Coralville Civil Service

City of Coralville Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting December 11, 2023 Staff: Sherri Proud, Alex Buhmeyer, Shawn DeGood, Amy Erickson, Kyle Moehlis, Kevin Goulding, Sarah Horning Item 1: Meeting to order at 7:05 PM Item 2: Roll Call Present: Tawil, Gissenner, Goulding, Graham & Mount (via Zoom). Item 3: Citizen comments No citizens were present. Item 4: Approval of minutes from the November 20, 2023, meeting Motion to Approve: 1st: Mount 2nd: Graham Motion Carried: 5-0 Item 5: FY25 Budget discussion – Recreation & Parks Divisions Director Sherri Proud stated that the upcoming budget for the 2024 fiscal year is running about $500,000 over budget. She stated that she is currently working with Kelly Hayworth to adjust items in the budget to cover the shortfall. Parks Department Parks director Alex Buhmeyer was present to share an overview of the Parks department budget. He stated that for expenses there was a slight increase in salaries, which included cost-of-living & salary step increases and the addition of a new part-time staff position class called an Operational Leader. In the budget for grounds maintenance, it was noted that the large number for this past year’s budget was partly contributed to an increase in vehicle repairs. This included work done at dealerships for vehicles still under manufacturer warranty as well as non-warranty work, which is completed by Dusty’s Tire. The department also completed in-house repairs whenever possible. In the projects category Buhmeyer stated that there were unexpected expenses, including various ADA corrections, which totaled more than $3,000. He also shared that the 2023-24 project requests include: $20,000 for work on Altmeier Park & the Charles Gay barn, at Dovetail Park & wetlands $10,000 is requested for each of the following: Plants & nature trails, boardwalks, seeding & the addition of trees. 1  Forestry Buhmeyer shared that there was an increase in expenditures in several areas of Forestry. The increase for staffing came from small raises for both full-time & part-time employees. Associated costs included staff development, training, and conferences. In the area of Capital Outlay, the department is seeking to acquire a new skid loader with both mowing and brush removal attachments. Buhmeyer stated that this was a much-needed purchase and that it will dramatically improve efficiency and safety throughout the Parks department. In building maintenance, Buhmeyer shared that they were very pleased that they were able to add a part-time evening custodian in the FY24 budget cycle and this has helped with the work load after losing a full time person in FY21 budget due to COVID cutbacks. Streetscapes Some of the City business streetscapes (i.e. First Avenue, 5th Street, 12th Avenue and Oakdale Boulevard) are currently maintained by the parks staff, which takes them away from their regular duties. Buhmeyer stated that he has requested an increase in the streetscapes budget for 2024 to accommodate the hiring of a full-time person and would dedicate them strictly to streetscapes maintenance. Recreation Department Recreation Superintendent Amy Erickson presented a budget overview for the recreation center, Aquatics and partnership school programs. Ball Field Rentals: Ball field rentals remained strong. There continues to be a high demand as Coralville is the only city offering rentals of this type vs one organization controlling the ballfield use. North Ridge Pavilion: The pavilion continues to see an increase in the number of rentals. Since changing the policy to collect the $300 deposit at the time of booking, the condition that the facility after rentals has improved greatly and requires less clean-up by city staff. Other facility rentals have increased steadily since Covid with the exception of Partnership Schools, which still remain low. Much of this lower trend is likely due to the new GreenState Field House, also a City owned facility. Contract Programs/Services: The recreation department hosts several contract programs, including Tae Kwon Do, Zumba and Soccer. Enrollment remains steady for these programs. The division keeps a percentage, usually 20 – 30 percent of the revenue, with the rest going to the contractor. Aquatics: Erickson stated that regarding maintenance the city continues to battle aging facilities and it has been very expensive to maintain both the indoor pool & the outdoor aquatic center. Aquatic Center: Rehabilitation should be done every 15-20 years and the aquatic center is due. This includes the main pool, plunge pool and splash pad. Estimated cost is $480,000-$490,000. The sub decking on the party deck needs replaced, cost $140,000. Slide tower needs to be sandblasted and painted, estimated cost $ 140,000 - $160,000. Pumps, filters, and disinfection system needs replaced at a cost of about $210,000. Pool Staffing: Erickson stated that for the past seven years that aquatics have faced a staffing shortage, mostly regarding lifeguards. In the proposed budget, starting wage has been increased to $14.50 per hour with a 50 cent wage boost after training period which competes 2  with Iowa City and North Liberty both at $15 an hour. Erickson said that they have requested funds to create a new employee classification of Operational Leader which will help cover guarding hours and work with recreation center staff on projects as needed. The position would be 25 hours per week (seasonal) with starting wage of $20 per hour. Erickson said that they are requesting two of these positions in the upcoming budget and that it would help with the staffing shortage and insure more regular open hours at the Indoor Pool. Expenses: Capital Outlay expenditures for the rec center included $5,000 for computer upgrades to Windows 11. Partnership schools: Program changes include changing to K-5 programming (middle schools will be 6th-8th grade). The new Eastridge partnership (BASP) program that will serve the Tiffin area. Projected enrollment will vary between 25-50 students per school. Erickson stated that they will remain flexible as the program grows and that staffing adjustments may be made to accommodate higher numbers at certain schools. Credit Card Fees: By allocating to all budgets that charge fees, the rec center was able to decrease credit card fees by about $36,000 in its budget. Item 6: Approve 2024 Commission Schedule Proposed schedule: January 22 (4th Monday due to MLK holiday) February – No meeting unless otherwise determined. March 18 April 15 May 20 June 17 July 15 August - No meeting unless otherwise determined. September 16 (Likely start earlier time for a tour) October 21 November 18 December 16 Motion to Approve: 1st: Graham 2nd: Gissendanner Motion Carried: 5-0 Item 7: Director’s Report  Community meal was served at the Rec Center in December. Five hundred and eight meals were served to the public and various activities were offered.  A new sign plan has been approved, and staff is waiting on the final cost of the project. Proposed sign locations are 5th St/12th Ave., fire station, library, city hall, and CCPA.  Aisle of Light was a success. The event included displays in ST Morrison Park from seven different area organizations. This year’s theme was One Coralville, Bright Future. 3   On January 20th MLK Day activities are planned for both the rec center and the library. Participants can help paint a new mural at the rec center and the library will be presenting a reading of Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech by the Coralville Ambassadors and will be presented in different languages. It is an honor for the City of Coralville to present a reading of Dr. King’s speech. Approval must be obtained from the national MLK organization to present a public reading.  Winterfest 2024 will take place Saturday, January 20th from 9 AM-12 PM at the Iowa River Landing.  This year’s Yeti Pedal will be held Saturday, February 3rd from 9 AM – 12 PM at the Tom Harkin Trailhead Item 8: Commission Comments  Graham praised the Parks & Recreation staff for their hard work and stated that she was pleased with the wage increases for staff.  Tawil thanked the Aisle of Lights volunteers whose hard work the event a success.  Mount acknowledged the large amount of work done by Parks & Recreation and praised the budget analysis. Item 9: Motion to Adjourn Motion to Approve: 1st: Graham 2nd: Goulding Motion Carried: 5-0 Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM 4