Parks & Recreation Board

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Parks & Recreation Board Jan Ross, Chair Donna Simmons, Vice Chair Chrissy Kaminski, Secretary Scott Lofton Kevin McGinn Eric Miller Ken Shepherd Wednesday, May 12, 2021 7:00 PM Virtual Meeting Call-in Details: +1 513-306-4583 Conf. ID: 578 128 050# A. CALL MEETING TO ORDER Ross, Chair called the May 12, 2021 Parks & Recreation Board meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. B. ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Donna Simmons, Eric Miller, Jan Ross, Scott Lofton, Kevin McGinn, Ken Shepherd and Chrissy Kaminski Staff in attendance: Stephania Ferrell, Director and Ellen Ore, Administrative Assistant Ross stated Pam Ripley took another position within the City and Ellen Ore is here tonight to fill in. Ross thanked Pam Ripley for her time serving this Board. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2021-0078 PR Mins 4-14-2021 A motion was made by Shepherd, seconded by Lofton, to approve the minutes from the April 14, 2021 meeting.The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Simmons, Miller, Ross, Lofton, McGinn, Shepherd and Kaminski D. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA Old Business: Ferrell to give update on Annual calendar items for the agenda. City of Gahanna Page 1 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 New Business: The way the Boards are listed on the City Website and, future in person meetings. E. HEARING OF VISITORS - NONE F. OLD BUSINESS i. Chapter 153 Ferrell shared that Chapter 153 is included in the Board packet. The information discussed at the April meeting is included. She did get information back from the City Attorney Mularski regarding 153.01 (a) the structure of appointments. Which states that at the inception of the Board, there were seven electors appointed, one by the Mayor for three years, one was appointed by council for three years, one will be appointed by the Mayor for two years, one will be appointed by Council for two years, one will be appointed by the Mayor for one year and one will be appointed by Council for one year which creates a stagger. The question was, there are times that there will be two appointees for Council and maybe not one for Mayor. Since it seems that it’s out of sequence, is there any action that Needs taken. Mularski said, since the language does not say there will be one appointment per year per entity, it states that each January 2nd, as the terms expire, city appointments shall be made for a term of three years by the respective appointing authorities for the position for which the term is ending. It doesn’t state there has to be an appointee from both Council and an appointee from Mayor, it comes down to when it’s up for the term of that individual, whoever’s appointee it is, it’s up to that authority to make that appointment. In Mularski’s opinion, there is no action to take. Ferrell advised in 153.03 one of the changes is to change the wording to “Fee” Policy but in 153.04 the wording states “Pricing” policy. The overall document is a pricing policy so Fee should be changed to Pricing to align with the name of the document. Simmons indicated in 153.03 D, the spelling of “in leu” should be in lieu. Also, there should be a period at the end of the sentence in 153.03 D and in 153.04 B and C. Ross asked if the recommended changes go to Council. Ferrell advised the changes made need a vote and then it is taken to Council as a recommendation from the Parks & Recreation Board. Ross asked if Chapters 153 and 563 could be a combined vote and Ferrell indicated there may be more discussion around Chapter 563 and if the Board feels that Chapter 153 is ready to go she recommends separate motions. Miller asked if a clean copy with all changes would be provided once Council approves. Ferrell stated she would make sure to advise when the changes are on the agenda to move forward and once adopted, an updated version will be provided. Ross inquired if it’s out on the website City of Gahanna Page 2 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 and Ferrell confirmed that yes, the code is on the website and the changes will be updated. A motion was made by Simmons, seconded by Kaminski, to make a recommendation to City Council for changes to Chapter 153. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Simmons, Miller, Ross, Lofton, McGinn, Shepherd and Kaminski 2021-0081 153Draft3-24-2021 ii. Chapter 563 Ferrell stated that the Chapter 563 (attached) edits highlighted in yellow were made outside of what was discussed at the April meeting. 563.11 ENTERING TOILET FACILITIES. After review of the current code as well as review of other municipalities the update was transitioned to NO PERSON SHALL ENTER RESTROOMS DESIGNATED FOR THE OPPOSITE SEX UNLESS NECESSARY FOR MAINTENANCE, SERVICE OR SAFETY REASONS. Ferrell opened for comments/discussion and Ross inquired if the attorney was consulted on this as well. Ferrell advised she has not sent all the park rules updates to him yet. Once everyone is comfortable with all the changes, Ferrell will provide to the attorney. Ross advised she is good with it if there are no legal issues. Kaminiski inquired if inclusive language was used because of city code? Ferrell advised inclusive language is difficult because of the facilities that are available. Not all location have non-gendered restroom facilities as the City moves forward with any new construction it makes sense as an operation to continue going with non-gender specific facilities. Miller asked Lofton if the new High School was going to address the issue. Lofton advised there has been discussion, but the easiest way is a single use restroom He stated that a visit was made to Upper Arlington which has a common hand washing area and behind, there are single use stalls that any gender can use. It was brought up again at Upper Arlington’s board meeting and some people are upset over the use of the term “gender-neutral” so it’s in how you message it. Making people comfortable using restrooms is important. Shepherd asked if people are uncomfortable with the gender-neutral City of Gahanna Page 3 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 definition, what do they prefer? Lofton said it could be as easy as “single-use restrooms”, and it would need to be worked through. Ross inquired to Kaminski if she was ok with discussion as she asked the question, and Kaminski answered yes. 563.13 ORDERS BY EMPLOYEES; COMPLIANCE. Ferrell stated 563.13 (b) is the update agreed upon to remove “ejected” and add REMOVE. 563.22 SWIMMING PROHIBITED Ferrell indicated it is better defined as SWIMMING, WADING AND ICE SKATING IS PROHIBITED EXCEPT IN AREAS DESIGNATED FOR THAT PURPOSE BY THE DIRECTOR. The title will need to be updated as well to SWIMMING, WADING AND ICE SKATING PROHIBITED. 563.25 ENGINE POWERED MINIATURE MODELS AND TOYS Ferrell stated this section was not discussed at the last meeting. It was previously taken to Council by her predecessor and there was some discussion around the language as written. Ferrell did not make any changes. Is there an opportunity to designate any areas for these such purposes? She indicated rockets are the most requested from Boy Scout groups as they have a badge specific to chemically powered rockets. Requests that make sense are approved which gives the department the ability to know what activity is going on in a park and gives them a safe area to be in. In a broad spectrum, there isn’t a location (public park) that is always available for that use, due to other activities going on there, so it wouldn’t be safe to do those types of activities. With areas designated if you have the ability for the activity prior approval is needed. Ross asked if drones are a problem or if they could be in the future? Ferrell indicated there have been some at events and we try to contact the owner if it’s a safety hazard as you’re not to fly over crowded groups. Even with their popularity, it is not something we have issues with currently. Miller asked about their use during Holiday Lights and asked if permission is needed for flying and filming. Ferrell indicated you need a license and a permit in order to fly. If contracted by the event, proper channels are gone through first in order to fly. “Rogue” drones are the ones who cause trouble. Lofton advised when used at the schools to view work needing to be done, permission from the airport City of Gahanna Page 4 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 and the FAA is needed. Miller asked where flying can be done. Ferrell advised it depends on the elevation and there are a lot of variables to fly them legally. McGinn asked if adding wording about seeking prior approval from the Director is necessary? Kaminski added it does sound like currently there are designated areas already established. Ross asked isn’t there wording elsewhere that states Director approval is needed? Ferrell then asked for clarification. McGinn said right now the wording states it is prohibited within the confines of the parks, or on trails so he wonders if this needs to be left open ended instead of saying designated areas. Kaminski stated it seems like if rockets are operated in a designated area of a park, you can do it every time without letting the Director know and without question. Ferrell advised from Council’s perspective, if we are not identifying a location as available, then this code is not helping. Instead of “except in areas designated” its more of “without written approval by the Director”. New wording should state: ENGINE POWERED MINIATURE MODEL, TOY AIRPLANES, DRONES, CHEMICALLY POWERED ROCKETS, BOATS, CARS, SIRENS AND OTHER NOISEMAKING DEVICES ARE PROHIBITED TO BE OPERATED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE PARKS, OR ON TRAILS WITHOUT WRITTEN APPROVAL BY THE DIRECTOR. 563.30 SKATEBOARD PARK Ferrell stated the spelling of INLINE has been updated. Also, she posed the question to the City Attorney regarding language that states “shall have the following additional rules and regulations, which shall be posted, over and above the other provisions of this chapter." No alcohol, tobacco, drugs, loud music, profanity, fighting, graffiti, stickers, glass containers, motorized vehicles, or motorized scooters allowed.” and based off of his interpretation on the wording stated earlier in the Chapter where it states the rules shall be posted, there would be no need to change or amend them because it is saying this is what is posted at this park. It is called out and spelled out differently because of how it’s worded in Code. Ferrell indicated that Pizzurro Dog Park does not have that information stated now, it only shows the listing of rules. Ferrell requested guidance from the City Attorney on if the “No City of Gahanna Page 5 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 alcohol, tobacco, drugs etc.” sentence should be included in the Dog Park Rules as a replica of the skate park and she did not receive guidance prior to this meeting. She feels it does make sense to include it. Simmons inquired about the no drug rules in the skate park and cannot find any other reference of that wording in the document. How is it addressed in other parks? Ferrell indicated it does not get addressed in other parks, and per her conversation with Chief Spence, since drugs are not legal anywhere it isn’t something that needs called out specifically. Alcohol is allowed in certain locations and requires a permit. Simmons stated it may be a good idea to state no drugs somewhere in the rest of the parks. Ross referred to 563.08 INTOXICANT AND CHANCE and the no drug wording could be added here. Ross asked if that made sense to everyone and no one objected. Ferrell indicated it could be input with the beer, wine, malt liquor, etc. wording. Ross asked regarding the parking of bikes from the April meeting and input from BTAC. Ferrell advised the BTAC meeting is scheduled for June but can reach out for guidance before that if needed. Ferrell then indicated everything else was updated and if there are any other questions, it can be discussed now. Ross inquired if the changes can be submitted or do we need to wait on feedback? If ok with everyone, Ferrell will clean the document up one more time and once they have the guidance on the Dog Park Rules, it can proceed. Ross thanked Ferrell for her work on this and Simmons thanked her for the research on other cities to see what they were doing as it was helpful. 2021-0082 563Draft3-24-2021 iii. Annual Calendar Agenda Items Ferrell stated she will send to everyone the document she has that highlights the items required by the Board annually. Each January, a review of the Rules and Operations of Procedure is done along with committee assignments. In February, Chapter 563 review is needed and reviewed with open dialog. August is when the annual budget will be reviewed and discussed prior to going to the Mayor, which will include initiatives, capital projects and overall profit and loss per City of Gahanna Page 6 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 department. November is the review of the Pricing Policy in order to be ready to go to Council at the beginning of the next year. If there are other items the Board thinks should be added, please let her know. G. NEW BUSINESS i. In Person Meetings Ross addressed the question of future meetings in person or at a park and referred to Ferrell for the city’s policy: Ferrell indicated since the Parks & Recreation Board is an arm of City Council, it follows in line with them. Council is still meeting virtually, and it is possible that chambers will be open to the public in July. The boards will fall in line with the Council schedule. Ross indicated meeting in parks is an option and thinks it will be good to do, especially to parks not seen as often. Ferrell indicated incorporating a visit to the pools, seeing the operation in play and staff in action, would be great for the board and staff as well. ii. Website - Board Information Ross indicated when searching for information on the Planning and Commission Meeting, she pulled up the link which listed members, who they were appointed by, their Gahanna email address and it talks about what their duties and responsibilities are. She checked the Parks & Recreation Board information and its outdated and doesn’t list any of our board members or addresses and she would like to see the purpose and duties listed as well. Ross then advised that Ferrell said the website is being updated. Ferrell indicated she can review what is listed now and give the Marketing and Communications Department the update of what needs to happen, and they will make the updates. In the interim, the updated names and city email connections is the minimum to be done. Further website updates will be inviting and informational. Ross indicates the committees are listed, but updates to the consistency of the board members is needed. The responsibilities or a listing of the four items on the calendar can be a starting point. Linking the Gahanna email account to personal accounts would help and the City’s IT department can assist. City of Gahanna Page 7 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 H. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS NONE I. DIRECTOR'S REPORT 2021-0079 DirRptfromApril2021 Ferrell stated the Director’s Report is attached and shared the Splash Pad is moving along and should go out to bid in a couple of weeks. A preliminary 3D scan of Price Road house was completed and the floor plans with the square footage will be taken into consideration when redesigning it with our intended purpose. Once a concept or rendering is received, she will share it with the Board. Pool memberships have been updated (from what was provided in the packet) to 325 total pool passes sold and the 10% discount in April helped. We are down a bit from the normal 400 at this time of year but given the circumstances we are tracking well. Hannah and Friendship Camps are sold out. The hope is to increase capacity when restrictions lift. Ross stated the Arboretum ribbon cutting (on Arbor Day) was very nice and she liked how the signage (made by the FabLab) was partnered with the schools. Ferrell stated 40 species of trees are identified and encourages a visit to Creekside to see it. Simmons asked if Tim Fleischer, Horticulturist started? Ferrell advised Tim started on Monday and attended the Landscape Board meeting right before this meeting. He came from Dublin and the structure he came from is very different but he is hitting the ground running. Miller asked what group the students from Academy were with that assisted in the tree planting? Ferrell advised it was a class project, an environmental program for them to incorporate into sustainability within parks. They’ve helped with tree planting, invasive removals and have been working in collaboration with the Arbor team. They did reach out to us and are very eager and take the initiative to do. They were paired with Julie Predieri, City Forrester who does a great job with advocacy of her role in local government and the City of Gahanna Page 8 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 impact of the City Forrester and what the Parks & Recreation Department does in general. Simmons asked Ferrell how hiring was progressing for the summer? Ferrell indicates there is a need for 10 more lifeguards to ensure coverage. Guest Service positions are needed at this time, but concessions and swim instructors are fine. If anyone knows of anyone interested, please have them apply. Application are still being taken for Camp Counselors. More are needed to expand capacity. Additional staff is needed for paddle boats and kayaks. Pools are ready to open on the Saturday before Memorial Day. Simmons stated if restrictions are lifted June 2, 2021, we may be able to expand and then more staff is needed. Ferrell then said the staffing needs are because of the ability to expand and that is part of why more staff is needed. J. COMMITTEE REPORTS i. Bicycle & Trail Advisory Committee (BTAC) - NONE ii. Gahanna Active Senior Advisory Committee - NONE iii. Natural Resources Advisory Committee - NONE K. POLL MEMBERS FOR COMMENT Simmons asked if the GSA Reconciliation audit would be discussed. Ross indicated they said they would be sure to get it done. Ferrell indicated a request could be made for their 2020 info submitted with their tax forms. After the end of the season is when typically, the audit of players is done. A request for tax forms could be done now. Simmons said the reconciliation was regarding the dollar amount waived for the issue with their software. Ferrell said do we want the overall end of year financials? Simmons would like peace of mind that by voting, taxpayer dollars were given in good faith. Ferrell said as part of the agreement, it is expected and a request for 2020 documents could be made. Miller indicated this should be added into Old Business for the next meeting. i. Gahanna Parks & Recreation Foundation Miller advised the Foundation met in person this month with City of Gahanna Page 9 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes May 12, 2021 8-9 members present. Hops & Vines will be in October this year. Under Governance, digital storage is being investigated. Ross indicated the conversation on how they see themselves in the future continued and the best use of the Endowment Fund was also discussed. ii. School District Update Lofton stated there are three weeks left of school and since going back to full time, things are going well with protocols trying to make it a very good learning environment for students. Still meeting weekly with the architect and construction managers for Phase 2 of the project. Surveyors have been out and about on the campuses getting ready for understanding what the construction will be at the three Middle Schools and the High School. This week the road widening project at the new Lincoln Elementary on Helmbright will start and it will take about two (2) weeks to complete. A new turn lane will be put in to keep traffic flowing through to be able to turn in for the busses and for the parent loop. Some of the fence has come down and landscaping is being worked on. June 5, 2021 is the scheduled ribbon and if it rains, it will be on the June 12, 2021; if it rains on the June 12, 2021 it will be on June 19, 2021. It’s a great opportunity to tour the school. iii. Veteran's Advisory Committee - NONE L. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business of the Board the meeting adjourned at 8:14 p.m. APPROVED by the Parks & Recreation Board, this day of 2021. Jan Ross City of Gahanna Page 10