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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-20-2013 Minutes SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK CONMUSSIONERS REGULAR MEETING MAY 20, 2013 The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday May 20, 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 Mr. Garrett Mullins Mr. Bruce BonDurant Park Board members absent were as follows: Ms. Amy Hill,Vice President Staff members present: Phil St. Clair,Director of Parks;Bill Carleton,Fiscal Officer;Betsy Harriman,Administrative Director; Susan O'Connor,Deputy Director;Randy Nowacki,Director of Golf Operations;Richard Payton,Development Director;Mike Dyszkiewicz,Maintenance Superintendent; Sharon Smith,Zoo Concessions Manager; Cheryl Greene,Park Board Attorney I. The meeting was called to order by Board President Robert Goodrich at 4:01 p.m. H. The first order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. 1. Mr. Douglas Boyd,representing the Keller Park Neighborhood Association, spoke in favor of converting one of the tennis courts in Keller Park to basketball courts. He presented a petition with the signatures of 177 residents supporting the change. They felt this would address the lack of youth activities in the area. Director St. Clair asked Mr. Boyd if he knew of any opposition to the change. Mr. Boyd said that he had talked to three individuals that opposed the change. Director St. Clair said that he would explore this with Mr. Dyszkiewicz the Maintenance Superintendent. He said he was not opposed to the idea,but that budget constraints may delay it until next year. President Goodrich asked Mr. Boyd to speak with Mr. Dyszkiewicz regarding details. III. Report By Organizations 1. Potawatomi Zoological Society-Marcy Dean a. Ms. Dean reported that the Zoological Society's new website is now live. b. The Butterfly Exhibit is open for the season through Labor Day. c. The Zoological Society's audit review is complete. She distributed copies to the Board. d. The new wine tasting event will be held June 7. e. She has been working with staff to get ready for the Zoo's reaccreditation next year. 2. South Bend Silver Hawks - - 1 - - a. Attendance is up 24%over last year. They have had four sellouts. b. The Miller Lite Tiki Hut has been a big success. c. They are projecting to draw over 225,000 this year at this rate. d. It is estimated that the 5 millionth fan will attend this year. IV. The next order of business was unfinished business. 1. Request to Approve Memorandum of Understanding with Botanical Society Director St. Clair reported that the Memorandum of Understanding with the South Bend Botanical Society has been reviewed by Legal and is ready to be ratified by the Board. It is a three year agreement. Mr. BonDurant moved to approve the agreement. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was approved. V. The next order of business was new business. 1. Request to Approve Arborist Licenses a. Wildwood Tree Services-New b. Homer Tree Service, Inc.-New c. W. M. Coar-Certified Arborist Ms. Greene informed the Board that they met all requirements for approval. Mr. BonDurant made a motion to approve the licenses. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. 2. Requests for Use of Parks-Betsy Harriman a. Juneteenth Celebration-LaSalle Park-June 15, 2013 b. Michael Jackson Tribute - Seitz Park- September 8, 2013 c. Alzheimer's Walk-Howard Park- September 14, 2013 (Subject to change) d, Seitz and Sounds- Seitz Park-Various dates e. Praise Fellowship Seventh-day Adventist Church- Southeast Park(6/29/13) Potawatomi Park(7/6/2013) Ms. Harriman introduced Ms. Cathy Dietz who made a presentation to have an open stage/mic night at Seitz Park on Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 10 pm through the summer. Acts will be preapproved to make sure they are family friendly. Director St. Clair said that an alcohol permit would need to be obtained. He also suggested giving a conditional approval to the event through June and then reevaluate. Mr. Mullins made a motion to approve the event through the month of June and unless there were problems,to allow them to continue to the July meeting. At that time the Board could give approval for the rest of July and August. Mr. BonDurant seconded the motion and it was passed. Ms. Harriman introduced Ms. Catrina LeSure,Pathfinder Director for the Praise Fellowship Church. She requested the use of Southeast Park and Potawatomi Park for children's events.Neighborhood children would be invited to participate as well. Ms. Harriman recommended approval of events a,b,c, and e. Mr. BonDurant made a motion to approve the requests. Mr. Mullins seconded the motion and it was passed. - - 2 - - 3. Opening of Quotes for Tennis Court Repairs-Mike Dyszkiewicz Mr. Dyszkiewicz presented one quote for repairs of tennis courts. Three vendors were solicited for quotes,two did not return a quote. The quote was opened and read by Ms. Greene- a. Amt Asphalt- i. Riverside Manor Tennis Courts- $2,245 ii. Coquillard Park Tennis Courts-opt 1- $4,580, opt 2- $22,535 iii. Kennedy Tennis Courts- $7,670, opt 2 $13,065 (fabric crack repair system, add$14,800) iv. King Center East Basketball Courts- $20,240 v. LaSalle Park Tennis Courts- $5,160 vi. Walker Park Tennis Courts- $31,790 vii. Marshall Park Tennis Courts- $5,850 Ms. Greene noted that if these were all taken together they would exceed the quoting threshold. She asked if this was a divisible quote. Mr. Dyszkiewicz said that it was specified that way. He asked to look at the quote and come back with a recommendation. Ms. Greene wanted the Purchasing Director to look at the quote specifications to make sure the language of the specifications was specific to a divisible quote. A special meeting was discussed to approve the recommendation if it could not be resolved today. Mr. Goodrich asked Mr. Dyszkiewicz to go over the quote and come back when possible. 4. Request to Approve Easement Along River Near East Race- No one was in attendance to present this request. VI. Approval of Minutes Mr. BonDurant made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on April 15, 201 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 the month of April 2013 totaling $948,969.34. 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 reported that he Mr. John Martinez and Mr. Dyszkiewicz have been working with the Lincoln Way Neighborhood Association and Councilman Gavin Ferlic to implement some upgrades to Kennedy Park. A site plan has been put together for the plan. 2. The ordinance to allow liquor at the golf courses is on the agenda of the Common Council in early July. 3. This Wednesday there will be the dedication of the splash pad at Potwatomi Park. 4. Discussions for the 2014 budget will begin on May 29. - -3 - - 5. Teamster contract negotiations will begin soon. 6. He met with the City administration and the police chief to discuss emergency response plans at park facilities. 7. He distributed copies of the key performance indicators that are used as part of the budget process and through the year. 8. President Goodrich asked for an update on the public-private partnership proposal with the Zoological Society. Director St. Clair answered that the Zoological Society did a presentation to the Council,but he had not heard anything back from any Council members. IX. Comments by the Deputy Director 1. Ms. O'Connor reported that the Recreation Department is getting ready for the summer. 2. Last Friday the Charles Black Center hosted the PJ Fashonista event at the Hilton Garden Inn. 65 girls attended. 3. Leeper Tennis Center has been busy hosting tournaments. 4. The Senior Picnic will be held at Potawatomi Park. 5. In early June the splash pads and pool will open. 6. The East Race opens June 8. They will be celebrating their 300'year anniversary. 7. Camps begin the week of June 10. 8. Tomorrow, Transpo will begin advertising a summer bus pass for students. We will be selling them at O'Brien. It is hoped that this will help youth to get around to various parks and events. X. Comments by the Development Director 1. Mr. Payton reported on the Park Foundation meeting that was held last week. A new board member was inducted at the meeting,Mr. Paul Laskowski. 2. Mr. Mark Carboneau was recognized for helping find the funding for the "Gone Fishin"' program. 3. The Foundation is planning an annual appeal program this year. 4. The Board is meeting with Mickie Kidder from Notre Dame to develop a marketing plan. 5. He met recently with the Resource Director of the Valparaiso Parks Department. 6. The Superintendent's Golf Outing is scheduled for August 2. Texas Roadhouse and Jimmy John's have made commitments to supply food for the event again this year. 7. The activity guide has been delivered and is going out to schools and libraries and other locations in the community. 8. He announced that we have been doing random polling on the internet. XI. Comments by the Potawatomi Zoo Gift and Concessions Manager 1. Ms. Smith stood in for Ms. Arriaga,who was unable to attend. She said tht they have been very busy with field trips. Last Friday they had over 1,000 students. 2. Pony rides will begin this weekend. - - 4 - - 3. A new remote concessions location,the Chill Zone, opened this weekend. It specializes in hand dipped ice cream. 4. All birds are now out and Zoo Farm is fully stocked with animals. 5. The chimps are now out in their newly renovated exhibit. 6. The alpacas will be shorn soon. 7. A birthday for the two tigers Ivory and Flash was held last week. 8. The Education Department was busy this weekend holding educational sessions. 9. The Fort Wayne Zoo Director,Mr. Jim Anderson,was here last week to visit and offer his opinions on his observations. XH. Comments by Golf Operations Director 1. Mr.Nowacki informed the Board that the good weather has brought out the golfers. The courses were packed over the weekend. 2. Season Passes are up for the year. 3. The golf maintenance department accomplished aerifying all 50 greens in 2 '/2 days. This has never been done this quickly before. 4. A goose roundup is scheduled for June 18. They will be relocated to the eastern part of the state. 5. The Elbel concession operation received a 5 star rating from an unannounced health department inspection. He commended Ms. Tammy Bennett,the concessions manager for her dedication and great work. 6. He informed the Board that 12 ash trees will be taken down at Erskine this summer due to the emerald ash borer disease. Another 45 will be removed over the fall and winter at Erskine. They will be replaced. XHI. Comments by the Maintenance Superintendent 1. Mr. Dyszkiewicz reported that new lighting will be installed along the East Race Walkway. A grant from the Energy Department will be paying for them. 2. The Maintenance Department is clearing brush from the abutment of the north Michigan St. bridge north of North Shore Drive. A painter will be painting a mural on the side of the concrete areas. 3. The maintenance staff will be training on some new facility maintenance software. 4. The splash pad grand opening will be this Wednesday. He wanted to mention and thank Jim Byers,Nick Gaul, and John Martinez for their efforts in getting the splash pad ready to go. 5. The tree crew has trimmed 116 trees and removed 49. 6. All the splash pads in the city will be opened this Saturday. 7. He said he will meet with the Puchasing Manager tomorrow to go over the crack sealing quote. XIV. There being no more business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 5:18 p.m.by President Goodrich - - 5 - - The next regular meeting will be held June 17, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O'Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executive Secretary - 6 -