Park Board Minutes 2011 06-23-11
APPROVED W/ CORRECTIONS
7/14/11
Yorkville Parks & Recreation Department
City Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road, Yorkville, IL 60560
June 23, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Call to Order:
Ken Koch called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m.
Roll Call:
Ken Koch – yes; Kelly Sedgwick – yes; Seaver Tarulis – yes; Amy Cesich – yes.
Introduction of Guests, City Officials and Staff:
Superintendent of Parks – Scott Sleezer
Superintendent of Recreation – Tim Evans
City Park Designer – Laura Schraw
Mayor – Gary Golinski (arrived at 9:00 p.m.)
Public Comment:
There were no public comments.
Presentations:
There were no presentations.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes from the May 26, 2011 meeting were approved. Motion was made by Ken Koch and
seconded by Amy Cesich.
Bills Review:
Bill list –
Motion to approve Bills as is by Kelly Sedgwick and seconded by Seaver Tarulis.
Old Business:
Alcohol Sales at Bridge Park
:* Tim Evans stated that is was an idea and wanted to bring it to the
Park Board for ideas and suggestions. Scott Sleezer stated that it was a revenue idea and that it can be
run responsibly. The feedback from the public has been mixed. Kelly Sedgwick stated that there are a
couple concerns and one is Mrs. Bridge. The Board discussed the Legion and if they had any issues
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June 23, 2011
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with alcohol there. The Board discussed that alcohol would not be sold when youth leagues are there.
Ken Koch stated that he is worried that this opens up the opportunity to bring alcohol to any parks.
Kelly Sedgwick suggested that it could start as a trial this year and if there is problems it won't
continue. Ken Koch stated that he would like to have the vote on this topic next meeting when the
whole board is in attendance.
OSLAD Grant Application:*
Mrs. Schraw stated that it is the same application as before. She stated that they moved numbers
around so that they could include a boat launch that needs to be ADA accessible. They might move
funds around , which is allowed once you apply as long as you finish what you apply for. Labor and
design fees come out of grant. Scott Sleezer stated that it is included in the budget. Ken Koch seeks a
motion to send the park board recommendation to take the grant application forward. Motion made by
Amy Cesich and seconded by Kelly Sedgwick.
May 2011 Budget Report:
Scott Sleezer stated that numbers look high because they are currently in the seasonal time which is
their busiest time of year, but that things even out.
Park Vendor Policy:
*
The board stated that this is the first time they have seen this policy. Ken Koch stated that one of the
big changes is for someone who wants a cart or something it will go through city not park board.
Vendors can move between parks also. The board discussed if someone has multiple carts do they have
to have a different license for each. Scott Sleezer stated that in the past they were restricted to the one
park that they applied for. The board discussed that the carts cannot compete with other businesses like
concession stands etc. The board discussed a fee adjustment for this. It was discussed that the vendors
can take their cart to different parks. In the past, they had to stay at one park. Ken Koch stated that
clarification is needed on if the vendors have multiple carts, do we need different licenses for each.
The board discussed should there be multiple carts at the same parks at the same time. Ken Koch said
to get clarifications on this topic and bring it back next meeting.
Extending Light Usage at Bridge Park:*
Tim Evans stated that previously the lights were shut down at 9:45 or 10:00 p.m. It will still remain the
same for youth leagues. For the nights with adult leagues it allows for more time and more play for the
adults if we extend the time to 11:00 p.m. Scott Sleezer stated that there is a demand charge and so you
end up paying the same even if we extend the time for an hour. It was discussed how the home owners
feel about this. He stated that most other towns run their parks until 11:00 p.m. The lights are green
lights and follow the night sky rules. The Board has built a hedge around the property and tried help
with these issues. The board discussed that there will probably be complaints. This change will be
Monday through Thursday. When fields are done, those fields are shut down so all fields are not
always running. It was discussed that probably one more game could be played on those nights. The
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board discussed that they have not received any negative feedback about this topic. The board
discussed reaching out to the people that live around Bridge Park and send them a letter informing
them about the change that is upcoming so it is not a surprise and they will do their best so that it has a
minimal effect on the homeowners. Ken Koch made motion and it was seconded by Seaver Tarulis this
item is approved to city council.
Rec Center Membership Cancellation Fee:*
Tim Evans stated that the staff at the Rec Center thought that this would be a good idea so that when
people get behind in their membership they know that they can pay a fee to get out of their
membership. Tim said that a lot of other places have this same policy. Tim Evans stated that people
have not signed up and they have lost members because they don't want to commit to a year and not
have a way out if they needed it. The Rec Center is looking at charging $150.00. The board discussed
if that is a fair amount to charge. Tim Evans said they do have a snowbird policy for those that are
gone for part of the year. Tim Evans stated that sometimes they have people just cancel their credit
cards and then they just quit coming and they are out the money they would have owed, so if there was
a cancellation fee, then people can have that option. The board discussed that it makes it is black and
white situation for those that come in and have an issue and need to cancel, the staff knows what to do.
The board stated that we need to monitor how it works and that if it is not working then it could
change. The board discussed maybe looking at what other gyms do and how they charge for those
situations. The Rec Center staff stated that they think this policy if a fair thing. Ken Koch made a
motion and it was seconded by Seaver Tarulis to take this item to City Council.
Parking Lots, On-street Parking:
Scott Sleezer stated that he thinks that their park planning has been good about thinking about parking.
They have had to restrict parking on several of their parks. He stated that the parks are forward
thinking. He stated that when Whispering Meadows was planned it was adjacent to a 15 acre school
site they purposely chose that to go along with school sites and then they could use the school parking.
It saved a lot of money. The economy has had issues so some of the parks like Whispering Meadows
the planning stopped and so it has caused some issues. Scott Sleezer stated that people want to park as
close as they can and he understands that there can be issues of public safety, so restricting parking is
helpful at some times during the year. He stated that Bristol Bay has a huge parking lot, but people
don't always choose to use it. He stated that by nature, people are going to park as close as they can.
Bristol Bay is trying to get a gravel drive in and at Whispering Meadows the school is going to try to
get athletic fields in there so we are thinking about the solution when that occurs. Scott Sleezer stated
that the Parks and Rec department does think about and plan for parking.
Raintree B Playground Change:*
Scott Sleezer stated that they had to beef up the footings for the shelter. He stated that when they buy
shelters and get the bid the computer tells what is needed, but by the time that we went to build the park
then the manufacturer stated that it needed to bigger and it is a cost of another $740.00 and it will still
be under budget. Scott Sleezer stated that he believes that it is a good idea to go ahead and follow the
manufacturers spec. If we don't any warranty will be null and void. Ken Koch asked for a motion it
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was seconded by Kelly Sedgwick and it is approved by the Board.
Strategic Planning:
Laura Schraw asked that if per meeting we can speak about one item each meeting. Ken Koch asked
what items we can go ahead and remove. Ken Koch stated that the Rec Center is probably the most
important thing to discuss right now and Scott Sleezer stated that budget would be also. Ken Koch
stated that a lot of the items could fall under the five year plan. Ken asked Laura to reorganize this list
and combine some of these items. Laura stated that if we look at this as a whole and see where we
want to be in three years and set some goals and if we do it meeting by meeting it will not be so
daunting. Ken stated that some of these things will depend on what happens with the Rec Center
because it is hard to plan when we don't know what is going to happen with that. The board discussed
that there needs to be a plan for if we don't have the Rec Center and one for if we do. The board feels
that it is something that they need to began thinking about. Scott Sleezer stated that we need to look at
the community survey that was taken years ago and evaluate what the community wants. The board
discussed that once we get the bid back it will be discussed further. Ken Koch asked Mayor Golinski
where we are at on the Rec Center. Mayor stated that we are waiting on the appraisal. He stated that
the owner is pushing for a purchase. Mayor stated that there really can't be much more discussion until
we get the appraisal back. The Board stated that we cannot move forward until we know about the Rec
Center's future.
Staff Reports:
Laura Schraw stated that the City Council changed some language Vendor Policy and the River City
Roasters agreements. It was stated that the Hydraulic building rental can accommodate 10-20 people
not 50 as stated previously.
Recreation Report
Tim Evans reported that a couple weeks ago was the first Music Under the Stars and it went very well.
He said River Night was coming up and need to watch the wristbands.
Evans stated that working with the Chamber is a good thing and we need to be sure that they are
involved equally.
Parks Report
Scott Sleezer stated that the written report is attached.
He stated that the tennis courts are looking great.
The lighting bid needs to get completed.
He stated that he wants this park to be done by Christmas
City Park Designer:
The OSLAD grant was discussed. It is estimated that the amount will be $400,000 it can be used for
forced labor, design fees or land contribution. If all fees are not used the city can seek reimbursement
from state.
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Additional Business:
Kelly Sedgwick brought emails from people that he surveyed about the later games, alcohol and field
maintenance at Bridge. He said that the complaints are we get less games than other areas and we pay
about the same amount of money. Some complaints are about the field conditions. The holes around
home plate and around the pitchers mounds, and the uneven fields. Scott Sleezer stated that we don't
have any down time to address these issues. He stated that it is a staffing issue and other things. He
said the staff does add clay every couple weeks. The board discussed extending the amount of games
somehow. Scott Sleezer stated that our fields are maintained well. He stated that when there are
multiple games there are going to be holes because of wear during games. Scott Sleezer stated there
are 17 fields to maintain not just the three at Bridge. Tim Evans stated that they have a lot of people
that want to book our fields because they are maintained so well. Kelly Sedgwick stated that he doesn't
want to see the fees become too high.
Suspend Regular Meeting go into Executive Session:
Ken Koch motioned to adjourn the regular meeting at 9:40 p.m. Motion seconded by Kelly Sedgwick
and motion was unanimously approved by voice vote.
Executive Session began 9:43 p.m. A motion to adjourn was made by Seaver Tarulis and seconded by
Amy Cesich. Meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m.
Regular Meeting Called to Order:
Motion made by Ken Koch to call meeting to order at 10:08 p.m. Seconded by Kelly Sedgwick. The
board had nothing further to discuss so motion to adjourn meeting was made by Ken Koch and
seconded by Seaver Tarulis meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m.
Next meeting: July 14, 2011, City Hall
*Items needed Board approval or recommendation
Respectfully submitted by:
Lisa Godwin
Park Board Meeting
June 23, 2011
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