Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-16-2015 Minutes - - 1 - - SOUTH BEND BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 16, 2015 The Board of Park Commissioners of the Park District of the City of South Bend, Indiana met on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 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: Ms. Amy Hill, President Mr. Mark Neal, Vice President Mr. Dan Farrell Ms. Aimee Buccellato Park Board members absent were as follows: N/A Staff members present: Phil St. Clair, Director of Parks; Ron O’Connor, Director of Financial Services; Susan O’Connor, Deputy Director of Parks; Randy Nowacki, Director of Golf; John Martinez, Maintenance Superintendent; Mark Bradley, Director of Marketing; Paula Garis, Special Events Supervisor; Attorney Michael Schmidt I. The meeting was called to order by Board President Hill at 4:00 p.m. II. The first order of business Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Mayor Buttigieg gave recognition and thanks to the SB Parks & Recreation Board for their contribution of service. Words of appreciation and gratitude were given to retiring South Bend Parks & Recreation Director Phil St. Clair for his over 30 years of service and 20 years of leadership to the SB Parks & Recreation Department. Mayor Buttigieg presented Mr. St. Clair with the city’s highest honor the Key to the City of South Bend, IN which was followed by a speech of acceptance & acknowledgement of park staff by Mr. St Clair. Mayor Buttigieg requested the board consider for the next meeting the renaming of Belleville Park to the name of the Phil St. Clair Park. President Hill representing the Parks Board gave thanks and appreciation to Mr. St Clair for his years of services and leadership. III. The next order of business Interviewing of Interested Citizens None present IV. Swing Batter Swing (SB Cubs) Approval of the Encroachment Agreement for an addition of patio seating for the Performance Center. (Meeting adjustment of New Business by President Hill to accommodate schedule of Notary Public.) - - 2 - - Swing Batter Swing, South Bend Cubs & Run Faster Run request the approval of the Board for the addition of patio seating to the Performance Center. The addition will increase fan experience, and future band usage. The agreement has met the approval of Director St. Clair, SB Legal, and the mayor’s office and awaits approval of the SB Park’s Board. Requested the motion for the approval of the Encroachment Agreement of the addition be accepted by the single signature of the Parks Board president. Motion made to accept encroachment agreement with single signature, second, motion carried. V. Reports by Organizations 1. Potawatomi Zoological Society 2. South Bend Clubs 3. Botanical Society of South Bend – Not Available Potawatomi Zoological Society representative Marcy Dean presented one of the newest members of the zoo, which is part of the Ambassadors Animal Program to the park board. A year in review of the Zoo giving the following information. Total visits for 2015 was a record breaking year of 219,639 a 7.4% increase; zoo membership total of 6,549. Employed over 80 people for 2015 which included full-time, permanent part-time and seasonal staff. Plus an addition of 100 new animals. Gift shop sales increased 11% and concession sales increased 2%. Zoo Education conducted approximately 500 programs, representing 65,000 individuals with the assistance of 67 volunteers, providing 2,802 hours of service. Also provided 138 on-site exhibit presentations, 24 Zoo to Youth Outreach programs to area schools, 21 programs to local preschools, 51 therapy programs and hosted 45 camp classes for ages 3- 12. Zoological Society has chosen a new audit company which was a savings of $6,000.00 and received a clean audit. Preliminary findings in financials indicate ending the year on a positive status. The zoo unveiled a $37,000 master plan in July which will be funded primarily by donor support. A new Endangered Species Carousel is set to be in place at the Zoo entrance in 2016. Construction of the project is currently on time and looks to be completed on schedule. With the addition of 100 new animals in 8 months, of which 15-20 being unique species allowed for exhibits. A redesign of the zoo farm took place offering opportunities for patrons to feed the goats. The zoo marsh has been renovated and 4 additional monkeys have been added. The zoo enjoyed the birth of an Amber Leopard, with only about 70 left in the wild and 100 located in zoos, it has been 3yrs since one was born so this is a great accomplishment of the zoo. - - 3 - - The zoo received an award from AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquatics) for 25 years of continual accreditation with AZA. Press conference concerning the award to be given in the future. The zoo received its reaccreditation in 2014. South Bend Cubs Joe Hart acknowledged and gave thanks to Director St. Clair for his years of service and working with a great leader and staff. South Bend Cubs showed a record attendance of 347,000, 40 sell out games of the 70 home games; 80,000 attendance increase making 2015 a record breaking year. Joe Hart thanked the board for the approval of the encroachment agreement for the new patio. The addition of the patio will allow more opportunity to receive more patrons, companies and other potential customers for picnics which were previously turned away. South Bend Cubs recently received the John H Johnson President Award. Award given “based on franchise stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community, and promotion of the baseball industry.” A smaller version of the award to be presented to the Parks Board for support and excellence of services. VI. Unfinished Business 1. Review and Approval agreement for the Master Plan improvements of Howard Park. Maintenance Superintendent John Martinez confirmed the adjustment & completion of the language in Article 3 of the plan to have been completed, giving redevelopment a voice and involvement of the plan with the use of TIF funds, but not final approval. Redevelopment has approved the agreement and awaits the approval of the Parks Board. Mr. Martinez requested the approval from the board. Motion was made to approve the agreement between RDC/DCI and Parks for Howard Park improvements, second, motion carried. VII. New Business 1. Request for use of Parks – Riley High School requesting the use of Pinhook/Pavilion for a Winter Ball on January 30, 2016 for the purpose of raising funds for the High Schools 2016 Prom. All necessary and appropriate paperwork has been completed, date confirmed and necessary security is in place. Motion made, second and carried. 2. Equipment lease with the South Bend Cubs, Superintendent Martinez requested approval of a new lease agreement with the South Bend Cubs as the old agreement is no longer in the best interest of either party. The new agreement would provide coverage for liability issues regarding operation of the forklift, that equipment would be operated by license staff and license sub-contractors. Agreement has been approved by Michael Schmidt and Joe Hart and is being presented for the approval of the Parks Board. Motion to approve, second and carried. 3. Award contract for Coveleski HVAC. Nick Gaul requested the approval of awarding the - - 4 - - contract to Havel for the service of the HVAC at Four Winds Field. Current contract expires on Jan1, 2016. Request additional line items to be added to insure timely payment of invoices. Labor is included with service agreement, additional cost for all non- routine maintenance issues. Mr. Neal issued a motion, motion seconded Mr. Farrell, motion carried. 4. Renewal agreement with Hoosier Cutters to extend service period. Mr. Nemeth requested the agreement be renewed for one year for the year round maintenance and up keep service of the city’s cemetery with Hoosier Cutters. Agreement has been approved by the city’s legal team, appropriate disclosure has been made by Superintendent St. Clair to his relationship to joint owner of Hoosier Cutters, David St. Clair and awaits the approval of the Parks Board. Motion made, second and carried. 5. Resolution 3-2015; Resolution of Board of Parks Commission of the City of South Bend, IN for the approval of the sale of Elbel Golf Course. It is requested the sale of Elbel Golf Course pending approval be made on the contingency that Elbel remain a golf course as this has been the mutual agreement of the community citizens and the city. City goals is to complete the disposition of sale prior to the 2016 golf season in an effort to avoid additional capital expenses and operational cost. Elbel is not physically located within the city so after the disposition Elbel will no longer be part of the city. In accordance with Indiana state code, two appraisals of land survey were completed; the minimum asking price of Elbel would be $750,000, the proceeds of the sale to be reinvested into the Parks Dept. funding, operations and capital improvements. Since 2010 Elbel has been operating at a loss and capital assets have been aging. The timeline; the resolution is being presented before the Parks Board today pending approval, after which the resolution would be taken to City Council for approval; after Council approval the city would compile a disposition package which would then come back before the Parks Board. The Parks Board will then approve the disposition package and advertising; disposition would be presented to the community in two consecutive Fridays and the bidding process would follow. Attached to Elbel Golf Course operates a tree nursery that has been subdivided off and is not included in the actual value. Additional requirements of the City of South Bend will be that the property continue to operate as a golf course for a minimum of 5 years; that bidders disclose their conservation history and plans for the wetland areas surrounding Elbel. Park Board will accept or reject bids. Question: Request for a repeat of the disposition process. After resolution has been presented to City Council; after resolution to City Council, the Park Board is to be presented with disposition packet; which is advertised to the public, have all requirements listed which will be available through Parks or City Business website. Packet must be completed and submitted as a sealed bid to be opened in a public viewing before the Parks Board. All minimum bid requirements must be meet during the opening of bids. After review the Parks Board can accept or reject or review further and return to Parks Board with a suggestion for recommendation with support documentation. Parks Board accepts or rejects. Which leads to closing and it is the belief that this can be accomplished by April. - - 5 - - Question: Is this a procedural measure to determine that 1) Elbel Golf Course is not necessary to Park Department function? 2) Appraisal of the property has been completed? 3) Recommendations have been made to City Council to explore potential value of selling Elbel? Any Property valued over $50,000.00 requires a recommendation to City Council must be met. Question: Is the Resolution to be presented to the City Council early January and returned to the Park Board during the January regular schedule board meeting? Expectations is to submit to the Parks Board during the January Board meeting is correct. Question: Reiterating the use of funds from the sale of Elbel Course use. All funds from the sale of Elbel Golf Course are to come back to the Parks to be utilized by the desecration of the Parks Board. Question: Are restrictions given to a future owner’s plans to move forward with the 5 year golf course restriction and not sit on the property for 5 years without use? The deed restrictions mandate that it is to operate as a functioning golf course for a minimum of 5 years. In the event this is not maintained the owner would forgo the investment. (Note: The concern of the park board with this question was to express their concern about the preservation of greenspace and how the resolution and future sale of Elbel might be structured to reflect this.) Question: The appraised value as redevelopment is $1.2mil and appraised as existing golf course valued at $750,000, prior request the best approach to sale would be to remain as golf course why? Redevelopment would require additional needs, and must meet additional citizen concerns, making redevelopment more difficult and costly. All concerns voiced is that the best value is a golf course. Question: There are no specifics included in Resolution 3-2015 that Elbel Golf Course remain a golf course, how will this be reflected? That specific is not completed or included in the resolution process. The disposition packet will be more definitive as the resolution is only a recommendation. No further questions, request for motion. Motion Ms. Buccellato second Mr. Neal motion carried. - - 6 - - VIII. Approval of Minutes Mr. Neal motioned to approve the minutes of the regular board meeting held on November 16, 2015 as mailed. Second by Mr. Farrell and approved. IX. Approval of the Parks and Recreation Vouchers for the month of November 2015 totaling $663,597.76 Question: Any spending or future changes that needed to be made now? Nothing pending and no changes expected. Question: Report of savings generated for the sale of Elbel Golf Course? Located on pages 1 & 2 of the issued report under golf operations. Motion to approve Mr. Neal, second Mr. Neal, and motion passed. X. Business by Director 1. Transition information for the incoming Director. Presentation of an Organizational Chart with a change listed of the Financial Officer to report to the city controller’s office and remaining staff to continue to report to current supervisors. All contingent on the replacement selection of Director by the mayor. 2. Outgoing Director St. Clair will continue guide and maintain the Park’s and its priorities. Forwarded all important documents to chief staff members; recommendation for Susan O’Connor as the interim Director. Thank you to the staff he’s worked with. 3. Provided a listing of some of the responsibilities of the incoming Director for that individual and for the board. 4. Review of the current and future major projects being done: construction at the Charles Black Center, Ice Rink, parking lot at the Zoo and the Leeper Park project, facility software management, public/private partnerships and their importance. City Cemetery upgrades, individual master plans for each park incorporated in the Park’s Master plan to be developed. Update on Rum Village improvements and additions. 5. Commends the staff, from 2200 surveys out of a score of a perfect 5.0 they have received a rate of 4.78, which speaks to how well they function and work together. 6. Provided the board with a history of the Parks & Recreation. It allows the board to see a snap shot of the progression of the parks. XI. Comments by Ms. Susan O’Connor, Deputy Director of Parks. 1. Gave appreciation and thanks to Director Phil St. Clair. 2. Parks & Recreation Dept. won the “Ugly Sweater Contest” and a pizza party was held today. 3. Because of the pleasant weather the ice rink has been down. With the days it was open 180 adults, 228 children and 79 free attendance of 14 sessions. Due to the weather not sure of what is to come. Admission is hurting 4. Downtown for the holidays was successful with a full weekend of activities. - - 7 - - 5. River City Basketball ended last week and registration for the next session has begun as the activity brochure was released. Majority of the staff will be on vacation. 6. Deputy Director and Amanda Yasko have continued to work with HR with the Health Clinic that will open in the New Year and will continue to work with the Wellness Program. 7. Daddy Daughter dance is the next large event to come up and registration is open to get as many registered a possible. Soft opening of the new clinic in January and a nurse and nurse practitioner were hired. Amanda Yasko and Susan O’Connor will continue to work with the program. XII. Comments by Randy Nowacki, Director of Golf 1. Appreciation and well wishes rendered to Phil St Clair 2. The mild weather brought an additional usage of the golf course and revenue of $12,000, with additional gift certificates, cart sales, and pro shop. 3. Pending a couple of Christmas party rentals yet to fulfill, each year parties have Increased. 4. AEP has completed the installation of the pole, and the fencing company will is scheduled to come in and complete the fence project. 5. Studebaker Pro Shop has installed all new windows and the interior remodeling to be completed over the winter. 6. Weather has permitted the leaf cleanup to be completed. The crew was able to stay ahead due to good weather. XIII. Comments John Martinez, Maintenance Superintendent 1. End of the year report - Different because of a program in place, referred to as Facilities Management, to help provide true costs to reflect what is done and the cost of jobs. 2. Due to the decrease in cost of oil, Fleet Management and maintenance has operated in the black. Cost analysis is being done of the vehicles, usage, and repairs done. 3. Leeper Steam Project continues with Madison School; 8 lights have been taken from the Bartlett Street Replacement Light Program and moved to the park. This was paid for by the Park Foundation with a $40,000 endowment from 2014. 4. Skill trades manager continues to move forward with the Park Bond. HVAC/AC was installed at the MLK Center, Engineer contacted and hired to give assessment on the existing unit and new. $150,000 budgeted for the cost of the boiler and AC unit, window adjustments will be needed for ventilation. Design firm will provide a proposal in 2 weeks and decide to proceed from there. 5. Streamline and refocus on the items done at the maintenance. A new purchasing policy being put in place with a standard spec sheet, Reviewed with George King purchasing and Ron O’Connor and approved. 6. Park Bond projects include a steel roof for the Rum Village Nature Center. Taking bids in January, Board of Public Works meeting, it is a Board of Public Works project XIV. Comments by Mark Bradley, Director of Marketing 1. Re-introduced the Activity Brochure. Brochure is completed in house. It was printed in Central Services resulting in a savings for the Marketing division. Staying green - - 8 - - Marketing also has the brochure available on line. 2. Marketing will also be involved with the promotion of the new Aerial Adventure Course coming to Rum Village. XV. All business being concluded the meeting adjourned at p.m. by President Hill The next regular meeting on January 19th at 4:00 p.m. in the Boardroom of the O’Brien Administration Center. Respectfully Submitted, Ron O’Connor Executive Secretary