Park Board Minutes 2017 10-12-17APPROVED 3/22/18
Page 1 of 3
Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department
Park Board Meeting
Thursday, October 12, 2017
6:30 p.m.
Parks Maintenance Building
185 Wolf Street, Yorkville, IL
Call to Order: Deb Horaz called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Roll Call: Deb Horaz ‐ yes; Mark Dilday – no; Amy Cesich – no; Dan Lane – yes; Gene Wilberg – yes; Sash
Dumanovic – yes.
Introduction of City Official and Staff:
Tim Evans – Director of Parks and Recreation
Scott Sleezer – Superintendent of Parks
Tyler Nelson – Recreation
Ken Koch ‐ Alderman
Other Guests: Joel Frieders, Lynn Dubajic, Alderman Funkhouser, Alderman Cook
Public Comment: None.
Approval of Minutes: The minutes from May 18, 2017 were approved. Motion by Dan Lane and
seconded by Sash Dumanovic.
Bills Review:
Bill List – June, July, August, September and October 2017 – Informational purposes.
Budget Report – May, June, July and August 2017 – Informational purposes.
Old Business:
Riverfront Park and Bristol Bay Regional Park Grant Updates – Tim said the fishing pier and kayak chute
are about ready to go in, the city is finalizing the final things like the parking lot. The city is creating a
gravel area for fishing boats to be able to back in and the city will have access to put buoys in each year.
The fishing pier and kayak should be in by end of October or November. The contamination issue is
resolved, so the park should be functional by May 1st of next year. We have until December 31st of next
year to finish Riverfront.
The board asked about some of the details of where things will be placed at Riverfront. Bristol Bay is
coming along well. Scott has done an amazing job. The skate park has been installed and the flood hill
has been built and seeded. The sidewalk was poured around the sand of the volleyball court and the
sand should go in soon. The electrical and lights will be done soon.
Scott said things are moving along well and the landscaping is what is left. Tim said Bristol has to be
done by June next year. The city is going to work on the parking lot and take it out of next year’s
budget. The board discussed what parks will have to be replaced next year and about budgeting for
APPROVED 3/22/18
Page 2 of 3
those. Tim said at the next meeting they can discuss more details on those parks and numbers. Tim said
that there is $250,000 from the sale of the dome and there is a special meeting with city council that will
be held to decide what to do with that money. Deb asked about how many playgrounds need updating.
Scott said there are 24 playgrounds and several need updated. Scott said some are old, so they have to
be completely replaced. Beecher and Purcell are the top two.
New Business:
Clark Park Parking Lot – The Brown is a house on Route 47 next to Clark Park and it has been purchased
to put in a restaurant and banquet center. Fishermans in Elburn reached out to the city wanting to do
this business there, but they need some additional parking spaces there. This would be to the north of
the Brown house ‐ adding a parking lot. This would be a great opportunity for the city for parking and
more exposure for the park.
The board discussed the grant and if there would be any problems with the grant – Tim said it will not.
Tim said there will be more details, the city just wanted to bring this to the board to make them aware
of what is being discussed. The board discussed if there are trees that need to come down. Scott said
they will be very conscious of those things and some of these things will be done by city staff, so the city
has total control of those things.
Mark Southern who owns the Fishermans Inn said we are very conscious of trees and everything. He
wants to turn this into a banquet facility with an amazing view of the river and park. It will be a stone
and brick structure and it will be a very nice structure. The house will be torn down and we will put in
40‐50 parking spaces and there will be a walk out building dropping down to the river with a banquet
room that would seat up to 130 people for weddings etc.
Mark envisions a lot of windows down there and they want to incorporate native plants and things.
Mark stated that in Kane County they have had 96 weddings this year ‐ that is almost every weekend
night from May to October – it is really popular and elegant with a rustic feel – Mark said that is what
they want to do here in Yorkville similar, but smaller. The Chapel on the Green is across the street and
he thinks that it would be a great combination.
Mark said that they would like to do an ecological restoration of the park. This park is overgrown, but
there is a lot of invasive species in there that need eliminated and we will maintain it for 5 years to get it
to a good point. Scott said that would give the city a good education there and help the city grow, since
it is specialized. The gazebo would be enhanced that is there now. It could be utilized for small weddings
and other things like a teaching environment.
The restaurant would seat 150 and have a great view. Dan thinks that the river needs to be helped so
that residents will go down there and it will bring life down there. Mark said food wise small plates and
quality fresh food. Gene said he really likes this plan and likes the quality of what they have done and he
thinks that this could bring attention to bring people to the riverfront.
Mark said for the revenue they need 150 seats in the restaurant so we need plenty of parking to
facilitate events as well. The board discussed different ideas about the location and opportunities for
the future. The board discussed the public/private access and how to work that out. The board
discussed the houses and trees around the location and how to be respectful of the neighbors. Tim said
this will go to city council and it will move pretty quickly. The board is excited about this project.
APPROVED 3/22/18
Page 3 of 3
ITEP Project Selection – Tim said there is a grant that is federally funded and obviously we would like to
submit to city council. There are three projects we are looking to go after, the trail from Riverfront to
Route 71, one from Hoover to Route 47 and downtown landscaping. There are pros and cons of each in
your packet. The board asked more detail about locations of the trails and what roads they will go along.
Tim said there will be more details worked on with the county. This will move on to city council and Tim
will keep the board updated.
2018 Athletic Field Usage Agreement – Tim said things have been going very well. The biggest issue is
not enough field space, but otherwise this has gone well the last couple years. This new agreement will
be the same as last year. Tim said the city just needs to make sure they understand this is city property.
Dan motioned to approve the 2018 Athletic Field Usage Agreement seconded by Sash Dumanovic. The
board approved the 2018 Athletic Field Usage Agreement unanimously. Motion passed.
Meeting Schedule for 2018 – Tim said that other departments meet every other month. Dan said he
would like to keep the same schedule and if we do not need to meet, just cancel. Tim said meeting each
month is based on the agenda. The board agreed to keep the same schedule and if there is not a need
for the meeting, it will be cancelled. Motion to keep the meeting the second Thursday of each month by
Sash Dumanovic and seconded by Dan Lane. Motion unanimously passed.
Receptionist Update – In May, Barb retired and Shay and Tim talked about the direction where the
department is going. Tim said the city needs more staff out in the field as much as possible. The
recreation employees are working 40‐50 hours a week. With online registration now, REC hired Jake as a
recreation coordinator. Other funds available were used to hire a shared receptionist that would be at
city hall too. This way it will cut back hours the Park and Rec building is open. It would be a 10‐2 shift at
the Rec building and then people can go to city hall to register, if needed.
Tim said that with Hometown Days the REC department shut down for a week. This will benefit city hall
and REC. Tim said if some of the staff is at the REC building, they can help register people, if needed. Tim
said this will be a full time position split between the departments.
Reports:
Parks – None.
Recreation – None.
Additional Business: None.
Adjournment: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:48 p.m.. Motion by
Sash Dumanovic and seconded by Dan Lane. Meeting adjourned.
Minutes Respectfully Submitted by:
Lisa Godwin
Minute Taker