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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-21-09 Minutes SBBPC OUTH END OARD OF ARK OMMISSIONERS RM EGULAR EETING S21,2009 EPTEMBER The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on st Monday the 21 of September 2009 at the O’Brien Administration & Recreation Center, 321 E. Walter St., South Bend, Indiana for its regular meeting. Notice of the date, time and place of the meeting were duly given as required by law. Park Board members present were as follows: Mr. Robert Henry, President Mr. Robert Goodrich, Vice President Dr. Thomas Kelly Mr. Garrett Mullins Park Board members absent were as follows: None Staff members present: Phil St. Clair, Superintendent; Bill Carleton, Fiscal Officer; Betsy Harriman, Administrative Director; Susan O’Connor, Recreation Director; Randy Nowacki, Director of Golf Operations; Terry DeRosa, Zoo Director; Richard Payton, Development Director; Mike Dyszkiewicz, Maintenance Superintendent; Matthew Moyers, Special Projects Manager; Paul McMinn, Assistant Recreation Director; Cynthia Taylor, Charles Black Center Director; Thomas Bodnar, Park Board Attorney I.The meeting was called to order by Board President Robert Henry at 4:06 p.m. II.The first order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. 1.Botanical Society- Martha Lewis ? Ms. Lewis reported that they were interested in renewing their MOU with the City for 2010. The present document expires at the end of December. ? Ms. Heidi Gray was hired. ? Yoga classes are being held on Thursday. ? In November a work training program with the Center for the Homeless is scheduled. ? Adams students are identifying and labeling the plants in the Conservatory. ? A tour company has added the Conservatory to their tour options. ? School tours start in October. ? An Eagle Scout is doing a project in the desert dome if it is approved. ? Mr. Ned Swanson is doing a project to exhibit plants in the walkway between the Marriott and Century Center. A $29,000 grant will be applied for to use for the project. ? A $25,000 grant will be submitted for electrical work, signage, a safety doors. - - 1 - - ? Classes through the County Parks are being offered. ? A volunteer is filming events for a documentary on the Conservatory. ? WSBT is filming the Conservatory for commercials III.The next order of business was unfinished business. 1. Master Plan Update- Matthew Moyers Mr. Moyers updated the Board on the Master Plan progress. It is hoped to finalize the plan at the October meeting. A public review is needed over the next month. IV.The next order of business was new business. 1. Request to Name Beck’s Lake Walking Path for Annette Brody- Councilman Davis Councilman Henry Davis requested that the trail be named the “Annette Brody Memorial Walkway” for her lifetime of good works and commitment to her community. Ms. Marguerite Taylor, Paula Johnson, Cynthia Taylor and Mr. Wendell Johnson all spoke in support of Councilman Davis’ request and offered their praise for Ms. Brody’s work and dedication. Mr. Bodnar stated that the Board has the authority to grant the request because it is within a city park. Mr. Goodrich made a motion to name the walking path in LaSalle Park for Ms. Brody. Dr. Kelly seconded the motion and it was passed. 2. Arborist License Renewals- The following license application was presented for approval by the Board: a. Curb Appeal Dr. Kelly made a motion to accept the renewals of the Arborist Licenses and Mr. Mullins seconded the motion. It was passed 3. Requests for Use of Parks- Ms. Harriman requested the Board approve the following requests: a. September 27, 2009 - Watson Park - Youth VIP Reach Program b. October 30, 2009 - Seitz Park - St. Marcellus Day Celebration - Center for Peace and Nonviolence She recommended approval of all requests. Mr. Mullins made the motion to approve the above requests and it was seconded by Mr. Goodrich. The motion was approved. 4. Request to Approve Brown & Brown Change Order for Zoo Project- Terry DeRosa Mr. DeRosa requested approval of the request of Change Order #1 for $1,806 for additional work to the chimp exhibit. Mr. Goodrich made a motion to approve Change Order #1 for the chimp exhibit. Mr. Mullins seconded it and it was passed. 5. Request to Approve Conservatory Fees Ms. Martha Lewis requested the Board approve the following fees for the Conservatory: a. Adults- $3 b. Children- $2 - - 2 - - c. Students- $1.50 d. Rental- $100 for first hour and $50/hour for additional hours. Under the memorandum of understanding with the Botanical Society, the Botanical Society will retain the revenues generated at the Conservatory. These are the same rates that were in effect prior to the Botanical Society taking over the operations of the Conservatory. Dr. Kelly made a motion to approve the requested fees. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. 6. Request to Approve Professional Services Contract with Department of Corrections and Zoo- Terry DeRosa, Thomas Bodnar Mr. DeRosa requested that the contract and agreement with the Department of Corrections. Mr. Bodnar said that he has asked that the agreement be changed to reflect the fact that the City is self insured. An attorney with the DOC asked that the Board approve the contract and it would be modified to reflect this. This will allow trustees to work at the Zoo. Mr. Goodrich made a motion to approve the professional services contract between the Department of Corrections and the Zoo. Dr. Kelly seconded the motion and it was passed. 7. Request to Approve Parking Fees at Kelly Park- Susan O’Connor Director St. Clair explained that the Park Department was requesting the Board approve a fee request for parking cars at Kelly Park during Notre Dame football games. The revenue collected would be used to support summer youth programs that are affected by the cut in the 21010 budget. It is felt that up to seventy cars could be parked there. There would be no tailgating allowed and all cars would have to be removed one and a half hours after the game. The area would be cleaned after each game. This would be tried on a trial basis for two games or so to evaluate if this is a viable revenue source. A member of the audience asked what would be done to safeguard the children that may be in and around the park. Director St. Clair explained that there will be staff present to direct traffic and watch for any problems. Four staff will be there until the game starts and one person will stay until the cars are gone. Park Police will also be present from time to time through the day. Mr. Mullins made a motion to approve the fee for parking of not to exceed $20. Dr. Kelly seconded the motion and it was passed. 8. Opening of RFP for Nonalcoholic Beverage Agreement- Rich Payton, Mark Bradley Mr. Bradley reported that there was one response to the request for proposals for nonalcoholic beverages. Pepsi Americas was the company that submitted the rfp. Coca- Cola and 7-Up were also provided with the RFP documents and failed to submit a proposal by the designated time. The Pepsi Americas proposal was opened and read aloud at the meeting by Mr. Bradley. He requested that if be referred to staff for evaluation and bring a recommendation back to the Board at the next meeting. It would be effective January 1, 2010. Mr. Goodrich made a motion to refer the proposal to staff and to bring their recommendation to the Board at the October meeting. Dr. Kelly seconded the motion and - - 3 - - it was passed. V.Approval of Minutes Dr. Kelly made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on August 17, 2009 as mailed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mullins and approved. VI.Approval of Maintenance Vouchers A motion was made by Mr. Goodrich to approve vouchers for August 2009 totaling $941,626.43. It was seconded by Mr. Mullins. There being no further discussion, the motion was passed. VII.Business of Director St. Clair 1. Director St. Clair reported that a final meeting with the City Council regarding the 2010 budget will be held to answer any questions they may have at this stage. There have been no significant changes since the last update to the Board. There is no funding for the Conservatory in this budget. There is approximately $22,000 for emergency repairs available. There is no capital budget for 2009, but we are putting together a request for 2010. 2. There is a plan to have a combined board meeting with the boards of the County and Mishawaka on October 21, 2009 at 4pm at O’Brien Center. It would be a meeting to discuss common challenges and opportunities. An agenda will be put together based on what the boards would like to cover. 3. The Leeper Park duck pond drained unexpectedly due to a pipe break. It is currently being repaired by Park and Sewer crews. It is hoped to be refilled later in the week. 4. The Redevelopment Commission is bidding the management of Blackthorn Golf Course. Bids are due October 2. Director St. Clair spoke with the Mayor concerning the Park Department offering a bid. The golf division attended the prebid meeting and will meet to discuss how and if to make a bid. 5. The Chris Wilson Outdoor Performing Arts Pavilion will be dedicated on September 26 at 3 pm. He thanked the Community Foundation and Park staff for bringing this project to a successful conclusion. VIII.Comments by the Golf Operations Director 1. Mr. Nowacki reported that 2010 GPS ad sales are beginning. 2. Season passes will be available December 1. 3. Fall rates are in effect now. 4. He is working with the School Corp. to reroute the cross country course at Erskine to cover only the front nine to alleviate safety concerns. 5. Fall aerifying at both courses are scheduled for next week. IX.Comments by the Zoo Director 1. Director DeRosa reported that accreditation was awarded at the national AZA conference - - 4 - - last week. 2. Construction is winding down. 3. The AZA will put out a press release regarding accreditation. The president of the AZA will be coming here to present the plaque in November. This will be the first time the president will be presenting the plaque. 4. The SSP committees have recommended breeding for the wild dogs, Diana Monkeys, and anteater. 5. A new web cam has been donated by a donor. Several others are planned for behind the scenes monitoring by staff and the public. 6. The Zoo is working with the YMCA to use the Zoo as the final destination for their walkathon on October 11. X.Comments by Maintenance Superintendent 1. Mr. Mike Dyszkiewicz informed the Board that mowing and leaf pick up is under way. 2. One of the ball diamonds at Belleville is being raised due to sinking of the outfield. 153 truckloads of dirt and fill have been used so far. 3. Tennis courts will be removed next week. Unused courts are being taken out, but there will be courts available at each site. 4. The Leeper Duck Pond drained unexpectedly due to a broken pipe in the pedestal. It is hoped to get water back in by the weekend. 5. The new pavilion at Potawatomi Park is complete and the old pavilion has been removed. Seeding is being done in this area and a straw blanket will be place over the area to keep people off the dirt and mud during the opening ceremonies next week. 6. Landscaping is being done around the Potawatomi Pool building. XI.Comments by the Development Director 1. Mr. Payton commented that after discussions with Transpo, they will carry our brochures on their buses, and we will link their website on ours. 2. He has been talking with the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and they toured our facilities. 3. The Inn at St. Mary’s is interested in partnering with us on tournaments, etc. 4. The South Bend Community School Corporation has our website link on theirs and he has spoken with the Superintendent regarding cooperation between the departments. 5. Our newly redesigned website is now operational. 6. The Park Foundation is sending out letters to potential board members. XII.Comments by the Recreation Director 1. Ms. O'Connor reported that Adams High School will be used as a rain location for the Chris Wilson Pavilion dedication, if needed. 2. The Indiana University “Community Connection” project that was discussed last month applied for a grant to the IU Art Foundation and received $5,000 to offset the cost of bringing - - 5 - - staff to the Charles Black and King Centers for programs. 3. “Soul Food Sunday” was held at the King Center to raise money for school uniforms. 4. The “Fall Family Fun Fair” will be held on October 10 at Rum Village. 5. Flag football has been underway for two weeks and has 82 participants. 6. River City registration begins October 3 and the league begins in November. XIII.There being no more business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 5:59 p.m. The next regular meeting will be held Monday October 19, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O’Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executive Secretary - - 6 - -