Park Board Packet 2006 05-25-06YORKVILLE PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT
Administration Office—Riverfront Building
301 E.Hydraulic St Yorkville,IL 60560 630-553-4341
Park Board Agenda
Thursday May 25, 2006
6:OOPM — Town Meeting
7:00 p.m. — Park Board Meeting
Riverfront Building
Town Meeting(6:OOPM start time): For the purpose of inviting public input on
plans fora park site in the Prairie Meadows Development.
Call to Order:
Roll Call: Chris Rollins, Ken Koch; Van Truman, Tammy Smock,
Gary Golinski, Alderman Paul James, Seth Schoonover
Introduction of Guests, City Officials and Staff:
Mr. Seth Schoonover, Athletic Director, Yorkville School District
Executive Director of Parks and Recreation— David Mogle
Superintendent of Recreation—Sue Swithin
Superintendent of Parks—Scott Sleezer
Public Comment:
Presentations:
Hallmark Homes-David Branch
Bristol Ridge-Jim Menard
Approval of Minutes:
Minutes — May 11, 2006*
Bills Review:
Cash Analysis*
Bill List*
Old Business:
Park/Public Works Administration and Operations Center
Conceptual Design Progress Report
Fall Board Retreat
Park Board Park Assignments*
Old Post Office Rehabilitation and Use for Offices
New Business:
Park Naming Request*
Reports:
Parks Report
Recreation Report
Additional Business:
Executive Session:
For the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline,
performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body
or legal counsel for the public body. (51LCS 120(1))
Adjournment:
Next meeting: June 8, 2006
Items needing Board approval or recommendation
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UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
YORKVILLE PARKS &RECREATION DEPARTMENT BOARD MEETING
Parks & Recreation Administrative Offices Riverfront Building
Thursday,May 11,2006
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER:
Meeting was called to order by Chris Rollins at 7:02 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
Chris Rollins, Ken Koch, Van Truman(left at 8:20), Tammy Smock, and Gary Golinski
GUESTS/CITY OFFICIALS/STAFF:
David Mogle, Director
Sue Swithin, Superintendent of Recreation
Vicki Morkert
Mike Morkert
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
None
PRESENTATION:
None
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The minutes from the April 27, 2006 Board meeting was approved on motion by Van
Truman and seconded by Gary Golinski. The motion was unanimously approved.
BILLS REVIEW
Cash Analysis & Bills List
Two items were added to the bills list—Blackberry Oaks Golf Course for 170 golfers in
the amount of$9,340.86 and Ralph's Place for beverages, lunch,and dinner in the
amount of$8,361.48. Next year Sue Swithin will bring this to the Board before the event
to establish a"do not exceed amount."
There were checks for$4,000 and$2,310.35 for six park signs. In the future Gary
Golinski recommended putting the park names in the description.
There was a check for$896.06 for a new wheelchair swing at Hiding Spot Park to replace
the old one.
The check for$2,803.00 was for computers on the asset replacement program. Two
computers were added at the recreation office.
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Gary Golinski motioned to approve the bills list with the addition of the two checks to
Blackberry Oaks Golf Course in the amount of$9,340.86 and to Ralph's Place in the
amount of$8,361.48. The motion was seconded by Ken Koch. Roll call vote: Chris
Rollins-Yes,Ken Koch—Yes,Van Truman—Yes, Tammy Smock—Yes, and Gary
Golinski—Yes. The motion was unanimously approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
Regional Ball Diamond Landscaping Plan
There was an individual next to the regional ball diamond wanting a stockade fence. To
do this is very expensive, however. Instead, a landscaping plan was designed by our park
planner to act as a buffer. The developer agreed to put in the landscaping at his cost as
long as the cost is reasonable. It will cost approximately$5,000 for materials and another
5,000 for mulch and watering. The landscaping plan will be passed on MPI.
Currently,the homeowner has a white rail fence around their pasture area. The added
landscaping area should look very nicely and should detour people more to stay away
from that area. People may stand against a fence, but they usually do not stand in the
middle of landscaping. Although the landscaping may be small when planted,it will
grow so that the view is blocked more. By the individual's request,the grass on the park
side of her property will also not be cut. And for the safety of the horses,the park
planner made sure that none of the landscaping was poisonous to horses. This plan will
be shown to the individual.
Old Post Office Rehabilitation and Use for Offices
The City owns the old post office and it has been vacated since the opening of the new
one. It is 3,000 square feet of space. The mayor suggested having Parks and Recreation
and the Building Department share this facility. David Mogle does feel that it is practical
to have the staff altogether, rather than spread out through the City. He would like to
approach this with interest. He would,however, like to have the whole building for Parks
and Recreation only as it would help with program space too. It was suggested to make
the building into one big room and use cubicles to divide it up because if the New Life
Church became available to purchase it would be an ideal situation for program space.
The Riverfront Building then could possibly be used by the Building Department.
Chris Rollins indicated that if Parks and Recreation must share their space,then they
would prefer to share it with community development or someone that would have
synergy with them. However, community development works very closely with
engineering so they would like to keep that department at City Hall.
The expenses have not been settled yet. They have not figured in moving and the cost of
cubicles. According to Sue Swithin, staff is receptive to the idea. It should be an easier
move this time and they are already at capacity where they currently are. If they move,
however, Sue Swithin would like to have a community room in the facility, which would
make it very hard to share the facility. The new phone system would need to be moved
over along with networking. And she also believes the windows need to be made larger,
knocking out cinderblocks, in order for the facility not to feel like a dungeon. She would,
though, still like to have the Riverfront Building for the Board meetings.
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Tammy Smock wanted to note that the old post office is not a great location for children.
The first reason being that it is right on the river and there is no barrier to keep the
children from running into the water. Fencing can be put up on one side of the building
to keep children away. The other side, however, is privately owned. There would not be
parking on that side of the building then too. The second reason is that there is
questionable housing on one side of the building. It is thought that there are people on
the sex offenders list living there. Sex offenders are not allowed to live within a certain
distance of schools, as established by law. Staff will need to check to see if this applies to
all childrens' activities or only schools and what liability the City would have.
The Board discussed the potential for the area. On that topic David Mogle suggested that
the island in the river would make a fantastic park with a bridge to the island.
The Board agreed that renovating the building should be done since they would need to
renovate any building that they would move into. Chris Rollins suggested that they could
possibly leverage a partnership with a developer that they may not want the land cash
contribution. Instead,they can ask them to participate in the renovation of building. This
would give them some funding to do more than just the minimum basics to it. It does not
make a lot of sense to acquire a building like that without doing the windows, etc.,to
make it useful long term for a variety of purposes. It will also be cheaper to do it with
2006 dollars rather than 2010 dollars. Unfortunately,-they have not anticipated this type
of expenditure.
With the garage, it would be nice to someday have a number of facilities along the
riverfront that would all be within walking distance of each other. A teen center is
definitely needed in the City. Using the old post office will not conclude the idea of
using the garage.
Since we will not need rent paid on the current facility and Harold Oliver was going to
help with the rent for five years, he may want to help Parks and Recreation renovate the
old post office building.
Forest Preserve DistrictlCity Land Use Agreement
There was a suggestion several months ago to swap the 88 acres along Blackberry Creek,
currently held by Corlands,with the forest preserve district in order to own the 60 plus
acres at Hoover for program space for the City. According to our grant consultants, This
could never be possible because of the funding mechanism that is purchasing that
property. The City can only lease it. The 88 acres can be used as a match for an OSLAD
grant as long as it has not been deeded to the City. Also, eight of the nine parks in Grand
Reserve have not yet been deeded to the City. Those parcels not deeded to the City can
be a match for a grant. It is possible that Parks and Recreation may be able to use some
of this land as a match for the grant that is funding the renovation of Prairie Meadows
Park.
Chris Rollins is very interested in finding out the boundaries of what the agreement will
be with the outdoor education center. There needs to be a defined relationship in place
and understand what ownership means versus stewardship versus use and management.
It was the understanding of the Board that the City would get use of the open space areas
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there and that they would be able to program,use, and develop that space. It definitely
needs to be settled if the forest preserve states that there is some restriction on the City
doing this because of the ownership issue. The Board is under the assumption that they
will be able to use their property at Hoover fully so they were doing less at other park
places. The City is making a payment to the forest preserve,to contribute to the Corlands
holding fee, and they need to know what they are buying with it. They are paying for the
use of 60 plus acres but there is no written agreement stating this or of what limitations
there may be. Although the forest preserve is willing to let the City make any changes to
the concept plan,this may also mean that the forest preserve can also make any changes
that they want too. Parks and Recreations needs to know what the lease constitutes. If
they are using the citizen's money to make improvements there,the agreement must be a
99 year agreement without interruption. Theoretically,this was a good partnership
because the county's business was passive recreation and the City's business is more
active recreation.
December 31,2007 is when the Boy Scouts will vacate the area. The forest preserve is
also talking with the Boy Scouts about a lease agreement after they vacate in 2007. After
2007 Parks and Recreation will need to push forward to make it useful. Development,
time, and economic pressure out there are mounting. A plan must be put in place in order
to even make the space useful. Parks and Recreation needs to emphasize that there needs
to be more.definition in the agreement and a sense of urgency.. The Board would like to
see the original agreement, which must be somewhere. David Mogle will continue to
research this. Chris Rollins suggests that the City Attorney be involved in this.
School district Liaison to Park Board
It is official that Seth Schoonover,the athletic director,will be the School Board's
liaison. David Dockstader will be the alternate. David Mogle will encourage Seth
Schoonover to attend the next Board meeting.
Golf Outing
Gary Golinski wanted to share with the Board the wonderful job Sue Swithin and her
staff did with the golf outing. It was a good time and well done.
Catalog
Chris Rollins also wanted to complement the catalog. It is nicely done. Tammy Smock
suggested adding a card, as the Fox Valley Park District does, highlighting the
accomplishments of Parks and Recreation for 2005-06. The public may not know about
all that is available and what has been done. Sue Swithin suggested possibly doing two a
year—the first one highlighting parks and the second one highlighting recreation. Gary
Golinski thought that the Board's e-mail addresses should be added in the catalog or on
the webpage.
NEW BUSINESS:
Town Square Vendor Request
Mike and Vicki Morkert requested to be a vendor in Town Square for the summer. Their,
business name is Java Plus. They have a portable gourmet coffee machine that makes
Lattes,Mochas, espresso, cappuccinos as well as hot chocolate and chi tea. They also
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make fruit smoothie blasts and kids kremes. They would be a beverage/repackaged
dessert vendor only.
Before this request was granted, Sue Swithin wanted to confirm that any changes to the
provided menu would be approved by her. She also wanted to confirm that they follow
all health department issues, and that she receives a copy of their licensing. She informed
them that they may need to be rotated around the park for the purpose of the turf wear
and tear. She asked that they have a consistent time that they are there and to notify her if
they want more or less time. She also informed them that there is a seasonal fee to be a
vendor at the park. Sue will check on the availability of electricity as using the City's
electricity would probably look better than them using a generator.
Java Plus will be under a 10 foot by 10 foot white canopy tent that will be set up daily,
Monday through Friday. The coffee will be on a cart with a couple of tables set up for
the blenders, coffee, etc. Chris Rollins wanted to stress the importance of maintaining
the appearance of the park as Town Square is a special park for Yorkville.
Tammy Smock did want to make sure that everything Java Plus used was within the 10
foot by 10 foot tent and that there was consideration towards the Hahns,who have been
setting up in the park for years. Vicki Morkert assured Tammy that everything that they
use will be..within the tent and that they think highly of the Hahns. In fact,they are not. ...
selling water and soda, as they usually do, since the Hahns sell it.
Sue Swithin offered Java Plus to come during Music Under the Stars,which they will
consider. Sue Swithin will also check to see if Java Plus could sell prepackaged
chocolate chip cookies. Garbage cans are provided for the consumers, but Java Plus'
garbage must be taken as they leave. Only one sign per vender is allowed in front of their
operation. Signage within the tent and a banner attached to the tent is okay.
The Board unanimously agreed to accept the application.
Park Board Officers and Park Assignments
Chris Rollins wanted to state that an important part of the job is making sure that the
parks are well kept. The Board needs to be the eyes and ears for the park. Poor condition
of the parks gives an overall impression on the community.
Ken Koch nominated Chris Rollins for Board President. Tammy Smock.seconded the
nomination. Chris Rollins nominated Ken Koch for Board Vice President. Gary
Golinski seconded the nomination. The Vice President will chair the meetings in the
event the president cannot.
Tammy Smock nominated Gary Golinski as Board Secretary. Chris Rollins seconded the
nomination. The Board Secretary may need to get the minutes from other meetings, be
the official minute taker in the event the minute taker cannot make it, and be the minute
taker for executive sessions.
Chris Rollins nominated Van Truman as the Board Treasurer. The Board Treasurer will
act as liaison with the City Treasurer and as the point person on discussion of the budget.
5
The Board unanimously agreed to the elected slate of officers.
Each Board member randomly received one planning area that was high density and one
area that was low density. The park assignments are as follows:
Ken Koch:Planning Areas 1 &4
Chris Rollins: Planning Areas 8, 10, & 6* (*Area 6 will go to the new Board member)
Gary Golinski: Planning Areas 2 & 7
Tammy Smock: Planning Areas 11 & 5
Van Truman: Planning Areas 9 & 3
A list will be typed up indicating the parks in each planning area and which Board
member has which park.
IAPD Membership
Yorkville can join the Illinois Association of Park Districts as long as the yearly dues of
557 are paid(this years cost is being prorated from June 1). Based on what all that the
association has to offer, it would be worthwhile to join. This will put Yorkville in the
directory to get networking opportunities and it will benefit the Board members. The
benefits..of association.membership are.legal.services,.:legislative advocacy,.financial ..
management services,public visibility for our programs, and staff searching. They have
lots of publications and videos and are very in touch with what is going on in the
municipal parks and recreation industry. The Board unanimously agreed to join the
IAPD.
YMCA10ty Partnership
The YMCA contacted the Mayor and a meeting was held with the YMCA Executive
Director and the YMCA Board President because they wanted to inform the City that
they plan to build an east YMCA on 4.4 acres of land from land donated by MPL They
were inquiring on the interest of the City having a partnership with them. One concern
was if there would be duplication or conflict. David Mogle believes it is worth looking
into seeing if there was something that Parks and Recreation could cooperate with
especially since Yorkville is facility poor. It would be an indoor facility across from a
great outdoor facility that the City owns.
Chris Rollins indicated that he is not opposed to something like this. The agreement,
though,would need to be very specific on what they plan to do with the YMCA and what
they expect to get out of it. Because the YMCA is a very aggressive fundraiser,
especially in the corporate realm,the corporate people sometimes get preferential use of
the facility over the general public people. Parks and Recreation would need to make
sure that the public get the full value.
Soccer and basketball are two areas where there would be duplication. Sue Swithin
indicated that Parks and Recreation and the YMCA still share programs. So where the
YMCA is strong, Parks and Recreation lets them stay strong. Where Parks and
Recreation excels,they will continue their program to excel.
6
1
The location of the new YMCA will be closer to Montgomery than to most Yorkville
residents. The concern is that there will be more Montgomery citizens than Yorkville
citizens at our park, especially since Montgomery does not have much for recreation. If
Yorkville does a program at the YMCA,there may be more non-residents taking
advantage of the program. There would need to be some control through registration
with a reduced fee or preferential scheduling time for Yorkville citizens in order to agree
to do the program there.
Tammy Smock wanted to caution that Parks and Recreation currently sits well respected
in the community for what they offer in terms of services and her concern would be
whether partnering with the YMCA could change the way the public perceives us. She
feels that Parks and Recreation would only make the YMCA look better. The level of
upkeep and maintenance would also need to be up to Parks and Recreation's standards.
On a side note,David Mogle wanted to mention that he felt that the old Lions Club pool r
that was run by the YMCA before it closed would make a great city park. Granted,the
pool would need to come out. The land overlooks the river and it would make a great
place for tennis courts or a splash playground. It is something to consider since it is a
prime piece of property. The dispute on the ownership of the property has yet to be
resolved between the Lions Club and the YMCA so it was recommended to be cautious
on.this. . . . .: .._
REPORTS
Angie Alwood was hired for the toddler/youth/teen/active adult day-to-day instructional
classes. She comes with much experience. She will start on May 22,2006 and will be
invited to a Board meeting. The hiring of an athletic coordinator is taking a little longer
than expected. The position should be hired out by next week before soccer season starts.
Yorkville Congregational Church increased the cost for the rent by$100 more per month.
It still is very reasonable to be using this facility. In fact, every year they seem to give
Parks and Recreation more space. It is a good partnership. The Board gave their
approval and it will be brought to the mayor.
The recalled swings should come in any time now. The signs on the poles indicate that
the swings should be back so people are starting to ask where the swings are. Staff will
follow up on this. David Mogle spoke with the manufacturer and it was reiterated that
they would come repainted.
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
The town meeting will be at the fire department on Monday, May 15,2006 at 6:30PM.
Public input is required when applying for an OSLAD grant.
The Grand Reserve D Park will be done by the time school starts. There will be a
naming contest for the children to name the park. They will try to coordinate this with
Sylvia Torto who will be the principal at the school there. The winner will go to the City
Council meeting and will be put in the newspaper.
7
Mr. Small received the letter regarding the concession stand and was satisfied. He did
reiterate that he would like to see the parks done when the first house goes in. David
Mogle asked to see a schedule when that would be before he commits to it. The
concession stand was supposed to be completed last year and costs are escalating.
David Mogle will get a report back to Gary Golinski regarding Greenbriar Pond by the
next Board meeting.
The striping of the t-ball fields has been a big help. There are some safety issues with the
t-ball field being too close the Beecher 5 baseball field. Someone could get hit with a
league ball coming off of that.field. The t-ball fields will all be to the east side of the
park. Some type of walkway ill be marked to keep people away from the league ball
games.
A citizen wanted to relay their gratitude for Parks and Recreation that they were
considering a tribute to volunteer firemen in a park. There were many brave and
courageous people that need to be recognized. And they hoped that in this park there
would be opportunity for multiple dedications as there are many families in Yorkville
that have been part of the volunteer fire department. It will be a meaningful tribute to the
community as a whole.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m. following the motion by Ken Koch and seconded by
Tammy Smock. The motion was unanimously approved.
Minute Taker—Jeanne Arbet
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Yorkville Park Board
FROM: Dave 1VkJ$ e/, Director of Parks and Recreation
RE: Town Meeting
DATE: May 25, 2006
Please note that the second of two town meetings for Prairie Meadows
Park will be held at 6PM on Thursday, May 25 (just before the park
board meeting). The purpose is to give opportunity for residents of that
neighborhood to comment on the park plan. As an FYI, the first meeting
saw many comments of concern come forth on the park/public works
building and we would expect more public attention given to this at
Thursday's Town Meeting.
THE UNTIED CITY OF YORKVILLE
Park and Recreation Department
TOWN MEETING
For the development and design of A PARK for the residents of the
Prairie Meadows Subdivision
Thursday,May 25,2006
6:00 p.m.
Park and Recreation Administrative Office
301 East Hydraulic Street
The Park and Recreation Board would like to invite residents of Yorkville to a Town Meeting for
input about the proposed park design and development for the Prairie Meadows subdivision.
Join us and find out what park theme we have planned for the proposed park. We will have a
concept drawing and equipment descriptions available for review.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Yorkville Park Board
FROM: Dave Mo V, Director of Parks and Recreation
RE: Old Business
DATE: May 25, 2006
PARK/PUBLIC WORKS ADM. AND OPERATIONS CENTER CONCEPTIONAL PLAN
Representatives from Sente Rubel Architects will be on hand to share a preliminary conceptual
plan of the Park/Public Works Administration and Operation Center. Architects and staff will be
inviting board input at this draft stage.
FALL BOARD RETREAT
As discussed in a previous Board Meeting, staff would like to look ahead to an October
November weekend to plan a board retreat for the purpose of planning and strategizing.
Over the next few weeks along with the date, staff would like to confirm a facilitator and a
location. At Thursday's meeting we hope to come away with dates that will work for all.
PARK BOARD PARK ASSIGNMENTS
As discussed at the last park board meeting a list of the planning areas of the City, the individual
parks for each planning area, and the specific board member focusing on those parks will be
made available to park board members.
OLD POST OFFICE REHABILATATION AND USE FOR OFFICES
A meeting was held with the Building Department of the City which is the other department that
is seen as having a share in the use of the old Post Office Building as offices. It is the Building
Department's desire to have a base of operations for its inspection staff. It is the Park and Rec
department's desire to have all its Recreation staff and the Director together in one building. The
Building Department and Parks and Recreation Department discussed the shared arrangement
and believe it could work better for both departments if Parks and Rec had the entire Post Office
building and Buildings would take the Riverfront Building. If this direction was pursued it
would mean we may be vacating the Riverfront Building entirely, including for park board
meetings and we would then set the old Post Office up for office and meeting space. Staff will
be seeking continued direction from the park board on this issue.
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Park Boar
FROM: Dave M e, Director of Parks and Recreation
RE: New Business
DATE: May 25, 2006
PARK NAMING REQUEST
A request has been submitted to name the park in Heartland Circle. While the request was
written with great care and sensitivity for an individual who was deeply loved by family and
friends,the circumstances do not meet the criteria in the park naming policy as established by the
board. Staff recommendation would be to encourage the family to plant a tree, donate a park
bench, or pursue another direction to honor their loved one_ Staff will work with the family in
determining a mutually agreeable avenue to follow.
Deborah Jean Gaffey Memorial Park
DEBBY GAFFEY March 13, 1947 - December 26, 2003
Our Family is requesting that the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department consider
the naming of the park in Heartland Circle after our beloved Wife,Mother and
Grandmother. Debby Gaffey was not a resident of Yorkville. She was born in Clinton,
Iowa and lived her life in Savanna,Illinois. However, given the opportunity she would
have spent every minute possible here in Yorkville, sharing time and love with her family
and her grandchildren.
Debby Gaffey was the kind of person who devoted her life to those she loved,without
considering her own wants and needs. She had bountiful love in her heart for all
children, and celebrated and shared in their joy. She had the amazing ability to always
view all of life's experiences with the innocence and excitement of a child and she never
allowed life's obstacles to dampen her happiness.
A few years ago,Debby worked hard to care for her Mother when she was diagnosed
with lung cancer. Debby left her home frequently so she could make sure she was
comfortable and was receiving the best treatment. She worked endless hours to make
sure that her dying Mother was able to stay in her home,as she had requested. And,
when her Mother passed, she was right there by her,side.
In,2003 when Marty&,Dana Wood were looking for a place to raise their family,they
spend many months searching the 1Suburbs of Chicago.'Debby was'bytheir side every
step of the way,taking long"rides to several suburbs in one day,revisiting possible
locations countless times, and pouring over brochures and articles. She was thrilled when
they found their place in Yorkville. It was a community and neighborhood she felt would
be the ideal setting for their future. She was so excited to see their home under
construction, and took many pictures of the process. When it was time to pack
everything up, she was there to help. She was instrumental in the success of the move.
The move in date was December 29, 2003. On Christmas morning(December 25,2003),
this otherwise vibrant and healthy Woman suffered a massive stroke. She survived in
Edward Hospital for 30 hours,before surrendering to God at 10:00 pm on December 26,
2003. She passed just 3 days before the move into the new home here in Yorkville.
Both of Deborah's daughters now live in Yorkville. Dana and Marty Wood live in
Heartland with their 3-year-old daughter. Chuck and Daneen Van Hyning live in
Heartland Circle with_their 9-month-old daughter. If our Mother were here,she would
spend many hours in the parks of this neighborhood cherishing time spent-with her
Grandchildren. It is our wish that we can take our children to play in a park honoring the
memory of their Grandmother who loved them so much.
So, in honor of our Wife, Mother and Grandmother and all others who have fallen victim
to the devastating effects of sudden stroke,we respectfully request that the anticipated
park in Heartland Circle bear the name of Deborah Jean Gaffey Memorial Park.
We thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Mr. Tom Gaffey
Mrs. Dana Wood
Mrs. Daneen Van Hyning