year.
[23:56] This is an ongoing partnership and we
look forward to having Mr. Jonathan's
[23:59] new class out to the park next year.
The Arizona Sustainability Alliance has
[24:06] adopted part of the Rio Salado habitat
restoration area. The group has made a
[24:10] huge impact removing invasive weeds,
creating native seed balls, and cleaning
[24:15] up around the trailhead. In 2025, they
donated 567 hours to improving this
[24:21] area.
Dynamite Park was unofficially adopted
[24:26] by a local resident and his young
daughter on school breaks. They visit
[24:30] the park to pick up trash, rake
entrances, and pull weeds. Here you can
[24:34] see some before and after photos of
their efforts and also his daughter who
[24:39] is very proud to have her own pink
volunteer vest to wear when she was out
[24:43] collecting trash.
In 2026, we have successfully adopted
[24:48] Encanto and Cave Creek Park at Cholla
and we are working towards an adoption
[24:52] at Nino's Park as well currently.
The Park Steward program is a unique
[24:58] opportunity for volunteers to work
side-by-side with park rangers in our
[25:01] mountain preserves to make a positive
impact and learn valuable skills.
[25:06] The Park Steward program has 461 active
park stewards and continues to grow each
[25:12] year.
These dedicated volunteers expand the
[25:15] ability of our staff to maintain our
preserves and in fact, last year they
[25:19] were honored with the Volunteer Impact
Award recognizing their contributions
[25:23] which included 3800
hours of trail work and trail
[25:28] maintenance, 475 hours of cleanups,
park stewards patrolled over 1800 hours
[25:35] of bike patrols covering more than
10,000 miles of our trails,
[25:40] over 1700 hours of hiking patrols
covering 2900 miles on our trails,
[25:46] and they performed 256 hours of
trailhead education. This month as the
[25:51] temperatures in Phoenix have been
heating up, the park stewards have been
[25:54] out at Piestewa, Echo Canyon, and Pima
Canyon trailhead handing out water and
[25:59] educating our hikers about safe hiking
in the summer heat. So, thank you park
[26:03] stewards.
[26:06] April is historically one of our busiest
volunteer months. Earth Day, Arbor Day,
[26:11] and Volunteer Week all fall during this
month and people are excited to give
[26:14] back.
In April 2026, over 1700 volunteers
[26:19] donated almost 7,000 hours of their
time.
[26:22] In partnership with Volunteer Phoenix,
the Parks Department curated over 20
[26:26] volunteer events throughout the city to
help beautify our parks and preserves.
[26:30] Volunteers planted 250 trees and over
700 pollinator and native plants.
[26:36] In addition, they removed 550 gallon
bags of trash and invasive species from
[26:41] our parks and preserves. This weighed
over 6,000 pounds.
[26:46] I would like to take a moment to give a
big shout-out to the Forest Section of
[26:49] the Special Operations Division who made
these tree plantings a success. They
[26:54] pre-dug holes and took the time to teach
volunteers proper planting and pruning
[26:59] techniques at each and every one of
these events. They will also continue to
[27:03] water these plants throughout the year
to ensure their growth and development.
[27:09] In 2025, the Parks and Recreation
Department had almost 8,800 volunteers
[27:14] donate more than 60,000 hours of their
time to help improve our parks and
[27:18] provide recreational opportunities in
our community.
[27:21] This equates to the labor of 29
full-time employees for an entire year.
[27:27] In 2025, our volunteers had an estimated
$2.1 million financial impact for the
[27:32] department.
Volunteers play a vital role in
[27:35] supporting our staff to maintain the
integrity of our 189 parks and over
[27:40] 40,000 acres of mountain preserve lands.
If you or anyone you know is interested
[27:47] in volunteering with the City of
Phoenix, you can connect with us in any
[27:50] of the three ways that we see on your
screen. And with that, I would be happy
[27:54] to answer any questions you have. Thank
you.
[27:59] » Great. Thank you very much. Quite
impressive numbers. So, I don't imagine
[28:02] what the trails would look like without
all that help. So, great. Thank you. Any
[28:07] questions from the board?
Sarah, go right ahead.
[28:11] » Thank you. Thanks for the report.
I'm
[28:14] I I guess my question is if we
apart from Earth Month,
[28:20] do you feel like we there could be more
um
[28:24] that more there it's it's great to have
this many people volunteering. And I'm
[28:28] wondering, do you feel like there's
untapped demand
[28:32] or um by people in Phoenix who would
like to
[28:37] be park volunteers? And I And I guess
what I'm wondering is some cities have a
[28:43] you know, have a whole
group of staff members dedicated to
[28:48] activating volunteers. I'm just
wondering what's the demand? What's your
[28:52] sense of the demand in Phoenix?
>> Thank you for that question, Chairperson
[28:57] Porter.
Um, Board Member Moya and members of the
[29:01] board, so while April is typically one
of our busiest months, we do have
[29:05] ongoing programs like our volunteer
coaches that coach throughout the year.
[29:09] Um, we do have the park stewards which
work throughout the year. I would say
[29:13] one of the difficulties that we find
specifically here in the city of Phoenix
[29:17] is that a lot of kids are out of school
in the summer months and have more time
[29:21] to volunteer with their parents and with
the heat that really restricts what we
[29:24] can do. So, with our partnership with
Volunteer Phoenix, we for the past
[29:29] couple months we know the heat is
coming. So, we've been reaching out to
[29:32] our recreation coordinators. We've been
reaching out to folks to find indoor
[29:35] opportunities to help place people that
reach out during the summer. So, I would
[29:40] say our biggest limitation would
probably be trying to accommodate people
[29:43] who have more time in the summer when
we're limited by the heat.
[29:50] » Any other questions?
Go ahead, Emma.
[29:54] » Thank you for the presentation. It's
really exciting to see all these
[29:59] Um,
what type of training do they Uh, is
[30:03] there any specific information, general
information
[30:07] that volunteers go through?
[30:12] » Thank you, Chairperson Viera. Uh, Board
Member Moya and members of the board, it
[30:16] depends on what type of volunteerism
that you're getting engaged with. Our
[30:20] sports coaches do go through an
extensive training through the NAYS
[30:24] program, the National Alliance for Youth
Sports that Tony spoke to in the
[30:28] previous presentation. Our park
stewards, they also go through 40 hours
[30:33] of direct one-on-one training before
with a park ranger before they are
[30:37] allowed to go out and do a hike patrol
on their own, for example. Um, with our
[30:42] Adopt-A-Park program, we do go out and
meet them for the very first cleanup and
[30:48] we walk them around the park and show
them the areas that, you know, need
[30:51] cleaning up and areas of high high use.
Um, so I guess I would say it depends on
[30:56] what specific type of volunteer that you
are, but there are there is training and
[31:00] one-on-one. Like with the tree
plantings, the special operations team
[31:03] came out and showed them how to plant
the trees before they were just jumping
[31:07] in there.
[31:10] » Any other questions?
Uh, great. Again, thank you for the
[31:14] presentation.
So, we'll move on to item five
[31:20] uh, for discussion and possible action.
Uh, the the items are for information,
[31:25] discussion, and possible action. Item
5A, South Mountain land donation and
[31:30] acceptance.
Chairman lawyer and members of the Parks
[31:34] Board, I'm excited about this next item.
Um,
[31:36] uh, in the Parks and Recreation
Department, we're always looking at
[31:39] opportunities to uh,
purchase uh, land in our preserves. So,
[31:44] tonight, uh, our Management Services
Deputy Director, Teresa Ball, will
[31:49] present on a potential uh, donation of
about 10 acres.
[31:54] Teresa.
[31:58] » Good evening, board members. I'm very
excited to share with you this
[32:01] opportunity that we have to grow our
preserves with this potential land
[32:06] donation.
[32:09] First though, what I'd like to do is
highlight a summary of recent
[32:12] acquisitions into the mountain preserves
within the last 5 years.
[32:16] As you can see, the acquisitions in 2025
alone totaled more than 250 acres. And
[32:23] you may recall that the board approved
the acquisition of the Carver Mountain
[32:27] property near South Mountain via a
donation. And the Dean Hills property
[32:32] near 35th Avenue and Happy Valley, that
was acquired through the Arizona State
[32:36] Land Department auction that was held
last November.
[32:43] For the potential donation we're going
to be discussing tonight, a
[32:46] representative for the property owner
approached the city earlier this year
[32:51] regarding whether his client's 10-acre
parcel could be considered for purchase
[32:55] during the city's next bond process.
After several meetings with the property
[33:00] owner's rep and a site visit in March,
it was determined that the potential
[33:05] donation might be a better path forward
for the property owner. And this is due
[33:10] to the bond timeline and really the
uncertainty of whether that parcel could
[33:14] be included as part of that bond
project.
[33:17] So therefore, the property owners
generously decided to offer the land to
[33:21] the city as a donation, and we're very
appreciative of having this
[33:25] um potential parcel of land.
[33:29] Here I want to show you a vicinity map,
and it provides an overview of the
[33:33] location of the property being
considered for a donate uh donation. You
[33:37] can see there it's on the very southwest
side of South Mountain, just adjacent
[33:41] there of the 202 freeway.
[33:47] And here in to get a perspective, the
area in which the 10-acre park parcel is
[33:52] located, it's just north of those
developed homes that are kind of in the
[33:56] gray area, and it's shown in the green
shaded area on the left.
[34:01] Um I'll show you in the next slide a
little bit more close-up picture of it,
[34:06] but this area here was originally
planned to be developed with homes as
[34:10] shown on this conceptual site plan.
However, it's not a very easy place to
[34:14] develop because there's a lot of hurdles
with the topography of the land,
[34:18] hillside engineering, including a sewer
system that would have to go up and over
[34:22] the mountain.
[34:29] So this site uh slide here, you can more
clearly see that the parcel in
[34:33] highlighted red area there. It's 10
acres. You can see how close it is to
[34:38] the boundary of South Mountain, which is
denoted by the green line,
[34:42] and its proximity to both um Gila Gila
and the um Bursera trails.
[34:49] And you can see here too that it's not
immediately continuous to South Mountain
[34:53] Park. So, the thought is to obtain the
land, preserve it as it is, and then
[34:57] eventually we could connect it to in the
future to South Mountain Park.
[35:04] In this view here, you can see the
outlines of the adjacent private
[35:08] property owned parcels.
These other parcels around the community
[35:12] have the potential for development, but
due to the hurdles that we already
[35:16] mentioned, the mountain side there also
has a slope. These might be an
[35:21] opportunity now to use this donated
parcel as leverage to acquire other
[35:26] surrounding or nearby parcels that could
eventually create that connectivity to
[35:31] South Mountain Park.
However, if the donated parcel stays
[35:36] disconnected, it would still serve as
preservation. There's no city
[35:39] infrastructure needed nor edge
protection, and since the neighborhood
[35:44] to the south is gated, um also just over
the ridge to the north side of the
[35:48] mountain is a water catchment for
wildlife. So, the area could still just
[35:52] remain a wildlife corridor.
[35:58] So, we're always excited when we have
these opportunities to add land to our
[36:02] preserve system, and we really
appreciate the property owner's interest
[36:06] to be donating this to the city.
This item was just heard by the Sonoran
[36:11] um Phoenix Sonoran Preserve and Mountain
Parks Preserve Committee on May 18th,
[36:15] and the committee was in favor of the
acquisition. So, our next step then
[36:19] pending Parks Board approval is to go to
City Council tentatively prior to their
[36:24] summer recess.
And with that
[36:29] that ends the presentation and I'd be
happy to answer any questions you may
[36:32] have.
>> That was exciting. Um, before we open it
[36:36] up for a vote, any questions?
[36:41] Yeah, I have a few. This This is a
little new for me, so I apologize. Um,
[36:46] first of all, it's of course exciting
that somebody wants to donate 10 acres.
[36:50] That's a very valuable
parcel and
[36:54] uh
and it also is obviously going to I
[36:59] don't know what the right wording is,
but prevent development of
[37:03] of properties right up against the
preserve. What I was interested in
[37:07] understanding and and maybe could flip
back a
[37:11] a slide or two here.
[37:16] Going
[37:19] two things. Um
Yeah, that's fine. That slide's good.
[37:24] So, first of all, uh the green line that
you show as the preserve
[37:31] line
is different than the one in the report,
[37:35] which is a straight line that goes
across.
[37:39] And I was going to ask because there
were a bunch of City of Phoenix
[37:42] properties to the west there
that didn't appear to be in the
[37:46] preserve, but it looks like
the green line is an updated preserve
[37:52] map. Is that right?
[37:55] » I don't Yes, let me look at the the one
in the report.
[38:11] Yes, I the one on the display on the
screen is the accurate one.
[38:16] » Okay, good.
Um, cuz one of the questions I I had is
[38:21] why is the city own this property and
why isn't it not in reserve? So, that
[38:25] makes sense. Okay. The second thing is,
um, you know, it's it's an island as you
[38:30] point out and it still has value for
wildlife and that kind of thing. But,
[38:36] you know, having lived down in this area
for like 25 years, I don't live down
[38:41] there anymore, but you know, there were
all sorts of little islands created
[38:47] in the um development process and
um so as as an example, I owned a house
[38:54] back on what they called, you know, it
was a preserve lot it but but it wasn't
[38:59] a preserve. It was an island that was
surrounded by homes, a mountain and
[39:04] there were no trails on it because
fences went all the way around. Uh, and
[39:10] but it it was never thought to be part
of the preserve and frankly, the
[39:14] homeowners association had to take care
of any issues or problems there or
[39:18] liability or
whatever.
[39:22] And there are probably hundreds of those
kinds of situations around the city and
[39:28] I'm just trying to think through the
process of
[39:32] islands like this.
Um, obviously if somebody's giving it to
[39:36] us, it's great, right? But, um
Um, I'm just thinking about you know,
[39:43] this island could end up getting being
surrounded by development in the future
[39:48] based upon the
the ownership pattern, I think. But,
[39:54] it's kind of hard to tell, right?
>> Right. Um,
[39:59] thank you, Chairperson Newmark.
Um, we did a site visit on this, Jared
[40:03] Rogers and I with the rep and we had
several discussions with him about these
[40:09] other parcels and what they're going
through through their development. In
[40:12] fact, the one directly to the west is
from our understanding is having some
[40:17] real challenges and hurdles
um with the infrastructure that they
[40:22] need to get that the picture doesn't
really do it justice to really display
[40:28] the
the wash area
[40:31] the hillside how it goes through. Um
what our hope is because of how close
[40:38] this parcel is to the preserve even if
we could acquire the one just directly
[40:42] north of it now we've got some
connectivity straight there. The ones to
[40:46] the east also again the picture doesn't
do it justice. It's very the topography
[40:53] is is not easy to build at all and these
parcels have been sitting for a while
[40:59] and one of the parcels even to the north
a little bit you can see someone tried
[41:03] to build their own little makeshift
house on it maybe with some stones and
[41:07] everything and then from our
understanding it's been like that for
[41:10] many many years. So that's where our
thought is this might be a good leverage
[41:15] point um because there is that big wash
that goes down under the the freeway
[41:20] area there too with the 202 so it
provides that connectivity and then over
[41:24] time we're our hope we're hopeful these
other property owners might see the
[41:28] benefit maybe for their own tax purposes
or what financially to maybe offer the
[41:32] donation to the city.
>> Right. Well that that
[41:36] that's very helpful information and and
also I assume that big parcel to the
[41:42] east of there was probably required to
be
[41:46] you know left as hillside or
desert when they developed that gated
[41:52] community is that be my guess but I I
don't know that for sure.
[41:58] Um okay. Well that's that's that's very
helpful. Yeah I was I just
[42:03] if if we were buying it I might have a
different thought about it. The fact
[42:09] that they're they're donating it to us I
I
[42:13] I don't know why we wouldn't do it,
particularly given the adjacency to the
[42:19] preserve. Some you know, if they donated
the one that was behind my house, that
[42:24] was surrounded by fences and houses,
maybe a different story, right? And it
[42:29] was a little bit farther away from
preserve land. So, I could I can see why
[42:34] this this makes a lot of sense. And of
course,
[42:37] I'm not not appreciative of the
donation, but I just I'm just thinking
[42:43] about, you know, if all these homeowners
associations donated their stranded
[42:48] islands to us, we might not want them,
right? Um, this one I think is a little
[42:55] different than that. And that and it
makes a lot of sense. And um
[43:00] I don't know if there are other
questions, but I'd be willing to make a
[43:02] motion to
>> I do have a question.
[43:04] » Okay, go ahead.
>> Okay, I'll wait I'll wait on the motion.
[43:08] » To Rick's point, is the donation
unconditional so that if if these
[43:14] things that are very unlikely to happen
did occur, the city would have some
[43:19] options and not have a little stranded
island parcel?
[43:25] In other words, could the city
let's just say that
[43:30] something happened and there were
development um between the existing
[43:34] preserve and this donated parcel and the
city decided and it would actually be
[43:41] better for us to sell this parcel
and we'll do something good with the
[43:47] proceeds from that sale. Is would
something like that be feasible or is
[43:51] the city really committed forever and
ever to this little island that is not
[43:56] quite connected to the preserve?
Understanding that it's unlikely, but
[44:02] » Yeah, board member Ford, that's a very
good question. Um,
[44:05] city charter prevents the sale of
preserve property without
[44:11] if we right it would it's not going
straight into the preserve, right? Well,
[44:16] our request
to be to have a dedicated preserve but
[44:19] maybe that's something we can look at
whether we
[44:22] refrain maybe from designating it as
preserved just acquire the acquisition,
[44:28] not have it designated preserve until a
later time. We could
[44:35] that would be an option
for consideration.
[44:39] » And are there any other conditions
related to the donation that that
[44:45] could constrain the city's ability to
do what is the best thing to do with
[44:50] that parcel should these unlikely
developments occur?
[44:57] » Not not that I'm aware of. Um
[45:04] I can't think of anything. I mean I know
that the property owner is still doing
[45:10] things like going through their
environmental assessment of it too,
[45:13] making sure all the environmental pieces
would be adequate for us. But once
[45:18] acquired um
there's no other
[45:22] maybe strings attached to it or
conditions that I'm aware of with it. It
[45:26] would be a complete donation to us.
>> Thank you.
[45:29] » Mr. Chairman, on on that same line of
discussion I actually sort of have a
[45:34] diff an opposite thought which is if we
don't put it in preserve now
[45:39] there will be leverage in the future for
somebody to come in and say I I I need I
[45:44] need this city to develop my parcel and
somebody may you know, push the
[45:50] department to sell the
uh parcel. So I'd rather put you know, I
[45:55] I my sense is I'd rather given how close
it is and how uh valuable the staff
[46:02] has indicated that it would be for
wildlife and other things. I would
[46:08] probably put it in the preserve and and
risk that we could never sell it
[46:14] because I don't
>> I think that's a if you
[46:17] I think that's a good point and I defer
to you because you know land
[46:22] transactions and how
what people how people respond, but I am
[46:28] concerned
that
[46:31] about having a little piece of preserve
that could have mischief around it that
[46:38] wouldn't be desirable. And it's not this
isn't
[46:41] it's and it's terrible
because it looks like I'm not feeling
[46:47] that this is a wonderful gift to the
city. It absolutely is, but we are
[46:52] counting on neighboring land owners
being willing to sell their property at
[46:58] a price that the city thinks would, you
know, be the right price or maybe even
[47:04] you know,
taking a page out of the donor's book
[47:07] and donating. And
what would be what if the
[47:13] the the things that we're envisioning
don't happen?
[47:16] Then is it going to be problematic for
the parks department to own this 10
[47:20] acres that are not quite connected to
the preserve?
[47:25] » So, the the motion will be
to accept the donation and to designate
[47:31] it as mountain as mountain preserve. So,
if we accept that, it will be
[47:37] part of the mountain preserve.
>> But what I'm asking is
[47:42] what the surrounding areas don't become
incorporated into the preserve, which is
[47:48] kind of our that would be the long-term
best possible aspiration. Is there any
[47:54] is there any potential
problem for the Parks Department with
[47:58] having in perpetuity now develop this
little island, Tanager Island, a
[48:03] preserve. And and which you're the
expert, so
[48:07] you know, that's what I'm asking. Like,
what's the worst that could happen that
[48:12] where you could envision a future where
it actually wasn't that great to get
[48:16] this little piece of property because
the things that we hoped that would
[48:19] happen around it didn't.
>> So, we Thank you, um
[48:24] Board Member Porter.
I we acquired Carver Mountain. Um it's a
[48:28] larger parcel, obviously, but that is a
kind of an island, so to speak, as well.
[48:34] I mean, the intent is to one day have
some trails there on that one.
[48:38] Um so, that's one that's not maybe
directly connected to another preserve
[48:42] area.
With this parcel,
[48:45] the parcel to the north would be the
connectivity. I mean, we would just only
[48:49] need that first one, and we've got that
connectivity. And to the south, as I
[48:54] indicated, unfortunately, it would be
nice to have a maybe video, but to the
[48:58] south that it's it's a
kind of a real wash area right there.
[49:02] So, there's not really development
that's going to occur right on the back
[49:06] side of those homes to the north of them
because of the wash that runs through
[49:09] there. So, this is going to still at
least give that corridor wildlife that
[49:14] goes back under the freeway cuz there's
like a little
[49:17] APSA area, like a little substation
thing right there on the corner by the
[49:21] freeway,
and it goes straight under the freeway,
[49:24] the the corridor or the wash there. So,
at the
[49:28] the very least, we would have some still
connectivity to the wash and wildlife
[49:32] right there.
[49:36] » The other The other thing I'm guessing,
and and those of you who've been with
[49:39] the department for a while may may know
this. There may
[49:42] I'm guessing the history of the
preserves is peppered with islands. And
[49:47] that And there may be many of them out
there today. You know, I even looking at
[49:52] your very cover slide that you had it
looked like there was maybe one or two
[49:57] around South Mountain still where you
know, it's not ideal, but it is
[50:04] it still makes for a
hopscotch. You know, it's a but what I
[50:10] would say is you know, we really should
work hard to try to get that connection
[50:15] through a purchase or donation
as we as we go forward if we approve
[50:21] the recommendation.
[50:27] » Great. Any other questions?
So, I will make the motion as we had
[50:35] originally planned it was to accept the
donation and to designate it as a part
[50:42] of the mountain preserve.
So, if I get
[50:46] have someone make that motion.
So, moved. Second.
[50:52] » Second.
>> All those in favor.
[50:54] » I.
>> I.
[50:56] » I.
>> And of course with the input put in by
[51:00] my fellow board members obviously. So,
we appreciate it. Thank you very much.
[51:06] Sorry.
I've had this cough for about 3 weeks
[51:11] maybe.
So, call to the public. We do have a
[51:14] couple of people citizens provided to
make statements to the board.
[51:20] We welcome citizen however items brought
to the board's attention cannot be
[51:25] discussed unless they're listed as an
agenda item action taken as a result of
[51:30] public comment will be limited to
requesting staff to study the matter or
[51:34] rescheduling the matter for further
consideration or a decision at the later
[51:39] date. Jerry, you're here. So, you have 2
minutes.
[51:51] » And we got you the information. Thank
you.
[51:55] » Uh thank you. Yeah, it and it wasn't
planned. Jerry Vargas, caretaker of
[52:01] Jesse Owens' Olympic medals.
Uh I was headed out the door this
[52:06] morning to make my rounds about 4:00 and
I happened to look at my iPad.
[52:11] I'm pretty familiar with Jesse's uh
you know, face and
[52:17] uh
there he was on USA Today.
[52:21] Uh and they're doing
in
[52:24] contacts with the 250th uh
anniversary of the founding of the
[52:29] country.
They're doing these surveys around the
[52:33] country with all the different sports.
This week happens to be track and field.
[52:39] And uh
you know, we don't we don't need to
[52:41] campaign for Jesse around the country.
He's got a groundswell, you know, people
[52:47] that know him, his exploits, and what he
meant to the country.
[52:52] Uh but we you know, our the same people
feel slighted that he was not included
[52:58] on the survey for the renaming of the
Cesar Chavez Park.
[53:02] Uh but you know, just like Jesse
overcame everything, they're going to
[53:05] vote in legion
legionnaire numbers. We've got uh
[53:10] uh votes coming in from his alma mater,
from all the athletes, uh Ohio State, uh
[53:17] Michigan where he set four world
records. This past weekend, I was up at
[53:21] his uh old home neighborhood
off of uh Shay and 32nd Street.
[53:28] Uh they have a Memorial Day weekend
kickoff for the summer
[53:33] that Jesse and two neighbors started
back in 1974.
[53:37] Still going on.
And every year four
[53:42] uh World War II vintage bombers fly over
his house 8:00 Memorial Day morning.
[53:48] We were waiting for them and all of a
sudden
[53:51] this humongous roar
the F-35
[53:55] did a flyby.
And then went over to Pismo Peak and
[53:59] then to the National Cemetery.
Thank you.
[54:03] » Thank you, Jerry.
And uh we have someone on the line.
[54:07] Uh we have uh Jeremy Fecker on the line.
Jeremy?
[54:11] » Uh thanks. Uh I too want to say
>> 2 minutes.
[54:14] » Yeah. I too want to support uh
the renaming of the park to
[54:19] Jesse Owens Park. And I'm surprised that
uh
[54:24] the name wasn't included. It's a we have
to write it in on the survey. Um
[54:29] and the fact that he's competing against
uh
[54:32] a cow is a little uh embarrassing
considering he's one of the greatest
[54:37] uh
athletes and Olympians in US history and
[54:42] like the USA Today said
[54:45] almost unquestionably the most
important. Uh
[54:48] and he lived here for the last decade of
his life
[54:51] and
[54:54] contributed
substantially to the community. And
[54:59] it's a slight that he wasn't included
and we'd like that to be remedied uh
[55:04] quickly as possible on the survey as it
stands today.
[55:07] Thank you.
Thank you.
[55:11] So now we have uh board chairs report
um for today. Fit Phoenix morning yoga
[55:18] at Encino Park.
Start your weekend uh your weekend right
[55:23] with a moving yoga class to wake up your
body and clear your mind.
[55:27] The next session will take place on
Saturday.
[55:30] I don't think this is correct. February
14th, that's um
[55:36] I don't know do
It says February 14th.
[55:39] » June 14th. June 14th.
>> From 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Encanto
[55:43] Park Do Someone Had Valentine's on their
mind. Uh
[55:48] Encanto Park Clubhouse located at 2499
North 15th Avenue in Phoenix.
[55:55] Uh then we have the Phoenix Father's Day
Walk Morning with Dad. The Phoenix
[56:00] Father's Day Walk takes place on
Saturday, June 6th, 2026
[56:05] with activities running from 7:30 a.m.
till noon. Join the community for a
[56:10] meaningful morning walk and family
festivities beginning at Encanto Park in
[56:15] Phoenix. Celebrate fatherhood,
connection, and purpose while supporting
[56:19] safer futures and Arizona families.
And finally, the summer sports
[56:24] registration
uh for the 2026 summer season of adult
[56:29] and youth outdoor sports and indoors
activities open this month. There are
[56:33] activities available through August and
registration is available on activenet.
[56:40] Uh now we go on to board member comments
or requests. Board members, any comments
[56:44] or requests? Go right ahead.
>> Um just one. I We moved so fast at the
[56:49] beginning um and uh there was an item on
the agenda just information that I just
[56:55] want to ask a
follow-up question on which has to do
[56:58] with the council's ordinance which
uh takes effect and you're going to
[57:03] start taking applications next week for
the food uh service and medical
[57:09] um
um services in parks.
[57:13] Um what is
um
[57:18] I got the impression that we were going
to have to come back and amend some park
[57:23] rules to conform with the new ordinance
and I'm just curious what the the
[57:30] of that is and when we would
uh
[57:33] be
hearing that. I may have the wrong
[57:38] impression, too. Tell me if I'm wrong.
>> Mr. Chairman, members of the Parks
[57:41] Board, board member, name Marty, you do
have the correct impression. Uh you are
[57:45] right. We did open our
uh allocations for the new Parks
[57:49] Ordinance on May the 7th. Those did um
conclude
[57:55] um
last Friday.
[57:58] Uh we are looking through the the um
permit requests right now. We will come
[58:03] back in June with an update to our code
of conduct for the Parks Ordinance.
[58:08] » Thank you very much.
>> Thank you. Any other questions from the
[58:12] board members?
Thank you. Uh now uh director's
[58:16] briefing. Marty?
>> All right. Chairman Moya, members of the
[58:20] Parks Board, we'll start with our
assistant director, Todd Schaeffer.
[58:25] » Good evening, Chairman Moya, members of
the Parks Board. Camp Colley
[58:30] Great slide here. Camp Colley is a place
where youth can explore nature, build
[58:34] confidence, and form lasting friendships
in an inclusive environment that welcome
[58:39] both neuro-diverse and neurotypical
campers. For summer 2026, the camp will
[58:45] offer 5 weeks of programming from
mid-June through late July.
[58:49] With each week featuring both adventure
camp for ages 7 to 15 and the team
[58:54] leadership counselor in training program
for ages 16 and 17.
[58:59] Adventure camp focuses on outdoor
recreation, teamwork, and personal
[59:03] growth, while the CIT program provides
hands-on leadership development, job
[59:08] readiness skills, and a mentorship
experience. The cost for all programs is
[59:13] $250 per camper, which includes
transportation, meals, lodging,
[59:18] programming, and supplies.
Phoenix residents must
[59:23] register through ActiveNet to receive
their resident pricing, and early
[59:26] registration is encouraged due to
limited transportation space.
[59:33] On May 25th, the Parks and Recreation
Department opened 23 pool facilities to
[59:37] provide
or pool facilities to the public for
[59:40] Memorial Day, offering open swim from
12:00 to 6:00 p.m.
[59:45] The holiday weekend marked the official
start of the summer pool season and the
[59:48] community turnout was tremendous.
Over the 3-day weekend, nearly 10,000
[59:53] people visited our pools,
showing just how valued these spaces are
[59:57] for families looking to cool off, stay
active, and enjoy time together.
[1:00:02] That, I'll turn over to the director.
>> All right, thank you, Todd. On May the
[1:00:06] 20th, the Arizona Diamondbacks invited
the Parks and Recreation Department to
[1:00:10] participate in an on-field check
presentation at their home game at Chase
[1:00:14] Field, recognizing the swim lesson
donation of 20,000 made in partnership
[1:00:20] with Presidential Pools.
This opportunity highlights our ongoing
[1:00:23] collaboration around water safety and
community programming. Vice Mayor Keisha
[1:00:28] Hodge-Washington was also present,
joining representatives from the
[1:00:31] department for the presentation. I did
ask the the Vice Mayor to excuse me from
[1:00:37] from council that day so we could stay
and watch the game. She asked if I could
[1:00:40] excuse her, so we both came to council.
[1:00:44] I'm pleased to introduce our new Deputy
Parks and Recreation Director for
[1:00:48] Management Services, Stacy
Atzmgersberger, who joined us on May the
[1:00:53] 25th. I think she was in
that room we're meeting right now. Stacy
[1:00:57] brings more than a decade of experience
with the City of Phoenix, beginning as a
[1:01:01] management fellow in 2011, and later
serving in key leadership roles within
[1:01:05] the Public Works Department, where she
oversaw administrative and operational
[1:01:10] functions, contract and budget
management, and regulatory compliance.
[1:01:15] Her leadership has been recognized
statewide, earning her the 2017
[1:01:19] Operations Manager of the Year Award,
and the 2024
[1:01:24] Rachel Raymond Leadership Award. Uh her
connection through parks and recreation
[1:01:29] goes way back to her first job as a
recreation leader in Chandler. So,
[1:01:33] please join me in welcoming Stacy to the
team.
[1:01:37] With that, that concludes our director's
update.
[1:01:41] » Oh, great. Thank you, everyone. Uh thank
you again to staff for getting us all
[1:01:45] ready for this, and thank you to my
fellow board members. And one more
[1:01:50] meeting until our summer break.
So, we will see you all next week month.
[1:01:55] Thank you.
Adjourned.