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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-16-2013 Minutes SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 16,2013 The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Monday September 16,2013 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 of Parks; Bill Carleton,Director of Financial Services; 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 Gift and Concessions Manager; Cheryl Greene,Park Board Attorney L The meeting was called to order by Board President Robert Goodrich at 4:00 p.m. IL The first order of business was new business. 1. Request to Approve Memorandum of Understanding with Notre Dame regarding the Construction of a new Boathouse in Viewing Park Ms. Greene explained that the University of Notre Dame wishes to build a new boathouse in Viewing Park,the site of the current boathouse. The current lease agreement expires in 2028 and the Board wishes to amend the current agreement to reflect the new boathouse project and extend the lease an additional forty-five years. Mr. BonDurant made a motion to approve the proposed lease amendment. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. 2. Request to Approve Naming Sponsor and Exterior Signage at Coveleski Stadium Mr. Richard Nussbaum, Counsel for the Midwest League, explained the naming rights agreement between the baseball club owner, Swing Batter, LLC and Four Winds Casino and the additional exterior signage that will be added to reflect the naming of the field. Mr. Joe Hart, President of the Silver Hawks, thanked the staff for all they have done during the past season. Mr. Mullins made a motion to approve the naming rights agreement and the corresponding exterior signage. Ms. Hill seconded the motion and it was passed. - - I - - III. The next order of business was the interviewing of interested citizens. 1. Rod Goodchild- Proposal for Stump Carvings in Potawatomi Park Mr. Rod Goodchild, made a request that the Park Department leave six to ten feet of trunk left on larger trees that are cut down in Potawatomi Park and along tree lawns in River Park. He wishes to employ sculptors to carve various animals and shapes using the trunk of these trees. He said he has $5,000 dedicated to paying the artists to sculpt twenty trunks. President Goodrich thanked him for his presentation and said the Board could not make a recommendation today without further investigation. He assured him that the Board would come back to him with answer to his request. Ms. Greene was unsure if the Park Board or Board of Public Works had the responsibility for this decision, depending if the trunk was in the public right of way. She felt there were other issues that were unclear also that need to be addressed. President Goodrich said that the Board would take his request under advisement and get back to him. 2. Potawatomi Zoological Society- Marcy Dean a. Ms. Dean was not present, but Rachel, her assistant,reported that Zoo Brew was held recently and 1,300 attended. b. The train ridership has been steady and it will shut down on October 30 c. The Butterfly Exhibit is closed. d. Decorating for Zoo Boo will begin early in October. e. The Jack O-Lantern Spectacular adult event will kick off Zoo Boo weekend. f. 2014 events are being planned and they plan to bring them to the Board at the November meeting for approval. IV. The next order of business was unfinished business. There was no unfinished business. V. Approval of Minutes Ms. Hill made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on August 19, 2013 as mailed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Mullins and approved. VI. Approval of Maintenance Vouchers A motion was made by Ms. Hill to approve maintenance vouchers for august 2013 totaling $1,469,608.71. It was seconded by Mr. Mullins. There being no further discussion, the motion was passed. VII. Business by Director St. Clair 1. Director St. Clair discussed the impact of the return to two way streets on parks. He suggested changes to the plan that affect Leeper Park. 2. There has also been discussion on storm water retention on the northern side of town. An option being looked at is a holding tank below ground in Leeper Park. 3. The Volunteer Recognition Ceremony was held last week at the Chris Wilson Pavilion. - - 2 - - He thanked Amy Roush for organizing and coordinating the program and tracking the volunteer hours during the year. There will be close to 20,000 hours by the end of the year. The comparable value is nearly $500,000. 4. Director St. Clair discussed the 2014 budget with the Board. VIII. Comments by the Deputy Director 1. Ms. O'Connor reported that the South Bend Community School Corporation is doing a collaborative program at Rum Village. It is the seventh annual Intermediate School Morningstar Run. 2. The Fall Family Fun Fair will be held this Saturday at RumVillage. 3. The adult programming will start this week. 4. Leeper Tennis Center will close for the year on October 7 and open volleyball opens that evening. 5. Softball fall leagues end October 14. 6. River City basketball league registration is ongoing on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. 7. Afterschool programs attendance is up at the Centers. 8. Aqua Aerobics begins this evening. 9. Silver Sneakers will begin this month at the O'Brien Fitness Center. 10. A guided bus trip to Mackinac Island and northern Michigan left today and will return Saturday. Rose Kaufman, the Senior Center Director, is leading the trip. IX. Comments by the Development Director 1. A joint board training session with the Parks Foundation and St. Joseph County Foundation was presented by Steve Walter. He felt it was a worthwhile endeavor. 2. Mr. Payton said that they are busy marketing the Fall Family Fun Fair this weekend. 3. The "What's Up"newsletter is going out every week. 4. We are working with a class at IUSB that is doing a project on the public perception of the parks. 5. Master planning public meetings are being scheduled and he will provide the Board with the dates when they are available. X. Comments by the Zoo Director 1. Ms. Sharon Smith, Food and Gift Manager, informed the Board that Ms. Arriaga just returned from the AZA conference. 2. Security cameras are being installed in animal areas and public areas. 3. The golden lion tamarins have had twins. 4. Veterinarian interviews start this week. 5. Staff from Fort Wayne Zoo will do a mock AZA inspection this week. 6. International Red Panda Day will be celebrated this Saturday. - - 3 - - XI. Comments by Golf Operations Director 1. Mr. Nowacki informed the Board that Studebaker Golf Course retained the County Cup over Elkhart County between Junior Tour programs. 2. Geese and raccoons have become a problem at Elbel. 3. Six new forward tees have been constructed at Elbel. Others are planned. 4. New irrigation heads are being installed at Erskine to replace the original ones. Parts are no longer available. 5. A meeting about the First Tee program will be held in the near future. Mr. Nowacki would like them to come and do a presentation for the Board. XIL Comments by the Maintenance Superintendent 1. Mr. Mike Dyszkiewicz informed the Board that a leak in the heat exchanger at the Ice Rink has been repaired. It was estimated that it would cost $100,000 to replace it, but our trades crew fixed it for less than $1,000. He gave them kudos for their ingenuity and dedication. 2. The South Bend Community School Corp. interns are working out well at the maintenance garage. 3. 256 code citations have been mowed over the last two weeks. 4. He will be meeting with the Street Department regarding constructing a new parking lot at the O'Brien Center to handle overflowing parking due to the Fitness Center and other programming. 5. The Parks Department is assisting the Water Department at Rum Village with heavy equipment in the installation of a sewer project. 6. The tennis courts have been repaired. 7. He is investigating how the restructuring of the Code Enforcement Division will affect Central Mowing and Graffiti programs. XIIL There being no more business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m. by President Goodrich The next regular meeting will be held October 21,2013at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O'Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, William Carleton Executive Secretary - - 4 - -