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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-22-2012 Minutes SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING OCTOBER 22, 2012 The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday October 22,m 2012 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 Goodrich, President Ms. Amy Hill, Vice President Mr. Garrett Mullins Park Board members absent were as follows: Mr. Bruce BonDurant Staff members present: Phil St. Clair, Executive Director; Bill Carleton, Fiscal Officer; Betsy Harriman, Administrative Director; Susan O'Connor, Recreation Director; Randy Nowacki, Director of Golf Operations; Laura Arriaga, Interim Zoo Director; Mark Bradley, Director of Marketing; Cheryl Greene, Park Board Attorney I. The meeting was called to order by Board President Robert Goodrich at 4:01 p.m. II. The first order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. No one was present wishing to speak. III. Report By Organizations 1. Potawatomi Zoological Society- Marcy Dean a. Ms Dean reported that the train will close as of October 31. b. Zoo Boo preparations have been ongoing for a couple of weeks. Twenty-nine vendors have registered for the event. They are expecting approximately 10,000 visitors over the weekend. c. The first Jack O'lantern adult event will be held this Thursday. d. She asked approval for three special events for 2013. They are a wine tasting on Friday June 7, the member's picnic on July 20, and the fifth annual Zoo Brew on September 7. All necessary permits and insurance will be obtained. Ms. Hill made a motion to approve the Zoological events for 2013. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. 2. Botanical Society a. Ms. Heidi Grey addressed the Board and informed them that attendance at October events is great. The membership drive went well. The plant sale is going well. b. Freaky Flower Friday is a Halloween trick or treating event that will be held this Friday. - - 1 - - c. One more science fair workshop will be held tomorrow afternoon. d. There will be two more science lectures in November as well as a member and volunteer appreciation event. 3. South Bend Silver Hawks No representative was present. IV. The next order of business was unfinished business. There was no unfinished business. V. The next order of business was new business. 1. Request to Approve Arborist Licenses The following new license application was presented for approval by the Board: a. The Crossing National, Inc. Director St. Clair explained that this is an arborist training school associated with the Crossing School and the City Forester has been working with them. Mr. Mullins made a motion to accept the renewals of the Arborist Licenses and Ms. Hill seconded the motion. It was approved. 2. Requests for Use of Parks- Betsy Harriman Ms. Harriman requested the Board approve the following requests: a. St. Joseph Parish- St. Nick Walk/Run- East Bank Trail- December 1, 2012 Mr. Mullins made the motion to approve the above request and it was seconded by Ms. Hill. The motion was approved. 3. Request to Approve Independent Contractor Agreement for 2013- Susan O'Connor Ms. O'Connor requested that the updated Independent Contractor agreement for 2013 be approved. Ms. Greene explained that it needed to be amended to be in compliance with a recently passed state law. Ms. Hill made a motion to approve the agreement. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was approved. 4. Opening of Quotes for Cemetery Maintenance Agreement- Betsy Harriman Ms. Harriman presented one sealed quote for the maintenance of the City Cemeteries. Three vendors were solicited for quotes. Hoosier Cutters was the only vendor submitting a quote. Fuerbringer and Talboom Landscaping did not respond. Hoosier Cutters' quote was for an annual cost of$39,499. Ms. Greene reported that their quote met all requirements except the affidavit concerning business with Iran. She said that this can be added. Director St. Clair disclosed that one of the principals in Hoosier Cutters was a relative. Mr. Mullins made a motion to approve the quote from Hoosier Cutters for cemetery maintenance for an annual cost of$39,499. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. 5. Opening of Nonalcoholic Beverage Agreement Quotes- Mark Bradley Mr. Bradley presented two proposals for exclusive nonalcoholic beverage rights at Park - - 2 - - facilities. This is done every three years. The proposals are from Coca-Cola Bottling and Pepsi-Cola Bottling. Seven-Up Bottling was also solicited, but did not respond. The proposals were opened and distributed to the Board. Mr. Bradley requested that the proposals be taken under advisement by staff and that he return to the Board at the November meeting with a recommendation. Mr. Mullins made a motion to accept the bids and refer them to staff for a recommendation at the November meeting. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. VL Approval of Minutes Ms. Hill made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on September 17, 2012 as mailed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mullins and approved. VII. Approval of Maintenance Vouchers A motion was made by Ms. Hill to approve maintenance vouchers for September 2012 totaling $859,832.81. It was seconded by Mr. Mullins. There being no further discussion, the motion was passed. VIII. Business of Director St. Clair 1. Director St. Clair reported to the Board that the Department's application for reaccreditation was approved at the recent National Recreation and Parks Association national congress. He distributed a copy of the program from the award ceremony and the citation. He thanked the staff and particularly Matt Moyers for all the effort it took to achieve this again. 2. He distributed information concerning the 2013 budget. It will be before the Council on the 29th of October for approval. He explained the differences between last year and this year and the new programs. He stressed the need for more capital expenditures. 3. We are investigating a grant opportunity from Game Time, Inc. that would match our investment on a dollar for dollar basis for playground equipment. We are planning to spend approximately $200,000. This would be matched by around $180,000 since shipping is not part of the match. This would provide playground installations at six parks through the City. The appropriation would come from our cash reserve. IX. Comments by the Marketing Director 1. Mr. Bradley reported that the Parks Foundation Board met on October 10. Board member recruiting is still a priority and new members are anticipated to on the Board by the end of the year. 2. The new Activity Guide will be going to print at the end of next week and will cover December through May. 3. A forestry grant is being submitted to help with replacement of ash trees. 4. We have submitted three nominations to the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association for Awards of Excellence. 5. Park staff will be meeting with representatives of GP Red concerning the Active Youth - - 3 - - Initiative next week. X. Comments by the Golf Operations Director 1. Mr. Nowacki reported that the irrigation pumps at Erskine have been installed and are working. 2. The radio frequencies used for the irrigation system are being changed by the Federal Government. New radios will need to be purchased to upgrade our systems. 3. The first hole at Elbel has had the new rough reseeded and is coming in well. 4. The Elbel Clubhouse has been resided and looks great. 5. Drainage problems on several greens have been fixed. 6. Aerification is done on all courses. 7. For the first time there was a"County Cup" between the Junior Tour programs of South Bend and Elkhart. Our Junior Tour team won the cup. 8. Mr. Nowacki showed the Board a device to keep the geese off the courses that he is testing. XI. Comments by the Zoo Director 1. Ms. Arriaga announced that attendance is up this year. 2. Zoo Boo preparation is underway. 3. A new snow leopard has arrived and is in quarantine. 4. She is searching for a female red panda as a mate for our male. 5. Transfer of one of our chimps is being planned. XII. Comments by the Recreation Director 1. Ms. O'Connor reported that attendance at the Fall Family Fun Fair was a little lower than in the past due to cold weather. Next year it will be rescheduled for September. 2. On October 11 a volunteer recognition event was held. She thanked Amy Roush for her work on the ceremony. 3. The pedometer challenge for city employees is underway as part of the Wellness program. 4. Softball Leagues are finished for the year. 5. She commented that the recent NRPA Congress was one of the best she has attended. She is excited about the information the staff brought back with them. 6. River City Basketball leagues are starting registration and practices. 7. The after school programs at the Centers are underway. 8. The Howard Park Ice Rink is preparing for opening in November. It is hoped repairs will be completed by that time and that they will allow operation through the season. 9. The afterschool ROCK program that was state funded has ended due to funds being cut. It is hoped a new program will take its place. XIII. There being no more business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 5:01 p.m. - - 4 - - The next regular meeting will be held November 19, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O'Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executive Secretary - 5 -