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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.17.18 Park Board MinutesSOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 17, 2018 The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday, December 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. Aimee Buccellato Park Board members absent were as follows: Ms. Consuella Hopkins VPA staff members present: Aaron Perri, Executive Director of VPA; Eva Ennis, Operations Coordinator; Kari Bumgardner, Experience Director; John Martinez, Facilities and Grounds Director; Amy Roush, Volunteer Coordinator; Jonathan Jones, Recreation Director Other city representatives present: Clara McDaniels, Assistant City Attorney; Dan O’Connor, Chief Technology Officer I. Call to Order President Mark Neal called the meeting to order at 5:02 pm. II. Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes of October 23, 2018 and November 19, 2018 by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. III. Consent Agenda Approval Clara McDaniels explained that retroactive approval of the park use events from the last meeting was required because there was not a quorum at the previous meeting. Motion to approve the consent agenda by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. IV. Interviewing of Interested Citizens Mark Neal opened the floor for public comments. There were no comments. V. Reports by Organization – Potawatomi Zoo Marcy Dean & Kevin Bouma were present to give an update on the 2018 season of the Potawatomi Zoo and upcoming construction projects including the major front entrance remodel to be complete by March 2019. Other updates included a successful First Annual Gift of Lights event, which will continue under a 3-year contract with Winter Wonderland, and the announcement of a male white rhino coming this spring to the zoo. Attendance through November 2018 was 201,000, but the Gift of Lights event will add more to that amount. The number is down 14% over the last year which mostly due to weather and on trend with other facilities throughout the region. The zoo will still be close to a break-even number by the end of 2019. VI. Unfinished Business 1. O’Brien Fitness Center Jonathan Jones requested approval to lease 36 pieces of fitness equipment for the O’Brien Fitness Center. 70 % of treadmills at the fitness center are past their life expectancy. The contract is for a 5-year lease term but allows O’Brien Fitness Center to purchase the products after the lease is over. This purchase has been approved in the budget and forecasted out for the next 5 years and will come out of the operational budget. Dan Farrell asked if the company is committed to repair and maintain equipment for the lease term. Jonathan Jones replied that the company will do any required maintenance and repairs during the lease term. Aimee Buccellato asked if this will be a good option long-term. Amanda Bender replied that these pieces seem to be made for long-lasting use including the technology that’s included with them. Dan Farrell asked how it was determined which pieces to purchase. Jonathan Jones replied that staff reviewed equipment with the company and looked at frequency of use and surveyed community members. Clara McDaniels explained that this company was part of a QPA, which allows us to get a better price and better terms through a state-vetted bidding process. Dan Farrell asked if the goal is to have the same equipment at VPA’s other gym. Jonathan Jones replied that VPA has three fitness centers currently, and equipment at O’Brien and Charles Black Center have the same level of technology. Motion to approve O’Brien Fitness Center Equipment purchase by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. Clara McDaniels explained that the professional services agreement with Pemberton-Davis for the electrical work related to the equipment purchase should also be approved separately. Motion to approve the professional services agreement for Pemberton-Davis by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. 2. 2019 Park Board Meeting Schedule Motion to approve the Park Board Meeting Schedule by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. 3. Park View Atrium Parking Usage Agreement Aaron Perri explained that this agreement proposes that the Park View Atrium office building near Howard Park will be used for parking construction employee vehicles. The agreement will be with Holladay Properties not Park View. There will be no cost to the city. Motion to approve the shared use parking agreement with Holladay Properties by Aimee Buccellato, supported by Dan Farrell, motion carried. 4. VPA Memorial and Dedication Policy & City Cemetery Request for Modification Policy Matthew Moyers explained that all VPA policies must be approved by the board. VPA is proposing two new policies; one regarding memorial and dedications of park assets and another regarding city cemetery modifications. He reviewed both policies. The City Cemetery Request for Modification Policy requires that one must demonstrate that they have rights to a plot to make modifications to it. If the modification request is in a public area, they must get approval from a Cemetery Review Team which includes Historic Preservation, resident expert, VPA Facilities & Grounds, and Community Investment. The Memorial and Dedication Policy outlines the procedure for how we handle memorials and dedications requests. Motion to approve both the City Cemetery Request for Modifications Policy and the Memorial and Dedication Policy by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. VII. New Business 1. EAC 2019 Nomination & 2018 Recognitions Matthew Moyers explained that 7 members are returning to the Ecological Advocacy Committee in 2019. A nominating committee reviewed applications for new membership. The committee recommended Allison Turner and Amy Kryston for new membership. Motion to approve the EAC nominating committee recommendations by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. 2. Park Use Application Form Kari Bumgardner explained that VPA is proposing a new design for the park use application and removed a lot of redundant information that was in the previous application. Aaron Perri noted that the fee structure will have to be approved separately which will require the board to reopen the fee list that was already approved. Aaron Perri noted that staff is also reviewing the possibility of giving administrative approval of events for more routine events. Fees will come back at the following meeting. 3. Award Howard Park Café Operator RFQ Aaron Perri shared that a review team consisting of city staff members and Park Board President Mark Neal interviewed the two candidates who submitted proposals to operate the café at Howard Park. The review team recommended selecting the proposal from Howard Park Café and Grill. Aaron Perri noted that staff is requesting approval for the Executive Director to go into negotiations with HP Café and Grill and come back to the board with terms as negotiated for approval. Motion to designate the Executive Director to enter negotiations with the Howard Park Café & Grill proposal team By Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. 5. Burkhart Digital Billboard Agreement Kari Bumgardner presented the professional services agreement with Burkhart for digital billboards in 2019. The contract is the same from 2018. The digital billboards are used primarily to promote Morris shows and also used to promote events and programs. Motion to approve the Burkhart Digital Billboard agreement by Dan Farrell, supported by Aimee Buccellato, motion carried. VIII. Director of Golf Operations Report – Tony Stearns Tony Stearns provided an update of the 2018 golf season. He reviewed financials and gave updates on the following. • There was a change in staff at Elbel to include a new golf shop manager with a customer service background. This approach has been very successful. • First event at Studebaker to raise money for the First Tee organizations was held in early summer. • Staff started planning 100 years of Studebaker events for 2019. • Golf courses leased 55 new golf carts. • Renovation of Erskine started late in 2018. • Software for point of sales and booking reservations was updated. • July 21 is the 100-year celebration at Studebaker. VIII. Business by Exec Director Aaron Perri Aaron Perri gave the following updates: • VPA put out an RFP for an exclusive bottler for all VPA facilities. VPA received proposals from Coke and Pepsi. The 5-year agreement will encompass all facilities and operations. The selected proposal will come to the Park Board in January. • Howard Park construction update: masons will be starting work the week of Christmas. • Holiday deals for VPA facilities and services are curated on the VPA website at sbvpa.org/holidaydeals. There are special deals and gift ideas for East Race, golf courses, Morris Performing Arts Center, and more. • Menorah lighting & tree lighting ceremony events both happened at the beginning of the month and were well attended. • Annie Gawkowski is the new Chief Development Officer and starts January 7. Ashley Katlun is the new Director of Booking & Events for the Morris and will also start at the beginning of the year. • VPA will be participating in a SB Stat meeting tomorrow. The two topics of the meeting are VPA in Motion and Park Health Dashboard. Wired Magazine & Washington Post will also be at the SB Stat meeting. • Annually, a central goal for the department is selected by the Executive Director. This year, VPA’s focus will be social unity. No other questions or comments from the Park Commissioners, meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m.by President Mark Neal. The next regular meeting will be held Tuesday, January 22, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O’Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, Eva Ennis