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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 16 2018 Park Board MinutesSOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING APRIL 16, 2018 The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday, April 16, 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 Ms. Consuella Hopkins Park Board members absent were as follows: Mr. Dan Farrell Staff members present: Aaron Perri, Director of VPA; 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; Amy Roush, Volunteer Coordinator I. Call to Order - President Mark Neal President Mark Neal called the meeting to order at 5:04 pm. II. Approval of the minutes of the last regular meeting of the Board held on March 19, 2018. Consuella Hopkins moved to approve the minutes of the March 19, 2018 meeting, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. III. Consent Agenda Approval Motion to approve consent agenda by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. IV. Use of Park Application – New Events Jackie Appleman requested that the application be removed because the proper paperwork was not completed and the event coordinators were not in attendance. Mark Neal removed the item off the agenda. V. Interviewing of Interested Citizens Mark Neal opened the floor to citizens interested in speaking on matters not listed on the agenda. There were none. VI. Reports by Organizations 1. Edge Adventure Nick Holt of Edge Adventure reported that the Rum Village Aerial Park opened in late summer 2016. He introduced Katie Garber, the new Rum Village Aerial Park manager. Over 6,000 adventurers went through the aerial park in 2017. 70% of guests come from a 20-mile radius of the park. A large part of the business strategy this year is getting involved in the community. Edge Adventure sees South Bend as the hub of the business as it grows. Sally Burch, Operations Director for Edge Adventure, shared that every month Edge Adventure is working on special programs to drive people to the aerial park. Edge Adventure will be offering a one-course pass during Best Week Ever for only $10 on June 3. Other programs and partnerships coming in 2018 include an Education Adventure Pass with expanded STEM Experience for teaching opportunities, and participation in Parks & Recreation month, Urban Adventure, Zombie Ziplines and more. VII. Unfinished Business 1. 2017-2021 VPA Strategic Plan Aaron Perri reported that there were only minor changes from the last presentation of the document during the March board meeting. The Ecological Advocacy Committee and board members gave small changes which were implemented. Most notable changes were making the voice of the objectives consistent, integrating the Natural Resource Management Plan into some of our goals and as an informing document and adding the Ecological Advocacy Committee as a contributor to the objectives. Consuella Hopkins moved to accept the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. 2. CAPRA Update – Admin Procedures & Policies Review Matthew Moyers explained that the manual is renewed every five years. Staff is not asking for approval yet but board members should start to review the document as it is very large. Matthew Moyers will return to ask for board approval in May. Major changes from previous versions include changing Parks and Recreation language to Venues Parks & Arts and substantial changes to the Safety and Risk Management section. Aimee Buccellato requested asked a memo that highlights what changes are most significant. Matthew Moyers replied that he will send a memo and that all policy changes are noted on the document in the tracking section. Matthew Moyers also noted that the old version is on the website now. VIII. New Business 1. AEP South Bend Transmission Line Rebuild Supplemental Easements Kara Boyles, City Engineer, reviewed the entire section and noted that the initial request for access was approved by Board of Public Works at beginning of year. This request is for 8 separate easements along an existing line and where AEP already has a blanket easement. AEP wants to tidy up the Easements because there have been changes since the original blanket easements were approved. The changes they are making will include aesthetically more pleasing poles. 171 – Pinhook Park The new pole will be offset of 50 feet northeast from existing structure. Clara McDaniels added that the easement goes across waterway and near playground. The City wants to adjust the easement to make sure we protect as much of the property as possible for the use of the public. The city will close playground for two weeks when work starts on the tower. The easement gives right to ingress, egress, and access property but is not a deed. The City of South Bend remains ownership of the park. The existing tower will be replaced by a much smaller tower. 232 – Boehm Park (Tarkington) Kara Boyles explained that there is minimal impact at this site. The electrical line will have the same alignment that exists. 118 – Bendix Kara Boyles explained that this line will run along property line. Mark Neal asked Kara Boyles for information on what it has been like working for AEP. Kara Boyles explained that AEP is improving the reliability to their infrastructure. AEP is also doing work on transmission and distribution in Marshall County and other areas in the region. Mark Neal added that the amount of development happening in South Bend is revealing the insufficiency of the power system. Clara McDaniels explained that the AEP attorney drafted the easements and that her role is to ensure City and park land is protected to maintain the use they were created for. Clara McDaniels passed out recommended changes to the easement and explained that she will go back to AEP for negotiation. Clara McDaniels explained that the new language specifically acknowledges that the land is located in a public park and the use is for enjoyment of the public and that AEP agrees to comply with our natural resource management guidelines. She also removed the request AEP made to control trees within the easement and outside the easement at the city’s expense. In its place, she added that AEP will not remove or trim trees outside the easement without written permission from the City. She also added that the new language requires use of environmentally friendly supplies. Clara McDaniels will come back next month with the final document for approval. 2. City Cemetery Plaque Requests Aaron Perri noted that the two presentations are for informational purposes at this point in time. a. Pvt. George McWilliams Penny Bucks President of the Genealogical Society, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic and a member at large of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She requested permission to place a military tombstone at City Cemetery at her grandfather’s gravesite. He was born in Virginia, enlisted in the Confederate Army and was injured in battle and died in South Bend in 1906. Penny Bucks explained that she would like to preserve the history of her grandfather at his gravesite. His lot is located at Lot 8 Block 12 Range 1 East. Penny Bucks requested a signature of approval to send to Veteran Affairs to request a tombstone. b. Vice President Schuyler Colfax James Schultz explained that he would like to honor VP Schuyler Colfax’s family whose gravesites are unmarked with a plaque indicating who is buried there and their relation to Vice President Colfax. He added that he has already fundraised money to create the plaque and would like to install it on Mother’s Day. Aaron Perri explained that $25,000 per year is going towards rehabbing the stones at City Cemetery over next three years, and the City does not have a refined process to make improvements or alterations to City Cemetery. VPA staff will consult with Historic Preservation & PARC Committee of Common Council, DNR, and a neighborhood group that has been planning city cemetery to determine the proper process for approving alterations in consultation with legal team. 3. Rose-Hulman Senior Design Team – Pinhook Park Presentation Michael Brown, Cole Fiscus, Jacob Johnson, and Grant Shortridge presented a design plan for Pinhook Park as part of their senior design project. Their project areas of focus are community, connection and recreation. Aimee Buccellato asked about the context of why the group chose this project. The team members replied that the students chose the project from a list and this was their first choice. Tim Scott commented on how impressed he was with the project, especially because he is a big supporter of Pinhook Park. Consuella Hopkins also complimented the team on a wonderful presentation. 4. Master Agency Agreement Renewal Clara McDaniels explained that the first Master Agency Agreement was originally executed in 2015, but there were limitations regarding the time period that it applied to and specific projects it applied to. To continue to be utilized, we wanted to extend the term. The renewal agreement expands the scope slightly and extends it for 10 years. Aaron Perri noted that operationally the agreement has worked out well. BPW has the processes in place to get projects moving efficiently. Kara Boyles added that VPA has been operating under the agreement for a while and it has been very helpful for everyone and for the City as a whole. Motion to approve the renewal of the Master Agency Agreement by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. IX. Report by Facilities and Grounds Director John Martinez John Martinez provided an operational update from the first quarter of the year. The Facilities and Grounds Division has an internal goal of back to basics which means reevaluating how it does everyday tasks. Flood Updates: $2.9 million estimated damage in VPA assets. To date, there have been no injuries at parks. The Mentored Mowing Program has been awarded again this year to Greater Impact Lawn Care. The program is expanding this year to more properties. Mark Neal asked how far back the flooding has put the Facilities and Grounds regular work. John Martinez replied that there was a delay in work at beginning of year, but the team is catching up now. Contracting out some of the clean up work helped timelines stay on target. IX. Report by Executive Director Aaron Perri Aaron Perri introduced VPA interns, Melinda Long and Patricia Medrano. Amy Roush added that there were 6 total interns this year and explained the work the interns have done. Other updates provided: • The annual VPA Volunteer Event is at Four Winds Field on April 29. • The VPA All-Staff Meeting is April 26 at 8:00 am at Bendix Theatre. • There was a Best Week Ever press conference on April 4 announcing the headlining bands for May 31 concert at Four Winds Field: Tonic, Sister Hazel and Gin Blossoms. The event will be themed 90s Night and also include Dennis Haskins who played Mr. Belding on Saved by the Bell. • EPA released their final testing results for the Beck’s Lake area. Results from the neighborhood testing showed that there is no immediate risk, no elevated levels of hazardous materials, and no remediation necessary. Results will be posted on the City’s website and VPA’s website. No other questions or comments from the Board, meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm p.m.by President Mark Neal. The next regular meeting will be held May 21, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O’Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, Eva Ennis Executive Secretary