Arts, Parks, and Recreation Committee

ARTS, PARKS, & RECREATION COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS December 5th, 2023 The Amery Arts, Parks, and Rec. Committee met on December 5th, 2023, at the Amery City Center. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. Present: Members Tommy Dusek, Colleen Adams, Catherine Olsen, and Denise Johnson. Others Present: Deputy Clerk-Treasurer, Taylor Larson; City Administrator, Patty Bjorklund; Public Works Director, Jeff Mahoney and The Amery Free Press. 1. Approval of Minutes from November 7th, 2023. Motion by Adams; seconded by Olsen; to approve the minutes as written. Ayes – 4 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. 2. Recap of 2024 Budget Discussion with the City Council – The committee discussed how their attendance at November’s Committee of the Whole went. They were overall disappointed in the reception they received. No additional funds were added to the parks budget at the 2024 Budget Hearing. They feel there is confusion about what the council would actually like them to do and when they need to do it. They also discussed items they hope to see fixed with the 2024 budget like the beach teeter tooters and the picnic tables. Johnson believes that the beach appears no one cares about it and doesn’t like the idea that it can’t be fixed because kids will just destroy it. The committee looked for guidance on how to approach the council in the future and were told they would start with Committee of the Whole and budget typically begins in Aug/Sept. Jeff will talk to the DNR about splashpad setbacks at the beach since the committee has not gotten an answer about the question yet. 3. City Mural Discussion – Chair, Dusek; received a quote from David Markson, who painted the mural on the side of Apple River TV, to repair the painting. The written quote was for $3,600 to repair the mural with the caveat that if the mural were to disappear while removing the peeling paint additional funds would be needed to compensate for the additional work to restore the painting. Administrator, Bjorklund believes that Design Amery funds may be obtained from the Community Club for this project. Motion by Adams; seconded by Olsen; to recommend requesting Design Amery funds per the quote to repair the mural on the side of Apple River TV. Ayes – 4 Nays – 0 Motion Carried. A future meeting was set for January 4th at 4 P.M. Motion by Dusek; seconded by Adams; to adjourn at 4:37 p.m. Ayes – 4 Nays – 0 Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Taylor Larson Deputy Clerk-Treasurer December 7th, 2023 1