Park Board Minutes 2022 01-20-22APPROVED 5/19/22
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UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
PARK BOARD MEETING
Thursday, January 20, 2022 6:00pm
Parks Maintenance Building, 185 Wolf St., Yorkville, IL
Note: This meeting was held in accordance with Public Act 101-0640 and Gubernatorial Disaster
Proclamation issued by Governor Pritzker pursuant to the powers vested in the Governor under
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. This encourages social distancing by allowing
remote attendance at the meeting, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by Board President Amy Cesich. Roll call was taken
and a quorum was established.
Roll Call:
Amy Cesich-yes, Kelly Diederich-yes, Sash Dumanovic-yes/electronic attendance, Dan Lane-
yes, Gene Wilberg-yes
Absent: Rusty Hyett
Introduction of Guests, City Officials and Staff:
President Cesich recognized the following staff and guests: Director of Parks & Recreation Tim
Evans, Superintendent of Parks Scott Sleezer, Superintendent of Recreation Shay Remus/
electronic attendance, City Council Liaison Ken Koch, Kendall County Record Reporter Mark
Foster
Public Comment: None
Presentations: None
Approval of Minutes: November 18, 2021
The minutes were approved as presented on a motion by Mr. Wilberg and second by Mr. Lane.
Roll call vote: Diederich-yes, Dumanovic-yes, Lane-yes, Wilberg-yes, Cesich-yes. Carried 5-0.
Bills Review:
Bill List – December 2021 and January 2022
Mr. Evans said many of the expenses were for fall sports, Halloween and pre-school. No further
action.
Budget Report – October-December 2021
Director Evans said activities are not entirely back to normal due to Covid. Some programs
cannot be held at the schools yet and some purchases have been delayed. He is confident they
will make budget, but will have a better idea after spring registration. He said last year 900 kids
registered for sports and 500 kids have already done so this year and he feels the number will
exceed last year. Pre-school had a couple shutdowns due to covid and their guidelines are
different from K-12, forcing them to shut down for 10 days. He said staff provided take-home
kits and had virtual classes during that time. He said basketball is being held at Cross Lutheran,
but with fewer kids. He said Ms. Remus has been teaching classes to help with staffing issues.
Old Business: None
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New Business:
Pickleball Court Proposal
Staff met with the schools recently and the schools expressed some concern with Stepping Stones
Park so staff looked at Rotary Park which has a dedicated parking lot and will allow for
expansion. The funds for a park came from the Grande Reserve developer. Mr. Lane provided
other information about the pickleball courts and said Rotary Park will be an ideal spot which
does not need additional landscaping or parking. He said the courts will be very popular. Some
communities have reservation sign-ups on the computer and players will also have to regulate
themselves for court time. The courts are expected to be complete in early summer. Ms.
Diederich suggested a grand opening event when the courts open. Due to the cost, this proposal
will go to City Council for approval. A motion was made by Mr. Lane, seconded by Mr. Wilberg
to approve the proposal for the Grande Reserve/Rotary Park pickleball court for location and
budget.
Roll call: Dumanovic-yes, Lane-yes, Wilberg-yes, Cesich-yes, Diederich-yes. Carried 5-0.
City/School District Partnership Update
Director Evans said a memo of understanding had been finalized regarding a pre-school location.
The building is near the football stadium and the area will be remodeled with a budget of
$75,000. He said this location provides a permanent place with easy access to the schools,
library, park, etc. Ms. Remus discussed the pre-school hours in relation to the nearby school
hours/traffic and they will be adjusted to avoid high traffic times at the high school. Mr. Koch
suggested the afternoon traffic be studied as well. Parks staff will submit a time schedule to the
school for their consideration. Ms. Diederich noted that football traffic is nearby, but the flow
seems to be good. Mr. Lane commented this is a good first step for the school partnership and
the location is an appropriate place. This proposal will move forward to the City Council.
2022 Field Use Agreements
This annual agreement allows travel organizations to have designated field space. Those groups
maintain their own fields, but the Parks & Rec do the mowing and pick up the trash. Mr. Evans
said the arrangement has gone smoothly. Ms. Diederich moved and Mr. Lane seconded to
approve the Field Use Agreement. Roll call: Lane-yes, Wilberg-yes, Cesich-yes, Diederich-yes,
Dumanovic-yes. Carried 5-0.
Tree & Bench Park Donation Update
This program was started 28 years ago with the idea families could donate trees and park benches
in city parks in memory of someone. Mr. Sleezer said last year the city installed about 5-10
benches. There is also a cost associated with these donations and Parks & Rec hope to recoup
some of that cost, since they are not being covered. Staff works with local nurseries during the
fall to take advantage of discounted trees. Land cash has also become a huge part of the
purchases and staff does all labor. Mr. Sleezer is proposing a fee increase for a tree/plaque from
$350 to $600 and for a bench/plaque from $800 to $2,000. These fees have not been changed in
several years. The cost of a bench alone is $1,500. It was moved by Mr. Wilberg and seconded
by Mr. Lane to approve the tree and bench donation fee increase. Roll call: Lane-yes, Wilberg-
yes, Cesich-yes, Diederich-yes, Dumanovic-yes. Carried 5-0.
Capital Budget
Mr. Evans updated the Board said the capital budget is different from the operation budget. The
city gave funds for the purchase of playground equipment and four vehicles and some federal
money was received also. The items have been ordered, but not received. The fund amounts are
reflected in the Parks & Recreation Capital Fund line item.
Riverfront Park Island Repairs Update
A timeline for repairs has been received and it is expected to be done by the end of 2022. A
staging area will be designated behind a couple nearby businesses and adjustments will have to be
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made during festivals. A cofferdam will be constructed to facilitate repairs. Landscaping
restoration will be done by staff when the repairs are done.
Story Walk Proposal
Yorkville's Education Foundation reached out to Director Evans with a possible community
project. They proposed to install storyboards (for younger children) in a city park, with pages of
a children's book being mounted on the boards. The displays will be changed periodically.
Funding and park location are to be determined along with installation, maintenance,
management and other details. A similar project is in Riemenschneider Park.
Parks and Recreation Monthly Report:
Mr. Sleezer said staff is working on an upgrade to the disc golf course in Fox Hill West Park.
They have had discussions with serious players who had suggestions for some needed
improvements. Concrete has been poured for 12 T-boxes and some discounted trees were
purchased this fall. He noted that the Parks employees are the same guys who plow the snow and
other projects will be starting soon such as rehabbing ball fields and installing playground
equipment expected in February. Information will be placed on Facebook.
Ms. Remus said staff is trying to keep the pre-school open in spite of Covid. They are working
on special events for the summer, basketball starts soon at Cross Lutheran and soccer has just
begun. Almost 500 kids have signed up for soccer and baseball.
Mr. Evans said the St. Patrick's Day celebration was finalized today and a flier will be sent to the
Board members. They are working diligently to keep the staff healthy so that classes can
continue. He said they will be working on the budget soon.
Executive Session: None
Additional Business:
Mr. Wilberg asked about a trail discussed a few years ago, that would run from Rt. 47 to Hoover.
It did not materialize since the grant had not been received. He also asked about a riverfront area
upstream from Hoover, Crawford Park, and if there were any plans on how to utilize. It is in the
floodway and the issue is access to the park along with limited parking.
In response to a query from Alderman Koch, it is thought there will be access to the boat launch
during the island repairs.
Mr. Lane said he was appreciative of the pickleball efforts. He also suggested that there is a
desire for a place to ice skate and Ms. Diederich said there is a skating area in Montgomery. Mr.
Sleezer said a refrigerated area is needed and that people will not go skating when it's too cold. It
will be looked at for the future.
Adjournment:
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 7:02pm on a motion by Mr. Lane
and second by Mr. Wilberg. Roll call: Wilberg-yes, Cesich-yes, Diederich-yes, Lane-yes,
Dumanovic (had signed off electronically)
Minutes transcribed by,
Marlys Young, Minute Taker