Park Board Minutes 2007 07-26-07 Yorkville Parks & Recreation Department
APPROVED
Administration and Recreation Office
201 W. Hydraulic Street, Yorkville, IL 60560 630-553-4357
Park Board Agenda
Thursday, July 26, 2007
7:00 p.m.—Park Board Meeting
Administration and Recreation Office
Call to Order:
Ken Koch calls meeting to order at 7:02 pm
Roll Call: Ken Koch,Van Truman, Debbie Horaz, Kelly Sedgwick,Vickie Coveny
Introduction of Guests, City Officials and Staff:
Director of Parks and Recreation—David Mogle
Superintendent of Recreation— Sue Swithin
Superintendent of Parks—Scott Sleezer
Park Planner—Laura Haake
Alderman Plocher
Public Comment:
None
Presentations:
None
Approval of Minutes:
Minutes—Regular Park Board Meeting—July 12, 2007
David Mogle wants to amend the following. All places that say Park District should say
Parks and Recreation Department
Under old business first paragraph down it should read vision statement where it says
mission statement and mission statement where it says vision statement.
Under old business fifth paragraph down Mogle would like the verbiage to be "short,to
the point, and visionary" "and sweet" should betaken out of the sentence.
Under future staffmg needs on page three, second paragraph down it should say
"recreation supervisor" and not"supervision"and the eighth paragraph down where it
says the rationale is to meet the standard of 1 work per 20 acres it should read 1 worker
per 20 acres. In the next paragraph"carpentry"background should be changed to a
"trades background."
On page four the top sentence where it reads"there's a spot"the verbiage should be
changed to "a position is being recommended by staff for a recreation coordinator."
Page five last paragraph second to last sentence the word"direct"needs to be "direction"
and in the last sentence the verbiage should read the City may have to hold a referendum
if it wanted to levy a tax for these purposes.
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Page six the third paragraph down second sentence it should read"the director of the
United Way approached Mogle about finding funds to help those families."
Next paragraph first sentence verbiage should be amended to read, "Mogle said the City
needs to look at whether it would be more beneficial for the City to service small
amounts of the City's population or get involved in a special recreation organization."
Laura Haake would like to amend the new business section second paragraph down with
the verbiage"would be an"being taken out and replaced with"is an existing." Page five
eight paragraphs down where it says "a postcard has been sent"the verbiage should read
"a postcard will be sent."
Ken Koch wants to vote with the changes and then have Mogle go back through and
touch them up because we have to keep them on file. Mary will make the changes. Mogle
discussed the changes with Jackie Mishewski and changes we want made should be taken
to the Board and have all park board members present.
Van Truman makes the motion to approve the minutes of the Park Board Meeting of July
12th, 2007 with amendments made and Horaz seconds the motion. The motion was
unanimously approved by voice vote.
Bills Review:
Cash Analysis
Ken Koch points out that Home Town Days has it's own line item because it has it's own
budget.
Van Truman asks with the City changing over their garbage service he asks about all the
portable toilet charges. Truman wants to know how those charges break down. Sue
Swithin says that we look at that yearly and we missed the date for the deadline when the
City decided to change over to another company who did not have portalettes so she
continued to go to Waste Management(WM) for the portalettes for the remainder of this
season. Truman clarifies that the rates right now are better with WM. Swithin states come
this next Fall and Winter they will review that again.
Bill List
Debbie Horaz asks if they did the pond treatment every month. Scott Sleezer notes that
four treatments are done a year and it works well.
Van Truman notes that there are a large volume of checks and that are due for Home
Town Days.
Vickie Coveny asks if we go by fiscal year or calendar year and Swithin answers with
fiscal year.
Ken Koch asks for a motion for the approval of the Bills List. Kelly Sedgewick makes a
motion and Van Truman seconds the motion. The motion was unanimously approved by
a roll call vote; Koch-yes, Truman-yes, Horaz-yes, Sedgwick-yes, Coveny-yes.
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Old Business:
Parks and Recreation Dept. Vision and Mission Statements
David Mogle brings back the vision statement to the Board members and asks for any
changes and notes that he wants to keep it short. Mogle reads the vision statement as
follows: "To be recognized as an innovative and efficient parks and recreation system
skillfully maximizing a variety of resources to achieve its mission."
With amendments made unanimously by the Board the vision statement will now read:
"To be recognized as an innovative parks and recreation system utilizing resources to
their maximum potential to achieve it's mission."
Park Development Standards
David Mogle states that the park development standards dated 2007 will eventually
become part of the master plan. The plan tonight Mogle notes is to get feedback from the
park board and we'll go back and adjust it further and we'll bring it back for further
approval.
Laura Haake goes over the major changes between the 2004 document to the 2007
document. Haake explains that the first major change is the format because it was
changed to follow the same format as the landscape ordinance which follows the same
format as a lot of the City ordinances. They are actually trying to compile a book of
ordinances so they are all together and in all the same format because it is considered part
of a subdivision control ordinance; it still accepted into everything it just didn't quite
flow with everything else, Haake explains.
Section 2 - Open Space System and Guidelines: Haake explained that some of the
language was changed and some of the philosophies were taken out. Under part three,
recreational capacity, we wanted to have many community and neighborhood parks. And
under the community parks have those classifications but have the understanding that we
can have a small athletic complex that is only an acre. If you want to call it an athletic
park if you had something like botchy ball. Haake explained that she wanted to have it all
under one category instead of many separate ones.
Kelly Sedgwick wants to add some verbiage to #5 under land cash(on page 9) about the
areas of NO credit. Sedgwick wants to add"to remain public" in the section.
David Mogle states that they took out the verbiage "measured at the top of the bank"in
part b. of#5.
Mogle wants to change the verbiage in the first sentence on#4 to: We would prefer the
developer to donate the land cash for park development upfront . . .
The benefit would be that they would have that park facility in place for when they were
ready to sell homes. Truman doesn't think that is a big selling factor. Scott Sleezer gives
an example and explains if developers are willing to front fund this municipal building
fee we'll let them perhaps wait on the road fee or other fees. Sleezer notes that does get
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negotiated on at City Council and explains lot of time we have asked for that land cash to
be paid upfront for a lot of reasons and it's one of those that sometimes it worked and
sometimes it's negotiated for something else. Sleezer also states that if developers are
willing to pay front funding such as municipal building fees then it's a different fee if you
pay it later; it's a higher fee. Our fee is based on a set per acre price if we have that
ability. Truman explains that they can't account for debits and credits. Sleezer states that
this may be a way to defer costs for some builders.
Sedgwick wants to know how the City's land cash ordinance works and wants to know if
it goes up every year. Haake explains that they do assessments of municipalities and land
cash fees then they'll increase it per what the area is. Mogle states it's not locked in and
they look at that pretty closely. Truman notes that you'll never see the dollars listed here
because those are going to be kept in a rate table somewhere else because they're more
fluid than these documents intended to be. Koch thinks we should talk to every
developer about front funding that comes in. Sleezer said that they already do that.
Alderman, Arden Plocher feels that it would be better from a negotiating stand point to
come up with a number that could be front funded. It makes it more negotiable if it's kind
of an unsaid thing because if you get them to say I'll knock 10% off then everyone that
comes in will think that will happen. Plocher feels from a council standpoint that will
alleviate some of the negotiations that they have with them right now. Truman agrees and
states the only question is what value does it bring to the developer; that is tangible and
having that property in place and viewable for the potential resident to see. Truman states
that what it comes down to is the cost of capital and gives an example of what ever that
percentage is could be front funded and what ever the land cash is we'll discount it 3 or
4%.
Vickie Coveny brings up concern on page 7 of part section 3:C. Coveny states that parks
aren't just for children but they are for the elderly or for the people that are impaired and
in wheel chairs or for mothers pushing baby strollers. They are for all ages. She feels that
if you don't have pathways to the parks then those people can't get there to enjoy them
and it's those areas that really can't be defined as a neighborhood parks or community
parks. Truman states that we have walkways that connect our parks and some of the
neighborhood parks and we would want walkways depending on what amenities we have
situated there and we need to make some common sense decisions about that. Sleezer
said that they could add walkways and paths to link elements so people of all types could
get over to the area where there is something going on. Mogle said in practice they've
been doing that; it just hadn't been written down right.
Coveny also asks about the parking and Sleezer states that when they develop a site that's
when they look at parking. Sleezer doesn't want to just say, for example, if the park is
over five acres then we must provide ten spots for parking. Haake notes that when it's
been necessary we've added parking. Sleezer brings up the fact that all parks meet ADA
rules because Coveny brings up her concern that still people who are in wheel chairs
aren't able to reach the parks.
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Section 5 -Detention and Retention Basins: Haake states that they needed more
guidelines because the detention and retention basins that we were getting constructed
there weren't enough regulations. Haake notes a few more pages were added covering the
buffer yards.
Maintenance was expanded to give pretty clear guidelines as what's expected every year.
Haake notes that even if the City and Parks Department does not physically accept
detention and retention basins all of the landscape plans that are coming in are using
these guidelines to hold the developers to them.
Debbie Horaz wants to talk about ponds on page 15. She feels the builders should be able
to plant some trees along these. Haake states that they are required to plant trees if the
retention basin is in the rear or side yard of the lot. It doesn't always require planting but
Horaz feels it should be a requirement no matter what because it is inexpensive. They
should use the large rocks that they haul out of there to be used as part of the landscaping
and that wouldn't cost anything. Haake said that would have to go on the landscaping
ordinance so when they come up with any more revisions to that we can add that in.
Section 6 - Woodlands, Greenways, or Conservation Areas: Haake explains this was
added because after the woods that they started looking at in the Black Berry Woods
were in poor condition. Haake states that they created these guidelines for woodlands or
natural areas including or for site management in and along Black Berry Creek so that
they knew what we were looking for. We had to define healthy woodland and natural
areas, Haake noted.
Vickie Coveny states a concern regarding part 3C about the common chemicals used in
the woodland areas. Coveny's idea of woodland is that it is for nature and if we start
using chemicals and pesticides then we start harming nature including animals. Haake
explains we may not have a choice at some point because the USDA may regulate that
we have to. Haake goes on to say if they have a chemical we may have to use it and we
need the leverage to tell the developers that your woodlands infested and we need to
make sure that everything is out before we take over. This is something we are required
to have done by the department of agriculture. Sleezer said that there are natural practices
like what we did in Black Berry Woods however we have to give ourselves that option
depending on what we're faced with. Haake's biggest concern is that she doesn't want
the developer to never be expected to spend the money to do the proper management
techniques.
Section 7 - Planting Specifications: Haake explains it is to again outline what we are
looking for and expecting.
Section 8 -Pathways and Trails: Haake states that they are planning on expanding on this
more. We need to have this be cohesive with our master plan and another set of standards
before this section is finalized she explains.
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Section 9 - Playground Improvements: There were some details added in there that were
pretty simple, Haake states, however we talked about how the turf will be fully
established before the City takes property.
Section 10 -Developer obligations: This is just kind of a reminder to them of the things
that need to do, Haake explains. Haake asks that this be brought back next month with
changes. Koch wants to make sure Chris Rollins gets a copy of this.
Recreation Programs for Special Populations
David Mogle explains that this project has been going on for about a year. United Way
stepped in and donated money that would assist children in our community with
disabilities to allow them to participate in special recreational day camps which are quite
expensive especially for nonresidents. Mogle states that we have a policy that we pay the
nonresident part of the fee for certain programs such as day camps. United Way wants us
to come up with some kind of a number of people who would benefit in Yorkville so they
can get an idea of who could benefit from the special recreation programs.
Mogle shows a slide show covering statistical information on individuals with disabilities
residing in Yorkville. The City has to bring recreation services to these individuals and
funding alternatives. Mogle explains he would like the Park Board's feedback before he
takes it to the City Council.
Mogle went to the county records and it shows that eight hundred two children in Kane
and Kendall Counties are actively enrolled with the Illinois Department of Human
Services and ages 3-18 are currently participating. More than 5% of Yorkville children
are in special education courses. Seven hundred eighteen adults in Kane and Kendall
counties age twenty-one and over participated in senior services program for home bound
individuals. The statistics of mentally retarded persons in the state are over twenty
thousand. Statistically 1.8% of total population has developmental disabilities so two
hundred sixteen in 10% of Yorkville's population based on twelve thousand persons
would have some kind of developmental disabilities. Between the years 2005 and 2006
approximately four hundred fifty children were added to the population.
First step is to establish what we feel is a significant number of individuals in our
community that could benefit from special recreation services. How can we address that,
Mogle addresses? He explains first we could offer services through an outside special rec.
association such as Fox Valley Special Recreation Association (FVSRA) or through
Joliet — Bolingbrook Special Recreation Services (JBSRA). Without being a member,
both are very costly.
Next are the steps that would have to be applied to FVSRA membership.
a. Prepare letter requesting membership.
b. Agreement for admission would be created.
c. We'd have to have a certified copy of the ordinance approved by the City along
with signed agreement.
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d. There is a board of directors which is made up of 1 or 2 individuals from each
community involved in the special recreation and they would have to approve
Yorkville's admission.
What we figure what we'd pay is based on our EAV and right now our EAV is fourteen
hundred eighteen million dollars. The percentage of the contribution equals Yorkville's
EAV, the individual percentage divided by the total districts EAV. So they take all the
districts EAV and add them up and divide that number which is ten billion by our
fourteen hundred eighteen million dollars and that comes out to be 4.15%. Then they
would determine how much money they would need.
We're at about 4.15%which would put us at$52,000 per year. There is a$5000 home
exemption figured into this. For example for a home with an assessed property value of
$100,000 their annual taxpayer cost would be $40.00.
The JBSRA are not a true SRA and Mogle didn't have a lot of information on them. Each
of the communities is levying the tax because they had joined together by a contract
agreement. It's a little different than the FV SRA so Mogle doesn't know what it would
cost to join.
Another option would be to hire our own personal full time employee, such as a
therapeutic Specialist or a Recreation Coordinator, administration position, and the going
rate there starting would be $33,500 or a therapeutic recreation specialist starting at
$30,000. Mogle personally thinks that this is a better option.
Funding: There is a Park District code and a municipal code stating there is an ability to
levy a tax that is .04 cents/$100 of assessed value of property. This is a taxable value of
the property. That taxable property is going to be about a third of the market value.
Mogle says this is not a burdensome tax because it's not a large amount to fund our
contribution to the organization.
If we were to do this then levy requests are due the last Tuesday in December 2007.
Yorkville is still looking into whether or not the funding for this project will need to go
through referendum. If the request has to go through referendum the written referendum
is due sixty days prior to February 5th, 2008 election.
Swithin wants us to think of what our needs have been in the past and what our current
needs are and requests are for the future. Swithin asks with some of the camps and some
of the other SRA's other offerings can we even touch that and that answer is no because
of the nature of those programs and the angle and the way they are developed. They are
developed with Special Education Programs on individual kids. They will gain so much
more in atmospheres where there are other children and adults with the same situation.
There's so much more there. Swithin says a therapeutic rep. wouldn't be able to give
those individuals a 100%of what they needed. Children need that one on one even with a
full time person.
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Mogle believes that once an SRA is established people will use it. People are out there
that might not necessarily step forward and say oh yeah we have family members that are
in need of this program for various reasons. Once we get the word out we'll have
multiple communities involved and your regiments are giving benefits to the facilities
that are involving other organizations and we're providing facilities for them that are
doing programs over here. A lot of these special ed sources have transportation so we
don't have to worry about that issue.
Koch wants to see that we keep the option that we underwrite the out of network fees for
programs that we offer to our residents that aren't able to offer to that special needs
person.
Truman states so if a child wants to go to the camp he would pay the resident fee to the
Fox Valley and we'd pick up the out of resident cost is how we've done it.
Swithin says we have to be able to accommodate children if we offer certain programs.
Mogle feels that United Way Program funding may end. Mogle states that this is a very
special program and we're taking most advantage of it. So whether or not that program
would be here we'll have to put budget for it. The number of families that we serviced
last year to this year has doubled because more people know about it and five families
had United Way picking up their transportation costs.
Truman would like to find out the expenditures that United Way has covered for these
families.
Swithin will add to the questionnaire for residents the question: Does anyone living in
your household have special needs?If yes: Are they using or would they use the
facilities?
Board recommends that they receive the slide show in an email.
New Business:
Scholarship Policy Review for Special Recreation Programs
David Mogle brings back the Policy for requesting a reimbursement for non-resident
portion that was adopted last year. Mogle changed some minor grammar and under
general guidelines section he wants to add: Reimbursements shall be made following the
submittal of a receipt confirming registration for program or service. Reimbursements are
paid out after the completion of a program.
Van Truman would also like it to say reimbursements shall be made following the
submittal of the receipt confirming registration and participation in the program or
service. The other item Truman would like the next sentence to say: The following
programs and services are excluding preschool programs, travel trips, and vacation type
trips, contractual camps or overnight weekend trips.
Mogle will go back and take a look at it and perhaps strike the excluding part and bring it
back to the board.
Partnership Strategy Proposal
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David Mogle passes out the current material on partnerships for the boards review. This
is an actual proposal sent out by the Board previously. Mogle, Sleezer, and Swithin
talked about what direction it would take when people come to us with great ideas. The
idea would be to have some set of guidelines that we could we could sit right down and
say this particular organization wants to partner with us and this would be our strategy.
They want some kind of a checklist that they could go by and want criteria to go by to
pursue a partnership. Mogle stated they talked about this in the board retreat and just
wants to get it into a strategy type of form. Mogle's looking for board recommendations.
None given by the board.
Reports:
Director Report
David Mogle gives an update on the conversations with the Forest Preserve Board. They
were beginning to question the interpretation of the agreement and beginning to think that
the City needed to be in more of a funding situation for the first and last piece of land.
Mogle went back and looked at the agreement and feels it is very clear and doesn't say
anything about the City coming up with money. It says we are working in corporation
together jointly to determine how funds could be raised. Mogle wants the board to know
the situation and wanted them to know that it was just conversational at this point and
that they weren't really going to sit down to discuss it until the 15th of August.
Mayor, Valerie Burd, understanding is similar to Mogle's understanding in that she
thought they would take a portion of that 45 million dollar referendum, buy the land and
work an agreement out with the City were it would be we could have a lease agreement
with a low payment. We would be maintaining that large section of land and we would be
programming, active recreation, in that area. We won't maintain the property without the
agreement.
Parks Report
Scott Sleezer just wants to remind everyone about the town meeting on Monday on the
30th at heartland circle to talk about their park at 7:00 pm.
Sleezer also gives reminder about the parks open house also at the Heartland Circle on
Friday night.
Sleezer comments that the Cannonball event went really well. There were about 200
people.
Recreation Report
Swithin reminds Board of upcoming events. This Saturday night at the River Front Park
will be Fox Country Players performers will be there again.
Swithin announces that the fall catalog will be coming out the first part of August.
Kelly Sedgwick wants park designations to be gone over for the new members. Mogle
explains to Vickie that each member is assigned certain parks to focus on and when they
are out and about and to report on them.
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Additional Business:
Future Meeting Schedule &Agenda Items
David Mogle states that he is going to update this.
Adjournment:
Horaz makes motion to suspend this meeting at 9:38 pm and Sedgwick to seconds the
motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote to go into the executive
session.
Motion made by Sedgwick to go back into regular session and Horaz seconds the motion.
The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote to end regular session at 10:00 pm.
Next Meeting: August 9, 2007
Minutes Respectfully Submitted by:
Jamie Cheatham
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