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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-15-2013 Minutes SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK CONMUSSIONERS REGULAR MEETING APRIL 15, 2013 The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday April 15, 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,Executive Director;Bill Carleton,Director of Financial Services;Betsy Harriman,Administrative Director; Susan O'Connor,Deputy Director;Paul McMinn,Assistant Recreation Director;Laura Arriaga, Interim Zoo Director;Mike Dyszkiewicz, Maintenance Superintendent;Matthew Moyers, Special Projects Manager;Mark Bradley, Marketing Director; Sharon Smith,Zoo Concessions and Gift shop Manager; Cheryl Greene,Park Board Attorney I. The meeting was called to order by Board President Robert Goodrich at 4:00 p.m. H. The first order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. 1.Mr.Alex Kil-Eagle Scout Project Mr. Kil made a presentation to the Board regarding his intent to build a pergola at the Conservatory. He distributed plans for his project to the Board. He hoped to finish it by the end of June. Executive Director St. Clair said he was excited about the project and asked that he work with Mike Dyszkiewicz. Ms. Greene asked that he fill out a volunteer liability form. 2. Update on the Active Youth Initiative- Teresa Penbrooke,GP RED/Greenlpay, Inc. Executive Director St. Clair introduced Ms. Penbrooke to the Board. She gave an update to the Board on the Healthy Communities Research Group's Surveillance and Management Toolkit Project. This project is to help position parks and recreation agencies as preventative public health partners. We want to affect the nutritional and exercise choices of 10 to 14 year olds. We are working with Indiana University,North Carolina State University and East Carolina University. South Bend is the first beta site and she hopes to have nine other beta sites across the country as part of the project. She discussed all the data that has been collected over the two years and - - I - - what will happen in year three. She discussed the role of the Active Youth Initiative program that has been organized in South Bend. Director St. Clair thanked her for her presentation. President Goodrich also thanked her for her efforts with this project. He said that this project fits with the youth initiative that the city has undertaken to promote good life choices to prevent violence. M. Report By Organizations 1.Potawatomi Zoological Society-Dave Nufer a. Mr.Nufer reported that opening day media coverage of the Zoo was very good. b. A marketing campaign is underway for the rest of the year. c. The new Society website is up and running. d. The butterfly exhibit will open again this year. Butterflies will arrive May 10. e. The audit review is complete and the Board will get copies at a later date. f. The four billboards that the Zoo Society has financed are up and will be through the summer. Mr. Goodrich asked if extended hours were still being considered. Mr.Nufer said that it is still being discussed. 2.Botanical Society-Andrew Schnabel a. Dr. Schnabel thought the idea of a pergola at the Conservatory was a good idea. b. The Botanical Society is holding a golden anniversary event on April 27. c. The memorandum of understanding is near completion. d. the spring flower show and sale was a success. e. Gardening classes were held recently in conjunction with the Unity Garden group. f. A series of lectures and workshops relating to gardening were held on Wednesdays. g. Many events are being held at the Conservatory. h. Attendance is up for the year. He wanted to be contacted about being part of the Active Youth Initiative. IV. The next order of business was unfinished business. There was no unfinished business. V. The next order of business was new business. 1. Arborist License Approval- The following applications were submitted for approval: a. The Cutting Edge b. Douglas Landscape, Inc. c. American Tree Care, Inc. d. TruGreen Ms. Green found that all were in order. Ms. Hill made a motion to approve the applications. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. - - 2 - - 2.Requests for Use of Parks-Betsy Harriman a. Yoga Association of Michiana—Use of Howard Park June,July,August for free yoga lessons—Co-sponsored by DTSB (MWF). b. Sabor Latino Radio—Use of LaSalle Park for Children's Day Celebration— April 27, 2013 c. East Race Kayak Club—Use of East Race for World Kayak Events—May 11 and September 14, 2013 d. Pound the Pavement for Parenthood-Leeper Park-April 22 Ms. Harriman remarked that all except"b" and"d"had the required insurance certificates,but she felt that they would acquire them prior to their dates. Ms. Greene said it would be all right to approve the requests contingent on the above mentioned groups presenting the certificates prior to the date of their events. Mr. BonDurant made the motion to approve all subject to Sabor Lation Radio and Pound the Pavement meeting the insurance requirement. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. VI. Approval of Minutes Ms. Hill made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on March 18, 2010 as mailed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mullins and approved. VII. Approval of Maintenance Vouchers A motion was made by Mr. Mullins to approve maintenance vouchers for March 2013 totaling $1,097,489.00. It was seconded by Mr. BonDurant. There being no further discussion,the motion was passed. VIII. Business of Director St. Clair 1. Director St. Clair discussed the Key Performance Indicators that the department is tracking for monthly meetings with the Mayor and other departments. 2. He discussed the parking situation at Potawatomi Park. An area on the east side of the park may be used as extra parking. 3. A donation of a greenhouse structure from Michaelangelos was deemed too expensive to dismantle and move. 4. We will be participating in an intern program with the South Bend Community School Corporation. 5. We have three staff members on the newly formed Mayor's Anti-Violence Commission. They are Maurice Scott, Cynthia Taylor, and Mike Bueno. 6. Staff are working on a request for proposal for the department's master plan update. 7. The forestry division will be giving away trees at Earth Day activities this Saturday. IX. Comments by the Interim Zoo Director 1. Ms. Arriaga reported that she had just returned from an American Zoos and Aquarium meeting and it covered disaster recovery planning for zoos. She will be working with the City's Safety and Risk Department to update the Zoo's response plan. 2. Attendance for March is up. Media coverage was good for the opening. - -3 - - 3. The new rental wagons and strollers are in and are proving popular. 4. Passport to Play will be held this Saturday. Participants will be admitted free. 5. The new Coke machines were vandalized last night. 6. The chimps will be out soon if the weather cooperates. X. Comments by the Marketing Director 1. Mr. Bradley reported that the Foundation Board will meet on the 150' of May. 2. The Foundation's website now has Pay Pal capability. 3. The Superintendent's Golf Outing will be held August 2. Planning has started for that event. 4. Tickets are on sale for the Blues and Ribs Fest. 5. The Foundation Board has applied for a grant from the Four Winds Casino to help with the Cemetery improvements. 6. Meetings with the various departmental meetings are ongoing. 7.1he master plan process is being planned. XI. Comments by the Recreation Director 1. Ms. O'Connor reported that the Mom-Son Dance was held last month with 383 attending. 2. Softball leagues now have 164 teams registered. Play begins April 26. 3. Ball diamond reservations have begun. 4. The message sign at Belleville is not operating. We are waiting on a cost estimate. 5. Camp Awareness is full. 6. Kid's World has 39 registered. 75-80 is the normal capacity. It normally doesn't fill until the end of May. 7. On this Wednesday there will be an Indiana Parks and Recreation Association round table hosted at this facility. 8. Charles Black Center will be holding a program for girls aged 5 to 12. It is called PJ Fashionista. And will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn. There will be different stations for makeup,nail painting, etc. 9. The Gone Fishin' program will be held at Pinhook Park again on May 11. 100 spots are available. 10. Leeper Tennis Center opens on April 22. We are waiting to hear the status of a US Tennis Association grant that was applied for. It will provide lessons at Charles Black Center,Boehm Park, and one other park for children aged 10 and older. 11. The Blues and Ribs Fest planning is underway. The bands have been secured. 12. Staff hiring and budget planning are underway. XH. Comments by Maintenance Superintendent 1. Mr. Mike Dyszkiewicz informed the Board that crews are doing leaf pickup and putting out trashcans and picnic tables. 2. Mowing will begin soon. 3. A crew is in the city cemetery repairing headstones that have been vandalized. At this point - - 4 - - forty stones have been repaired. 4. Communiversity Day and Rebuilding Together went well. 5. He said he has been soliciting quotes for court repairs. Six tennis courts will be repaired this year if the budget allows. 6. The new parking lot at Potawatomi Park will require 21,000 sq ft of slag to make it useable. 7. He has also discussed how to handle overflow parking at the O'Brien Center. A parking lot could be added to the east of the existing lot to accommodate 60-80 additional spaces. 8. In conjunction with the Energy Department he is researching the advantages of converting the mower fleet to propane as a fuel. 9. He also said that he is also looking into diverting the water runoff from the splash pads from entering the sewer system and into rain gardens adjacent to the pads. 10. The Parks Department is taking the lead in dealing with storm damage relating to trees in the City. XHH. There being no more business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 5:24 p.m.by President Goodrich The next regular meeting will be held May 20, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O'Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executive Secretary - - 5 - -