Park Board Minutes 2015 04-09-15Page 1 of 3
Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department
Park Board Meeting
ARC Building
201 W. Hydraulic Avenue
6:30 p.m.
April 9, 2015
Call to Order: Deb Horaz called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Roll Call: Deb Horaz ‐ yes; Kelly Sedgwick –no; Seaver Tarulis – yes; Mark Dilday – no; Amy Cesich
– yes; Dan Lane – yes; Matt Konecki – yes.
Introduction of City Official and Staff:
Tim Evans – Director of Parks and Recreation
Scott Sleezer – Superintendent of Parks (not in attendance, TJ filled in)
Shay Remus – Superintendent of Recreation
Other Guests: Diane Teeling, Alderman, Kate McNamera and Jessica Rachel Conover from Ginger Soul,
Inc.
Public Comment: None.
Presentation: None.
Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the March 12, 2015 meeting were approved. Motion to
approve the minutes made by Dan Lane and seconded by Seaver Tarulis.
Bills Review:
Bill List – April 9, 2015 – For review.
Budget Report –February 2014 ‐ Informational only.
Budget Report February 2015 – Informational only.
Old Business: None.
New Business:
License Agreement for 131 E. Hydraulic Avenue, Units A and B‐ Whitewater Ice Cream, License
Agreement for 131 E. Hydraulic Avenue, Unit C – Ginger and Soul, Inc. –
License Agreement for Whitewater Ice Cream has been postponed until the next meeting. Tim said the
board had approved an RFP in January for Unit C and received three people that submitted proposals
and two rescinded, so the city council rejected all of them.
Rachel Conover reached out to the city wanting to look at the building and I told her to put a proposal
together for the board. Rachel said she is an executive chef and her partner is Kate who is a chef.
APPROVED 5/19/15
Page 2 of 3
Rachel said they have been teaching in Sandwich, IL and the classes always sell out and there has been
great feedback.
Rachel said there was a Valentine cake decorating and there was not enough room in the classroom
because parents like to stay and it is a family event. Rachel said the schools are inconsistent with
scheduling and she would like to have space so that parents can sign up a month or two in advance and
have a reliable schedule and a good environment.
Rachel said they have a catering business Ginger and Soul as well, which we would be running out of the
building. Rachel said they might cook dinners for other companies as well. Rachel said they want to
advance their careers to be engaged with the community and have a learning experience that goes
along with food.
Dan asked if they would eventually sell food. Rachel said not immediately, but maybe down the road.
Rachel said retail hours make labor costs and there is not a lot of foot traffic in that area. Rachel said
maybe on the weekend, we could do limited bakery items and it is supply and demand. Rachel said right
now, the cooking classes and catering are going well.
Matt asked about painting, signs and landscaping. Matt asked what their vision is regarding those items.
Rachel said black paint and more boutique looking. Rachel said their resources are small, but there will
be a bit of landscaping and a small seating area that people could sit outside and have a snack and
coffee. Rachel suggested to move the dumpster to another location.
Deb asked about the color of the building. Tim said the city will work with them, as the city did with
Robyn. Dan asked about the rent. Rachel said it is feasible and splitting utilities with Robyn will help.
Tim said the agreement would be for 17 months and in a year, it will be re‐evaluated and renegotiated.
Dan said he likes working with Robyn because she likes being there and it is a good fit. Rachel said she
would like to incorporate the local farms and use their fresh produce and let the community know about
them. Dan said he really likes their ideas. Tim said let’s move forward with approval and send it to city
council. Rachel said she will let the Chamber of Commerce know they can hold meetings there and they
would provide coffee and pastries for the meetings.
Deb asked for a motion to approve the license agreement for 131 E. Hydraulic Avenue, Unit C Ginger
and Soul, Inc. Motion made by Seaver Tarulis and seconded by Dan Lane. Motion approved.
Reports:
Parks – Scott is on his way to Cuba to build a playground. TJ is here to fill in for Scott for Parks
questions. Tim said baseball started and getting fields ready is going on now. Tim said the south side
maintenance building is being renovated to allow more space for parks. Matt asked about maintaining
the Riverfront Park better this year. Tim said they had 2 employees leave and the city needs to see what
the new budget is from the new governor.
Tim said the city can get by this year and see what the new budget is and we will re‐adjust as we go. Tim
said that Riverfront Park and Town Square are a high priority to take great care of. Matt said it helps the
new businesses to have a good appreace in the parks. Seaver asked if there is a problem with the HOA’s
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doing something in the parks. Tim said have them reach out to the city and we can check the union
rules. Tim said there are volunteer groups that can help out in parks.
Recreation – Tim said this is Seaver’s last meeting. The board said they will miss him. Amy asked how
long he has been on the board. Seaver said 4 ½ years. Tim said Seaver is moving on to city council. Tim
said he emailed today the new catalog draft. The board liked it.
Shay said they advertise to all of school district #115 and Millbrook, Plano, Newark and Lisbon. Shay
said the Fox Valley Park District doesn’t offer the same type of league that we do. The board discussed
the softball teams and how the program is going. The board asked how many people need replaced on
park board. Tim said he will check and see what people have terms coming to an end. Tim said for now,
Seaver is the only one that needs replaced.
Tim said special events season is coming and he will send out a list of all the activities coming up. It will
be a busy summer. Tim said there will be a Fall Festival this year with different activities around October
2nd and 3rd.
Additional Business: None.
Adjournment: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:13 p.m. Motion was
made by Dan Lane and seconded by Matt Konecki.
Minutes Respectfully Submitted by:
Lisa Godwin
Minute Taker