HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 17 Park Board MinutesSouth Bend Board of Park Commissioners
Regular Meeting
June 17, 2024
Due to an outage in audio recording during this meeting, there is a lapse in transcript translation, please be advised the recording of these minutes does not fully reflect the events
in this meeting in its entirety.
The Board of Park Commissioners of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday, June 17, 2024, 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:
Mr. Mark Neal, President
Mr. Sam Centellas
Ms. Consuella Hopkins
Park Board members not present:
Ms. Georgianne Walker
VPA staff members present: Jordan Gathers, Interim Executive Director; Anastasia Smith-Davis, Executive Assistant; John Martinez, Chief of Park Operations; Amy Roush, Director of Development;
Olivia Sanchez, Special Events Manager; Cynthia Taylor, Director of Community Programming; Macey Hanna, Director of Recreational Experience.
Other city representatives present: Michael Schmidt, Assistant City Attorney; Canneth Lee, 1st District Councilmember; Troy Warner, 4th District Councilmember; Sheila Niezgodski, 6th
District Councilmember.
Call to Order
Mark Neal called the meeting to order at 5:01 pm.
Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting held on May 20, 2024.
Motion to approve the meeting minutes of May 20, by Consuella Hopkins, supported by Sam Centellas, motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0.
Consent Agenda
Motion to approve the consent agenda of May 20, 2024, by Sam Centellas, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0.
Outstanding Partner: Rum Village Neighborhood Association
Jordan Gathers shares his appreciation for the Rum Village Neighborhood Association by stating they are a vibrant and diverse community resource that has been a pillar in the community
for 100 years. The association has unified residents and visitors alike while fostering a welcoming environment proud of its heritage, continuously improving upon resident activity.
Jordan ends with thanking the Rum Village Neighborhood Association for their contribution.
Interviewing of Interested Residents
A resident by the name of Joe gave comments on Seitz Park. He begins by asking when Seitz Park is expected to open since closing in prior to 2019 and if the concert series will continue
once re-opened.
Jordan Gathers comments there is no expected date but the goal is for the project to be completed this year in 2024, and that VPA is looking forward to continuing the concert series
as there are others happening in the community. He continues by stating he understands that the delays have been quite troublesome for everyone.
Amy Roush of VPA informs the Commissioners on the new events coming through on the Parks side and gives a brief description of each event.
Motion to approve the New Events of May 20, 2024, by Sam Centellas, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. Roll call vote 3-0.
New Business
Block By Block- Service Contract Addendum- John Martinez
Motion to approve Block By Block Contract by Consuella Hopkins, supported by Sam Centellas, motion carried. Roll-call vote 3-0.
VPA Non-Alcoholic Beverage Approval.
Motion to approve VPA Non-Alcoholic Beverage Approval by Sam Centellas, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. Roll-call vote 3-0.
COSB RDC & VPA Agreement- Michael Schmidt
Motion to approve COSB RDC & VPA Agreement by Sam Centellas, supported by Consuella Hopkins, motion carried. Roll-call vote 3-0.
Reports by Organization: First Tee- Jenny Zimmerman
Video and audio recording ended at the beginning of this segment.
Jenny Zimmerman starts by thanking the Commissioners and VPA for the opportunity to share. She continues to update the Commissioners on the number of youths that have been in programming
since 2019, which has tripled to date. First Tee has also seen overall attendance in all program participation increase every year since 2018. Jenny informs the group that First Tee
is an all-season program, allowing players to condition themselves all year round. During the winter months, First Tee hosts programming and classes at local schools. Last year the
organization experienced many highlights, one of which includes a 30-minute documentary being made on First Tee and will air on WHME-TV. Another highlight is First Tee was able to celebrate
their first player being selected as a participant and attend the LPGA *USGA. They were also awarded the Game Changer Award (one of 19 in the nation). Jenny finishes her presentation
by stating there is much more excitement to be expected and experienced next year.
Report by Department- Golf by Jim Kubinski
Jim Kubinski, Golf Marketing Manager gives honor to the recent Manager of Golf, Tony Stears. He mentions how Tony made huge contributions to the golf program and how he appreciates all
Tony did for the team. He goes on to give a quick update on where golf is now. Coming from a couple large events, the golf courses are doing well. Jim reiterated that last year was
the first million dollar earning year for golf, this year the reports show a 17% increase in attendance and participation on the courses. Jim shares Studebakers will be celebrating
their 100-year anniversary next year in June 2025 and expects to have a golf outing planned.
Business by Interim Executive Director Jordan Gathers
Jordan begins by thanking all who are in attendance and continues with the following updates. He thanks Jenny from First Tee for the update and acknowledges the hard work that Tony Stearns
put into the golf department.
Excited to announce the Youth Scholarship Golf Outing this year will be held at Erskine this year
Memorial Day parade
National Kids to Park Day. Jordan celebrates the Special Events team for their efforts in planning the event
Field Day at Paramount School- VPA teams joined together to engage with Paramount students during their end of the year field day
Leeper Park Court Repairs- These projects repairs are taking priority
The Thought Leadership Conference will be held at the Century Center Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday night Valerie Garrett, who served on President Obama’s administration will be featured
as the evening guest speaker.
Seitz Park- Has a lot of momentum moving in the coming weeks, very hopeful the project will be completed this year.
Dream Center- In great shape, looking forward to the opening in February of next year.
LaSalle Park- Improvements are still underway, completion expected soon. An update for a date for the ribbon cutting event will be given next meeting.
Walker Field Connectivity Project
Bids – Bids for Byers Softball are set to go out later this year.
Kennedy Aquatic design work is underway. More updates to come.
Morris- Raclin Murphy Encore Center will go out for bid next month.
Four Winds Field- Renovations in full swing
Jordan concludes his updates with highlighting James Steward, a long time VPA employee who was just recently recognized for his outstanding service in South Bend. He thanks
James for the amazing job he’s done over the years.
Adjournment
No other questions or comments from the Park Commissioners, meeting adjourned at 6:20 pm by President Mark Neal.
The next scheduled meeting will be held Monday, June 17, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. at Howard Park Event Center and virtually.
Respectfully Submitted,
Anastasia Smith-Davis