Park Board Minutes 2013 01-10-131
Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department
City Hall
800 Game Farm Road
January 10, 2013 at 6:00 p.m.
Call to Order: Deb Horaz called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Roll Call: Deb Horaz – yes; Kelly Sedgwick – yes; Seaver Tarulis – no; Mark Dilday – yes; Amy
Cesich – yes; Dan Lane – yes; Matt Konecki – yes.
Introduction of City Officials and Staff:
Laura Schraw – Interim Director of Parks
Tim Evans – Superintendent of Recreation
Scott Sleezer – Superintendent of Parks
Jeff Weckbach – City of Yorkville, Intern
Ken Koch – Alderman
Other Guests:
Bob Pilmer - Resident
Erick Goepel – River City Roasters
Robyn Sutcliff – White Water Ice Cream
David Mogle – Resident
Ryan Rusht – Geneva Kayak
Public Comment: Robyn Sutcliff stated a park district discussion is a good idea. She said when she
was an alderman it seemed like an impossible task. Robyn said with the cuts coming, people are going
to be surprised and upset. Robyn said she hopes to see this move forward. Mr. David Mogle said he
just wanted to sit in on a meeting.
Presentations: There were no presentations.
Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the December 13, 2012 meeting were approved. Motion made
by Dan Lane and seconded by Matt Konecki.
New Business: (Items are out of order)
Park District Information – Scott Sleezer said that Bob Pilmer served on this board many years ago
and was a great advocate for us and he has seen things from this side as well. Mr. Pilmer said he was
the school district liaison to the Park Board and he was also a school board member. Mr. Pilmer said
five years ago there was a small group of people that came together and looked at forming a Park
District in Yorkville.
Mr. Pilmer said at the time, most of the people in the group had young children in sports and activities
and they were looking for more things to do and more places to hold activities. The group looked into
how to form a park district. The Illinois Association of Park Districts was very helpful and provided us
with information. Mr. Pilmer said the group considered annexation into another park district. Mr.
APPROVED 2/21/13
2
Pilmer said after looking at annexation, the group decided against it because their facilities would not
be in our community.
Mr. Pilmer said the group decided to use the Yorkville School District boundaries when forming a
district. He said they looked at the city budget for Parks and Recreation and looked at different tax
rates and purposes of levying in a park district. Mr. Pilmer said ultimately, a petition has to be filed
and it goes to a referendum. Mr. Pilmer said under the best of circumstances, passing a referendum is a
difficult thing. He said that is why his group quit meeting because the economy was not doing well
and we didn't see it getting better any time soon.
Mr. Pilmer said a park district is to benefit everyone in the community from youth, teens and senior
citizens, so they looked into groups in the community we could reach out to, but we didn't end up
contacting them. Mr. Pilmer said he did speak to the Mayor of Plano at that time about combining with
Yorkville and they were not interested. Mr. Pilmer said there is a need for a Park District when you
look at other communities, most of them have a park district. He stated having a park district adds to
the quality of life of the community.
Mr. Pilmer said if a referendum is successful, we are looking at an intergovernmental agreement for use
of buildings and with the school district to use their facilities. Mr. Pilmer said with this economy,
passing a referendum could be difficult. Scott asked who can be on the committee, if elected officials
can be. Mr. Pilmer said it would be better if it was not. Mr. Pilmer said there has to be a coordination
as to when to place a question on the ballot and sometimes it doesn't work the first time, but that
doesn't mean it is a bad idea, it just takes more effort. Kelly asked how much more it would cost in
taxes. Tim said for an idea, in Oswego he pays $225.00 year on a $150,000 town home. Laura said
most are .38 to .48 somewhere in that area per hundred dollars.
Mr. Pilmer said some of that group might still be interested to help and he said there will be others
interested just invite them. He said to get a smaller group initially to get things going then eventually,
form a larger committee to do certain tasks and get the word out to voters for a successful referendum.
There was a discussion about if the city can transfer property to a district and needing a district to
attract people to move to Yorkville. Kelly said this needs to be explored because when people find out
what is being cut, they will be upset and want to vote for it.
There was a discussion about asking Newark/Millbrook to join with Yorkville in a district. The board
said there are some legal questions that they need answered in regard to who can be on the committees
and going forward and staff involvement. Mr. Pilmer said he would suggest to contact the Illinois
Association of Park Districts and get whatever information they have. Tim said there are those who
voted to buy the REC Center and they would be supportive of a park district.
Old Business:
Riverfront Business Lease for Whitewater Ice Cream – Laura stated a copy of the lease is included
in the packet. Robyn has looked it over and approves it. Dan asked the rental cost per month. Laura
said it is $200.00 per month and 5% of sales. Motion was made by Kelly Sedgwick to approve the
lease and it was seconded by Mark Dilday. Motion approved.
Riverfront Business Lease for River City Roasters – Eric said that a rough guess on the number for
the city's 5% is around $3000.00. He said his rent is $250.00 per month. Deb asked about the guitars
3
being in there and if rent is collected from him. Eric said no, it is just a showplace and if a guitar sells,
the city gets 5% of sale. Eric said there will be about another $50.00 added to the $3,000 from guitar
sales. Motion made by Dan Lane to approve the lease for River City Roasters and it was seconded by
Kelly Sedgwick. Motion approved.
New Business:
Lease Agreement Extension for Geneva Kayak –* Laura said in 2011, which wasn't a full year, the
city collected $18,000. Laura said they do not have the 2012 numbers yet and the city is now looking
at renewing the lease for another two years. She said the current lease agreement has a 5% concession
fee and a 20% revenue, which includes trips and classes.
Laura said there was some damage to the building from a storm that wasn't repaired for a few months
and there is still a lawsuit going on with the chute, so things are not in the best condition. Bart Olson
suggested instead of 20% we should ask for 15% and if things continue to grow, the city will get that
back. Laura opened things up for a discussion. Rent is $250.00. Kelly asked about the signage for
their business.
Laura said in the summer it was discussed putting a sign along Route 47 for those businesses, but now
there is construction, so we can't do that. Kelly asked if he could put a bigger sign on his building, so
people could see it from the road. Laura thinks that off site signs will help. Deb asked Ryan about him
verbally agreeing to a name change to Yorkville Recreation Center. Ryan said for a while he was
looking at selling the business and the name would have changed.
Ryan said they are open to a change to Kayak Center of Yorkville. Ryan said this year with low water
levels and improvements being separated from the park and the economy, our revenue numbers have
been below what we expected. Ryan said after looking at selling, we determined to go forward and
work through these issues. Ryan said their main revenue comes from other adventures, which don't
have a lot to do with the Yorkville locations. Ryan said the adventure trips take place under Geneva
Kayak. Matt asked about this being kind of a brand name. Ryan said yes, so changing that overall
would have a negative impact on our business.
Ryan said here in Yorkville what we call it would be fine, as far as signage on the building. Ryan said
he would be fine with that. Ryan said there has been very little business since October business is in
winter mode, which will pick up in the spring. Matt asked about the difference between the old
Geneva location and here in Yorkville. Ryan said the water is better here, but the retail was better there.
Matt asked if there was a name change it would negatively affect your business. Ryan said the
branding needs to be the same. Our business is expanding on the Georgia coast and Lake Superior in
Chicago it is highly focused on Yorkville and the river and a flat water spot to teach classes. Ryan said
to change the overall name of the business would be negative. Matt asked how can you incorporate
Yorkville that would create a buzz for you. Kelly said Geneva Kayak in Yorkville, but for the city to
demand to change the name is out of hand.
Dan agreed because we want him to be successful. Ryan said it is not a secret we need to build what is
working hand in hand with the chamber to build what we have going on here in Yorkville while
maintaining a regional appeal. Unfortunately, the whitewater festival this year the river was
dangerously low. Ryan said he is open for ways to do that. Kelly said kayakers will come to his
4
business whether Yorkville is in the name or not. Ryan said on the website we do refer to the Yorkville
Outdoor Center and it is a center people come for recreation and education and courses. Deb stated she
agrees to that and the board agreed. Laura asked about the percentage change. The board agreed to
drop it to 15%.
Bills List 1-10-13 - Dan asked about All Star Sports and if the city makes money. Tim said yes. Matt
asked what the concrete charge was for. Scott said it was work at Raintree B. Scott stated concrete
cost has gone up and it will go up even more next year. Dan asked about the license fee. Tim said it
was licenses for different cover bands. Deb asked about jacket costs. Scott said it was for a new
employee. Deb asked about conference registration fees being different. Tim said each person is
attending different events at the conference and some attend one day and some attend two. Motion
was made by Kelly Sedgwick and seconded by Mark Dilday to approve the bills list. Bills list was
approved.
Park Board Budget Report November 2011 – This is for informational purpose for comparison.
Park Board Budget Report November 2012 – This is for informational purpose for comparison.
New Business:
Strategic Planning - * Laura said she included from July 2011 strategic planning in the packet. Laura
said we put things on hold because of the REC Center. Laura said we can set a date after we have
IAPD here to answer our questions about the park district. If the board wants to go in the direction of a
park district, the city might get rid of the parks and recreation department all together.
Kelly said it sounds like the city is going to eliminate parks and recreation no matter what. Laura said
it could go that way. Laura said the board can look into it and go for a park district, but if it fails the
city could say we are done and close it down. Laura said the city is in charge of the budget. Matt
asked why would they do that. Laura said to have money for roads. Dan said he doesn't think they will
do that.
Laura said we really don't know what they think and if they would support going for a park district.
Deb said we should have done this before because by now something would have happened. Deb said
every time we wait, things get worse. Laura said it would be wise to know if the public is behind this.
Kelly asked if the park board can investigate forming a park district. Laura said yes, ask IAPD
questions, but the board needs to communicate with city council. Deb said this is like an election it has
to be a grass roots movement. Laura asked if the board has people who want to do a district and if they
have support.
Dan said when things are done in school districts there are companies that come in and tell you how to
do everything. Laura said that is what she is suggesting. Kelly said we need more information before
going forward. Laura said she would like to get IAPD to meet with the board next month or in March.
Laura said we are looking at 2015, which is a year and a half. The board agreed to put off the strategic
planning until we meet with IAPD.
Dan said it is good that this happened because a lot of people had no clue what has happened and now
that things are gone, they will be upset and it will help our cause. Kelly agreed.
Reports:
5
Director – Laura said there is a time line when the budgets will be coming out in the packet. Laura
said on EDC we asked to revise the city code so the city doesn't have to have only three liquor licenses
per year because we would like to do some of the Music Under the Stars ourselves, so we asked for an
amendment to help with our special events. Scott said it goes into the budget so if programs don't meet
expectations, it will balance out.
Deb said she thought extra revenue goes back to the general fund. Scott said it does, but if we need
something extra we can use it. Laura said we don't want to be under budget. Tim said the city could
not have Music Under the Stars if we didn't have wine nights. Laura said it justifies special events
because it doesn't cost anything. Deb asked if we can keep money from the businesses downtown to
put toward a playground. Laura said she asked and has not received a response. Tim said those
businesses are a part of our budget. Tim said if there is a surplus at the end of the year, that would be
okay.
Recreation – Tim said basketball starts games this Saturday. The catalog will be coming out next
week, it was delayed with the REC Center change and it will be interesting to see what people have to
say after the letter in there from the Mayor. Tim said the REC Center will be month to month sign ups
now.
Parks – Scott said the trucks will be red and white now and updated. Scott said they are getting power
coated and red will hold up better and hide rust better. Scott said Laura and I walked Clark Park and
we are going to cut out invasive species and that grant should be done and completed in one year.
Scott said most of it is honeysuckle and it is huge. Scott said there are some downed trees to remove
also. Scott said the city will probably survey the property so that there will not be arguments with
property owners.
Scott said it is a great site with some unique features and will be a nice park when we are done. Scott
said he hopes to have it complete by December this year. Ken asked about a grind rail taken. Scott
said the fence at bridge will have to be fixed. Bristol Station Park has some damage from burning and
we have sent notice to two juveniles stating we want them to pay for the damage. Scott said sometimes
we get restitution. Scott said there are things that happen from time to time and there are things built
into the budget knowing things happen.
Additional Business: None.
Adjournment: There being no further business, motion was made by Mark Dilday and seconded by
Matt Konecki. The meeting was adjourned at 8:13 p.m.
Minutes Respectfully Submitted by:
Lisa Godwin
Minute Taker