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Park Board Minutes 2009 05-28-09 Page 1 of 6 WM UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE Yorkville Parks &Recreation Department Board Meeting Administration Office—Riverfront Building, 201 W. Hydraulic St. Thursday, May 28, 2009, 7pm Call To Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:05pm by Board President Chris Rollins. Roll Call: Board members present: Chris Rollins—yes, Ken Koch—yes, Deb Horaz—yes, Garrick Gillette— yes, Kelly Sedgwick—arrived 7:25pm Introduction Of Guests, City Officials And Staff: New intern Amy Drafke was introduced by Bart Olson. She attends Illinois State and will be with the City for approximately 10-12 weeks assisting with Safety Town, summer camps and other duties. Also present from the City: Interim Director of Parks and Recreation —Bart Olson Superintendent of Parks—Scott Sleezer Park Designer—Laura Haake (arrived 7:15pm) Recreation Manager—Tim Evans Diane Teeling—Ward 4 Alderman & Parks Liaison (arrived 7:15pm) Gary Golinski—Ward 2 Alderman (arrived 7:50pm) Public Comment: None Presentation: None Approval of Minutes: The minutes of April 23, 2009 were approved as read on a motion by Ken Koch and second by Garrick Gillette. Voice vote approval. Bills Review: Cash Analysis 1. The All Star Instructors invoice is for contractual services for All Star soccer. 2. Bart Olson said the Board will also begin seeing the closeout of fiscal year 08109. 3. The recent golf outing was cancelled, but the dinner was held. A profit of$2500-$4000 is expected. Page 2 of 6 Bill List A motion was made by Deb Horaz and seconded by Garrick Gillette to approve the Cash Analysis Report. Approved unanimously on a roll call vote: Chris Rollins–yes, Ken Koch –yes, Deb Horaz –yes, Garrick Gillette–yes. Old Business: REC Center Maintenance–Update Bart Olson gave an update and said there was only one leak in the kid's club area and no leaks in the pool area. The insulation in that area has become detached from the walls and beams, but the repairs can be done without draining the pool. Insulation has also fallen down in the pool mechanical room and it will be reattached. The Fire Department inspection was conducted 2 weeks ago and no issues were found. The insulation in the back gym will be checked by Bill Deftmer. Repair of the downspouts will be placed on the punchlist. Revenue Generating Ideas– Update A staff memo listed ideas for generating revenue, with some possible next year and others farther in the future. Some of those ideas are: 1. Haunted house: big expenses, possibly hold it at Beecher Center,adult party at night with admission. Possibly work with Chamber 2. Big Band dance at the Rec Center, hold it after hours on Saturday night, maybe have a small dinner. If held at Beecher, could possibly co-sponsor with Seniors 3. Boxing–either professional or semi-professional 4. Dodgeball tournament 5. Gus Macker or 3 on 3 tournament(was mentioned that Gus Macker has reduced number of events), a Gus Macker event will be held in Moms in a couple weeks. If Yorkville holds an event, possible tie-in with Dick's Sporting Goods. 6. Indoor/outdoor pool movie night 7. Bags tournament—already doing this in conjunction with Exchange Club Bart Olson also said a paddling festival will be held in Aurora and the Chairman of the Illinois Paddling Council has offered to assist with training and classes in the City. Mr. Olson also spoke of the white water park to open soon. Park Naming Policy Mr. Olson said changes to the policy were made in January or February. One suggestion was that a nomination should not be made by a Park Board member. Kelly commented that the policy needs standards to accept/reject a nomination and the family should be the ones actually recommending if a Paris Board member suggests a name. The family must be notified of any recommendation according to a recent policy draft. Alderman Golinski said the policy should state that the potential park name should not be taken forward to the City Council unless there is a positive recommendation from the Park Board. It was also mentioned that some parties may approach the City Council directly. President Rollins asked for a show of hands if elected officials should bring forward recommendations for park naming. The consensus was that they could be a reference, but not the nominating person. It was found that the policy already states only positively recommended nominations would be taken to City Page 3 of 6 Council. Further, language will be added that negative recommendations will not move to the Council. Park staff thought that they could also have input in the nomination process since they often have knowledge of the history behind a certain park or person being considered. They also agreed Aldermen could be references. Drafting the policy changes was also discussed. Chris Rollins suggested the following language: "the recommended process if an elected official is making a nomination is that they should find a citizen sponsor"for a park name. Bart Olson also suggested language that would cover why an elected official should not make a nomination. If a nomination does not come from the Park Board itself, Alderman Golinski said a nomination should only be put on a City Council agenda if three Aldermen bring it forward. The policy will be revised by Bart and brought back to the next meeting. Deb also suggested obtaining policy examples from other towns. The application form was also reviewed. Whispering Meadows Park–Caboose Update Bart Olson informed the Board that the City will not be given grant money. In order to move the caboose, there were several suggestions: ask the National Guard to move it as a training exercise, lift onto a truck to move, ask crane operator working on the river dam to move, contact the rail museum for suggestions, place on the rail spur by F.E. Wheaton, a concrete pad or pylons would be needed for a permanent position. Scott suggested perhaps it could be a focal point downtown—for example, Mendota has 3 train cars that visitors can enter. Mr. Rollins will contact a person he knows who has lifting equipment for derailments. It was also suggested that former Alderman/military man Jim Bock, might know of reservists who could offer assistance. It was noted that a canal boat was put into the water at LaSalle by a crane company at no charge. Also, a company called Stevenson from Bolingbrook has done lifts at no charge for promotional reasons. Interfund Loan Check–Discussion No further discussion. New Business: Park Development Schedule FY 09110 The Park Board had previously asked for an update of the development schedule. Scott Sleezer said that before Laura Haake came on board, there was a backlog of parks when development was still strong. Citizens were also asking for promised parks in their neighborhood. Many of the past and present parks are paid for by OSLAD grants. Other points made were: 1. They are currently wrapping up the park in Heartland Circle. 2. There is a park dedication on Saturday with the Jr. Women's Club planting flowers and the Homeowners'Association has also purchased plants. 3. The Whispering Meadows Park needs to be finished 4. The BMX track will have natural sides of no-mow grass and had $2,000 of free construction Page 4 of 6 Discussion turned to the baseball fields. Ken Koch said there should be one field that is not reserved and can be used by practice groups. Some fields could be left off the YYSB agreement. It was noted that sometimes fields are reserved, but are not being used. A possible penalty for reserving but not using the field was suggested. Having grass infields on non-reserved fields was also mentioned. A rental field was also mentioned. In conclusion, Chris said there needs to be some areas where ball fields are not developed and just a backstop be placed. When negotiating with YYBSA next year, a revenue approach must be explored for some fields. Scott continued his update on parks—F. E. Wheaton Woods, on Wheaton Drive, is an 80/20 grant. There will be a shelter built later this year and he noted that a prescribed bum would take place there. Reimbursement is expected for the park. The whitewater area at Riverfront Park is almost complete and there will be a walkway along the bank. A boat launch is being considered for Spring completion using a grant application. Chris mentioned a couple possible grants and he will obtain information. With these grants, a public access must be maintained. Laura Haake said there are 3-4 conceptual designs for the park. There was a brief discussion of whether or not the playground should be refurbished or if there should even be one there. Parking will be needed when the chute is finished, good traffic flow and underground utilities all must be considered. A trail connection here was also discussed, but Railnet must be consulted since the trail would cross the tracks. Chris said the Board would like to see preliminary designs continue. Gary Golinski asked if a plan from a previous Parks Director was still relevant. Ms. Haake said it is time for an update since [DOT and IDNR now provide CAD drawings to show park features. Raintree "B" --Scott said there is a grant for this park and he described the amenities it will have. It is expected to be finished by next Spring. He added that it was a land match grant, money will be reimbursed and the Parks will get land from Grande Reserve. Bristol Bay A--The Parks will receive$100,000 from the developer and a park may be built in the regional park instead of by the clubhouse. This move may be beneficial from a grant standpoint and also because the State has changed grant criteria. Grande Reserve A& B --These parks on hold, however, there is no deadline. Downtown Streetscape and Trail Network Public Open House Bart said this item had been put on the agenda for those who were interested in attending the Open House prior to the last scheduled Park Board meeting. He reported approximately 10 people attended. Oktoberfest Park Rental Fee Waiver Request President Rollins said a waiver had been approved last July for$250, but now a rental fee and deposit are requested to be waived by the Optimist Club. This is a 3-day event and Bart thought Page 5 of 6 the fees were based on 1-day events. It was questioned if the Club sponsors or funds any City or park functions. It was noted the Optimist Club did donate money for movies in the summer. It was suggested that deposits should not be waived in the event damage occurs. The Board unanimously stated they did not wish to waive the fees. The policy of waiving fees will be reviewed. OSLAD Grant Applications— Development and Acquisition This discussion concerned the proposed park at Bristol Bay. Bart Olson said the grant writers instructed the Parks Dept. to keep the area more natural and remove some of the soccer fields. Laura gave a detailed description of the proposed park and amenities. The park would incorporate bio-swales and parking would be on the grass rather than having increased blacktop. She spoke about the drainage and also said the sanitary facilities would be movable to the areas of need. Deb Horaz asked if portable concession stands should be purchased, which the Board thought was a viable idea. Chris Rollins asked how this grant would be leveraged for this location. Board members said they did not want to go into debt for this park. Bart replied it would be a cash match and the amount of $400,000 would be invoiced over 2 fiscal years. He added that there would be 4 separate grant reimbursements anticipated and two other land cash donafions. The Board also discussed the ramifications of delaying the park. Ken Koch asked Bart to present a report that would assign dollar values to the list of parks. Mr. Koch also said he heard that since Hoover was sold, that money would revert to land cash to be used for a regional park for the south side of town. Mr. Sleezer said the population is concentrated on the north side of town, therefore, the regional park there should be developed first. Construction is not expected, however, until 2012. He also suggested that perhaps community organizations could help construct playgrounds and other park features. It was stated that an OSLAD grant could be applied for a second time and that it may actually be beneficial according to the grant-writers. The Board concluded their discussion by suggesting a farm lease to help offset costs when property is acquired, though there could be zoning issues. Bart Olson said the emphasis now is more on open space and preservation when applying for grants. The grant application is due by July 15t and Council approval is needed, but it was decided that more time is needed and the item was tabled. Bollweg Property—The Board also discussed a 7.5-acre parcel along the river and south of Heartland Circle. Bart Olson said this could be a possible land match with no cash outlay. The Blackberry Creek property would be the land match. The Bollweg property also fits the grant criteria. The property is wooded with river frontage and an earth house that would not be rehabbed. The cost of this property is $600,000. Quinsey Road is the access to this property. After much discussion, it was decided to table this matter until the property could be viewed. Reports: President Rollins asked the Board members to review the reports on their own. Page 6 of 6 Additional Business: 1. Bart Olson said that in June or July a development will come before the board for land at Van Emmon and Rt. 71 and it will have difficult and increased park requirements. In July a Public Hearing is being scheduled before the Plan Commission. 2. President Rollins suggested community gardens for subdivisions where building was not completed. This could be beneficial in light of the economic situation. There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 11:08pm on a motion by Deb Horaz and second by Kelly Sedgwick. Motion carried unanimously on a voice vote. Minutes respectfully submitted by Marlys Young