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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 19 2018 Park Board MinutesSOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 19, 2018 The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday, February 19, 2018 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. Mark Neal, President Ms. Aimee Buccellato Mr. Dan Farrell Park Board members absent were as follows: Ms. Consuella Hopkins Staff members present: Aaron Perri, Executive Director; Eva Ennis, Operations Coordinator; Clara McDaniels, Assistant City Attorney; Jeff Jarnecke, Deputy Director; Jackie Appleman, Experience Director; John Martinez, Facilities and Grounds Director; Patrick Sherman, Project Manager; Kim Williams, Finance Director; Jonathan Jones, Recreation Director I. Call to Order - President Mark Neal Mark Neal called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. II. Minutes from last regular meeting of the Board – January 16, 2018 Motion to approve the minutes of January 16, 2018 by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. III. Consent Agenda Approval Aaron Perri recommended removing item 2d. New Image Tree Service to be approved separately. Motion to approve consent agenda II.1-2 except for item 2d to be discussed separately by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. Mark Neal stated that item 2d would be discussed during Unfinished Business. IV. Interviewing of Interested Citizens Mark Neal opened the floor to citizens interested in speaking on a matter not listed on the agenda. There were no citizen comments. V. Reports by Organizations – DTSB Jill Scicchitano reviewed the DTSB mission which focuses on the advancement of downtown and increasing downtown vibrancy by focusing on business, events, marketing and street level solutions. She reviewed the DTSB programs within these focus areas. Mark Neal asked about expectations for the Outreach Specialist. Jill Scicchitano replied that the Outreach Specialist is working to building relationships with Oaklawn and Oliver apartments, building trust with homeless populations, and becoming a resource to downtown businesses. VI. Unfinished Business 1. Coal Line Trail Land Use – Approval of Executive Director’s Signing of the 4(f) Letter At the last regular Park Board meeting, the Board discussed a request for a letter stating that the use of Muessel Grove Park for the development of a recreational trail will have a diminutive impact on park land. The Board forwarded this request to the Ecological Advocacy Committee for review before making a decision. Aaron Perri reported that the Ecological Advocacy determined that Coal Line Trail is a reasonable use for .22 acres of park land at Muessel Grove Park. Motion to approve signing the letter by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. 2. New Image Tree Service – Arborist License Application Review Aaron Perri reported that the City has received complaints related to new image tree service, but not in the last calendar year. There has been correspondence from the legal department in the past regarding complaints. The City Forester’s recommendation is to approve but notify New Image that there are outstanding concerns. Clara McDaniels agreed that the complaints are not a basis for not approving the application because the complaints are one year old, but a letter notifying the company that if more complaints are received that the application could be rejected next year. Motion to approve the New Image Tree Service arborist license with the noted documentation by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. VII. New Business 1. Southeast Park Wifi Project Presentation Gemma Stanton and Sophie Lancaster presented a potential opportunity to provide wifi access to Southeast Park pavilion. The two presenters are Notre Dame students participating in the Society of Women Engineers Tech Team project. The project would provide solar powered connectivity to the pavilion at Southeast Park to help bridge the digital divide in South Bend. Presenters reviewed data relating to household income access to internet in the surrounding neighborhoods and indicated that Southeast Park is a high need are that would be ideal for a project like this. Mark Neal asked when the group expected to have an update on the planning of this project. Gemma Stanton replied implementation is expected by end of summer and the plan will be finished by May. Dan Farrell asked if there is a heat map on where current Wi-Fi is located and recommended developing a prioritized map of where the gaps are at in South Bend. Community member asked what the average distance for the wi-fi reach is. Gemma Stanton responded that it is about 100-200 feet and is designed to be used specifically in the pavilions. 2. CAPRA Approvals a. Marketing Plan Jackie Appleman reviewed the marketing plan and explained that the marketing team will use this template to build on more in the future. b. Volunteer Policies and Procedures Jackie Appleman reviewed the volunteer policies and procedures. Community member asked how to find out more about VPA about volunteer opportunities. Amy Roush replied that more information is available under the Get Involved on the VPA website. Amy Rosh added that she has had a positive experience with the new volunteer software. 103 people are signed up and active on the new software that tracks volunteer hours and activities and provide information to active volunteers. Motion to approve the marketing plan and the volunteer manual by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. Aaron Perri noted that more policies will come before the board for approval next month. 3. Board Officer Appointments A memo with board member names and current appointments was presented to the board for renewal. The memo listed Mark Neal as President and Consuella Hopkins as Vice-President. Motion to approve the Board of Park Commissioner’s appointments as presented on the memo by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. 4. DTSB Agreement Aaron Perri reviewed that the DTSB agreement used to previously go through Board of Public Works, but now the contract is held by VPA. Aaron Perri noted the section 4 exception about the Outreach Specialist. Partnership dollars are specifically for business engagement activities and parking activities. Petty cash has become DTSB’s responsibility. Jeff Jarnecke noted that procedurally things were cleared up with changes and reporting. Jill Scicchitano talked with the DTSB board and they approved of the agreement. Motion to approve the DTSB Agreement by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. 5. Block by Block Agreement Jeff Jarnecke explained that the Block by Block Agreement is ready but Block by Block still needs to sign it so it will be brought to the next Park Board meeting for approval. 6. Berlin Place Walkway Agreement Aaron Perri explained that this agreement would allow Berlin Place access and use of the public walkway into Four Winds Field on the northeast corner. The agreement would permit Berlin Place Development to make alterations to the public walkway under certain conditions. The sidewalk would remain public accessible. The city does not own the buildings, but it does own the ball park and the walkway to the ballpark. The agreement states that the responsibility to maintain the walkway is on the developer. There are protections in the agreement in terms of termination, etc. Clara McDaniels noted that Berlin Flats Development agreed to indemnify the City. Dan Farrell asked about insurance and liability. Clara McDaniels replied that it is noted in the indemnification clause. Aimee Buccellato asked for a better understanding of what is allowed to be displayed along the public walkway. Aaron Perri explained that the city is granting license to the 10-foot area beyond the building for retailers to use. Aimee Buccellato asked if the retailers would be subject to those same standard approval processes that are in the city. Clara McDaniels responded that she does not have the answer but the agreement does state that anything in the walkway must “comports with all applicable laws”. Aimee Buccellato asked if this is consistent with our expectations and boundaries with other park property. She also asked if the City will have the ability to review what types of lighting and surfaces will be used on the walkway. Mark Neal asked about the need for timeliness in signing this agreement. Aaron Perri replied that he believes it is possible to find answers to these questions and approve this at the next meeting when we have more clarity. The board tabled the agreement. VIII. Business by Executive Director Aaron Perri Aaron Perri reviewed the following updates: - Extensive hours of snow removal in parks and trails from Facilities and Grounds Division over the last month - VPA staff has working to pull together a Strategic Plan document and will share a draft at the next meeting. - VPA has participated in various engagement with neighborhood groups over the last month including Bowman Creek , LaSalle neighborhood group, and Mayor’s Night out on Thursday - Various staff participated in an internal safety and security kick-off meeting to start discussing improving safety in our facilities. - 5 staff members attended the IPRA; South Bend received two state-wide awards: Creative Event for BWE and Inclusion Program of Excellence for My SB Parks & Trails - United Federal Credit Union has come on as a 3-year sponsor for Best Meeting Ever. No other questions or comments from the Board, meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.by President Mark Neal. The next regular meeting will be held March 19, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O’Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, Eva Ennis Executive Secretary