HomeMy WebLinkAboutFourth of July Steering Committee Minutes 2021-07-21MINUTES OF THE FOURTH OF JULY STEERING COMMITTEE
CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD
WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2021
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE FRIENDSWOOD FOURTH OF
JULY STEERING COMMITTEE THAT WAS HELD ON WEDNESDAY, JULY
211 2021, AT THE FRIENDSWOOD CITY HALL, 910 SOUTH FRIENDSWOOD
DRIVE, FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS, WITH THE FOLLOWING PRESENT
CONSTITUTING A QUORUM:
CHAIR TOMMY MCDONALD Lt&
COMMITTEE MEMBER CHRIS SCARPA
COMMITTEE MEMBER TONY SCARPA
DAY CHAIR MICHELLE BIJAKI%
EVENING CHAIR RUFINO RAMIRE�
COMMITTEE MEMBER STEFANIE KARACOSTAS
COMMITTEE MEMBER TERRY MCKEE
COMMITTEE MEMBER KATHY MOLINARO
COMMITTEE MEMBER NANCY SIMS
COMMITTEE MEMBER TERRI CORBETT
JAMES TONEY, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION
MICHAEL BOYETT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION
GARY WILLIAMS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION
KIMBERLY RAMIREZ, ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION
CATHERINE WOOD, RECREATION MANAGER
GARRETT NORMOYLE, RECREATION SPECIALIST
MEGAN DONELSON, RECREATION ASSISTANT
1. Call to Order
Chairperson McDonald called the meeting to order at 6:02PM.
2. Communications from the Public
Lindsay Vaughn, owner of the REMAX in Friendswood, expresses interest in
joining the committee. James also relays communications that the City received
from the public following the parade on July 5tn
3. Minutes
A. A motion to approve the minutes from July 21, 2021 was made by Kathy,
seconded by Rufino, and approved unanimously.
4. Discussion and take possible action regarding tasks, duties, schedules,
and/or assignments related to the Fourth of July event and program to
include, but not limited to:
A. Breakfast
The committee enjoyed having breakfast in the conference room. The parks
s4aff and dignitaries also enjoyed the breakfast.
B. Parade
There were no major issues with the parade. James suggests making a few
modifications to next year's parade application: making the end point more
specific to reduce chance of bicycles getting lost; adding limitations on dog
walking; and adding a field for the float length (in distance).
C. Day Program
The majority of the day program was cancelled due to inclement weather. The
committee will be revisiting the layout to prevent cars from coming in and
disrupting the set up. There were no complaints from the vendors, and an
email was sent out offering a credit for Santa in the Park or next year's Day
Program.
D. Evening Program
The evening program was altered significantly due to the inclement weather.
Parts of the program were removed or altered to allow for time to dry the
stage and sound equipment. The event was pushed back by 20 minutes once
the sound equipment was ready.
The committee and city staff discussed the following avenues of improvement
for the Evening Program:
• Executing apre-production of the council member portion and showing
the footage on the video wall.
• Having a committee member stationed at the VIP restroom trailer.
• Purchasing sanitary seat covers for the VIP restroom trailer.
• Increasing directory signage for bus lines.
• Having more food vendors due to long lines.
• Including a line exclusively for the luxury vehicle(s) shuttling dignitaries.
Increasing the amount of light towers rented for the parking lots.
• Considering modifications to the bus line(s) and loading process.
• Implementing a new parking pass system to prevent an influx of
unknown friends/family members entering the park.
• Revisiting the layout for PD, staff members and parking.
• Shortening the fireworks show to 15 minutes.
• Bringing back the fire truck displaying the giant American flag during
the flyover.
• Having a backup generator and technician on -site in case of power
issues, and obtaining a quote for permanent power at Centennial Park
on the night of the event.
In addition, the committee runs through the logistics of the park for next year's
Evening Program. The committee requests a copy of the budget for the event
to be discussed at the next meeting.
James and Kim have had a post -event meeting with Church Audio to discuss
changes that need to be made for next year's event.
Next year's evening entertainment will be the Party Crashers. A larger stage
will need to be rented, as the band consists of 8 members. Appointing new
committee chairs
Kathy made a motion to nominate Barbara Blanchard as the new committee
Chair. The motion was seconded by Stefanie, and approved unanimously.
Kathy also made a motion to nominate Stacy as the Vice Chair; the motion
was seconded by Tommy and unanimously approved. The committee also
decided on the following assignment changes:
Breakfast: Lindsay
Parade: Stefanie and Kathy
Day Program: Michelle (with Nancy as co-chair)
Evening Program: Rufino (with Tony as co-chair)
5. Adjournment
Kathy made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:38PM. The motion was seconded
by Stacy, and approved unanimously.