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Home My WebLink About03-13-17 PARC Tbt U C W PEACE a r" a X 1865 OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK KAREEMAH FOWLER,CITY CLERK PARC COMMITTEE MARCH 13, 2017 4:37 P.M. Committee Members Present: Randy Kelly, Oliver Davis, John Voorde, Laura O'Sullivan (citizen member), Gordon Allen Perry (citizen member) Committee Member Absent: Dr. David Varner Other Council Present: Regina Williams-Preston, Karen White, Jo M. Broden, Tim Scott Other Council Absent: Gavin Ferlic Others Present: Adriana Rodriguez, Aladean DeRose, Graham Sparks Presenters: Aaron Perri Agenda: Blue Ways Project Update Committee Chair Randy Kelly called to order the PARC Committee meeting at 4:37 p.m. He introduced members of the committee and then turned the floor over to the presenters for the Blue Ways Project Update. Blue Ways Proieet Update Aaron Perri, 321 E. Walter St., stated, Here is a copy of the Venues Parks &Arts (VPA) 2016 annual report. There are plenty of things to be proud of from last year. Also provided to you is a working project list from the facilities and grounds team for this next upcoming year. The organizational structure for VPA is just settling in. The facilities and grounds team keeps good track of their projects and they make sure they continue to focus on their `why.' They are out there all day fixing things, mowing grass, shoveling snow, and they put an emphasis on why they are doing it all. Sometimes they don't even get to see the programs and they are the ones doing all the work, so it is important to recognize how much they do and for whom they do it. One of the major projects this year is the Charles Black Center. It will increase about fifty-percent (50%) in size and is about a$4.2 million renovation project, which makes it the largest project we've done in the past several decades from a dollars and cents perspective. The entire building gets an upgrade and will probably start sometime in the early fall. We are waiting for the final word from the EPA. The EPA expedited a study so we can start sooner than later. The current center will be closed during construction but programs and staffing will remain, it will all just happen elsewhere. The website to acquire all the information is riverfrontparksandtrails.com. We 455 County-City Building•227 W.Jefferson Boulevard•South Bend,Indiana 46601 Phone 574-235-9221 •Fax 574-235-9173•TDD 574-235-5567•www.SouthBendIN.gov JENNIFER M.COFFMAN ALKEYNA M.ALDRIDGE JOSEPH MOLNAR CHIEF DEPUTY/DIRECTOR OF DEPUTY/DIRECTOR OF POLICY ORDINANCE VIOLATION CLERK OPERATIONS received $5 million from a regional cities grant and we also have a little bit of TIF monies earmarked for this. We have a$1 million partnership with Notre Dame as well as a$2.5 million partnership with the Pokagon Family of Potawatomi Indians. Cumulatively, there is nearly $10 million dollars to fund the first part of this plan, specifically Howard Park. The northeast corner will have two (2) new buildings that will house the recreation center, offices, along with some Mixed-Use space like a coffee shop or bar. The two (2) buildings will be open year round for events, as well as rentals.Nearby will be what we call a `splash-plaza' or a `splash-pad.' This whole park isn't like your typical neighborhood park, it is more sophisticated. The splash-plaza will also be an ameba-shaped ice-skating rink in the winter. There will be a play area, not the typical playground area but more like playable art. St. Louis Blvd becomes what we call a festival street with different types of paving markings and parking availability. This is a much better use of the space. We are currently renovating the old Parks Admin building to house some office space. There will also be a space we are calling the event lawn. It is large enough to go fly a kite or kick a soccer ball at any time, but will also be able to hold a portable stage and host an event or a concert. Along the river-walk, the wall remains for the iconic look but there are a few spots that will jut out as a place to relax or to go fishing. It also floods along the river so we have what we are calling the wet-land habitats to keep the nature there. The sledding hill will remain. There won't be any access to the river for kayaking at Howard Park. Sietz Park is undergoing construction this fall.Notre Dame is putting their hydro-electric turbine underneath the park. It will be about an eighteen(18)month construction. The band stand will not be in the park again but we will find a new park for it. The river-walk will be redone to be wider, right now it is only about five (5) feet wide. There will be a facility with restrooms at Sietz Park. We will be getting rid of the chain link fence. All this is designed with accessibility and compliant with ADA standards. There are a number of other parks we look to connect to other parks and areas of town. We have also received a grant to receive a park score. The entity that gave us the grant assigns a score to our park, giving us the ability to compare and contrast ourselves to other parts of the country. There has been a map created to highlight where the `park desserts' are. We aim to have each resident be within a ten (10) minute walk of a park. This helps future investment decisions for parks. We are in the process of compiling our natural resources management plan scheduled to be done by June. That is a comprehensive guide to help us wrestle with decisions that need to be made. The Best Week Ever is May 29-June 4. We hope this is a signature celebration for our community. There will be something going on everywhere, every day of that week. There is plenty more to check out on BestWeekEver.com. Committee Chair Kelly turned the floor to the committee for questions for Mr. Perri. Councilmember Tim Scott asked, Is Orbis a local firm? Mr. Perri replied, They are local. They were involved with the Elbel conversations. Councilmember Jo M. Broden asked, What are you anticipating the Mixed-Use space to be? Will it be private vendors? A public-private partnership? Mr. Perri replied, That hasn't been flushed out yet. We will have those discussions sooner rather than later but we are not at that stage yet. It is also dependent on the design of the building. All options are on the table right now. 2 Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston asked, The closing of the Charles Black Center concerns some current employees. Will they lose their job? Mr. Perri replied,No, no one is getting replaced. They will just have to do events and staff things in the other places that events will go on during the construction. With no other business to discuss, Committee Chair Kelly adjourned the PARC Committee Meeting at 5:05 pm. Respectfully bmi Randy Kelly, Chairperson' � | � � ) � ( � � [ I ) � � � � � | � ( ; i � ) ) � ) ) } ] � ( � ( � � ( � � � , � ( � . � | � � ( � 4 � ( � � ( � � � | . � ) � ) } ;