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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-18-2013 Minutes SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING MARCH 18, 2013 The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday March 18, 2013 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 Mr. Bruce BonDurant Park Board members absent were as follows: Staff members present: Phil St. Clair, Director; Bill Carleton, Fiscal Officer; Susan O'Connor, Deputy Director; Paul McMinn, Assistant Recreation Director; Randy Nowacki, Director of Golf Operations; Laura Arriaga, Interim Zoo Director; Richard Payton, Development Director; Mike Dyszkiewicz, Maintenance Superintendent; Cheryl Greene, Park Board Attorney I. The meeting was called to order by Board President Robert Goodrich at 4:00 p.m. II. The first order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. There was no one wishing to address the Board. III. Report By Organizations 1. Potawatomi Zoological Society- Dave Nufer a. Mr. Nufer reported that the train had passed inspection by the State. b. There were 1,744 visitors at the last Winter Day. Due to the success of the Winter Days this year, he said they are contemplating expanding the number. c. Opening day will be March 27. d. The baby takin received good press coverage. e. The new Zoological Society website will launch the week of March 25. Mr. Goodrich asked about extending hours during the summer. Ms. Arriaga said that it has been discussed and options are being considered. 2. Botanical Society a. Ms. Gray thanked the Park Maintenance staff for the prompt snow removal during recent storms. b. There are several upcoming science lectures at the Conservatory. c. There will be a 50th anniversary celebration of the Ella Morris Conservatory on April 27 from 2-6 pm. - - 1 - - d. A number of events are planned for Easter weekend. 3. South Bend Silver Hawks- Mr. Joe Hart, President a. Mr. Hart reported that opening day is 17 days away. b. The Tiki Hut construction is underway and on schedule. c. Season tickets are up over 100% from last year at this time and group sales are up 20%. d. There are other improvements to the stadium such as an upgrade to the PA system, additional signage, and fans in the concourse areas to circulate air better. Mr. Goodrich asked about the team and Mr. Hart said he just got back from spring training. He felt they would be more hitting dominant this year. 12-13 players are returning from last year. IV. The next order of business was unfinished business. 1. Request to Award Chemical and Fertilizer Bids for 2013- Randy Nowacki Mr. Nowacki presented his recommendations for award based on the bids that were opened at the last regular meeting. Mr. Goodrich asked how ties were handled. Ms. Greene explained that there was no legal statute that governed a tie for supplies. Because several vendors are selling the same brand of product, they are contractually obligated to sell at the manufacturer's price. Mr. Nowacki said that in this case he will try to buy amounts from all the vendors. Mr. Nowacki requested the Board to approve the recommendations as listed. Mr. BonDurant made a motion to award the bids as requested. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. V. The next order of business was new business. 1. Arborist License Approval The following applications were submitted for approval- a. Sam-Mar Tree and Maintenance b. Underly Tree Service c. A Cut Above Tree Service d. Serenescapes e. 4 Seasons Tree Service f. Michiana Tree g. K& R Tree Service Ms. Greene reviewed the applications and reported that they all met the requirement of the City. Mr. BonDurant made a motion to approve the applications. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was approved. 2. Requests for Use of Parks- Betsy Harriman a. Pound the Pavement for Parenthood- Leeper Park- April 22 Mr. Carleton reported that Ms. Harriman asked that Pound the Pavement for Parenthood request be withdrawn. She will resubmit it at the next meeting. 3. Opening of Quotes for Conversion of Narrow Band Radios at Golf Courses- Randy Nowacki - - 2 - - Mr. Nowacki presented three sealed quotes for the conversion of the irrigation radio system at Elbel and Erskine Golf Courses. The FCC mandated this change. The following quotes were opened and read: a. Midwest Pump Service, LLC- $31,675 b. Automatic Irrigation- $34,808 c. Kenney Machinery Corp.- $30,170 Mr. Nowacki requested that he be allowed to review the quotes and return later in the meeting for award. President Goodrich agreed to his request. 4. Opening of Quotes for Portable Stage- Paula Garis Ms. Garis solicited three formal quotes. Haulotte Group chose not to respond. The remaining two quotes were opened and read aloud. a. Stage Depot- $43,099.65 Ms. Greene noted that e-verify document and the non-collusion document were not signed. The non-collusion affidavit was marked "Not applicable". She said this would make their quote nonresponsive. b. Stage Right- $44,261.00. Ms. Green reported that all documents were properly filled out. Ms. Garis asked to review the quotes and to come back later in the meeting. 5. Request of Board Approval to Initiate the Modification of the City Ordinance to Allow the Sale of Liquor at Erskine and Elbel Golf Courses- Randy Nowacki Mr. Nowacki requested the Board's permission to initiate the modification of the ordinance limiting the sale of alcoholic beverages at Elbel and Erskine Golf Courses to beer and wine to include liquor. He listed the eleven area public courses that currently sell liquor, including Blackthorn. He feels this will offer the opportunity to offer a wider range of beverages and enhance concession revenues. Director St. Clair said he had discussed this with the Mayor's office. Ms. Greene said the legal department is exploring liability issues and that the Board's approval is necessary to proceed with the change to the ordinance. Mr. Nowacki said that currently all employees are licensed and trained. Director St. Clair added that the staff has done a great job over the years. Mr. BonDurant made a motion to approve the request to initiate the process to extend the alcohol sales to include liquor as well as beer and wine. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. Mr. Goodrich thanked Mr. Nowacki for the prepared presentation. 4 (cont'd). Opening of Quotes for Portable Stage- Paula Garis Ms. Garis requested the Board award the portable stage quote to Stage Right in the amount of$44,261. Mr. Mullins made the motion to award the quote from Stage Right, Corporation for the requested stage in the amount of$44,261. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. VL Approval of Minutes - - 3 - - Mr. Mullins made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on February 18, 2013 as mailed. The motion was seconded by Ms. Hill and approved. VII. Approval of Maintenance Vouchers Ms. Hill made a motion to approve maintenance vouchers for February 2013 totaling $899,731.47 Mr. Mullins seconded it. There being no further discussion, the motion was passed. VIII. Business of Director St. Clair 1. Director St. Clair recognized Mr. George Rogers from Charles Black Center and commended him for sponsoring and accompanying 10-12 young ladies to the Daddy- Daughter dance. Without his action they would not be able to attend. 2. The Department is partnering with the South Bend Community School System on an intern program. The program is designed for students with disabilities within the school system. They will spend part of the day in class and part gaining work experience with the Park Department. 3. Working with the staff of the Park Police, a more aggressive and professional Park Police operation is being considered. Additional part time officers are being added to cover additional hours of coverage. It was felt that additional hours were needed to combat graffiti and more usage of parks. 4. The Mayor's State of the City address will be held at the LaSalle Intermediate Academy this Wednesday. IX. Comments by the Golf Operations Director 1. Mr. Nowacki requested that the Board award the Narrow Band Conversion project to Kenney Machinery in the amount of$30,170. Mr. BonDurant made a motion to award the quote to Kenney Machinery for $30,179. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. 2. The IOth annual open house was held at Erskine's Clubhouse on February 16. 255 attended. This was the best attendance ever. 3. The goose control system will be installed next week at Elbel. The hope is this will discourage the geese from congregating in the ponds on the course. 4. A company has been contracted to relocate some geese from the Elbel properties. The Golf Division hopes this will alleviate the problem around the greens and tees. 5. The driving range will open this Wednesday at Elbel. The courses will open later in the week. X. Comments by the Maintenance Superintendent 1. The Maintenance staff installed the large climbing wall in the gym of O'Brien Center. 2. The Forestry staff has trimmed 141 trees on the streets In the last two weeks. 3. The Graffiti crew has removed 88 graffiti sites this year. - - 4 - - 4. The maintenance crew has removed 68 dump truck loads of snow in the last two weeks from the downtown plaza. 5. ADA building inspections are ongoing. 6. The Maintenance Department has been investigating converting the mowing fleet to propane fuel. Potentially there could be large savings in fuel cost. 7. Communiversity Day will be held in March in conjunction with Notre Dame. A rain garden is being planned as a project in Potawatomi Park to contain the runoff from the new splash pad. 8. Rebuilding Together is April 13 and we will be delivering materials to different housing locations on the west side of the city. 9. Sun screens are being installed at Leeper Park Tennis Center. Nets will be installed soon at Leeper and other tennis courts in the City. XI. Comments by the Interim Zoo Director 1. Ms. Arriaga commented that at the recent winter day 1,700 people attended. 2. The Zoo staff is preparing for the opening on March 27. Fencing is being installed, new strollers are ordered and a new remote ice cream concession area is planned. 3. An African painted dog has been brought in and has passed through quarantine. 4. A takin was born, a saki monkey is being hand raised and a Diana monkey was born. XII. Comments by Development Director 1. Mr. Payton informed the Board about the agenda of the Park Foundation Board. 2. A communications campaign is underway. Four social media sites have been set up. A new website is being designed for the Foundation. 3. Ms. Arriaga and Ms. Marcy Dean of the Zoological Society gave a presentation to the Board at a recent meeting and updated the Board regarding the Zoo operations. 4. Marketing has begun for the Superintendent's Golf Outing in August. 5. The survey format is being fine-tuned. The next event that will be surveyed is the Mother- Son Dance. 6. The Foundation Board is working on funding for the cemetery project. XIII. Comments by the Deputy Director 1. Ms. O'Connor recognized a new staff member at the Martin Luther King Center. Mr. Tony Scott is the new custodian there. Mr. Mullins commended him for his work at the Center. He said he goes there every day and he hasn't seen it looking better or cleaner in his memory. 2. The Ice Rink has closed for the season on March 10. Attendance was lower due to weather closings. 3. The River City Basketball League ended last week. 210 youth participated and 4,450 spectators. - - 5 - - 4. Eighty teams have signed up for the softball league so far. Play starts April 26. 5. Spring Fling daycare camp will be April 1 through 5. 6. Camp Awareness registration was last Tuesday. 302 have registered and 48 spots are left. 7. Kid's World registration has begun and 25 have registered so far. 8. Youth classes started today with 151 students. 9. The Mother's Day Equestrian Ride has filled up. 10. The Mom-Son Dance has filled with 383 registrants. It will be held at the Palais Royale. 12. The skate park opens March 31. XIV. There being no more business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 5:39 p.m. by President Goodrich The next regular meeting of the Board of Park Commissioners will be held April 15, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O'Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executive Secretary