HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 17 2023 Park Board MinutesSOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING
April 17, 2023 The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday, April 17, at Howard Park Event Center, 219 S. St. Louis Blvd and virtually on Microsoft Teams for its regular meeting. Notice of the date, time and place of the meeting were duly given as required by law. The public was provided with a link to join the virtual meeting. Park Board members present were as follows: Consuella Hopkins – Vice President Sam Centellas Georgianne Walker
Park Board members absent were as follows: Mark Neal - President
VPA staff members present: Jordan Gathers, Deputy Director; John Martinez, Chief of Park Operations; Amy Roush, Development Director; Hannah Francis, Special Events Manager; Maggie Sullivan,
Marketing Manager; Jessica Williams, Executive Assistant Other city representatives present: Troy Warner, Councilmember; Jenna Throw, Assistant City Attorney; Ashley Sniadecki, Administrative Assistant I. Call to Order Consuella Hopkins called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm. II. Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on March 27, 2023 Motion to approve the meeting minutes of March 27, 2023, by Sam Centellas, supported by Georgianne Walker, motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0. III. Consent Agenda Motion to approve the consent agenda of April 17, 2023, by Sam Centellas, supported by Georgianne
Walker motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0. IV. Interviewing of Interested Residents
Commissioner Hopkins opened the floor for interested residents to speak on a topic not on the agenda. There were no comments from the public. V. New Business 1. Walker Field Shelter House Covenant John Martinez and Adam Toering presented the Walker Field Shelter House Covenant to the Board of Park Commissioners. The Historic Preservation Commission of DCI partnered with VPA to acquire grant money to stabilize the Walker Field Shelter building. This document is the protective covenant that comes with the receipt of the grant money from the Indiana DNR on behalf of the federal government. Motion to approve the Walker Field Shelter House Covenant, by Sam Centellas, supported by Georgianne Walker motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0. 2. Community Inventory Analysis Map
John Martinez presented the Community Inventory Analysis Map to the Board of Park Commissioners. The map looks at the community assets with private and public partners for recreation. This map is to be
approved as part of the CAPRA accreditation process. Motion to approve the Community Inventory Analysis Map, by Sam Centellas, supported by Georgianne Walker motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0. 3. Vision Statement Approval John Martinez presented the Vision Statement to the Board of Park Commissioners. The Board looked over the statement. This is to be approved as part of the CAPRA accreditation process. Motion to approve the Vision Statement, by Sam Centellas, supported by Georgianne Walker motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0.
VI. Reports by Organizations: First Tee of Michiana Jenny Zimmerman provided updates on the programming and growth of First Tee over the years. The
program is 75% life skills and 25% golf. First Tee uses the game of golf to teach things like honesty and sportsmanship, respect, responsibility, and courtesy. Zimmerman discussed each program. These programs include First Tee, PGA Jr. League, Girls Golf Program, First Tuesdays and First Fridays/ Kids
Play Free Program, Winter Program, and Summer Program. There has been a lot of growth of participants in all program areas over the past years. The fundraiser Links at Four Winds Field was a big success and is scheduled to take place again this year on September 28 – September 30. Zimmerman stated they were one of 17 golf courses in the nation to win the Player Engagement award from the PGA of America. VII. Report by Director of Recreational Experiences Macey Hanna Macey Hanna provided updates for the Recreational Experienced division. Athletics has been busy with adult volleyball having 698 participants since January and Youth Basketball with 330 participants. Aquatics which is open 104 days of the year has seen a skate attendance of 38,430 and a net promoter score of 77%. Skating alone has impacted 1,507 different zip codes. The skate it forward program gave 2,140 passes to a total of 44 different organizations and the Learn to Skate program had 190 participants.
Learn to Swim, Aqua Aerobics, Family Swim and South Bend Swim Club are all underway for the spring and making progress. In the summer, Kennedy Water Playground and East Race will be added to the programming. Howard Park will still offer several activities and programs for all to enjoy. O’Brien center and YMCA partnership has increased in facility usage for the month of March and Boomer is currently scheduled for over 40 outings. Special events had record highs with the Daddy Daughter dance and Mother Son dance. Hanna also updated the board on upcoming programming and events to attend.
Motion to approve the Kids Triathlon Registration Fee Changes, by Sam Centellas, supported by Georgianne Walker motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0. VIII. Business by Deputy Director Jordan Gathers - Global Fest will be held September 9. - The Youth Employment Job Fair was a success with over 100 participants and over 12 organizations in attendance. - Added summer programming called King at Kennedy will begin soon. As MLK Dream Center is offline, there will be more programming added to Kennedy Park for the community. - MLK Dream Center will be using a new form of contracting called the CMC process. - Senate Bill 414 is being considered and Aaron and Mayor Mueller drafted and sent a letter in opposition of the passing of this bill.
- Sports Bill 326 increases the expenditure within the PSCDA for expansion of the South Bend Cubs Stadium along with other city owned assets and projects within the
community. - Arbor Day Events happen April 29th at Kennedy Park and May 13th at Howard Park. Both are to be held from 9:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
IX. Adjournment No other questions or comments from the Park Commissioners, meeting adjourned at 5:56 p.m. by Vice President Consuella Hopkins.
The next regular meeting will be held May 15, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at Howard Park Event Center and virtually. Respectfully Submitted, Jessica Williams
Clerk, Board of Park Commissioners