Minutes Park & Recreat 9 21 04
~
PRESENT:
MINUTES
APPROVED;
VOTE
REQUEST TO
NAME INLINE
RINK AT A-H
PARK AFTER
JACK
McCULLOUGH;
VOTE:
DISCUSS GOLF
COURSE
RENOVATION:
PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
4:30 p.m., in the Snack Bar, Bunker Hill Golf Course
Tom Blocklinger, Kim Daykin, Chuck Duggan, Gary Harjehausen, Paul Hoffmann,
Karen Lyness and Tom Schrobilgen
Staff present: Gil Spence, John Hail and Eileen Trimble
It was moved by Duggan, seconded by Blocklinger, to approve the minutes of the
August 10, 2004, meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. James Goodman, Jr. was present at the meeting to ask the commission to
consider naming the inline rink at Allison-Henderson Park after Jack McCullough.
Mr. McCullough was involved in youth hockey in Dubuque for years and in the
mid-90's he started the ball rolling for an inline rink. He was instrumental in
getting funding and picking a site, and continues to be involved in Dubuque youth
hockey, even though his own children are past that age. Goodman said Mr.
McCullough is not aware that the request has been made. The letter of request
may be found as part of the original minutes.
Leisure Services Manager Gil Spence said staff commends Mr. McCullough on all
his efforts and contributions but opposes naming facilities after anyone. It is
difficult to determine who is worthy and where that line is drawn. We have always
struggled to decide what level of service was needed to have a facility named in a
person's honor.
Commissioner Duggan felt it should not be named after someone who was still
alive; Lyness asked if there was another way to acknowledge Mr. McCullough's
commitment and contribution to youth hockey because it's difficult to say who did
more than another individual, that should allow something to be named after
them; Daykin asked if we could do something through the City's volunteer
recognition program.
!! was moved Qy Lyness, seconded Qy DuQQan, 12 table the request 12 name the
inline rink m Allison-Henderson Park after Jack McCulloUQh until staff reviews
~ meetinQ minutes 12 see what ~ if ill!Y." was set. The motion passed
unanimously.
Mr. Spence told commissioners the golf course operation lost $55,000 this past
fiscal year. It's the first time the course has lost money since it was mandated to
be self-supporting. Play is down about one percent; we overspent on inventory in
the pro shop and on seasonal workers; and over estimated the number of rounds
that would be played.
Commissioner Harjehausen said we should be making adjustments as we go to
cut spending if revenue is not meeting expenses; Commissioner Duggan said we
need to get back to a profit before we even talk about renovation.
continued
CIP AND
OPERATING
BUDGETS:
PARK DIVISION
REPORT:
September 21, 2004, meeting
page two
Mr. Spence said the golf course is probably as good as we can make it unless we
want to move to another level and address greens, tees and length of course.
Basically we have three choices: leave the course as is and make some changes
in maintenance/staff to cut costs and find ways to increase play; do the full blown
renovation; or do a smaller renovation, including redoing a few greens (4/6) and
tees (5/7/9/13). If the commission wants the full renovation plan, staff will ask to
apply for Vision Iowa Cat Funds and submit a budget request in this year's
budget.
After discussion, the general consensus of the commission was to try for Vision
Iowa Cat Funds and city funds to do the full renovation plan. If it was going to
have to be a bond referendum, skip full renovation and go to partial renovation.
Mr. Spence said staff has received budget instructions from the Budget Office.
Staff will have ideas and information on both budgets at the October meeting.
Spence encouraged commissioners to let him know of any projects they thought
should be added to the five-year C.I.P. plan.
Park Division Manager John Hail told commissioners:
- Loras College orientation program had sixty people mulching and weeding on
Highway 20 on August 19th. - On August 21st we had 160 football and
volleyball players and coaches from Senior High School weeding and picking up
litter along Highway 20 and South Locust Street - they worked for five hours. -
The Fly Fish Club, DNR and the City worked together to put sixty fish habitats in
the pond at Bergfeld Recreation Area. - On September 11th, fifty Loras College
students weeded on Highway 20. - Emmaus College will have 100 students
working on various projects on September 29th. - Playgrounds are finished at
Bryant and Table Mound Schools. - Staff has spent the last two weeks putting in
new playground equipment by the Eagle's View Pavilion at Eagle Point Park. - A
concrete pad has been placed at the inline rink at Allison-Henderson Park and on
September 24th, player boxes will be installed; the sidewalk at the upper level of
the building is being replaced and we are putting in a drain tile system. - The
upper garage door on the Forestry Building has been widened and replaced. -
The area outside of the Riverwalk at the Port of Dubuque is our department's to
maintain, and staff has been cleaning out rock, scarifying and seeding eighteen
acres (where the ball field would have been) so that next year we will be able to
mow with riding mowers.
continued
~
RECREATION
DIVISION
REPORT:
ADJOURN;
VOTE:
September 21,2004, meeting
page three
In the absence of Recreation Division Manager Pat Prevenas, Mr. Spence
informed commissioners:
- The Summer Report was included in packet mailed to commissioners and may
be found as part of the original minutes. - Portzen Construction is working on
leveling the gutters at Sutton Pool. - This was the coldest summer in the last
twenty-one years; swim attendance was 19% below an average summer; swim
pass sales increased due to increase in low income and adult/senior pass sales.
- Uptown Recreation numbers were down, but Dubuque County Extension
offered fewer classes because of staff reductions and there were no Dubuque
Museum of Art classes. - Only one team was interested in the adult four-man
touch football league. - Eighteen teams are playing in the fall softball leagues --
six men's and six mixed teams on Tuesday, and six men's teams on Thursday.
It was moved by Daykin, seconded by Harjehausen, that the meeting be
adjourned at 5:27 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
Chairperson
Attest