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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-08-16 PARCPARC COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2016 5:10 P.M. Committee Members Present: Randy Kelly, Dr. Varner, Oliver Davis, John Voorde Other Council Present: Tim Scott, Karen White, Gavin Ferlic, Regina Williams- Preston, Jo M. Broden Others Present: Kathleen Cekanski - Farrand, Adriana Rodriguez, Jennifer Coffinan, Joseph Molnar Agenda: Bill No. 16 -08 — Establishing a special committee to study And make recommendation regarding Elbel Golf Course Randy Kelly, Chair of the PARC Committee, called the hearing to order with one bill for consideration. Bill No. 16 -08 — Establishing a special committee to study and make recommendation regarding Elbel Golf Course. Councilmember Jo M. Broden, the sponsor of the bill, gave the presentation regarding Bill 16 -08. She asked her fellow co- sponsors to explain the bill to the Committee and to the public. Councilmember Karen White read the cover letter attached to Bill 16 -08 and explained the composition and structure of the advisory committee that would be established. Councilmember Regina Williams- Preston went over the duties and responsibilities of the advisory committee regarding the open door policy and the established goals of the committee including'developing a recommendation to the full Council on what should happen with Elbel Golf Course. Councilmember Oliver Davis explained how the committee would work with the Clerk's Office to make sure all information regarding the notices of meeting times and public information was easily accessible. The time frame of forty -five days gives the committee time to complete it's recomendation before golf season begins in earnest. Councilmember Karen White added the committee would enhance transparency regarding this clearly important public decision while letting all parties have their voices heard. Councilmember Dr. Varner gave notice that the proposed resolution contains the entire three - hundred and fourteen acre park, not just the golf course. Councilmember Jo M. Broden explained the word "disposition" in the resolution does not solely mean sale of the property but also the opportunity to lease or continue to run the course in house and also any other option not yet considered. Councilmember Jo M. Broden explained since it is important that everyone understands the common facts regarding this case, she directed the 1 Clerk's Office to put together a link on the Council website that has all the factual documents located in one location. She asked Joseph Molnar to better explain this link. Joseph Molnar, offices on the Fourth Floor of the County City Building in the Clerk's Office, explained the variety of different documents that have been combined in this link including PARC minutes, budget documents, Park Bond documents, and Park Board minutes as well as other Elbel specific documents. The link can be found on the Council website and can be accessed by the public easily without acquiring a DropBox account. Councilmember Tim Scott explained he is supportive of this resolution but clarified it is an advisory and non - binding in its final recommendations. Councilmember Jo M. Broden explained this proposed committee would allow the various interested parties of the administration, council, and community to come together and develop a plan satisfying everyone's goals. She also reiterated that this committee is structured to allow input and information from those various parties. Councilmember Oliver Davis recommended that during Unfinished Business at the full Council meeting they choose their three representatives on the committee. This proposal was agreed upon by everyone. The public was given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the bill. No one from the public spoke in opposition. Those that spoke in favor: Paul Blaschko, 322 E. Colfax Ave Apt. 209, spoke in favor of the resolution and thanked the Council for bringing this forward. The needs of accountability and transparency are clearly going to be met if the proposed committee follows the resolution as written. He encouraged the Committee to move this forward favorably and expressed his hope of short term and long term solutions that leave everyone satisfied. Jen Betz, 511 S. St. Joseph St, reiterated the gratitude towards the Council for this resolution and felt the voices of the public have been heard. She has hopes the public has robust input in committee and expert opinion as well is sought after. The forty - five day period is very short but hopefully everyone will work at a good rate to get everything done. Kieth Carl, 25955 Fox Tail Trail, explained he understands how boards and committees are run due to experience. He expressed concern that the numbers he has seen today do not match the numbers put out into the public regarding Elbel Golf Course and that the two dollar a round subsidy that has been stated to the public is not accurate. He hopes the media or the Council will look into those numbers and find out what the true subsidy is. Sally Niezgodski, 17888 Amberwood Ln South Bend, also expressed her gratitude to the Council for bringing this resolution forward. She expressed concerns that forty -five days is a very short time and the timing is also very difficult because the preparations for the golf season is much earlier than when the golf season begins. She hopes the committee will recommend to look into more than just three years of financial data. Chris Cobb, 215 E Pokagon St 46617, echoed the gratitude that has already been expressed and offered some of his concerns that forty -five days is not long enough to do any complete environmental examination of the property as different animals come and use the area at different parts of the year. Also, public - private partnerships take longer than forty -five days to determine what is feasible and what is not. He was grateful for the information shared with the public and the open meeting rules that will be used but hopes the committee really involves and uses the various groups and interests who have expressed concerns about Elbel. Kathryn Osborne, 517 River Ave South Bend, reiterated appreciation for everything that has happened the past few weeks regarding this more collaborative approach to the Elbel issue. She stated recent coverage in the media that people who do not want to sell or lease Elbel don't understand finance or care about how much money it costs to operate the course. They are sympathetic to the financial constraints of the city and would not like to blame for the extra money needed to finance the course this year. The state of Elbels finances this year and last year do not reflect what a good marketing program can do for the park. She does not expect that whatever comes from this committee will be an enormous financial drain. She also pointed out many of the members of Elbel for Everyone are associated with Notre Dame and are good at research, she asked the proposed committee to please take advantage of that researching expertise. Margaret Pfeil, 511 S. St. Joseph St., added her thanks as well for the proposed resolution. She still thinks a longer term commission is still the best option to really gather the ecological data, working with other organizations, and other fact finding methods take months not days. Perhaps a composite vision that has not even been thought of yet can come from this and that takes time. She offered thanks for the link to the documents as they were difficult to find in other places and is a wonderful example of transparency. Susan Alexander, 2670 Brush Trail South Bend, explained her property is up against Mud Lake and she and her neighbors have public access. If the park is sold their public access would be removed. The transparency issue was a great concern of hers but she is very excited to see this committee take place. She stated during the past few years a lot of work has been put into the golf course that would throw the budgeting figures out of order. She commended the Elbel for Everyone group for all their hard work and positive collaboration. She asked the Council to use these engaged citizens to determine the best use of this property. Kristi Haas, 3808 Clidesdale Dr. Apt. 3b South Bend, thanked the Council for bringing this resolution forward. She expressed concerns about the bi- weekly schedule because a meeting every two weeks for forty five days really isn't very long. The committee should look into long term financial documents that show what has caused the recent decline in revenue. Going forward the committee should look into state and federal grants that may help provide the revenue needed. She expressed the goals that Elbel for Everyone wants to see from this committee are ecological preservation, education and youth programs, the history of the golf course, physical and mental health, recreational opportunities and eco- tourism. She recommended dividing the property land wise or also time wise. Jeff Botich, 11363 Nicole Dr Granger, stated on the Parks and Recreation website there is no mention of Elbel Golf Course and everything has been removed before any action has been taken on the course. He wants to know why that information has been removed. Councilmember Dr. Varner wanted to express that he heard reports that some members of Elbel for Everyone have made nonnegotiable demands. If the committee is going to look into working well and finding a solution that fits the needs of everyone, non - negotiable demands are not the way to start that process. Councilmember Dr. Varner made a motion to send Bill 16 -08 to the full Council with a favorable recommendation. Councilmember John Voorde. seconded the motion which carried by a voice vote of four ayes. There being no further business before the Committee, Chairperson Randy Kelly adjourned the meeting at 5:55 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, I c lz/ Randy K lly, Cha rperson 4