Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Board debriefs Celebrate the Season: safety fixes, ticketing changes and equipment purchases planned
Loading...
Summary
Board members praised the Celebrate the Season turnout but flagged safety problems with a small event train, discussed fencing and wristband enforcement, and heard staff report on a $35,000 FieldPro purchase and several park projects funded by grants.
Board members praised the turnout and management of Longwood’s Celebrate the Season but raised safety and operational concerns that staff said they will address before next year.
Several board members said the event ran smoothly overall but described repeated safety risks around the small event train, where children and parents moved near the track. One member (speaker 6) said a “couple people almost got run over by the train,” prompting suggestions to hurricane-fence the perimeter, lock the basketball courts for the night and specify a minimum number of train cars in future contracts.
Staff (speaker 5 and speaker 9) reviewed finances and logistics: food trucks paid $75 each; the breakfast with Santa sold out and netted a profit of $808.72; ticket sales were 2,400 this year versus 2,800 last year; total costs to stage Celebrate were reported at $18,722 (down from $19,496). Staff also said they purchased a FieldPro grooming machine (reported at $35,000) with impact fees to improve field maintenance, and that concession-stand cabinetry will be replaced. The skate park will receive electricity (Duke Energy to run a meter) and concrete obstacles will be installed under a Firdap grant; Sandalwood Park’s basketball court resurfacing is also planned under a grant.
Staff and members discussed improving crowd control and ticketing next year by using clearer signage, enforcing wristbands at ride entry points and adding stanchions or fencing to separate entry from exit. The board also discussed working with the Daughters of the American Revolution to plant a live liberty tree at Bridal Park; staff will provide site-power estimates and plaque details for future review.
Board members asked staff to bring banner designs, calendar conflicts and cost estimates to the next meeting for action. Staff will follow up on vendor forms, costume inventory and contractor specifications for the train to reduce the chance of small-car substitutions in future years.
The meeting closed after routine motions; no ordinances, contract approvals or budget appropriations were adopted during this session.