Parks and Recreation Commission

Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) Thursday, November 7, 2024 Cornelius Town Hall 5:30 – 7 p.m. www.cornelius.org/pr MINUTES 1) Call to Order Chair Kolkhorst called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. 2) Determination of Quorum A quorum was reached with seven commissioners in attendance. Commissioners present: Trey Fouche, Jill Rotunda, Jon Show, Chair Chris Kolkhorst, Robert Reed, Jana Ritter, Travis Dancy, and Town Commissioner Todd Sansbury Commissioners absent: Carla Eustache and Andrew Heywood Staff present: Director Troy Fitzsimmons, Assistant Director Adam Abernathy, Recreation Superintendent Joshua Handelsman, and Executive Assistant Karen Ulmer 3) Public Appearances – Citizen Concerns/Comments Buster Lee – He thanked the commissioners for participating on the board. He asked about the money spent to renovate Legion Park. He thought the expense for that project was extremely high and for that amount of money, other amenities could have been considered, such as a shorter field and open drainage feature to make a nicer park, more parking, a better playground, etc. He hoped the Town had investigated all possible options. He would like to see Cornelius invest in facilities that bring in ball teams from other towns, such as the role McEver Field played years ago. 4) Approval of Minutes (October) a) October 2024 Draft Minutes Commissioner Show made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 3, 2024, meeting as written. Commissioner Dancy seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. 5) Director’s Report a) October 2024 Director’s Report Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation highlighting items from his October report. 6) Parks & Recreation Commissioner Recommendations & Reports a) Items to be placed on record – None b) Commissioner Reports 1) Commissioner Carla Eustache – Absent 2) Vice-Chair Trey Fouche • He attended the Mayor’s Coffee Chat, helping manage some questions about the park bonds. • He attended the Bailey Road Park court complex groundbreaking. The project is moving along quickly; the retention pond appears complete. • The commissioners and CPRD staff were heavily involved in the park bonds campaign, both planning and educating, and it really shows. Thank you for that. • It is important for us to stay in the know as the Downtown Master Plan process moves forward. There are ways the PRC can help the Town implement the plan once it is approved. 3) Commissioner Jill Rotunda – No report 4) Commissioner Jon Show • When he was serving on the Land Use Plan committee, someone had the idea of approaching the Cashions family about the Town buying their gas station across from Town Hall, tearing it down, and  building a park. The park would include a large tree, reminiscent of the old gathering tree that used to be downtown, and the park could be named after Mrs. Cashion. 5) Chair Chris Kolkhorst • He commended the CPRD staff and the commissioners. We should recognize the magnitude of what we have accomplished: updating the Master Plan in record time and passing the park bonds, thereby charting the future of parks and recognition for the next 10 years. Take pride in what you have contributed to the community. He was just with the Mayor this afternoon, and he passed along his gratitude as well. • In support of the park bonds, in October he attended Second Friday, Laketoberfest, and the Halloween Treat Trail, and stood at Town Hall during the election. It was great to meet so many people while educating about the bonds. 6) Commissioner Robert Reed • His family is grateful that the bond referendum passed. He enjoyed the opportunities at the Cornelius Jazz Fest, the WSIC radio show interview, and Laketoberfest to talk to people about what we have going on. Kudos to the team. • He just finished his first year coaching his son’s Lake Norman Little League team, and they won the championship for their age group. • He met Will Kennedy, who owns some property where Bailey Road extension is going to be, near the Habitat neighborhood. In speaking to him, it sounded like Mr. Kennedy may be interested in doing something with that property that would involve the town. 7) Commissioner Andrew Heywood – Absent 8) Commissioner Jana Ritter • She attended the Mayor’s Coffee Chat, Laketoberfest, and the court complex groundbreaking at Bailey Road Park. • She asked about the status of the tennis and pickleball programming RFPs. Superintendent Handelsman said we have had a good amount of interest, but no bids yet, though they are not due until December 12. • She has brought up the challenge of sports etiquette before, particularly regarding parents’ behavior, and she would like the PRC to revisit that topic. The Lake Norman Tennis Association has been talking about teaching a tennis etiquette class for parents. That may be an opportunity for us to partner with both tennis and pickleball regarding etiquette education. Superintendent Handelsman said we have been looking into that topic. 9) Commissioner Travis Dancy – No report c) Town Commissioner Report – Commissioner Todd Sansbury • There have been complaints about the sidewalks by the Junker property. It has been difficult for the Town to do much, as those are Mecklenburg County’s responsibility. The County has said they will not approve any more permits until the developer improves the sidewalks. • There is an approved plan for the Sefton property, for a hotel and conference center, as well as an apartment building. That developer fell through, but there is another developer that has approached the Town regarding building the apartments at that site. The Town is working with them to build the hotel as well, as we need more hotel rooms in Cornelius. Commissioner Dancy, who works for Visit Lake Norman, added that the last hotel built in Cornelius was 3o years ago. 7) Old Business a) FY26 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Assistant Director Abernathy reminded the PRC that we went over the CIP at our October meeting, and he shared a presentation summarizing the plan. There have not been any additional comments or concerns from Commissioners since then, though staff made one change: moving up the synthetic turf replacement on Bailey Road Park fields 1 and 2 by one year, to FY26. Commissioner Fouche made a motion to approve the Parks and Recreation Director to recommend the FY26 CIP as presented to the Town Manager for approval. Commissioner Ritter seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. b) FY26 Operating Budget Goals Director Fitzsimmons said in addition to the ten-year look ahead at capital expenditures (the CIP), each year we have to present our annual operational budget increases to the Town Board. These are items that are a large expenditure, either as an increase or new to the department’s budget. He shared a presentation highlighting the proposed budget goals for FY26. Commissioner Fouche made a motion to authorize the Parks  and Recreation Director to finalize and submit the operating budget goals to the Town Manager for the FY26 budget. Chair Kolkhorst seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. c) Parks & Recreation Commission Goals & Committees No additional reports 8) New Business a) PRC Reappointments/Openings Chair Kolkhorst said he is rolling off after January, having maxed out the years he is eligible to serve on the PRC. If there are any other Commissioners considering dropping off, let him know. Director Fitzsimmons added the PRC should be thinking about a new chair and vice chair to serve in those positions starting in February. We will need nominations at our meeting in December. b) January 2025 Meeting Date Chair Kolkhorst said our January 2025 meeting is scheduled for January 2, which may be difficult for some because of its proximity to the New Year’s holiday. After some discussion, Commissioner Fouche made a motion to move the January 2025 meeting to January 9. Commissioner Dancy seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. 9) Adjournment Chair Kolkhorst adjourned the meeting at 6:54 p.m. Next PRC Meeting – Thursday, December 5, 2024 Future PRC Meetings – Thursdays: January 9, February 6, and March 6, 2025 Next Town Board Meetings – Mondays, November 18, and December 2 and 16, 2024