Parks and Recreation Commission

Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) Thursday, May 1, 2025 Cornelius Town Hall 5:30 – 7 p.m. www.cornelius.org/pr MINUTES 1) Call to Order Chair Fouche called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. 2) Determination of Quorum A quorum was reached with seven commissioners in attendance. Commissioners present: Carla Eustache, Chair Trey Fouche, Jeff Jones, Jon Show, Steve True, Robert Reed, Jana Ritter, and Town Commissioner Todd Sansbury Commissioners absent: Andrew Heywood and Travis Dancy Staff present: Director Troy Fitzsimmons, Assistant Director Adam Abernathy, Recreation Superintendent Josh Handelsman, and Executive Assistant Karen Ulmer 3) Public Appearances – Citizen Concerns/Comments None 4) Approval of Minutes a) April 2025 Draft Minutes Commissioner True made a motion to approve the minutes from the April 3 meeting as written. Commissioner Show seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. 5) Presentations a) North Carolina Youth Orchestra – April Dunne The North Carolina Youth Orchestra (NCYO) is one of our program partners, and their Director of Finance April Dunne spoke to the PRC. NCYO has been around since 2006, originally called Cornelius Youth Orchestras. They use the facilities at Bailey Middle School at a discounted rate of 50%, which is extremely helpful. They have 225 students in 21 programs that meet there over three days each week. They also offer Instrument Discovery Days three times a year to introduce children to various instruments. They go into elementary schools with their Musical Pathways program, including recently at Cornelius Elementary. This was the first year that the Town Board gave them an Annual Support Grant ($3,000), which they have used to fund six and a half scholarships for music lessons. They also perform in the Cornelius area at our CPRD events among others, though they cannot afford the fees to perform at the Cain Center. They have had a lot of donations allowing them to loan out instruments, though they need more. Commissioner Show suggested we let them raise money at Symphony in the Park. Commissioner True suggested it would be good for the Town for NCYO to be able to perform at the Cain Center. 6) Director’s Report a) April 2025 Director’s Report Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation highlighting items from his April 2025 report. 7) Parks & Recreation Commissioner Recommendations & Reports a) Items to be placed on record – None b) Commissioner Reports 1) Vice-Chair Carla Eustache – No report  2) Chair Trey Fouche • He would like to explore ways we can use Symphony in the Park to support NCYO. There are some opportunities there, both in fundraising and programming. • There needs to be continued conversation around the Cain Center. The PRC has not been getting the regular updates that they said they would provide. 3) Commissioner Jeff Jones • He continues to work with CPD Officer Vinny, who has been named the School Resource Officer at Bailey Middle in addition to his role in community relations. He has invited either Vinny or other officers to our upcoming events and has spoken with Special Events Manager Mike Wolf and Recreation Centers Program Manager John Anderson about ways PD can be involved with their programs. • He encouraged the Commissioners to try out the MicroCATS system if any have not already done so. CATS is looking for feedback. • He went to the Town Chat at Lost Worlds last week and found it very informal and approachable for citizens. 4) Commissioner Jon Show • He went to the recent Cornelius Today Newsmaker event. There was a good crowd, and it was a good networking opportunity. • He wanted the new commissioners to know we used to have to beg for maintenance funding and funding for those efforts has gotten so much better. Our facility maintenance has really improved. 5) Commissioner Steve True • He went to Clean and Green and was impressed by how clean this Town is. 6) Commissioner Robert Reed – No report 7) Commissioner Andrew Heywood – Absent 8) Commissioner Jana Ritter • She went to Earth Jam, which is her daughter’s favorite event, especially the passport program. • Her daughter and a friend have built their cardboard boat for the regatta this weekend; she hopes it floats. • May is National Tennis Month. Lake Norman Tennis Association (LNTA) is doing an event on May 10 at North Meck Park, called Hit to Be Fit, It is free and for all levels; register through LNTA’s website. 9) Commissioner Travis Dancy – Absent c) Town Commissioner Report – Commissioner Todd Sansbury • At the next Town Board meeting, the Commissioners will be considering two rezoning requests: One is the Commerce Center across Bailey Road from the park. The other is from the Griffin brothers for a redevelopment on Nantz Road near the Ramsey Creek Beach, to build a wedding venue on their property. 8) Old Business a) Parks & Recreation Commission Goals & Committees • Public Awareness: Commissioner Ritter said this month’s Lakeside Living article is a focus on the North Meck Farmers Market. LNTA had an event at Lost Worlds last night and a lot of people were asking about the Bailey Road Park Court Complex project. She asked that the Town feature that project in a “behind the cones” social media post to boost awareness. • No additional reports b) 2024 Park Bonds No updates 9) New Business a) Bailey Road Park Pickleball Program Operator Agreement Recreation Superintendent Handelsman introduced Pat Coleman, president of Lake Norman Pickleball Association (LNPA). He then shared a presentation regarding the proposed agreement between Cornelius Parks and Recreation and LNPA for the operation of pickleball programming at the new Bailey Road Park Court Complex commencing on September 1. Commissioner Reed made a motion to authorize the execution of the agreement presented between CPRD and LNPA. Commissioner Eustache seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.  b) Parks & Recreation Code of Ordinances Update Chair Fouche introduced this agenda item by saying the information presented is to educate the group. He asked them to absorb the information, consider it, and then ask questions of the staff over the next month; the suggested revisions will be voted upon at the June meeting. Director Fitzsimmons said there are several sections that need to be updated and/or expanded upon to address behaviors that have become or may become issues in the parks or on the greenways. Assistant Director Abernathy shared a presentation with some background information and highlights of the significant changes and additions to the ordinances. Director Fitzsimmons asked the group to not only ask questions but also let him know if there are any issues that need to be addressed through the ordinances that have not been addressed. A discussion followed around educating the public on updates once they are approved. 10) Adjournment Chair Fouche adjourned the meeting at 7:25 p.m. Next PRC Meeting – Thursday, June 5, 2025 Future PRC Meetings – Thursdays, July 10, August 7, and September 4, 2025 Next Town Board Meetings – Mondays, May 5 and 19, 2025