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, June 9, 2021 7:00 PM Virtual Meeting Call-in Details: +1 513-306-4583 Conf. ID: 503 593 360# A. CALL MEETING TO ORDER Ross, Chair, called the June 9, 2021 Parks & Recreation Board meeting to order at 7:01pm. 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. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion was made by Miller, seconded by Shepherd, to approve the minutes from the May 12, 2021 meeting. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Simmons, Miller, Ross, Lofton, McGinn, Shepherd and Kaminski 2021-0097 PR Minutes 5-12-2021 D. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO THE AGENDA New Business: Request for Fee Reductions E. HEARING OF VISITORS Scott LaCross, 6555 Clark State Rd. and Trese Bueltman. City of Gahanna Page 1 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 Ross thanked LaCross for attending and reminded him, he had three (3) minutes to speak and time could be extended if needed but asked that he try to respect the process. LaCross proposed expanding the pickleball courts in Gahanna due to growth of the sport locally, statewide, and nationally. LaCross would like to know the Boards thoughts about the presentation and about expanding pickleball in Gahanna. LaCross would like to get a commitment or an agreement to explore the best way to expand pickleball and where is the best place for it. Shepherd asked if new courts were requested to be created or are you wanting more of the tennis courts, we have lined off for pickleball - or both? LaCross said the goal is to get more pickleball courts and believes the best route is to expand and get dedicated courts. This would allow people to play pickleball without overlapping tennis players. The Board discussed engaging with other communities who have dedicated Pickleball courts to share information. Miller would like to know how the whole process started and how did they gauge the support needed and how was it funded? Miller said at one time, a group of citizens were interested in a dog park, and a public meeting was held and approximately 50 people attended in support. Maybe a public meeting could be held before the Parks Board meeting to find out the support level and what the public looking for? Are they looking for six (6) or 10 courts? LaCross indicated that is part of the conversation that should be had. A minimum of six (6) courts would serve the community and probably lessons. With new courts, there would be people coming from around Columbus to play. If you have 8-10 courts, you can have leagues and events where people would be paying for court time. Middletown has 18 pickleball courts, they can host regional tournaments. They have the Cincinnati Open which has 500 players who fly in from around the country. With more courts, you can have more opportunity to do larger events that can become a revenue stream vs just a cost center. Ross asked if there was a formal organization? LaCross indicated they’re just a bunch of pickleball loving community members who play. Hannah Park is the only place in Gahanna to play. Near Gahanna is the New Albany Tennis Club which is pay to play and Reynoldsburg. People will travel to a dedicated court. Right now, there is a significate large group that plays at Hannah Park most mornings. He feels there is an opportunity to expand what is in Gahanna. Shepherd stated he thought the new Sunpoint Park was going to be lined off for pickleball. Ferrell indicated there are four courts at Sunpoint Park. There is no fence around the courts, so it does create a challenge with pickleball if the ball is out of play. LaCross stated people would probably still go to Hannah Park for that reason. City of Gahanna Page 2 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 Trese Beltmen stated she is good friends with Tony Brown who is one of their pickleball ambassadors, and he has been to Sunpoint Park and said the court is in the middle of a basketball court which means it needs to be shared with another sport. LaCross stated as more and more people play pickleball, they don’t want there to be this pickleball vs other sport. Other communities are recognizing the need for dedicated courts. Loften asked LaCross how many members are in the group? LaCross indicated there is not really membership but at any time during the summer, there have been 40 people there to play pickleball and 16 can play at once. He is plugged into the pickleball community around Columbus and sees other groups set up to play at Hannah as well. Ferrell thanked the visitors for taking the time to talk with the Board. This is part of the process and staff know pickleball is and has been a popular and growing sport. Ferrell said it’s a multi-generational sport. That’s important and clearly the interest is there. Having these conversations and really understanding what the scope of this is, is where we can address how the need can be met. Friendship Park does have pickleball lines also, however, they are within the tennis court and it’s understood that it is very challenging to play. Those courts are being reviewed. LaCross apologized for interrupting but wanted to add one thing for clarification for the group because we talked about the lines on courts. When there are lines on a court for tennis what that means is people need to bring their own net which might seem obvious but that is also a barrier for people to play. Ferrell stated the department does work closely with other municipalities as members of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association and do share information on projects. Ferrell sated she appreciates the willingness to participate this evening and will continue the dialogue. F. OLD BUSINESS i. GSA Reconciliation Audit Ferrell stated staff requested 2020, 990 tax information from GSA and other youth sports leagues affiliates. Staff received the information from GSA and have reviewed them. Ross thanked Ferrell for requesting the information and assumed that will be the normal process going forward. Ferrell indicated that was correct. Simmons then asked Ferrell if she was comfortable with the reduction in fees previously granted by the Board. Ferrell stated she was and that 2020 was a challenge for GSA. City of Gahanna Page 3 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 ii. Chapter 563 Park Conduct At the last meeting, a decision was made to include drugs as part of the beer, wine, malt liquor and malt beverage that’s prohibited. The request is to define non prescribed drugs within that statement. Ross said under 563.07 SPECIAL EVENTS where it did say Commission and we changed it to Board: it’s saying no activity can be done unless in the opinion of the director or board it talks about different criteria. Ross is trying to figure out if as a board we could really be making those decisions, or if it’s just the Director. Ferrell interprets it, if we have a situation or a special event requested Ferrell would come to the Board for comment if staff thought it was hazardous, dangerous, endangered the peace and good order of the parks, interfered with regular and normal use of the facility and activities. Ferrell believes the Board would serve as the voting members as far as identifying if it truly something did not make sense for the department to do. Ross stated it probably doesn’t happen that much, but it would make sense to go through the Director then the Board if Ferrell felt it was necessary. 563.30 SKATEBOARD PARK Ferrell stated with the wording, “The Base at Shull Park, Bike and Skate park shall have the following additional rules and regulations which shall be posted.” it’s requiring for that text to be on the signage. By striking the word “the following” it’s less specific to the actual text on the signage. Ross stated so basically not change what we’re saying now other than it’s not going to reference the sign. Ferrell indicated it will still reference that the rules are posted, but not so specific that it’s verbatim to what is written in code. 563.31 PIZZURRO PARK DOG PARK RULES Ferrell stated the edit of the strike through the following but adding that “The Pizzurro Park Dog Park shall have additional rules and regulations which shall be posted, over and above the other provisions of this chapter:” Similar to the skate park but removing / strike through the following from that sentence. Ross asked if Ferrell had talked to the Attorney about the restroom and asked if it was still an open item. Ferrell stated Mularski did review it and before taking to Council, the Mayor and City Attorney will review again. If there are any questions, it may come back to the Board for additional review and comment. City of Gahanna Page 4 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 A motion was made by Ross, seconded by Kaminski, to recommend changes to Chapter 563 contingent on review by the Mayor prior to going to Council. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Simmons, Miller, Ross, Lofton, McGinn, Shepherd and Kaminski G. NEW BUSINESS i. Request for Fee Reductions Gahanna Special Olympics Ferrell indicated the Gahanna Special Olympics would like to use Hannah Park Shelter on July 9th from 7-10pm for an end of summer cookout. The resident fee is $200 along with a $100 deposit for a total of $300. There is not a specific dollar amount of reduction requested. Ferrell indicated any requests for a fee reduction comes to the Board for approval. Miller asked if it was a group of parents who formed this organization or is it an actual incorporated organization? Ferrell indicated it is the organized group for Gahanna and the department partners with them for other programs such as a golf league. Ross indicated she would like to hear the second request before anything is decided. A motion was made by Simmons, seconded by Shepherd, to approve the $100 reduction for rental with no change to the deposit for The Special Olympics group. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7- Simmons, Miller, Ross, Lofton, McGinn, Shepherd and Kaminski Multiply Christian Church Ferrell indicated the second request came from Dan Stoffer the lead pastor for a new church start up in Gahanna called Multiply Christian Church. They are interested in renting the Clubhouse on Sundays for several months until they find a permanent home. They are interested in the 8am-2pm half day rental. Their gatherings are typically 50-60 people with acoustic worship with a hospitality option. The rental rate is $275 the deposit is $137 the total would be $412.50 and with no damages, the City of Gahanna Page 5 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 deposit is returned to the individuals. Ferrell stated there is one (1) date in June available, two (2) dates in July and all of August is available. Ferrell indicated they did not specify what reduction was requested; they are requesting for a break given the multiple dates they will be reserving. Lofton shared similar request for school facilities. McGinn asked what the rates are for school facilities for comparison. Lofton said it really depends what they’re trying to rent. Usually the ones that start off will start with one of their elementary gyms and it’s usually $1500 for the month. Kaminski asked how decisions are made - is it just case by case basis? Lofton said they think of themselves as part of the public because the public paid for all their facilities and we try to be as good as we possibly can about losing money. The last group that came to him, they just couldn’t afford the $1500 a month but they had a group before that rented out Goshen Lane and now, they’ve recently upgraded to West Auditorium for every Sunday. When they have a good idea how much money they’re going to bring in they try to get the biggest site they can. Lofton indicated he would be willing to reduce for Special Olympics but not necessarily the church. Miller and Kaminski agreed. Miller asked how much to reduce the Special Olympics by half. Lofton said he’d be comfortable with half. Ross said with the full deposit because if there are any damages. Kaminski indicated to keep a record of all fee reduction requests would be helpful and if this keeps coming up, we can talk about formalizing something. McGinn said in hearing the school rate, he feels this is a reasonable rate at full price too, so he doesn’t feel a discount is needed. Simmons states she is deferring to the rest of the board on money but believes there should be consistency when making these decisions. Thinking back, there aren’t a ton of requests, but she believes we need to be careful to be consistent and fair with everyone. Simmons stated the more we do, the more we get asked because word travels and people talk, and she wants to be fair and consistent with everyone. Ross is less hesitant if the shelters are not being used that much and use was down due to Covid but knows it will pick up. It would be good when requests come in to know what the occupancy rate is. Kaminski stated there is also a difference in one day vs a whole month of Sundays. A motion was made by Kaminski, seconded by Ross, to approve the request for Multiply Christian Church. The motion failed by the following vote: Yes: 0 No: 7- Simmons, Miller, Ross, Lofton, McGinn, Shepherd and Kaminski H. CORRESPONDENCE AND ACTIONS- NONE City of Gahanna Page 6 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 I. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Ferrell shared the attached Director’s Report. Pool memberships sold are now at 517, trending a lot closer to where we want to be. We are still challenged with low seasonal staff numbers. Open interviews were held at the Gahanna Swimming Pool this evening from 4-6 and have another open interview scheduled for next Wednesday the June 16th from 4-6pm. We need lifeguards, guest services at the pools as well as camp counselors. The Senior Center will reopen on July 15th. July 3rd is the. Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks. The golf course will be open for a viewing site. Viewing at the course is free, we are asking people to pre-register. Registering will help us manage the crowd. Viewing will be open at 5pm and fireworks will be at 10pm. Ferrell request Board members if available to help sell beverages as a volunteer. Specific information will be sent out in an email. We are selling alcohol along with soda and water. The parade is on July 4th. To properly staff both events, we had to split the days for fireworks and the parade. The parade will start at Clark Hall and travel to Royal Plaza. The IT Department is sending an email regarding a mandatory security awareness training to be completed by the end of June. If the message is not received or anyone is experiencing challenges, contact Ferrell. Ferrell opened it for questions and Miller asked what hours were needed for July 3rd. Ferrell indicated we will be selling from 5pm to 9:45pm. Shepherd indicated it was a good decision to have the fireworks on July 3rd because with Red, White and Boom not happening, there will be so many people wanting to get out to local communities to attend the fireworks. Miller asked how many people are needed to work to sell beer? Ferrell indicated there will be multiple stations and 12-15 individuals needed. Kiwanis has been contacted to volunteer as well. Miller asked if spouses could help. Ferrell indicated yes. Simmons asked if registration limits the people attending what is the intention? Ferrell indicated initially they needed a way to track for contact tracing, however the more it was discussed if there was a weather or safety issue it is a way to communicate with a large amount of people very quickly. Simmons asked if people could show up without registering and Ferrell indicated yes, but then there will be tablets available to register on site. Simmons asked if there was a maximum number of pool membership that can be sold. Ferrell indicated there isn’t a maximum and in 2019 we City of Gahanna Page 7 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 sold 720 passes and we projected 600 for this year. We still have a way to go but there were a lot of things we had not seen before this year and it was a challenge to determine what that would look like. Simmons then said she was at the Gahanna Pool and it looks nice. Ross asked if all the camps have been opened for all the people on the wait list. Ferrell said they have not as camps still have guidelines on ratios and protocols, they are still limited, and it truly comes down to staff. If we could increase our staff with counselors, we could increase our campers. Ross stated she saw where the hot water heater was replaced at the Herb Center. She asked what our ongoing responsibilities were there since we don’t operate it. Ferrell advised the City still owns the building and we do manage the property. 2021-0098 Director Rpt June2021 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 Ross asked for anything else to discuss before adjourning. Lofton indicated once we are able to start meeting live, if we wanted to meet at Lincoln Elementary, we could definitely do that. That’s not one of our parks, but it’s an opportunity if you wanted to go see it. Kaminski stated she would like to see it, she was impressed and gave extra kudos as she can’t believe there were no delays during 2020 - the worst year ever so that’s awesome. Ross asked where the Board goes from the pickleball presentation. Ferrell indicated that we know that pickleball is an extremely popular sport and we’re doing what we can with the inventory we have. Ferrell said that Hannah Park has black lines that are for pickleball which have been addressed and identified as a challenge visually for the players; those can be restriped in a different color. Friendship Park also has the City of Gahanna Page 8 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 potential for improved pickleball use and the department is actively pricing those improvements. Staff will continue the dialogue with the pickleball community to have a good understanding of what the end goal is for dedicated courts. Shepherd stated the one thing that concerns him, if Grove City has these pickleball courts, how did they fund them because that’s the number one issue with the people of Gahanna - Where is the money coming from? Ferrell indicated we need to determine the scope of a project before we can identify what funding would be required. i. Gahanna Parks & Recreation Foundation Hops & Vines was the main subject discussed at the previous meeting. Tickets will tentatively go on sale July. ii. School District Update Last Saturday was the ribbon cutting for Lincoln Elementary and tours are scheduled for community members; 550 people attended. In the adjustments for the new building there will be students from Blacklick, and Goshen and it was an opportunity to meet parents and students to give them a chance to walk through the building before they show up in August. Looks like it will come in under budget and on time. Feb 2020 was groundbreaking and to not run into any significant issues during Covid was due to a lot of people doing great work to make sure everyone was safe. We continue to discuss and work on Phase 2 so for the High School, the additions to the middle schools and High Point and Blacklick plus some athletic complexes we need to work on due to what we’ll lose at the High School. The meetings for Phase 2 are pretty in depth with the architect and it’s a good group, really engaging and so trying to understand the best way to teach for the High School - once understood we can design the High School which will last 50-75 years. Shepherd asked what the new High School maximum capacity is going to be? Lofton replied around 3000. In studies done, we max out at about 2800 students. That encompasses everything Blacklick can give us. As most of you know, in Gahanna there’s not a lot of additional land available to build on. Most of the single-family homes are going to be out in Blacklick so in about 7-8 years we’ll probably max out at about 2800 at the High School. iii. Veteran's Advisory Committee Shepherd advised as you all know, the Memorial Day Ceremony was City of Gahanna Page 9 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 2021 virtual but unless things change Veteran’s Day in November will be live. Shepherd will keep everyone posted by email like he has been. Ross said thank you for sending the video. Miller said he loved the video; it was great and well done. Shepherd stated Becky does a phenomenal job when it comes to Veterans. L. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business of the Board, the meeting is adjourned at 8:30pm. APPROVED by the Parks & Recreation Board, this day of 2021. Jan Ross City of Gahanna Page 10