Board of Park Commissioners

City of Hobart Board of Park Commissioners Minutes October 13th, 2014 Call to Order: Mr. Ehrhardt called the meeting to order at 5pm, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The following Commissioners were present: Mr. Ehrhardt, Mr. Spain, Mrs. Sills, and Mrs. Liss. Also present were the School Board representative Mr. Rogers, Park Superintendent Mr. Mitchell, and Park Board Secretary Ms. Mandon. Approval of Agenda: Mrs. Sills made a motion to approve the agenda as presented, seconded by Mrs. Sills. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Approval of Minutes: Mr. Spain motions to approve the minutes as presented, seconded by Mrs. Sills seconds. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Approval of Register of Claims: Mr. Ehrhardt questioned the purchase of the Kubota. Mr. Mitchell stated that it is for snow removal. Mr. Spain asks if it can be also used on the bike trails. Mr. Mitchell said yes and the parks also has the bobcat with new snow blower for the trails. Ms. Mandon said there were 3 late additions to the register of claims including Oak Savannah trail project bills, and a demo removal of the old Jaycees building. Mrs. Sills made a motion to accept the register of claims as presented including the late additions with a new total of $63,412.30, seconded by Mrs. Liss. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Correspondence: None Superintendent’s Report: Mr. Mitchell stated that the busy season is winding down now with most of his part time workers back in school. There is a drainage issue at the Rugby field that needs to be addressed regarding the man hole. The snow hill is complete reaching about 60 feet high and about 400 feet of runway. We will put rules and signage displayed as soon as possible. The bathroom must be insulated and heated to keep it open during the winter. This work can all be done in house to save money. The Parks Department has been doing work over at the Fred Rose Lakeshore Dog Park cutting and clearing trees and overgrown brush. It should be ready to open and taking memberships in the springtime. There will be a small and big dog area 30lbs and higher. We have received positive feedback on Facebook and phone calls regarding adding a dog park to the city. Mr. Mendoza our city planner brought a presentation regarding the comprehensive plan and its relationship to the dog park requests. There were worksheets filled out asking what the citizens wanted to see and where. Currently people drive all the way to Portage and Valparaiso and would much rather stay here. Mr. Mendoza shared the feedback he received and stated that there is a want for a dog park just not 1 specific place requested. When he looked at the city as a whole the most frequented park was Festival Park, second Lakefront Park, third a tie between Robinson and Fred Rose, and fifth was Pavese Park. Mr. Mendoza explained that NIRPC determined the Livable Centers as being Downtown Hobart and Beverly Shores area, Mundell is a Livable Neighborhood, and the Lincoln Corridor is a Livable/Walkable Area. The dog park location was chose due to livable/walkable accessibility according to the research. Mr. Mitchell said the location at Fred Rose Lakeshore is walkable with minimal residents to disturb. Festival Park and Lakefront Park cannot be done as they are too busy and not enough room. Robinson Lake is not walkable so the next best is Fred Rose Lakeshore’s 1.5 acres with walking track. It is the area with all of the amenities and minimal spending. Mr. Ehrhardt asked Mr. Mendoza if the Parks Master Plan has Fred Rose dedicated as a nature preserve. Mr. Mendoza says he is not aware of it but knows it is owned by the city not a private entity trust that protects land. Mrs. Liss asks what the requirement is for fencing at the dog parks and Mr. Mitchell states that he is looking into it. Some of the others have converted old softball fields with 8 and 16ft fences with dugouts and back stops. Mr. Spain said he has seen most of them have vinyl coated chain link fences and Mr. Mendoza said they cannot be any higher than 6ft. Plan Commission Report: Mr. Spain stated that Hansen Logistics is planning an 85,000 square foot addition to their current building in Northwind Parkway. Mr. Spain also stated that Sergio is working to complete the comprehensive plan. He ran into missing maps so he is working with drafting to get it put together. Council Report: Mr. Maggio was not in attendance. School Board Report: Mr. Rogers reported that fall break is next week and the kids are looking forward to it. Old Business: Nothing to report. New Business: Sandy O’Brien passed out information sheets and stated that she works for Ecorealm LLC which helps others with restoration projects and takes care of land for clients. She explained that she takes care of Hobart places on the weekends. Mrs. O’Brien said she is defending a ½ acre of Fred Rose Lakeshore Park. This area has cut into the natural part so she is proposing a smaller or different area for the dog park. Mrs. O’Brien said she apologizes for disagreeing with Mr. Mitchell because he does a great job but this natural area needs to be protected if she has to lay in front of it to do so. Mr. Ehrhardt asks if it is not dedicated, no documents to show it being a nature preserve. Mrs. O’Brien said no but it has been respected for 20 years, not in writing. There are high quality, rare natural plants at this location. Mrs. Sills asked why the plants can’t be picked up and moved to a different location and Mrs. O’Brien said they are much too sensitive and delicate to do so. They are endangered especially the Broom Rape plant. Mr. Ehrhardt said that in the meeting with Mr. Mitchell and Mrs. O’Brien at the Fred Rose Lakeshore Park location, they may be misunderstood that they reached the compromise to re-dedicate the mowed area. Mrs. O’Brien said no, she is going to fight it. Mrs. O’Brien said to fence in the memorial and put it inside the dog park and Mr. Mitchell said no, that is disrespectful to the former mayor. Mr. Rogers asked if any type of animals fed on the environmentally endangered plants and Mrs. O’Brien said no. Mr. Spain asked Mr. Mendoza if the Park Master Plan called for any protection at Fred Rose Lakeshore Park. Mr. Mendoza said no, the plan is not slated for any protection but it is a living and breathing, changeable document. It is just a guideline to go by. Mrs. O’Brien stated that it improves mental health to have environmental rare species in the area. Mr. Ehrhardt said that he was relieved during their meeting that only 6 dead trees were cut down and it was not nearly as destructive as Mrs. O’Brien insinuated. The habitat is still there with little disturbance and Mr. Mitchell said it is ready to go for spring. Mr. Mitchell said that the dead trees were in the park were a danger to walkers and as superintendent it is his responsibility to maintain safety in the parks. The dogs as of now are in the park off leash running around and they are not ruining the endangered species. Mr. Andy Gregory addressed the board. He said he lives 1 block from the park and goes to Fred Rose Lakeshore all of the time. It is a pristine area with very little human footprint. He agrees that the dog park is a good idea just not here. He suggest moving the dog park to the Fred Rose 8th Street location. He does not want a chain link fence and dogs ruining his view. Hobart does need a dog park but there need to be a better choice in locations. Mrs. Jennifer Wornecki Ellis addressed the board. She commends the Parks department for Robinson Lake work but the dog park at Fred Rose Lakeshore is a bad decision. It is a real misuse of land. She agrees that a dog park is needed but not here. People have put over 15 years into saving endangered plant species at Fred Rose Lakeshore so Mrs. Ellis said look to the big picture and do not waste a beautiful natural area. Mr. Tim Zorn addressed the board and stated he has lived in 3 other communities. He has never seen such natural beauty. It is so rare to be accessible to everyone, and it is a joy to be at. Mrs. Robin Gomez addressed the board and said we must keep Fred Rose Lakeshore Park as is. Parks are doing a great job at Robinson Lake. She said what about the domino effect with heavily used with dog waste and urine seeping into the lake and natural areas. Mrs. Gomez said this is a hasty decision. Mr. Mitchell stated they discussed the dog park in 2011. Mr. Mitchell stated that the 8th street location has parallel parking which is very dangerous, no water, electric, and not enough room. Mrs. Gomez asked Mr. Mendoza where else they could do the dog park per the plan questionnaires. Mr. Mendoza said possibly Pavese Park, Lakefront but it is not big enough, Festival won’t work, Robinson is not close enough to livable neighborhoods, and the sanitary/sewage plant. Announcements: None Adjournment: Mrs. Sills made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Spain. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________