Minutes_Park and Recreation Commission 10 13 09
PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
4:30 p.m., Snack Bar, Bunker Hill Golf Course
PRESENT: Bob Blocker, Tom Blocklinger, Gary Harjehausen, Karen Lyness and Mark
Noble
ABSENT:
Paul Hoffmann and Evelyn Nadeau
OTHERS:
Staff present: Gil Spence, Bob Fritsch and Eileen Trimble
MINUTES It was moved by Noble, seconded by Lyness, to approve the minutes of the
APPROVED;
September 8, 2009, meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
VOTE:
PET PARK Leisure Services Manager Gil Spence informed commissioners that Thermo
UPDATE:
Fisher Scientific just announced they were closing their Dubuque plant so that
site would no longer be possible for a pet park. Mr. Spence asked
commissioners if they wanted to move forward with the Dodge and Locust site
and see if the council agrees. Mr. Spence will get soil samples done, do more
investigation, contact those who gave input on this site and tell them we may
go ahead with it, and check with city manager on type of fence he would want
at this site. He will need to get cost estimates after doing a little more
investigating; only have $95,000 budgeted.
C.I.P. BUDGETS: C.I.P. priority list for Fiscal Year 2011 through Fiscal Year 2015 may be found
as part of the original minutes. Manager Spence explained that there weren’t
many changes in 2011 through 2014. Some of the fiscal 2015 projects include:
? addition to forestry building that allows big equipment to fit through garage
doors and allows for more storage and a west-end maintenance shop; ?
extend campsite electric pedestals at Miller Riverview Park so pedestals can
be flipped up when river is flooding, and not have to remove them; ? Eagle
Point Park, light Trolley Line Trail is the trail going into Eagle Point and there
were no funds to budget for lighting in the original project budget; ? Miller
Riverview, north end rest room will answer requests from campers to have a
rest room/shower building in that end of the park; ? several wooden shingle
roofing projects in Eagle Point Park; ? accessible walkway to Log Cabin
pavilion in Eagle Point Park; ? replace exterior fence at Veterans’ Memorial
Park is for west side of park, including gate; ? replace roses on Highway 20 –
this starts a four-year process to buy a new variety of roses that should work
better in that environment; ? replace security lights in parks starts an ongoing
replacement process; ? Arboretum sign is a request for the city’s contribution
($36,000) for a new sign the Arboretum wants to buy ($46,000 total cost); ?
Roosevelt Park redevelopment.
It was moved by Lyness, seconded by Blocklinger, to approve the Park and
Recreation Division C.I.P. budgets as presented by staff. The motion passed
unanimously.
continued
October 13, 2009 meeting
page two
PARK DIVISION Park Division Manager Bob Fritsch updated commissioners:
REPORT:
The division just completed a comprehensive review of snow management
?
process and city manager allotted $130,000 to purchase more equipment so
that all areas can be cleared of snow within twenty-four hours of a snow event.
For smaller snowfalls, we will put three brooms on out front mowers and put
cabs on them and they would be backed up by two to four 4WD pickups. For
snowfalls of 4” or more, we will go out with trucks with plows and back them up
with brooms. The equipment has been ordered and we should be ready for
winter. Tree crew met with Tim Horsfield from Parking Division to discuss
?
snow removal at ramps – our department will continue to do four ramps and
any other new ones would be contracted out. Crew sprayed ten or eleven
?
acres at IDCW to kill the turf and dormant seed the area with a prairie mix.
RECREATION With the absence of Recreation Division Manager Pat Prevenas (NRPA
DIVISION
Conference in Salt Lake), Gil Spence updated commissioners on the following:
REPORT:
This was the best September for golf rounds since 2002 (3,800). There
??
were 7 flag football sites and 9 volleyball sites for after school sports; adult
basketball and volleyball teams down slightly from last year; have after school
programs at Audubon, Lincoln, Fulton, Marshall and Prescott; swim lessons on
Sunday afternoons, with adult lap swim following. The Recreation Division
?
summer report was sent to commissioners and may be found as part of the
original minutes. Summer 2009 was the lowest swim attendance in twenty;
years; swim lessons were up; recreation classes registrations were up; slight
decline in tennis lessons; decline in participation for Uptown Recreation
programs.
OTHER Mr. Spence told commissioners that with the ice arena going in at McAleece,
?
BUSINESS:
the Rugby Club would be displaced. We offered relocating to Vet’s field III and
the Rugby Club thought the area would be big enough but may need to move
the fence. Plan for redevelopment of Roosevelt Park would include an area
?
for a football field, but the private organization that may be interested would
have to pay for all expenses to make it happen, including parking lot, et cetera;
the city would just provide the location.
ADJOURN; It was moved by Harjehausen, seconded by Blocker, that the meeting be
VOTE:
adjourned at 5:10 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
__________________________
Chairperson
__________________________
Attest