Richter Park Authority

RICHTER PARK AUTHORITY MEETING MINUTES Richter Park Authority Office Tuesday, October 16, 2024 In compliance with Connecticut General Statute § 1-225, these minutes are being provided for informational purposes and are subject to approval of the Richter Park Authority Board of Directors at its next regular meeting. Chairman Pete Siecienski opened the meeting at 6:04 PM. Members present: George Radachowsky, Jay Eriquez Al Mead, Leroy Diggs, Bob Eberhard, Judy Griemsmann, Paul DiNardo, Art Haddad and Pam St. Pierre. Also present: Jonathan Pinto, Head Golf Professional and Karen Madaus, Business Manager. Absent: Rob Dorsch and Dave Lajoie Public participation Chris Wilbur 17 Woodcrest Lane: Feels GPS in golf carts is a great idea. It has many “pros”, like safety, geofencing and pace of play. The only “con” is the price. Also feels walkers should not pay an addition fee for GPS, as they don’t use carts. Approve minutes of previous meetings Mr. Mead made a motion to approve the minutes of the 9/17/24 RPA meeting. Mr. Eberhard seconded. Date of ball drop was 9/30 and not 9/20. Motion passed unanimously. Correspondence none. Arts Association Ms. Griemsmann presented some notes from the recent RAA meeting: -the Richter House front door is hard top open and they let Rob know -Betty Clark gave dates for the heat to be turned on in the house and Ms. Griemsmann texted Rob. Heat currently isn’t working but they are working on it. -October 6, 2024 was the dedication of the piano and the pianist tried to operate the wheelchair lift and couldn’t get it to work. It was requested that Rob come by next week to show the RAA how to operate it. -They did not use the sign next to the clubhouse in the fall but plan to use it in the spring. They also need a new sign by the road. -Brainstormed ways to market the RAA schedule; the current season ends at the end of October. -They would like more than two sets of keys available. -Needs signage to designate “no parking” locations Musicals at Richter Cleanup is almost done and they will tarp the stage and platforms. Two of next year’s three shows are set, as well as the workshop shows. They are continuously working on fundraising. Bobby spoke to the Mayor about a “Celebrate Danbury Day” next August. More discussion regarding parking, food, etc. is to come. Thank you to Paul DiNardo for junk disposal. MPC-Richter House No report. FORe Phase one of the Felix Bonacci wall is done. Phase two is next and should be done by the end of November. RPMC is advertising brick sales. Business Manager’s Report She has been updating the FORe website, including an active link for brick purchases. Outings are almost done for the year. Head Golf Professional/Director of Operations September was great and we made up ground on rounds; last September we had 4,400 and this September we had 5,700. We’re at a delta of 287 rounds higher than last year. The helicopter drop raised $9,285 plus an additional $1,100 in personal donations. Don Fossi paid for the helicopter rental and the overall winner donated $500 of her winnings to Rob. Grounds and Greens The course is playing great and we are in the thick of the leaf season. The first frost of the season was this morning. Staff is hand-watering currently. Next month when Rob is back, we will discuss labor, as well as work being done on 6, 7 and 13, as well tee boxes. There will be a Grounds & Greens meeting at the end of October. Financial report AP is current and under $100k. Mr. Mead made a motion to accept the financial report. Mr. Lajoie seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Finance Committee Report No report but the staff will present a draft budget at the November meeting and the RPA will vote on it in December. Old business GPS Unit discussion: additional $7,432/month from May through October for GPS units on top of golf cart lease cost. We will pay this 6 months/year for three years. We will increase cart fees to help cover the cost. After three years we will own the GPS units. Mr. Pinto recommended to increase $2/residents and $4/non- residents for cart fees. Mr. Mead made a motion to have GPS in golf carts starting in 2025. Ms. Griemsmann seconded. Motion passed unanimously. City Update: Mr. Siecienski asked them to make a decision on our loans (driving range and old insurance). There is no loan forgiveness yet. We are the only government entity repaying a loan to the City. We will continue to pay our loan and we will be a part of the upcoming City budgeting in February; we would like Richter to have an operational line in the City’s budget. We are also hoping to use savings on GPS/Geo-fencing to not have to increase RAA and MAR rents. The Mayor is 100% behind the cell tower project. New business none. Chairman’s Comments/Report None Mr. Mead made a motion to adjourn at 7:34pm. Mr. DiNardo seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Executive Session Mr. DiNardo made a motion to start an Executive Session at 7:34. Mr. Mead seconded. Mr. DiNardo made a motion to adjourn at 7:40 pm. Mr. Mead seconded. Motion passed unanimously.