Park Commission

Minutes of a Regular Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting November 2, 2021 A regular meeting of the Blue Springs Parks Commission was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at the Fieldhouse. The Chairman called the meeting to order. Jon Burke -- Present Parks Dept. Staff: Dennis Dovel Kathy Richardson – Absent Parks Dept. Staff: Justin Stuart Keith Hannaman -- Present Parks Dept. Staff: Derek Mayden Maureen Johnson – Present Parks Dept. Staff: Mary Herrington Megan Johnson – Present Parks Dept. Staff: Matt Asikainen Richard Mitchem – Absent Parks Dept. Staff: Jayla Coleman Gabriel Mejia – Present City Council Liaison: Susan Culpepper –Present Ken Horrell - Present A motion was made by Ken Horrell and seconded by Maureen Johnson to accept the Consent Agenda. It passed unanimously. Visitors/Correspondence: Dennis stated we received a complaint regarding James Walker School playground. The patron stated how bad the playground was and how unsafe it was. Dennis explained that the playground is on the list to repair and it meets all safety standards at this time. Program/Activity Spotlight: Mary Herrington presented on the event, Spooky Springs. This event was held on October 30th at Wilbur Young Park. Paid activities were pumpkin painting and a Ghost and Ghouls Hunt. The hunt was setup similarly as the easter egg hunt using “ghosts” instead of decorated eggs. There was a total of 145 pre- registered participants and 45 participants day-of the event. Free activities included a spooky trail, trick-or-treating with vendors, and food trucks. There were over 2,000 attendees at the event. There were 12 vendors and five food trucks that came out. Blue Springs School District Hospitality Class came dressed up as different characters and scenes setup through the spook trail. Sponsors for Spooky Springs were Colonial Gardens, Blue Springs Optimist Club, and Legends Sports Photography. Revenue for this event including early bird registration, late registration, day-of registration, food trucks, and vendors totaled over $3,900. Some positive aspects of the event were the change of location from the previous time, the size and layout of this location, incredible involvement from the community, and new activities. Some areas to improve on were to have more vendors, changing the vendor layout, and providing more scenes on the spooky trial. Overall, it was another successful year. Finances: None. Staff Reports: Staff reviewed their reports. Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman’s Report: None City Council Liaison Report: None Old Business: Dennis presented an update for the Park Sales Tax. He reviewed progress of some projects. For the Woods Chapel Park Playground replacement, the old playground has been removed and the new playground is scheduled to be delivered the week of November 1, 2022. The installation will take place during winter and the rubber surfacing will occur int eh spring when temperatures allow. Pink Hill Park shelter improvements are scheduled to begin in late December or early January. Blue Springs Park basketball court paving is now complete. With the new court the park itself has a more modern appeal to it. Dennis reviewed progress on Blue Springs Aquatic Center. Staff has begun meeting with he Architect/General Contractor and various consultants on the design of the facility. After receiving Geotechnical Reports, the facility is being redesigned due to the presence of rock in areas where the original design was situated. While the building is being redesigned, the components will not change just the layout and design of the building. Staff is planning to 1 present the new design to Park Commission at the January meeting as well as sharing with Cityu Council to ensure all parties are informed of the design. New Business: None Miscellaneous: Dennis explained the growth of starting youth leagues in parks and recreation and how those programs have increased in participants in the last few years. In 2017 was the first year offering youth basketball league starting with having Kindergarten-5th Grade as options to the public. In 2018 this program had relatively 187 participants and currently, the program is close to 800 participants. Combing some of the other sports programs altogether there are over 2,000 participants in one of our sports leagues or programs. As there was no further business, a motion for adjournment was made by Jon Burke and seconded by Ken Horrell. 2