Coralville Civil Service

Coralville Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes November 18, 2019 Call to Order Commission Chairperson Fred Fevold called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. at the Coralville Recreation Center. Present were Commission Members Eve Casserly, Kyle McEvilly, Marti Mount (via phone conference), Alex Taylor, Council Member Jill Dodds, Parks Superintendent Alex Buhmeyer, and Parks and Recreation Director Sherri Proud. Citizen Comments Parks and Recreation Director Proud shared that requests have been made for unisex shower and bath rooms. Staff is exploring wet toilet showers in the pool area in the current on deck restrooms to accommodate the need within a building with limited options. Approval of Minutes Commission Member Mount made the motion to approve the meeting minutes from October 21, 2019 with suggested comments noted. Commission Member Taylor seconded the motion; unanimous approval. Budget FY21 – Parks, Building Maintenance, Forestry, Streetscapes Within the budget documents, the following changes were discussed following the quarterly reviews related to the amended budget and journal expenses: Building Maintenance o Functions of repairs and maintenance for each of the facilities as the impact of Coralville water on the aging facilities. Request that the line item be allocated by building facility instead of overall function – these would target the following locations: Library, CCPA, City Hall/Police, Transit/Water/Parks. Considerations would relate to the square feet utilized at each of the sites for the track related to the overall budgets. Trends related to monies required for newer and older facilities given quality of water and quality of piping within the systems would then be able to be documented more efficiently. Overall, this will provide information related to how these buildings are budgeted and how we want to proceed in upcoming years to ensure revenue sources and allocations. o Energy Efficient Projects – we are in the first year of green initiates money but also looking at the upcoming budget related to energy audit targets – i.e. sensors, lighting, toilet flushing, use of space heaters. o Floor Machines replacement plan with purchase and trade ins will be implemented within the upcoming budget. Commission Member Taylor inquired about Roomba vaccums if they made such a model for industrial functions which would allow for simpler maintenance. o Reserve funds currently include city fountains, lift replacement, exhaust fans, painting exterior and interior, floor machines and building maintenance vehicles. o Mechanical reserves will increase to replace the funds spent on the sewer line fix at the City Hall. o Roof reserves are budgeted not for whole roof replacements but for funds to subsidize insurance money in case of a disaster scenario. o Revenue noted in FY19 in Building Maintenance is from a graffiti insurance claim at the Youth Sports Park. o Truck vehicle repair cycle for building maintenance is on a schedule for replacement every eight years. o Staffing salary increase citywide is budgeted at 2.5% for full time staff. Health insurance has had a substantial increase in FY21 ask. Forestry o Revenue shows grant money for fall and spring plantings for Trees for Kids and Tree Foundation Grant. o Increased request for training and certification for current staff. Targets support retention, networking potential, and reduced costs related to consultation fees when staffing withhold some types of credentials. o Budgets related to plans related to greenspaces and locations across the city for the removal and maintenance of tree disease. o Native seeding in the retention basins with pollinator plans. o Shrub and timber plan replacement with Woodland Restoration Plans. o Scout Troops have been supporting the honeysuckle removal. Parks o City roadside budget has been paying for city overtime for snow removal of parking lots and building sidewalks. This expenditure is moving to Parks as a new expense. New money is also being requested to share in salt cost for City parking lots, sidewalks, and trails. o Staff development training includes turf, professional organizations, and CEU requirement for playground inspections, supervisor, communication, trail development. o UI Wetland Mitigation has been fulfilled with the Corps of Engineers. o Projects: ADA corrections, barn stabilization, limestone chip trails, apply for grant with CV Community Fund for vault toilets vs. porta potty options or sewer lines, trail amenities, parking lot replacement  asphalt patches, adult sand volleyball courts to Creekside vs, Dovetail only, Oakdale Cemetery signage, MA Ewalt rebid for parking lot, and repair parking lot at Dovetail Recreation Area. Wages o Wage considerations in comparing City of Coralville with neighboring communities; changes will have an impact on the budget and resources (availability of employees). o Managerial staffing were raised at substantial higher wage across many positions in Iowa City o Proposed wages will be provided at a later time after reviews and budget considerations. Streetscape Budget o Proposal includes median replacements and limestone care. o Currently, there is no single staff person in charge of Streetscapes. It is shared across Director, Parks Superintendent, and Parks staff. Responsibilities include to bid, manage, inspect for Turf and Horticulture for streetscape areas from sidewalk to street. o Holiday lighting maintenance, banners, tree/shrub replacement, power washing. o There should be a future consideration of an employee responsible for the turf and hort contract management along with limestone care and median replacement. Council Report Council Member Dodds shared that the City approved an agreement for the Iowa River Trail from Rocky Shore to Clear Creek. The Xtreme Arena Management Team has been established and has met Council. There are two upcoming retirements that will impact the City given the employee longevity: Kevin Callahan, Water Supervisor and Jim Kessler, Building Official. The contract with the Marriott will end in August, 2021. The City will be gathering information regarding the next steps for securing and contracting with a financial and hospitality team. These services include hotel services and Brown Deer Clubhouse food services. The Marriott is a prime location given the huge amount of convention space. Staybridge Hotel will be connected with the arena development. Director Report Parks and Recreation Director Proud shared the upcoming plan for the Hawkeye Ready Mix location related to department and contracted services for greening up the space in the spring. Bolton and Menk are designing the Phase II demolition documents. Scanlon Farms development has resurfaced and staff are working with developer to make sure park space, open space, recreation field space, ball field, playground, and shelter space are included. This reflects the guidelines established for a 20-25 acres of development previously identified by the Commission. On street bicycling continues to be supported with a Metro Area Bicycle Plan Open House at Van Allen Elementary. The upcoming Community Meal will be held December 6 with events including the dinner, family lantern making, etc. The lanterns will then be floated on the evening of Aisles of Light from the Fireside Shelter with hot chocolate being served. Parks Report Parks Superintendent Buhmeyer shared information about the completion of the tree restoration project. He also reported that since the opening of the Singletrack Bike skills area, there have been over 4,000 users. Snow removal operations started already with recent snowfalls. Buhmeyer praised the dedication of his staff targeting the Veterans Holiday work completed to prepare the site. Commission Comments Commission Member Eve Casserly No additional comments. Commission Member Fred Fevold No additional comments Commission Member Kyle McEvilly Commission Member McEvilly inquired about the yellow strips at North Ridge tunnel and expressed thanks for their replacement; Buhmeyer noted that the strips were used to ensure safety as the wall construction was completed. Commission Member Marti Mount No additional comments. Commission Member Alex Taylor Commission Member Taylor complimented the department on the work planned and conducted on the city trails. Adjournment Commission Member Casserly made the motion to adjourn at 8:14 p.m.; Commission Member McEvilly seconded the motion; unanimous approval. Next Meeting: December 16, 2019