Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-21-08 Minutes SBBPC OUTH END OARD OF ARK OMMISSIONERS RM EGULAR EETING J21,2008 ANUARY The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on st Monday the 21 of January 2008 at the OBrien 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 Dr. Thomas Kelly Mr. Garrett Mullins Park Board members absent were as follows: Mr. Robert Goodrich, Vice President Staff members present: Phil St. Clair, Superintendent; Bill Carleton, Fiscal Officer; Susan OConnor, Recreation Director; Randy Nowacki, Director of Golf Operations; Terry DeRosa, = Zoo Director; Mark Bradley, Director of Marketing & Promotions; Matthew Moyers, Special Projects Manager; Mike Dyszkiewicz, Maintenance Superintendent; TJ Mannen, Elbel Golf Manager; Dave Firestone, Erskine Golf Manager; Matthew Bellina, Fitness Supervisor; Thomas Bodnar, Park Board Attorney I.The meeting was called to order by Board President Robert Henry at 4:04 p.m. II.The first order of business was the election of officers for 2008 Dr. Kelly made a motion to retain the current officers for another term. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mullins. The motion was passed. III.The first order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. 1.South Bend Professional Baseball, Inc.- Mr. Joseph Kernan, President of SBPB Mr. Kernan reported to the Board that they are preparing for the 2008 season. He felt their early schedule is much better than last year with fewer home games in April and more in June and July. An exhibition game with the University of Notre Dame baseball team is scheduled for April 2. He said discussion has been going on concerning the surrounding neighborhood with economic development about trying to connect the stadium more directly with the downtown area. This would include changing the main entrance gates to the center field side of the stadium. He thanked the Park Department staff for all their help with the stadium maintenance. President Henry asked if the drawings or renderings were on the City’s website. Mr. Kernan didn’t believe they were. - - 1 - - IV.The next order of business was unfinished business. There was no unfinished business. V.The next order of business was new business. 1. Arborist License Renewals The following license applications were presented for approval by the Board: a. Super Tree b. Cut-Rite Services (new) c. Kachur Tree Service d. Tony Cruz and Sons Tree Service e. Watson’s Tree Service f. Envirovison, Inc. g. Fuerbringer Landscaping & Design, Inc. h. Kevin’s Tree & Landscaping, Inc. g. Mill’s Landscape Services h. Landmark/Solliday Landscaping i. Wayne’s Tree & Landscaping Dr. Kelly made a motion to approve the Arborist Licenses and Mr. Mullins seconded the motion. It was passed 2. Requests for Use of Parks- Ms. Harriman submitted the following list of requests for the use of parks: a. Howard Park- March 15, 2008- Achievement Forum Easter Egg Hunt b. Potawatomi Park- May 4, 2008- Arthritis Walk c. Howard Park- May 10, 2008- Cinco de Mayo d. Howard Park- May 17, 2008- Cystic Fibrosis Walk e. Leeper Park- June 21-22, 2008- Leeper Park Art Fair f. Pinhook Park- July 13, 2008- Ride For Kids g. Southeast Park- August 23, 2008- Southeast Side Reunion h. Rum Village Park- August 24, 2008- Bicycle Race All are returning events and have the necessary insurance. She recommended approval of the requests. Mr. Mullins made the motion to approve the above requests and it was seconded by Dr. Kelly. The motion was approved. 3. Request to Declare Equipment Obsolete- Matt Bellina Mr. Bellina requested the Board to approve his request to declare four pieces of fitness equipment obsolete. Dr. Kelly made a motion to approve the request to declare the four fitness equipment pieces obsolete. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. - - 2 - - VI.Approval of Minutes Dr. Kelly made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on December 17, 2007 as mailed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mullins and approved. VII.Approval of Maintenance Vouchers A motion was made by Mr. Mullins to approve maintenance vouchers for the month of December 2007 totaling $1,218,925.47. It was seconded by Dr. Kelly. There being no further discussion, the motion was passed. VIII.Business of the Director of Parks and Recreation 1. Director St. Clair handed out his year end report. He said the accreditation of the department by the National Recreation and Parks Association was the highlight of the year. We have been updating policies and procedures recently as a result of the accreditation. 2. We hosted a regional training conference for the WE CAN program, the first in the United States. This was directly due to the excellent recognition we have received from the Hearts ‘n Parks program we instituted to combat childhood obesity. 3. The O’Brien Fitness Center continues to be a great resource with a vibrant membership. We had approximately 65,000 visits last year. 4. A 1 ¾ mile extension to the St. Joseph River walkway was recently completed and there is another 1 ½ mile is planned to go all the way to the Darden Bridge. It has been well used. 5. The Potawatomi Zoo will be doing improvements to get ready for their 2009 reaccredidation by the American Zoo Association. Working with the Mayor and Common Council, $1.4 million has been allocated for these improvements. 6. The Leeper Park Tennis Courts have been resurfaced at the cost of $600,000. It will be completed this spring or early summer. 7. The Howard Park Ice Rink has been closed quite a bit since the Christmas break due to a major leak in the piping under the cement slab. It has taken three weeks to isolate it. An area of the rink will not be able to be iced during warmer weather until the leak is fixed. The repair will involve replacing the piping in the off season. It will not be an inexpensive repair. It is estimated to be around $500,000. It is not known where the funding will come from at this time. 8. A meeting with the architect and engineers will be held this week to go over their recommendations at the Potawatomi Zoo. 9. Interviewing for the Development Director position will begin soon. It is hoped the position will be filled by the end of the month. 10. The Park Ranger function is being evaluated to determine how to reorganize this function. - - 3 - - IX.Comments by the Recreation Director 1. Ms. O'Connor reported that the Charles Black Center had a breakfast this morning in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. day. 2. At the Ice Rink, the closing has affected the programming there. Fifty-one public skating sessions have been lost and twelve private sessions. 300 hockey rental hours have been canceled. X.Comments by the Golf Operations Director 1. Mr. Nowacki reported that preparations are underway for the 2008 season. 2. 2008 capital projects include the purchase of twenty golf cars, rebuilding of the irrigation pumps at Erskine, the counters at the Erskine Pro Shop are being refinished, and the bathrooms at Studebaker are being remodeled. 3. The irrigation upgrade project at Elbel will be the largest project of 2008. Bid packages went out last Friday. He thanked Mr. Bodnar for his help preparing the bid packets. A special meeting has been arranged to open the bids on February 4. They will be awarded on February 11 at the rescheduled regular meeting. It is hoped the project will begin on March 15. June 30 is the projected finish date. 4. He said the biggest challenge for 2008 is to enhance the revenue of the golf courses. 2007 was not a profitable year due to a decline in rounds from weather and a general decline industry wide. The Golf Division is looking at all aspects of the operation to close the gap. In 2008 a marketing strategy is being put together that includes GPS advertising, newspaper ads, weekly specials, and revenue enhancements in concessions, as well as fee increases. Mr. T J Mannen, Elbel Golf Course Manager, explained the proposed fee structure for the 2008 season. XI.Comments by the Zoo Director 1. Mr. DeRosa reported that he was in the process of filling several vacant and new positions on the Zoo staff. 2. A meeting with CTG and Associates is planned this week to plan the renovations at the Zoo. 3. Winter Days at the Zoo drew 50 visitors even though it was 16 degrees. 4. The Butterfly Exhibit and America’s Exhibit are being readied for opening at the end of March. XII.Comments by Maintenance Superintendent 1. Mr. Mike Dyszkiewicz informed the Board that leaf removal and snow removal are going on. - - 4 - - 2. The renovation of the Pro Shop at Erskine are underway, as well as the restrooms at Charles Black Center. 3. At the Leeper Tennis Center, new flooring is being installed. 4. The Ice Rink has been open for the last week because the weather has been cold enough to make ice without running the refrigeration unit. XIII.Comments by the Director of Marketing & Promotions 1. Mr. Bradley reported that a grant from General Mills has been applied for. We should know in May whether it was accepted or not. 2. The Botanical Society has been meeting with Mr. Moyers and Director DeRosa to finish the memorandum of understanding. 3. Mr. Matthew Moyers gave an update on the master plan process for 2008. XIV.There being no more business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 5:25 p.m. The next regular meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the OBrien = Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executive Secretary - - 5 - -