Board of Park Commissioners

Meeting Minutes February 12, 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. Recio, Mr. Schultz, and Ms. Grabczak. Council Representative Mr. Rodriquez via Zoom. Also present are Park Board Secretary Ms. Montes, and Park Director Ms. Clemens. Absent School Board Representative Mrs. Hillan Approval of Agenda: Motion by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Recio to approve the agenda as presented. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Approval of Minutes: Motion by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Recio to accept the January 8, 2024 minutes as presented. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Approval of Register of Claims: Ms. Clemens presented the summer events guide to the board. Ms. Clemens explained the invoice for the movie licensing. She explained that as an entity we have to pay to have permission to show any movies in the park along with a music fee to play music. Ms. Clemens also explained that the invoice for partnership packages is for working with the South Shore Convention so that they advertise our events across the region. Motion by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Recio to accept the register of claims. All aye, motion carried. (4-0) Correspondence: nothing under correspondence Director Report: Ms. Clemens mentioned that the event guides are ready. This year we decided to do summer and spring events and add the fall and winter events later this year. All the information is on the event guide as we normally do for events. The Easter egg hunt is the only new addition to our events. Ms. Clemens mentioned that we are working on sponsorships in the office to try to offset some of the costs for some of the events that we do. We are looking to restructure the way we do our sponsorships so we can get a better reach from our community. Ms. Clemens stated that Lake County Parks reached out to us because they purchased the property next to Robinson Lake. They are working on their property and one of the things they want to do is connect to our property and the DNR property across 49th. Ms. Clemens had a meeting with Lake County and Delta Institute and wrote a letter of recommendation and she reached out to Friends of Robinson so they can also write a letter of recommendation as well. The plan is to keep the area natural. There was a small discussion regarding the new playground at the pool. Mr. Such stated that they have reached out to him with concerns about the concrete block by the slide and open bathrooms. Ms. Clemens stated that the concrete block is going to be removed soon, it’s something that’s on the list, and bathrooms are still winterized and won't get open till spring. The plan is to put a porta-potty out there in the meantime. Plan Commission Report: nothing under plan commission report Common Council Report: nothing under the Common Council report School Board Report: There is nothing to report under the school board Old Business: There is nothing to report under old business New Business: USFWS Grant- Robinson Lake: We have partnered with Sand O’Brien in the past for the USFWS Grant for Fred Rose and Sandy wants to do a similar grant for Robinson Lake. The Wildlife Grant provides money to states, territories, and commonwealths to address wildlife conservation needs such as species and habitat management. This grant will help us to do things that we can’t do with our budget. Sandy O’Brien will oversee the grant and project at Robinson Lake as she did in the past for Fred Rose Park. Mr. Schultz mentioned that he would take it to the school and see if students can get involved, he stated that part of graduation is to get volunteer hours and help out and clean some of the brush from the park. Motion by Ms. Grabczak to accept the partnership, seconded by Mr. Such All aye, motion carried. Consideration for Park Director: Ms. Clemens mentioned that Mayor Huddleston came to her and wanted her in a different role and asked her to be his Chief of Staff. As she thought about the offer, she also thought about how she would leave the Park Department. However, Ms. Clemens accepted the position of Chief of staff and felt comfortable as she believed someone within the Park Department was the right fit as the new director. Julia Mandon has been with the Park Department for twelve years. She has been the Recreation Coordinator and before that, she was in charge of the Events which she has assumed the role of Events again. Julia Mandon has also been our online web specialist therefore we would like to consider Julia Mandon as the new Park Director. Mayor Huddleston came forward and stated that everything came quickly. As he evaluated city hall, he realized he needed someone in the capacity to help move the ball forward with the initiatives that the City has as a whole. He chose Ms. Clemens because he believes she is the right person to help and get things done at the rate he wants to move. With that said, he feels strongly that Julia Mandon is the right person to take over the Park Department as the new director, and with all her experience she will do great. He Strongly believes Julia will bring and gear more towards programming and do things that the Park Department can improve on. Mr. Huddlestun is excited about both of the new appointments. Ms. Clemens stated that she feels really good knowing that one day Julia will surpass what she did and she will be there for her to support her and help her to be the best she can be within the parks. The goal is to make Hobart better. Julia Mandon stated that she is very excited and appreciates the mayor for believing in and considering her for the Director's position. She will put all her effort and making the department grow. Motion by Ms. Grabczak to accept Julia Mandon as the new park director, seconded by Mr. Recio, All aye, motion carried. Announcements: Laura Daley president of Fred Rose Park came forward to introduce their committee to the new board members. She introduced Sherly Beth, Patti McGregor, Sandy O’Brien, Jen Woronecki, and Dave Woronecki. Laura stated that they will be attending more of the park board meetings because they want to keep the direction of Fred Rose continuing to be a natural park. They thanked Ms. Clemens for all the support and help she gave them in achieving their goals. They also welcomed Julia Mandon as the new director and are excited to work with her in the future. They will be hosting a dedication of Fred Rose Park on May 29th and a 65th anniversary in 2025. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn by Ms. Grabczak, seconded by Mr. Recio All aye, motion carried. (4-0) ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________