Loading...
Park Board Minutes 2007 02-08-07 UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE YORKVILLE PARKS &RECREATION DEPARTMENT BOARD ME ETING Parks & Recreation Administrative Office Riverfront Building Thursday, February 8, 2007 MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order by Chris Rollins at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL: Chris Rollins, Ken Koch, Van Truman, Gary Golinski, and Debbie Horaz GUESTS/CITY OFFICIALS/STAFF: Dave Mogle, Director of Parks and Recreation Sue Swithin, Superintendent of Recreation Scott Sleezer, Superintendent of Parks Alderman James Bock Dan Kramer, regarding Edward Hospital Alderman Valerie Burd NEW BUSINESS: Edward Hospital Development The Board unanimously consented to move this agenda item next in the meeting schedule, Dan Kramer presented an updated drawing for the Edward Hospital area, City Council two weeks ago approved an annexation amendment for the Edward Hospital Project. This development starts at the east of the intersection of 126 and 71 and balloons out in a triangle and backs up against the Crooked Creek Subdivision. It is near the residential unit of Wildwood which contains half acre lots. On the other side of the ComEd tracks is more property owned by Fox Valley Farm Partnership which some is zoned multi-family and the rest is zoned manufacturing. It was all zoned R2 and originally would have included 250 new houses within the school district,but instead a clinic will be at the south entrance. The access will be cut through across from the subdivision already there. A traffic light will most likely be generated at that location, To build a hospital, state hearings are attended. If a clinic is under$6 million, permission is not needed. There is not a clinic south of the river. By the year 2020 there may be a need for two hospitals; the new Edward Hospital could fill this need. This could help the growth on the south side of Yorkville. The original Edward drawing showed a section of large lots with heavy wooded land. There is a heavy area of hardwood trees. With the planned amount of houses, about 1 acre would be generated for park land contribution. The hospital would like to match that contribution with an additional acre at no charge, maybe 3 total if it works out geometric- ally. It is open for discussion if through a grant or other means the entire 11 acre wooded �. area could be purchased by the City and stay undeveloped. The proposed annexation agreement states that if no one is interested in this land, the City has an 1 year option to apply for a grant. Another 90 days could be extended if a grant outcome is pending for the city. The wooded area was planned for residential development because when the land was purchased that area had to be included in the purchase. There was a neighborhood meeting of all that would receive legal notice and about 80 people attended. The Edward Management Team was there to answer questions. The team reassured the people that the residential area will have a high end builder so the lots will have buyers. The annexation agreement requires a minimum of 16,000 square foot, almost half acre lots. If the land does not become park,the agreement states that at the rear 50' of each lot, there are to be no live trees cut down for a conservation easement. Helicopters were addressed as a concern. This would not be a high level trauma center, so a busy month may have 4-5 helicopters. An average month may have 1 or 2 helicopters. This property will work with Parks and Recreation on preserving the wooded area for a large park area. Dave Mogle, Ken Koch,Debbie Horaz, and Gary Golinski attended the most recent City Council Meeting. At that meeting, Council spoke of trying to preserve the woods and talk of grants that would help with this. A meeting is set up on Wednesday with Corlands to visit and discuss the site and what arrangements would be needed for Corlands to purchase the site and hold it while the City applies for and awaits a decision on an OSLAD grant.. The OSLAD Grant is best for land acquisition with the possibility of a maximum $750,000 match. The grant cycle starts on July 15`and the ( approval would be known in January of 2008. In answer to how applying for a grant for the purchase of this property would impact our ability to apply for a development grant for another park, Dave Mogle said that separate applications could be submitted for a development grant and a land acquisition grant. According to our grant consultants applying for two grants does not impact us negatively. Dave Mogle said that the Edward group has been great to work with and very accommodating. Chris Rollins suggested looking into Conservation 2000 Funds as another option. Parks and Recreation could tandem with the Forest Preserve or file separately for passive and active area in woods. Edward Hospital is still open to the city managing the future fitness center. It would be built by the developer and leased to the city if interested. The interactions with Edward have been very positive. The value of the wooded piece for development is not assessed yet. A developer would decide the land worth. Dan Kramer is guessing the assessment of the land could be between 90-180 days. The land is pricey,but it is anticipated that a taker will not buy soon, giving enough time and opportunity for the land to become public. Sixteen acres could be used for residential and 11 acres are woods. Ken Koch questioned if part of the land could be used by the city if not the entire land. Mr. Kramer said that if the central section was preserved,probably 90% of the woods could be saved. The area to the south of this could be an active ark. There are no arks in this area of the city,p p so it would be nice to add an active park. If a developer puts in the suggested cul-de-sac, probably 30% of the trees would be cut down. The permit for the clinic and the highway access will be applied for during the summer. Construction of the clinic building should start by fall. Probably after this year, a hay cover crop will be planted to produce green land and help with erosion. Dan Kramer anticipates just the MOB in the next 2-3 years and the fitness center after that. Space would be available for 2 more offices. There may be a second clinic in 3 - 5 years, A 5 acre area within the Edward Development is still owned by the original owners and will be used for compatible office space, Two tree inventories were done and trees are tagged. The Corlands option would be short term. They are in the land preservation business, The Conservation Foundation is another resource. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes from the Regular Park Board Meeting of January 25, 2007, were approved on motion by Gary Golinski and seconded by Van Truman. The motion was unanimously approved, BILLS REVIEW: Cash Analysis & Bill List Alderman Marty Munns has officiated games for the Parks and Recreation Department ( for at least 3 or 4 years. Last year at the end of the season it was discussed whether it is allowable or appropriate under the City's Ethics Ordinance, to do this work for Parks and Recreation while being an alderman and voting on budget matters Sue Swithin on September 11, 2006, emailed the city attorney to look into the situation. A couple of weeks later Sue and.John Wyeth verbally spoke, and he said there were no legal issues with refereeing for Alderman Munns. Sue Swithin was not aware that later, the city attorney advised Alderman Munns (prior to this season) to not officiate games assigned by Parks and Recreation, Alderman Munns agreed to that. However, during this basketball season, Alderman Munn did officiate on two Saturdays when referees were needed and the games were in jeopardy of being without a referee. The referees for the men's league are contracted out, Chris Rollins provided some background on the issue. This issue came up while Dan Kramer was still the city attorney. At that point in time the discussion was if a person accepts payment from the City, one should not vote on city funding due to a conflict of interest. The Board according to legal advice understood that Marty Munns was not going to referee games at Yorkville activities It is a matter of policy that an alderman is not paid for city work, Chris Rollins expressed that it is not a matter of not wanting Marty Moons to referee for the City,but the concern that he may have repercussions to his actions related to his alderman duties. Sue Swithin wants to get in writing from the city attorney what the expectations are in this issue. Gary Golinski brought a letter from Dan Kramer when he was the city i �I attorney that stated that it was OK for Alderman Munns to work as a subcontractor for the city under the conditions of 1) earning less than $2000 a year 2) abstains from voting on money issues, 3) and he discloses that he is an alderman. Otherwise it is a violation of state statue. Van Truman said the last time this was discussed was after Council talked at length about the City's nepotism policy. Alderman Munns is clearly not violating the nepotisim policy,but it is questioned how this policy relates to the issue. Chris Rollins thinks it is the alderman's choice and his personal responsibility. Dave Mogle requested a copy of the letter from Dan Kramer from Gary Golinski. He will share this with John Wyeth. Related to elected officials serving as independent contractors, Alderman Burd stated her husband provides pictures for the city for free to address the nepotism issue. A note will be attached to the signed check for Marty Moons after Dave Mogle talks to the city attorney again. The Board will pay him. Van Truman motioned to approve the cash analysis and bill list. The motion was seconded by Debbie Horaz. Roll call vote: Chris Rollins–Yes, Ken Koch—Yes, Van Truman-Yes, Gary Golinski—Yes, and Debbie Horaz-Yes.. The motion was unanimously approved. OLD BUSINESS: SchooUParkAgreement and Tennis Courts Update To be courteous,the unanimous consent of the Board was to move this agenda item up while Alderman Burd is present. The Board is aware from the past board meeting that the School District would like to partner with the City to refurbish 6 courts by the middle school and to build 4 new courts on the land currently having a parking lot by Yorkville Grade School. To refurbish courts would cost between$70,000 and$80,000. About ( $35,000, maybe less because of the existing base, would build each new court without lights on the land of the existing parking lot 'There have been conversations with Dr. Englerr,Alderman Burd who acts as the liaison to the school board from City Council, and Dave Mogle. Dr. Engler wants the 6 refurbished courts started soon so they are ready for the fall. The new courts are not as high a priority. Valerie Burd said Dr. Engler gave the estimate of$1 10,000 for the 4 new tennis courts. Dr. Engler found a 1975 contract stating that the City and the School District would share the tennis court costs for the existing six courts. When Alderman Burd asked if City Council could help with the cost, the city finance director assured the City that money could be used out of the general fund for the tennis courts. As a result, Parks and Recreation would be free to use own money for own department projects such as the Raintree tennis courts. On Tuesday's Council meeting, a commitment letter will be proposed, stating that the City will do this. Some aldermen are excited for this opportunity and ready to add bleachers. The City could make the payment in June. The Board has been aware of the agreement with the School District and the City, and has helped finarrcially in the past. There is concern with the 6 courts and 4 additional courts being in an already congested area without adequate parking. The Board had discussed a 10 court plan on the west side of Game Farm Road, instead of putting so much money into courts in bad shape and taking more space in the congested area, Two objectives are to find the most efficient way to spend money and minimize the usage limitations between Parks and Recreation and the School District. The Board is worried of limited use of recreational access to courts on school property if Parks and Recreation does not help fund them. It is recognized that the City is jointly responsible for maintaining current courts. Ms. Burd stated Dr. Engler said it is cheaper to refurbish the courts and use an already graded site for the new courts. Also, his concern is that there are some underground utilities in the Park Department's proposed 10 court site. When Dan Kramer was asked about the area of land near the high school and who was meant to acquire it fiom the State, he believed that the grant from the State was only for the property of the footprint of the high school building. The city and the school jointly shared the cost of grading the land and bringing in utilities. The city has already paid that cost, Valerie Burd was told the building of the new courts would cost$10,000 less because the land was already compacted with the parking lot foundation. The City would contribute $40,000 for refurbishing (half of the cost) the original courts. Architectural plans have already been drawn and with the quick timeline for fall, the school wants these highly used facilities started immediately, Ms. Burd thought this was an ideal solution because the kids would get their tennis courts, 10 courts would be available by the fall, and Parks and Recreation could use their funding where they see fit. She is willing to entertain another option, but it would need to be done quickly for fall usage. ( Laura Haake had designed a rough sketch of Parks and Recreation's proposed 10 tennis court plan on the side of the high school. This was discussed at the last Parks and Recreation Meeting. Ms. Burd said the City is in a legally binding agreement with the School District, so $40,000 has to be given for the courts. The agreement is between the 2 contributors—the City and the School District, There is not a third contributor at this time. Van Truman asked what is Dr. Engler's long term goal. It sounds like the 6 courts are a given. A compromise could be that the original courts are refurbished this year and new courts are built across the street. When original courts are up for fixing again, then additional courts are built in the new location adding up to 10 total newer courts. Time and money of the City were put into plans for lighted tennis courts at Raintree (a site adjacent to the new middle school)which were courts the School District originally suggested. Just last month, was the first time the Board heard that the courts by the middle school were not a high priority anymore by the School District, Now the decision has to be made about refurbishing the courts which is an obligation the Board will abide by. Chris Rollins feels that more research should be done before decisions are rushed. During the tennis season, the School District knew the courts were bad, They should have come to the Board earlier for money for repairs to respect the Board's budget. Van Truman pointed out that the School District finished architectural plans without any input from the Parks and Recreation Department, When Raintree was planned, many meetings included the School District's input and suggestions modified the plans. Sue Swithin said the tennis courts were built in 1975 and have been sealed many rimes over. She would research what is the most cost effective method. Dave Mogle said the renovation planned will be almost like new courts. It was figured that the$80,000 in repairs could build 2 new courts. For 4 courts the cost was $110,000 on a parking lot which has an existing base. From a programming standpoint, Sue thinks it would be ideal for tournament play to have 10 courts together with lights. It would not be good to have separate courts across the street. However, Alderman Burd said a pedestrian bridge may be built eventually. Parking for high school events is so limited and that area gets filled for City Hall, Sue Swithin would not like things moved along so fast without the consideration of'building possibly 4 courts with expansion in the future. This would ease the congestion. Dave Mogle said that Dr. Engler is very committed to the 6 current courts whether the City is involved or not. If the City does not commit, then he would have to go to the School Board and decide if fees for usage would be charged. Valerie Burd said the City has budgeted in for$110,000 for the 4 new courts and will pay$40,000 to refurbish the 6 courts because of the agreement. Some of the money out of the general fund was loaned to the library and will be returned in June and used. Chris Rollins brought up the question that if or when the courts increase to 10, will Parks and Recreation or the City then be responsible in maintaining all of those. Alderman Bird does not know those details. Probably a new agreement will be made. The Parks and Recreation's proposed 10 court complex was shown to Dave Dockstader and Seth Schoonover,but not sure if Tom Engler had seen the plans or not. Dave Mogle will see Dr. Engler on Monday and will show him the 10 court plan as an alternative. Chris Rollins expressed his gratitude for Valerie Burd's time and considering the Board's budget. He is concerned of future responsibility of 10 courts and the maintenance costs that will be charged with little time to plan the budget. Chris Rollin's son plays on the existing courts. Mr. Rollins believes that they are not adequate for high school play. The 3 levels of bleachers are filled with tennis players and there is not seating for fans. Parking is a problem. Alderman Burd said the reality is that the School District decides where the tennis courts will be unless they can be persuaded otherwise. In good faith, the School District should hear,the benefits of the 10 court complex option. Grant possibilities may be available for the land across the street. However, time is needed for this. An option is for the City to help with refurbishing the 6 courts. Parks and Recreation could pay for 5 new courts across the street. Then long term, 5 more could be built to mirror the first 5. One half could be refurbished at a tine, with halfusable at that time. It would have to be decided on how to schedule and maintain these courts. Perhaps the School District could purchase lights for the new courts. A new agreement should then be written since the maintenance of the 6 older courts would be transferred to the new courts. A letter,of commitment for the 6 courts will be presented at City Council next week which the Board feels is appropriate. Ms. Burd will talk with Dr. Engler about the option of putting 5 new courts across the street, Alderman Burd addressed points regarding the discussion if the City would still commit to spending the $110,000 if the courts were at a different location with the possibility of gaining some money back if a grant went through. She said the idea was attractive to City Council because they would see the end result this year. The money would not be a seed for possible construction. Staff said 5 courts could be a possibility for this year. Laura Haake will be asked to design 5 courts without lights and bring the details back to the Board with numbers. Dave Mogle summarized that the 6 courts will be refurbished with the financial help of the City. Parks would like 5 courts across the street using supplemental (not parks and recreation) city funds to build them. Parks will look at the School District plans and the School District should look at Park's plans. Valerie will call Dave regarding what Tom Engler said when she talks to him before Tuesday night's meeting. According to Mr. Rollins, this is an example of why communication should improve with the two boards. The venue (a designated committee) to do this should be utilized more fiequently. The Parks and Recreation Board's mission is to provide the community with parks and recreational opportunities. There is synergy when partnering with another group for a single site. It makes sense to collaborate with the School District when developers give certain amounts of land. The park board wants to leverage all resources to the greatest advantage, so an effort to collaborate together on the part of both boards is ( important. OLD BUSINESS: General Policies for use of Parks, Fields, and Facilities The highlighted areas are changes that were requested, The second item on the list now adds, "with the exception of light weight plastic practice balls," The last item changed the head umpire to "Parks and Recreation employee, tournament director, or the representative of a private rental, will be the designee for acquiring the key for the electrical box and turning lights on and off according to posted instructions and for unlocking and locking the bathrooms," Ken Koch wondered if a person is needed to check the fields and turn off the lights. Scott Sleezer could be called electronically if lights are not off at a certain time. Timers could be used for lights to go off at a certain time. A security deposit could be used toward lights not being turned off in time. At the last board meeting it was decided that all tournament requests would be brought to the Board. Under Tournament Athletic Field Reservation Policy—B: Small Tournaments, now reads, "Athletic field reservation requests for small tournaments shall be submitted in writing at least 45 days prior to tournament date with a written response from the Park and Recreation Department guaranteed at least 30 days prior to the tournament date. Small tournaments shall include,but not limited to city-wide or county tournaments." The major tournaments still require 9 months prior to requested date. Point C - Special Requests changed by omitting"selling concessions (including items to be sold and their prices)" and adding"fundraising activities". Concessions will be offered to teams,but the Parks and Recreation Department will do the selling and collect the revenue. Sue Swithin has the discretion to have the concession stand open or not depending on the number of teams and games within a day. Under D -Procedure the last sentence reads, "Special tournament and use requests shall be approved by the Park Board." Motion to approve the General Policy for use of Parks, Fields, and Facilities was given by Ken Koch and seconded by Gary Golinski. Roll call vote: Chris Rollins–Yes, Ken Koch—Yes, Van Truman-Yes, Gary Golinski—Yes, and Debbie Horaz-Yes. The motion was unanimously approved. Motion to approve the Athletic Field Reservation Policy was given by Gary Golinski and seconded by Van Truman. Roll call vote: Chris Rollins–Yes, Ken Koch—Yes, Van Truman-Yes, Gary Golinski—Yes, and Debbie Horaz-Yes. The motion was unanimously approved. Motion to approve the Tournament Athletic Field Reservation Policy was given by Van Truman and seconded by Debbie Horaz. Roll call vote: Chris Rollins–Yes, Ken Koch— Yes, Van Truman-Yes, Gary Golinski—Yes, and Debbie Horaz-Yes. The motion was ( unanimously approved. Athletic Field Reservation Fees Van Truman questioned Point G and the third item. He wondered why half of the fees would be refunded if the game is cancelled. This is common for tournaments. Sometimes even less is refunded,because the fields are prepped, trophies are bought, etc. Games can be rescheduled though, for no additional cost. Chris Rollins questioned Point D in which states, "Public and parochial schools that provide school facilities to the City of Yorkville at no charge shall have free reserved use of City athletic fields." In the current agreement, Schools and Parks and Recreation can't charge each other fees. When police officers are provided, it is considered an exchange of services in-kind. Sue Swithin will keep track of fields and use of lighting. Lights cannot be charged as it stands. The city attorney will be notified to check with how the agreement reads. Also within Point D. the last sentence reads, "The Parks and Recreation Department may give consideration to the waiver or partial waiver of fees for youth organizations if deemed in the best interest of the City to do so," Chris Rollins thinks this is too broad of a statement that could pertain to most groups. Van Truman suggested that after organization, add `only provided for in an active agreement". Most of the last line of D is omitted, "if deemed in the best interest of the City to do so." YYBSA had not been charged for fields in the past. Parks and Recreation has not gained revenue from YYBSA. How will the issue of light charges be handled for YYBSA? If YYBSA hosts tournaments, there will be a light fee, Parks and Recreation has first priority for field usage after 8 p.m. YYBSA needs to be off the fields before the lights go on or the organization can pay a light fee for night games. A memorandum to YYBSA policy should be given to this group soon. Other organizations could book available night games if requested and granted. However, Scott Sleezer said that it takes maintenance an hour to prepare one field.. Ken Koch thought $25 per hour is high for the usage of lights for one field. In his research, he has found lighted fields for $10 or $15. If this fee is intended for YYBSA, the group needs to be notified promptly in case the league fees need to include money for lights or additional fundraising is needed. Other board members think the fee is reasonable. The first year is an experiment and will be a learning experience. Scott Sleezer reminded the Board that$400,000 was spent on lights. The lighting fees will help build a fund for replacement bulbs and other repairs As a courtesy, Dave Mogle did say that YYBSA could sell shirts and other non food items through the concession stand to raise revenue to help pay expenses such as light fees. On the last page, Ken Koch asked if a thud package be available for tournament play without lights. The difference between the listed packages of 1 and 2 is Package 2 has one less field on Sunday and no lights usage on Sunday. Package 3 was added and offers Package 1 or Package 2 without lights and $100 discount for either option of I or 2. Dave wanted to get input about Point E- Payment of Fees. "Groups reserving an athletic field on a seasonal basis shall be billed by the Recreation Department with payment expected according to the following schedule: one half by the first usage date, and one half by the midpoint of the season. At the end of the season, adjustments will be made and either an additional billing or a refund of fees paid in excess will occur, whichever is necessary." The Board is fine with this statement.. Point F with the security deposit changes seems reasonable. Staff will establish a fee for YYBSA. Chris Rollins suggested that a deposit formula be based on history of costs of repair and labor costs within field usage and multiply times two for the nicer fields. Scott Sleezer said with increased bathroom use, vandalism usually goes up too. By Sunday, Dave Mogle will edit the reservation fees and will have talked to Staff about the specific security deposit for YYBSA. He will meet with YYBSA on Sunday night. This will be brought back to the Board to approve. Grande Reserve Regional Ball Diamond Fence Three hundred foot fences are a possibility at center and the left and right fields at the foul lines are 250' or 260'. A fence of 280' throughout the outfield is another option,but that is not correct for a field. When measuring the fence, it should be from second base. Women's and men's slow pitch softball use measurements of 265' and 315', Pony League is 260' or 250' and 300'. Sue Swithin would recommend all 3 fields the same. l There is board consensus for the fields to be at 260' at left and right field corners and 300' at center field, for all fields. YMCA Partnership Update Andrew and Dave will have a conference call with a financial firm next Tuesday.. There are no more meetings scheduled with YMCA at this time. NEW BUSINESS: Brighton: Oaks II Draft Letter of Understanding Dave Mogle will communicate with Vince Rosanova through a letter that confirms that "the trail easement would be 50'and that a link would be made to the Yorkwood Estates Development to the northwest." It is recommended that this letter be sent. MPI South Draft Letter of Understanding Dave Mogle said relations with MPI South have gone well. The only questionable area is the following under Park Donations: "The Cash-In-Lieu contribution, or an equivalent combination of cash-in-lieu and grant funding, will be used by the City towards the construction of recreational amenities within or adjacent to the subject property unless otherwise agreed to by both Parties." Dave wants this changed because if for example,a community park is outside of the boundaries of the development,Parks can't use cash-in- lieu contributions for development of the park.. Chris suggested to rephrase the above, "It is our intent to use park donations within or adjacent to the development,but we reserve the right to use cash-in-lieu funds for a central facility that benefits all citizens in the community." This would provide more flexibility. Dave will write the letter and insert that language and bring it back to the Board. Annexation agreements require now a letter of understanding. This is the last chance of clarification between the developer presentations and the annexation. Chris Rollins encouraged Dave to contact the city attorney on how legal and binding these letters are and if any different language is needed. List of DedicationslRibhon Cuttings At the Board Retreat, it was discussed how to better relations with City Council by holding dedications or ribbon cuttings for new or renovated areas. Aldermen and the community would be invited to events such as open houses at Cannonball Ridge and Heartland Circle, completed offices at Old Post Office and the Regional Ball Fields with the new fences. Chris Rollins noted that he stopped by the Old Post Office and is very impressed. The walls look better than the original cubicles planned and the back door looks good. Additional Business: Rick Murphy and Dave Mogle met, and he seems positive on the fence funding. He will talk with Anthony Pasquinelli about it. He was giving suggestions on how Dave should write the letter to Mr. Pasquinelli. Fu Another letter included in the packet is addressed to Dave Duman from Dave Mogle. He will be overseeing the installing of the Regional Park ball. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10:15 p.m. following the motion by Van Truman and seconded by Ken Koch. The motion was unanimously approved. Minute Taker—Eileen Lesak