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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark Board Minutes - September 17 2018SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 17, 2018 The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday, September 17, 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 Mr. Dan Farrell Ms. Consuella Hopkins Park Board members absent were as follows: Ms. Aimee Buccellato VPA staff members present: Aaron Perri, Executive Director of VPA; Eva Ennis, Operations Coordinator; Elizabeth Leachman, Events Coordinator; Kari Bumgardner, Experience Director; John Martinez, Facilities and Grounds Director; Jonathan Jones, Recreation Director Other city representatives present: Clara McDaniels, Assistant City Attorney I. Call to Order President Mark Neal called the meeting to order at 5:05 pm. II. Approval of Minutes Motion to approve minutes of August 20, 2018, by Consuella Hopkins, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. III. Consent Agenda Approval 1. August Financial Statements 2. Use of Parks – Returning Events a. Renaissance Fest | Pinhook Park | August 22 – 26 2019 (Event would be 24 & 25, other days would be set-up/tear down days.) b. YWCA Vigil for Domestic Violence | Seitz Park | October 2 c. Cabin Days | Leeper Park East (Navarre Cabin) | October 9 – 12 (9 am – 1:30 pm each day) Motion to approve the consent agenda by Dan Farrell, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. IV. Use of Parks – New Events 1. Tailgate Event | Coquillard Park | November 10 Kevin Jackel, representing Tippacanoe Place, shared that a Florida State Alumni Group is requesting rental of Coquillard Park for the FSU vs. Notre Dame football game on November 10. The group anticipates 800-1,000 people to attend. The event will include tailgate food, beer, wine and liquor. They are also looking for bus parking for 20 buses. Mark Neal recommended the group reach out to South Bend School Corporation to request use of the Perley School parking lot. The board also requested details about security. Kevin Jackel noted that the group will be bringing their own security for the event. Mark Neal requested that the event organizers have additional discussion with South Bend Police Department. Kevin Jackel also noted that the event will be over before the evening, and all attendees have tickets to the game. Aaron Perri also requested that the group coordinate with VPA’s Facilities & Grounds Division. Motion to approve the Tailgate Event at Coquillard Park pending suggestions to work with Police, School Corporation, and Facilities & Grounds by Dan Farrell, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. V. Interviewing of Interested Citizens Mark Neal opened the floor for public comments. There were no comments. VI. New Business 1. Utility Easements & Right of Way for Coveleski Park Minor Sub Clara McDaniels explained that this easement is to run underground electrical service utilities at the Coveleski Park Minor Subdivision. Motion to approve the Utility Easements & Right of Way for Coveleski Park Minor Sub by Dan Farrell, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. 2. Ecological Advocacy Committee – Applications Open Matthew Moyers gave a public announcement that applications for the Ecological Advocacy Committee are being accepted today until October 29. The committee will review applications and bring recommendations for membership at the December Park Board meeting. 3. Zion Church Parking Lot Improvements and Lease Agreement Aaron Perri explained that this agreement is the newest version of the Zion Church Parking Lot Improvements and Lease Agreement. Between the time that the Park Board signed, Zion Church requested a number of changes, so it is coming back to the board. The biggest change is item 3 on page 2 which outlines a rental payment for parking spaces. Clara McDaniels noted that the City is only paying for parking space, so it does not interfere with separation of church and state. Dan Farrell asked if the city is still obligated to maintain the lot. Aaron Perri replied that the City will still do maintenance on the lot as a part of the agreement. Motion to approve the Zion Church Parking Lot Improvements and Lease Agreement by Consuella Hopkins, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. 4. VPA 2019 Fees - Review Aaron Perri reviewed fee changes for 2019. There are only minor changes this year, most of which are in Recreation Division. Mark Neal asked if there is a distinction between city vs. non-city residents. Aaron Perri replied that it was difficult to determine what city/non-city resident is, so the department decided to stick with one fee. Mark Neal asked if there will be opportunities for scholarships at the ice skating rink. Jonathan Jones said that VPA will be exploring those options later. Dan Farrell asked how far the P&L’s go down. Aaron Perri replied that the P&L’s include everything including operations and staffing. Mark Neal asked if VPA will consider a fee for park use now that more for-profit events are requesting park space. Aaron Perri replied that fees for park use will be brought to the board at the end of the year when the new policies and forms for park use are reviewed. He added that VPA would like to come up with something more holistic to recover cost. Dan Farrell asked about the rental fees for equipment and who normally uses those. John Martinez replied that normally events such as neighborhood groups, etc. use equipment. 5. IUSB – Leeper Tennis Center MOU Jonathan Jones shared that IUSB has been using Leeper Tennis Facility for two years now. It has become their home court over that time. This MOU standardizes the agreement and outlines the schedule for use. Dan Farrell asked if there are any other schools using it and will there be any overlapping tournaments. Jonathan Jones replied that no other schools besides St. Joseph High School use the facility, and the 2019 schedule is not set so that has not been evaluated yet. Motion to approve the IUSB Leeper Tennis Center MOU by Dan Farrell, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. VII. Report by Facilities & Ground Director John Martinez John Martinez gave the following updates: • VPA is currently working on a Park Health program which is an indicator of what our city parks system looks like as a metric. The Park Health program allows us to look at the whole system collectively and each park individually. Mark Neal asked if park attendance can be captured. John Martinez replied that tracking park attendance is gap VPA currently has, but we are looking at ways to do that. Dan Farrell recommended looking at different goals for different parks. • Dog Park at Rum Village is under construction with a mid-October opening. • City Cemetery renovations are underway. 150 stones repaired so far. • Charles Black Center soft opening will be at end of October. The grand opening event will be scheduled soon. • Exterior bathroom renovations are going out to bid soon. • Close to 80% of parks are being touched between 2015-2020. • Facilities and Grounds is seeing a 40% staff reduction due to seasonal work ending. • VPA’s work order system is being upgraded VIII. Business by Executive Director Aaron Perri Aaron Perri gave the following updates: • VPA has made some minor back end changes to the Park Use Form. More substantial changes will come to the board at the end of the year. • Ground breaking for the Zoo Entrance was Wednesday, September 12. • The ribbon-cutting at Kelly Park was Thursday, September 13. • As part of the effort to improve communication and engagement among VPA staff, an employee newsletter has been created called Surprise & Delight. • The last session for budget approval process is scheduled for Wednesday, September 19 and will review the salary ordinance. The budget is scheduled to be approved by Common Council the first meeting in October. • Howard Park construction bids are scheduled to be awarded next Tuesday. • National Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference is in Indianapolis. South Bend will be featured several times. • Mark Neal asked about the ceiling issue at the Morris. Aaron Perri replied that a decorative piece failed on the ceiling, and there is every indication that those pieces will continue to fail. Morris successfully relocated two shows to the Century Center while the ceiling is being reviewed. A temporary measure will be installed to allow for shows to continue at the Morris. No other questions or comments from the Park Commissioners, meeting adjourned at 6:20 pm p.m.by President Mark Neal. The next regular meeting will be held October 15, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O’Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, Eva Ennis