Board of Park Commissioners

Meeting Minutes January 8, 2024 Call to Order: Mr. Such called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. followed by the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting was held open to the public and a call-in number for remote public participation. Roll Call: Commissioners in attendance: Mr. Such, Mr. Ricio, Mr. Schultz, and Ms. Grabczak. Council Representative Mr. Rodriquez, School Board Representative Mrs. Hillan. Also present are Park Board Secretary Ms. Montes, and Park Director Ms. Clemens Election of 2023 Officers: There was a nomination by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Ricio to elect Mr. Such for president. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Ms. Grabczak has been nominated for Vice President by Mr. Such, seconded by Mr. Ricio. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Mr. Ricio was nominated by Mr. Such, seconded by Ms. Grabczak for the Office of Secretary. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Mr. Schultz was appointed by Mr. Such, seconded by Ms. Grabczak to Plan Commission. Approval of Agenda: Motion by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Ricio to approve the agenda as presented. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Approval of Minutes: Motion by Mr. Such, seconded by Mr. Schultz to accept the January 8, 2024 minutes as presented. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Approval of Register of Claims: Ms. Clemens explained to the new board members how the bills get paid and where money gets pulled for payment. Ms. Clemens clarified what bills get pre-paid and which ones need approval. Ms. Clemens also explained that the backflow prevention was a sprinkler system repair that was done at the Community Center. Motion by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Such to accept the register of claims. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Correspondence: nothing under correspondence Director Report: Ms. Clemens welcomed the new board members and shared with the board all of the park's property that we maintain and also explained the funds for the department. On the packet, there is a rental form that the board members get showing everything that gets rented out: gym, hall, shelters, fields, and pool rentals. The form has the date, the renter, what’s rented, and the price. Ms. Clemens also discussed three other accounts that are considered non- reverting accounts: events, donations, and programming. Those accounts roll over every year. Ms. Clemens stated that the funding for 2023 has not rolled over yet, but next meeting there will be a full budget report for our general fund. The budget this year was cut again, however, we will make it work. Mayor Huddlestun came forward and stated that other funds from City Hall would help the park department pay any big expense needed. Ms. Clemens explained that we have taken over the events department and we are excited because we have a lot of new things coming. We are doing the Lakefront Festival but we have moved the date to the end of May, we are going to do an Easter Egg hunt, adding a hay ride to the Halloween event, and have a lot of newer events planned. Ms. Clemens also stated that we have a lot of great people who support our park department and we are very thankful for their support. We have two different friend groups: Friends of Robinson Lake and Friends of Freed Rose Group. They are always present and help preserve our natural land and help give money back. She encourages anyone with questions to please reach out for any explanation. Plan Commission Report: nothing under plan commission report Common Council Report: Mayor Huddlestun introduced Mr. Rodriguez as the new common council. Mr. Rodriguez seemed like a good fit for the board, he has three kids and his family is active within the park department. They go to a lot of the programming offered in the parks. School Board Report: There is nothing to report under the school board Old Business: There is nothing to report under old business New Business: There is nothing to report under new business Announcements: Ms. Clemens introduced Sandy O’Brien to the board. Sandy is a lifelong Hobart Resident. She is very key to keeping our natural parks natural. She does a lot of work without getting paid for it. Sandy does all the control burns and she’s a wealth of knowledge. Sandy welcomed the new board members and gave a little information about the parks she works on and the importance of the parks as a natural area. Ms. Clemens stated that Sandy has put together a slide show of native plants and she will share it with the board members so they can see the research she has done. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Such All aye, motion carried. (4-0) ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________