Parks committee discusses moving department forward

CLOVIS — In what is likely to be its last meeting of 2021, the Clovis Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee heard about a variety of items to move the parks and recreation department forward over the next few years.

The board, which meets on the third Monday of each month, traditionally skips November and December because park activities somewhat slow down over those months and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays usually create various scheduling conflicts. The November meeting was canceled, and it was presumed the board would likely skip the December meeting too but be ready to meet should Director Russell Hooper have some emergency matter.

As far as the Monday meeting at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library, Hooper and City Manager Justin Howalt had three main updates.

With the retirement of Reuben Gonzales as recreation center administrator, Hooper and Howalt said they want to create new job responsibilities for the successor. While the current position acts mostly as a facility manager for Roy Walker Recreation Center, the new position would oversee, organize, schedule, promote and instruct various recreational and sports programs, events and activities. The administrator would not take over any leagues that are already running.

The position would move the salary up 10 pay grades from a Level 35 to Level 45, but because Gonzales worked for 40 years with the city the salary is already budgeted in that range.

The board passed the recommendation by a voice vote, and the item is on the Thursday Clovis city commission agenda. Commissioner Megan Palla said she liked the direction the city was taking, noting, “Quality of life always seems to come to the top of surveys, and I think this is a good step.”

The board also unanimously recommended a new donation policy Hooper boiled down to, “we’re not just forced to take whatever somebody wants to give us.” In most cases, Hooper said the department would try to give donors an answer within 20 days on a donation offer. He anticipated normally just needed a few days, but wanted some wiggle room in case somebody was on vacation or doing out-of-town business. Hooper said the department could handle simple donations like park benches, but noted larger donations may have to go through the city commission.

In a non-action item, Howalt updated board members on the city’s effluent water pipeline. The pipeline delivers wastewater that is treated to a standard below potable water but suitable for watering fields and other municipal uses. Howalt said construction is extending the pipeline to its finishing point of Colonial Park Golf Course. Some laterals and connections are still pending, Howalt said, because those entities are working on creating infrastructure to separately receive and use potable and effluent water.

The city can currently generate 2.8 million gallons of effluent water per day, and could add another 1.2 million gallons from Southwest Cheese when it is needed. Howalt said the system was designed to have additional capacity, so effluent water could possibly be used to entice industries to set up shop in Clovis. The demand has been nowhere close to potential — 87 million gallons in 2019-20 and 114 million gallons in 2020-21. So far in the 2021-22 fiscal year, the city has delivered 15 million gallons, with rainfall significantly reducing July demands (14.4 million gallons in 2020, 6.6 million gallons in 2021).

In other business at the Monday meeting:

• Howalt said he expects a mid-November completion for the city’s firing range at Ned Houk Park.

“A truck load of sporting clays showed up last week,” Howalt said. “We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a beautiful project and we’re looking forward to getting it open.”

• Hooper said he has gotten in touch with local American Youth Soccer Organization representatives. Hooper said he will have a meeting next month along with Clovis Youth Soccer Association representatives “to put them on the same playing field, literally and figuratively.”

• Board members Gilbert Salguero and Lisa Pellegrino-Spear each promoted a weekend event.

Salguero implored residents to visit the Clovis Softball Association’s Halloween Howwwl tournament Friday through Sunday at Guy Leeder Softball Complex. He said 151 teams are signed up, and 95 are from outside of Clovis; “there’s not an empty (hotel room) in Clovis.”

Pellegrino-Spear, also director of Clovis MainStreet, said she so far has 43 vendors for the inaugural Children’s Entrepreneur Fair that will be held along Main Street. She called the fair an opportunity to shop local, shop small businesses and support area youth.

• Hooper gave a report on the Trek for Trash pickup event Oct. 9. The event had 212 volunteers who collected 333 bags. The landfill took in 37.7 tons of trash and 70 tires. The top team was FCCLA, which had 20 volunteers collect 91 bags of trash. Additionally, a group of volunteers did painting at Potter Park.

• Board member Jamal Williams, who was part of the painting group, asked Hooper to have a meeting to discuss fixing erosion issues at Beachum Field. Hooper said some materials have been delivered, and would be happy to meet about the issue.