Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-15-07 MinutesSOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 15, 2007 The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday the 15th of January 2007 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; Mark Bradley, Director of Marketing & Promotions; Mike Dyszkiewicz, Maintenance Superuitendent; Shawn Petersen, Park Board Attorney L The meeting was called to order b~ Board President Robert Henry at 4:04 p.m. II. The first order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. 1. Mr. John Kovatch requested the Board to look into a park bench he owns on the corner of Miami and Ireland. The beach has advertising on it and the City has requested it be moved from City property. It has been there since 1960, he believes. He asked the Board for permission to leap--e it there. President Henry requested he contact Park Staff concerning the bench. Superintendent St. Clair directed lam to work with Mr. Nowacki. ?. Mr. Matt Bellina, Fitness Supervisor, showed the Board a video about the We Can! program that we are participating in. We are one of fourteen national sites participating. The program promotes exercise and healthy lifestyle choices for kids. III. The next order of business was unfinished business. Awarding of Concessions Food Bids- Marilyn TaylorBill Carleton Ms. Marilyn Taylor, City Purchasing Manager, presented the Board with the results of the concession food bids opened at the December meeting. She recommended awarding one hundred sixty-five of the two hundred eighty-one items to Gordon Food Service, thirty-four to Stanz Food Service, three to Commercial Food, --1-- four to Alpha Baking, and 12 items to BES. Forty-five items had no bid. Mr. Goodrich asked about the fact that Stanz' bids only were good for six months. She said that at the end of the six months we would be free to purchase the items from Stanz or other vendors depending on the cost. She felt other suppliers could meet or beat their prices at that time. Mr. Goodrich moved to award of the concessions food bids as recommended by staff. Dr. Kelly seconded the motion and it was passed. President Henry thanked her for her time putting this bid together. 2. Request to Ratify the Nonalcoholic Beverage Contract- Mark Bradley Mr. Bradley reported that the final contract was received just prior to the meeting. NIr. Peterson reported that Attorney Thomas Bodnar has been working with the vendor's attorney and that they had agreed to the final language of the contract. Mr. Peterson stated that Mr. Bodnar had not had time to review the latest ~-~ersion of the contract to confirm that it contained the agreed upon language. He sug~~ested the Board ratify the agreement subject to Mr. Bodnar's confirming that the contract contained the agreed upon language. Dr. Kelly made a motion to ratify the nonalcoholic bevera~~e contract with Pepsi Americas pending approval by Thomas Bodnar, the Assistant City Attorney. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. IV. The next order of business was new business. 1. Election of Officers for 2007 Dr. Kelly made a motion to keep the same slate of officers. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. 2. Requests for Use of Parl:s- Betsy I~arriman a. Ms. Amy Herdman, Assistant Director of the Historic Preservation Commission, spoke concernin~~ a list of events that are to take place over the year in parks as part of a series of events through the year in various parts of the City. The e~-~ents are: a. An e~-~ent at the Conservatory on Apri129 b. Park after Dark in Leeper Park West May 29 c. Family Day at the Cabin in Leeper Park June 29 d. Winter Carnival in Howard Park December 29 All insurance and documents will be provided. Additional requests included- a. Cystic Fibrosis Walk- Howard Park- May 19 b. First United Methodist Church- Leeper East- June3-September 2 c. Ride For Kids- Pinhook Park- July 8 d. Rum Village Bicycle Race- Rum Village- July 29 e. Alzheimer's Service Walk- Potawatomi Park- September 15 f. Achievement Forum Egg Hunt- Howard Park- March 31 (Rain date April 1) --2-- g. Arthritis Foundation Walk- Potawatomi Park- May 6 h. Scleroderma Walk- Howard Park- May 20 i. Leeper Park Art Fair- Leeper Park- June 16-17 j. American Cancer Society, Relay for Life- Potawatomi Park- June 2-3 k American Cancer Society, Strike Against Breast Cancer- Howard Park/Riverwalk- October 6 She stated that all were returning events and all were aware of the insurance requirements. She recommended approval of all requests. Dr. Kelly made the motion to approve the above requests pending receipt of documentation of insurance and it was seconded by Mr. Goodrich. The motion was approved. 3. Request to Declare Copier Obsolete- Bill Carleton Mr. Carleton requested that a 13 year old Toshiba Copier, Model 40 10, serial # QK225184 be declared obsolete and allow it to be disposed. Mr. Goodrich made a motion to declare the Toshiba model 40 I 0 copier obsolete and dispose of it as requested. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. V. Approval of Minutes Dr. Kelly made a motion to approve the n~iutes of the regular Board meeting held on December 18, 2006 as mailed. The motion ~ti as seconded by Mr. Goodrich and approved. VL Approval of Maintenance Vouchers. A motion was made by Mr. Mullins to approve maintenance vouchers for December 2006 totaling $926,442.40. It was seconded by Mr. Goodrich. There being no further discussion, the motion was passed. VII. Report by Palisades Baseball, Inc. No representative was present. VIII. Business of the Superintendent 1. Superintendent St. Clair introduced Mr. Terry DeRosa as the new Zoo Director. Mr. DeRosa was formerly at the San Antonio Zoo. He also introduced Dr. Ric Berlinski as the new goo veterinarian. Dr. Berlinski was formerly in private practice near Cincinnati, Ohio. He felt this was a great team and was expecting great things at Potawatomi Zoo. 2. He reported that the staff had just returned from the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association annual meeting in Indianapolis. He wanted to recognize Ms. Susan O'Connor for her service as president of the organization this past year. She led the organization through a rough year with the unexpected passing of the executive director. 3. Superintendent St. Clair read the annual report he supplied to the Mayor for the State of the City report. (see attached) --3-- 4. Superintendent St. Clair reported that the Mayor is looking at the agreement with South Bend Youth Hockey and he felt it would be brought to the Board at the next meeting. They are looking at reducing our obligation over several years, but no amounts have been finalized. IX. Comments by Maintenance Superintendent 1. Mr. Mike Dyszkiewicz informed the Board that because of weather leaf pick up is ongomg.. 2. Picnic tables and benches are being built and painted. 3. Greenhouse repair work is ongoing. 4. Zoo repairs in some exhibits are also being done. 5. At Elbel, some work is being done on hole #6 and #4. Mr. Goodrich asked if there had been any follow up with Mr. Borowski and Mr. Holmes concerning Tarkington Park Ms Harriman said that signs have been posted and Park Police have been going out to make their presence known. X. Comments by the Recreation Director L Ms. O'Connor reported that the Ice Rink is down 515 participants through December. For the year they are down 1,419. The Ice Rink wasn't able to open in November at all. 2. She gave the Board a list of events for Rum ~~'illage. XL Comments by the Golf Operations Director 1. Mr. Nowacki reported that an open house will be held at Erskine Golf Course on March 10. Approximately 500 im-~itations will be sent out. 2. Two demo days will be held this year at Elbel in April and May. 3. Trees are being trimmed along hole #4 at Elbel. On hole #6, the tree area directly across the pond is being redone to keep carts from driving through. It is hoped this will speed play and save wear and tear on the carts. 4. At Erskine, on hole #4 the railroad tie wall is being taken out. On #5 tee, the fence line will be cleaned of brush. Along #15, trees will be trimmed back. 5. The ~~olf superintendents are revising their spray programs because of restrictions imposed by the State Chemist's new rules. 6. Mr. Nowacki requested the Board's permission to advertise for a four year golf car package and for chemicals and fertilizers. Mr. Goodrich made a motion to authorize staff to advertise for bids for the golf cars and chemicals and fertilizers. Dr. Kelly seconded the motion and it was passed. XII. Comments by the Zoo Director L Mr. DeRosa reported that the Zoo is preparing for spring. African Wild Dogs are being --4-- brought in and their areas are being constructed. 2. Snow Leopards are also coming in. 3. Strategic planning is being done by staff. 4. Renovation of the chimp exhibit is being considered to meet standards. An architect is preparing estimates. Superintendent St. Clair also thanked Ms. Harriman for the job she did as the interim director at the Zoo and all she did during the hiring process for the vet and director. XIII. Comments by the Director of Marketing & Promotions 1. Mr. Bradley thanked the Park staff that helped with the IPRA during the last year. He commended Ms. O'Connor, Jennifer Rozmarynowski, Paula Garis, and Sue ~m Brunty. In recognition of this, the IPRA awarded the department an award for outstanding service to the association. It was awarded at the annual meeting last week. Ms. O'Connor also received the President's award this year. 2. The request for staffvisitation by the National Recreation and Parhs Association as part of the accreditation process has been submitted. We have requested a July visit. President Henry announced that the Febniary meeting will be held February 26 rather than February 19 in order to have a quorum of commissioners present. XIV. There being no more business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 5:25 p.m. The next regular meeting will beheld February 26, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O'Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executi~-~e Secretary --5-- Superintendent's 2006 Annual Report On behalf of the South Bend Board of Park's Commissioners and the administrative staff of the Department of Parks and Recreation, I am pleased to submit our ?006 annual report. Despite the fiscal challenges before us in 2006, the SBPRD had a very productive year in programming, marketing, facility upgrades, and maintenance. Highlighting the year was the completion of four major capital improvements. The park maintenance facility located along the St. Joseph Rig-~er iu Howard Park since 1960, has finally been demolished and relocated to it's new location on High Street. The new and improved maintenance facility now provides adequate space and equipment for park crews to be a more productive work force. Furthermore, all ~-~elucles and equipment are now stored inside the new facility. Indoor storage provides better care and less chance for vandalism to occur. Total cost of the new facility and demolition of the old building totaled $1.7 million. Our second major capital project was the expansion of the O'Brien Fitness Center. The new addition provides an additional 7500 square feet for the cardio and strength training area, and doubles the size of the old ~~roup fitness room. With "state of the art" equipment and a trained staff, our fitness center had a tremendous year. During 2006 the fitness center had over 64,000 member v°isits and over 1800 new membership sign ups. These numbers are four times ~~reater than what we proposed only five years ago with our first fitness facility. Memberships and fitness classes generated over $275,000. in revenue in 2006. The million dollar capital investment in this facility helps demonstrate the City of South Bend's commitment to fitness and over all health and wellness to the community. The Pinhoo~ Pavilion located adjacent to the Pinhook Lagoon, has been a very popular facility rental for many years. This past year the SBPRD installed air conditioning, replaced flee concrete catwalks around the building, replaced all the windows and doors, repaired wash out areas along the base of the facility, and completed numerous interior upgrades. This much needed facelift cost approximately $400,000.00 and will be very much appreciated by the thousands of people who will frequent this facility in the years to come. New protective glass shields, additional rock formations, more leisure water, and larger areas to roam were the outcomes of the new lion exhibit at Potawatomi Zoo. Opened to the public this past summer, the new lion exhibit proved to be a very popular stop for zoo patrons. The Potawatomi Zoological Society were largely -6- responsible for the funding of this project. Smaller additional capital projects included installing concrete picnic pads, and a complete renovation of the massive 80 year old park pavilion at Potawatomi Park. Park crews replaced the dugouts at Kennedy Park, installed water spray parks at La Salle and Coquillard Parks, built a bridge over the pond on hole number 12 at Elbel Golf Course, installed a larger outdoor pavilion at O'Brien Park, and completed numerous landscaping upgrades at the O'Brien Recreation Center. While our maintenance staff were doing their repairs and upgrades, the park and recreation programmers were administering their own list of activities. Our nation's current health care crisis has impacted every city in the United States. Local parks and recreation agencies are now being called upon to use they- trained programmers and facilities to assist communities with the growing health problem of obesity. The SBPRD have been addressing our community health and wellness issues with a variety of programs and activities. Our efforts with the U. S. National h~stitute of Health, sponsors of the "We Can" program, have positively influenced hundreds of local youths and adults to the benefits of a healthier life style. South Bend was oue of only sixteen cities in the U. S. selected to participate in the "We Can" program. Currently, many cities in the U. S. have and will be using South Bend's program to model the own community programs. In addition to the "We Can" program, the SBPRD has spearheaded anew youth wellness program called `Weight Winners". Our partnership's with local physicians and health care agencies have provided us with a solid background of resources and has opened the door to many heath initiatives av°ailable though the "Weight Winners" program for kids. Do to the recent expansion of the O'Brien Fitness Center, our fitness programs have grown dramatically in size and in quality. Cardio, strength training, and overall fitness goals are a day to day reality at the new fitness center. As part of the City of South Bend's new employee wellness plan, the O'Brien Fitness Center plays an integral part with the fitness training and reconunended life style improvements to help employees live a healthier and more productive life. Programs for youth and area adults were not just limited to fitness and nutrition. The Potawatomi Zoo's educational outreach programs were attended by no less than 12,863 people. 2~0o camps, biological and environmental studies, zoologist programs, and many other exciting activities have opened up the minds of many as to the various types of species we share the planet with. Our programs will vary in nature, but all are attended due to the wide array of leisure interest in our community. Attendance for special events, youth classes, leagues and camps, teen programs, adult sports and fitness, recreation centers, aquatics, skate park, ice rink, and park rentals total 503,496 participants! !Park attendance at other facilities including Coveleski Stadium, E1bel,Erskine and Studerbaker Golf Courses, the East Race Waterway, and Potawatomi Zoo total another 420,000 people. The SBPRD Trails, neighborhood parks, and general open space environment bring in thousands of local and area residents through out the year. Each year the SBPRD impact the lives of many in and out of our community. We are proud of the programs and facilities we offer in South Bend. More importantly, we are -7- proud of the fine job the SBPRD staff does each and every year. Regardless if it's programming and mentoring local youths, or snow plowing city streets and parks, our employees have always been and always will be, a conscientious and productive work force. We look forward to the challenges in 2007. We recognize that tough decisions, good strategic planning, and a trained motivated work group will certainly be key components to being successful next year. We know our citizens are counting on that, and we will do our very best to meet and exceed those expectations. My thanks to all the SBPRD staff for their hard work and dedication to the City of South Bend and the Park and Recreation Department. Phil St. Clair 2006 By The Numbers Parks: Block (16) 1 to 5 acres 24.7 acres S.B. 54.1 acres NRPA Neighborhood (22) 5 to 15 acres 227.8 acres S.B. 324.8 acres NRPA Community (11) 15 to 70 acres 568.1 acres S.B. 757.8 acres NRPA Special (6) N/A 469.6 acres S.B. N/A Attendance: Programs -youths and adults 503,496 Facilities zoo,stadium,golf,east race 420,000 Open Spaces- trails and parks 100,000 Totals 1 ,023,496 Properties: Parks - 55 Street Islands - 115 Major Facilities- 15 Zoo- 1 East Race&Trails- 1 Bridge- 1 Public Restrooms- 36 Conservatory- 3 Parking Lots- 26 Acreage- 1290.2* -8- Misc. Structures- 400 2006 Awards: Tree City USA Department of Natural Resources 9t'` consecutive year James Farrell Award of Excellence Bellville Softball Complex Amateur Softball Association 7t'` consecutive year National Recognition of the "We Can" Wellness Program U. S. Institute of Health 2006 cont. Maintenance: 650,000 lbs of trash remo~-~ed from city parks 2,085 hours street leaf cleanup program 125 hours street snow remo~-~al 2,325 hours parks leaf cleanup program 25,000 acres of grass mowed in city parks 28,000 flowers planted in greenhouse and city parks 7,000 acres of ~~rass mowed at city golf courses 8,500 yards of material hauled to organic resources 56 repairs due to vandalism 18 ~ trees trimmed in city parks 1,256 trees trimmed on city street lawns ? 81 trees removed 1,320 hours trees storm damage 159 trees planted 106 stumps removed 569 tree permits issued Misc. 85,000 number of rounds played at city golf courses 165,000 number in attendance at Potawatomi Zoo 551 number of participants at the Kid's Triathlon 18,800 number of spectators at the River City Basketball games 1045 number of participants at the Daddy/ Daughter Dance -9- 63,213 number in attendance at M.L.K. and Charles Black Centers 57,591 number of participants in the SBPRD summer parks program -10-