City Council

TOWN OF JONESBOROUGH Wetlands Waterpark 1523 Persimmon Ridge Rd. MEETING NOTICES Thursday, June 26th, 2025, 6:00 p.m. Wetlands Waterpark PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS Members of the public wishing to speak concerning any item on the agenda during the Public Comment period must sign up by calling the Town Administrative Office at 423-753-1030 with their name, address, and subject about which they wish to speak no later than 2 hours before the meeting if the meeting occurs during normal business hours or by 4:45 p.m. the day of the meeting if the meeting occurs after hours. Otherwise, such member of the public must sign in at the location of the meeting, prior to the beginning of the meeting, by seeing the Town Recorder at meetings of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, or the secretary or staff of any board, commission or committee constituting any other governing body under this resolution. Each individual shall be given three (3) minutes to address the Board regarding Agenda items. Comments shall be limited to items on the meeting’s Agenda The Jonesborough Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 26th, 2025, at Wetlands Water Park, 1523 Persimmon Ridge Rd., Jonesborough, TN, to consider the following agenda: AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of April 2025 Minutes 3. Public Comments 4. Wetlands Waterpark 5. Depot Street Community Event Review 6. Local Programming 7. Tiger Park Update 8. Introduction of Subcommittees 9. Strategic Planning Session 10. Other Business 11. Adjournment  Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Agenda Presentation Date: April 9th, 2025 Agenda Item: 2 Subject: Approval of April 2025 Minutes Town of Jonesborough Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes for April 9th, 2025 The Jonesborough Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee met in a called meeting on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Visitor’s Center. Present: Mark Merriman, Jason Davis, Jimmy Rhein, Carla Weems, Lori Rosenoff, Adam Dickson Staff: Chris Kudera Absent: Bryan Barnett, Matt Smith, David Barnette Guest(s) Rachel Conger – Community Development Partners Mark Merriman called the meeting to order. There were no public comments. Agenda 1. Subject: Adoption Master Plan – Community Development Partners The Town of Jonesborough has contracted with Community Development Partners to assist in updating our Parks and Recreation Master Plan. This update is required every two years to comply with the Tennessee Office of Outdoor Recreation’s guidelines, ensuring our eligibility for critical funding opportunities such as the Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF) and Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants. Rachel Conger presented a final draft of the Master Plan with added comments from the Town Administrator. Jimmy Rhein mentioned that both cemeteries were not in the Masterplan. He mentioned that the Heritage Alliance, in collaboration with Parks and Recreation staff, maintain the cemetery and put on programming. Jason Davis made a motion to approve the Master Plan as presented with the inclusion of adding both cemeteries and with consideration of the Town Administrator’s comments. Lori Rosenoff seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Jason Davis made a motion to adjourn. Carla Weems seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.  Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Agenda Presentation Date: June 26th, 2025 Agenda Item: 4 Subject: Wetlands Waterpark Wetlands Waterpark officially kicked off its season this past month, and we are pleased to report a successful opening despite some challenging weather conditions. Prior to opening day, we held several soft opening dates where we invited passholders to come in early, have their passes made, and enjoy the park at a relaxed pace. These dates also provided great opportunities for our team to train thoroughly before the full season began. We also hosted our annual employee party, where the team and their families’ enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, and desserts. We’ve heard many positive comments about the quality of the food, which is a testament to our concession staff’s hard work and attention to detail. Wetlands Waterpark season pass holders now receive 50% off daily admission at Bright’s Zoo in Jonesborough. To take advantage of the discount, pass holders must show their Wetlands pass at the zoo when purchasing tickets. Nick wet-sanded and waxed the slides, which has noticeably improved performance. We also added new metal support beams to the Big Slide to prevent swaying, and while Precision Ironworks was onsite, they repaired storm-damaged handrails as well. The new sand volleyball court was installed and has been well-received. Landscaping was enhanced around the cabanas by Lauren and Julia, adding a fresh and inviting feel. As you know, we faced a very wet and cold beginning to the season. We’ve already had to close three dates due to rain, and we remained open on several chilly, overcast days. Even with the less-than-ideal weather, we are on track to meet our yearly budget goals. Our updated concession menu has been a big hit so far — new items like Dippin’ Dots, Hershey’s Ice Cream, pizzas, and chicken sandwiches have been especially popular with our guests. Below is a quick snapshot of the revenue for Wetlands. The total difference is 92,789.17. FY 25 Budget 22-Jun Water Park - Season Passes 33,100 8,092 Wetlands - Facility Rental 37,500 29,475 Wetlands - Daily Admissions 310,000 238,098 Wetlands - Concessions 95,000 76,981 Wetlands - Merchandise Sales 3,500 657 Wetlands - Tube Rentals/Locker Rentals 9,400 326 Wetlands - Snowball Sales 3,000 1,596 Wetlands - Swim Lessons/CPR Training 3,500 1,157  Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Agenda Presentation Date: June 26th, 2025 Agenda Item: 5 Subject: Depot Street Park Community Event In April we hosted a community event at Depot Street Park with over 150 people in attendance! It started off a bit slow due to the rain, but once the sun came out, everyone had a great time. Big Foot Sista’s Soul Food was a huge hit. They served up pulled pork, smoked meatloaf, fried catfish, smoked ham, tasty sides, and drinks that kept everyone coming back for more. Sunset Slush was also there, handing out delicious Italian ice to help everyone stay refreshed. Below are screenshots of some of the survey results (with personal information removed), and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. “If you could change one thing about the park, what would it be?”  Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Agenda Presentation Date: June 26th, 2025 Agenda Item: 6 Subject: Local Programming NFL Flag Football We’re excited to share that our inaugural NFL Flag Football season has wrapped up successfully. Run through the Town of Jonesborough, we had over 80 participants. Games were played at Tiger Park due to soccer at Jonesborough Middle and Little League at Persimmon Ridge. While the field conditions were less than ideal, we’re optimistic that we can continue to build momentum and grow this program for years to come. Jonesborough Youth Soccer Youth soccer recently completed its spring season with more than 250 players. Due to ongoing field usage at Persimmon Ridge, games were hosted at Jonesborough Middle School. Following the season, the soccer league officially approached the Town to explore the Town’s potential role in administering the program moving forward. Our department is currently in conversations to determine the best path forward. Registration for their fall season will continue as usual, and we will work alongside them to ensure a smooth experience as decisions are made. Jonesborough Little League Little League is going strong into its tournament season. This spring, we had 470 participants across all age divisions, including the 12-16-year-old bracket. Our 10U softball team recently won the Braves Country tournament and will be representing Tennessee at regionals in Atlanta this weekend. Our 12U softball and 11U baseball teams will be heading to the Little League state tournament on July 5th. Finally, our 16U softball team will have home-field advantage as we host the Senior Softball Tournament this weekend at Persimmon Ridge.  Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Agenda Presentation Date: June 26th, 2025 Agenda Item: 7 Subject: Tiger Park Update Ball Fields - Since we last met, Wes Ross has worked on the football field at the park, aerating the soil and followed that up with fertilizing and seeding. We timed that just right with the weather and we saw a lot of rain following that, so the grass is coming up really well all over the field. Wes was not able to begin work on the open space/soccer field area until this week because of other jobs he’s had lined up. He brought his equipment up to the park to begin aerating but did not make a whole lot of progress because the ground is so hard and the soil very compacted. He indicated even with additional weight on the aerator, it only penetrated the ground about 1” and he wanted to be at least 4”. We were already concerned about the timing on the work since we’re into June now, so I was worried that if we didn’t aerate to loosen things up, the seed would go to waste. I called Matt Jones who owns Kubota in Johnson City to get his feedback on our options and, since they do rent some equipment, see if he rents what we need. Because of how compacted the soil is, he highly suggested getting a Power Rake (aka Soil Conditioner) and run it over the entire field. He indicated that the tool is used by some landscapers to loosen up areas of soil that have been compacted by construction equipment running over it during construction projects. I was able to rent the Power Rake, which is an attachment to a Skid Steer, from East Tenn Rent Alls, and they delivered both pieces of equipment to the job site. Once Wes started using the equipment, he updated me to let me know it was the perfect tool to do the job we needed, and he was really happy with the outcome. Following that work, he has fertilized and seeded the area. It’s looking like rain this weekend, so we may have timed thing things well once again. I will continue to monitor rainfall. If need be, I will be in contact with Chief White regarding the potential use of his trucks to water the area. Scoreboards – Foster Signs has completed installation of the score boards. The softball and baseball scoreboards were up months ago, but Foster was having a hard time, with their packed schedule, to get back up to the park to finish up installation of the football scoreboard. I am working with Synergize at the moment to schedule work to run electrical to each scoreboard. Foster still needs to come back and complete installation of the goal posts, which they’re saying should be “soon”. Signage - I am currently working with Foster Signs on design of the signage at the park. Bob and I already sat down to talk through the content of each sign and where each should go, paying particular attention to the wording used regarding public use of the space when school is in session. Tom Foster is planning to meet me at the park to talk through appropriate size for each sign based on location and content. The thought is that the design will complement the park/school site and will flow well with the design of signage in the Town's other parks, so we are keeping that consistency. Dugouts - At this time, I have not received a response from Outdoor Recreation on the request for additional funds through the LPRF grant that will ultimately free up the funds for the dugout construction. In the meantime, I've communicated with William Burris who has indicated that he doesn't have a job site foreman freed up until late summer to start the construction work. However, I asked him about the potential of going ahead and pouring the pads for the dugouts, and he thinks they'll be able to line that up in the next couple of weeks. The hope is that they can complete the concrete work so Summers Taylor can come back to finish up constructing the asphalt walkways and making the final pedestrian connections. Once they do that, BurWil will backfill around the walkways and the rest of the park areas affected by construction, making efforts to smooth out roughed up soil. They'll then be able to go back and seed all of those areas. BurWil will be able to come back in late summer to complete the construction of the dugouts without causing any damage to the rest of the park site.  Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Agenda Presentation Date: June 26th, 2025 Agenda Item: 8 Subject: Introduction of Subcommittees Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Subcommittee Framework 1.) Planning & Policy Subcommittee Purpose: To guide the long-term vision of the Parks and Recreation Department by reviewing strategic plans, policies, ordinances, and development opportunities. Responsibilities: • Assist in the development and periodic review of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan. • Recommend updates to facility use policies, fee schedules, and reservation systems. • Evaluate public-private partnership proposals or land use opportunities. • Analyze community survey data to inform future planning. • Monitor state and federal policy trends affecting parks and recreation. Potential Projects: • Create a 5-year capital improvement roadmap. • Draft a land acquisition strategy for expanding parkland. • Review and revise policies for pavilion, field, and event rentals (especially with RecDesk rollout). 2.) Programs & Events Subcommittee Purpose: To support the creation, improvement, and evaluation of recreational programming and special events. Responsibilities: • Review current programming for all ages and identify gaps. • Recommend new programs based on trends and community needs. • Support event planning with logistics, promotion, and community outreach. • Evaluate program participation and recommend changes.  • Promote inclusive, diverse programming. Potential Projects: • Launch quarterly community events (e.g., movie nights, fitness in the park). • Introduce seasonal activity themes (e.g., fall hiking challenge). • Partner with schools or nonprofits for youth and senior programming. 3.) Facilities & Maintenance Subcommittee Purpose: To assess the condition of park infrastructure, prioritize maintenance, and recommend improvements. Responsibilities: • Conduct routine site visits to parks, trails, fields, and facilities. • Create and update a prioritized maintenance needs list • Recommend improvements for safety, accessibility (ADA), and sustainability. • Assist with grant applications for infrastructure upgrades. Potential Projects: • Guide the Persimmon Ridge ball field upgrades and Tiger Park upkeep. • Recommend signage plan across all parks. • Evaluate and advise on equipment replacement cycles (picnic tables, bleachers, lighting, etc.). 4.) Wetlands Waterpark Subcommittee Purpose: To support the operation, promotion, and long-term sustainability of Wetlands Waterpark. Responsibilities: • Evaluate attendance, programming, and financial performance. • Recommend seasonal improvements (deck chairs, shade structures, signage, etc.). • Support marketing and partnerships (Coca-Cola, Bright’s Zoo, Blue Lizzard, Ballad • Health etc.). • Gather feedback from guests and community members. • Monitor capital improvements (slide renovation, pump room upgrades, pool heater). • Explore expanded use (sensory nights, after-hours rentals, off-season events). Potential Projects: • Develop a 3–5 year strategic plan for the waterpark. • Expand community swim nights, sensory swim events, senior swim nights. • Plan a yearly Waterpark Open House to gather community input.  Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Agenda Presentation Date: June 26th, 2025 Agenda Item: 9 Subject: Strategic Planning Session As we look to the future of our Parks and Recreation Department, I would like to propose hosting a strategic planning session to establish a clear, unified vision for the next 3–5 years. This session would allow our advisory board, staff, and key stakeholders to reflect on our current operations, identify our most pressing needs and opportunities, and collaboratively set actionable goals for our parks, programs, and facilities. With so many exciting initiatives underway, this is an ideal time to align on our top priorities and create a focused roadmap that can guide our decisions moving forward. Additionally, as our community continues to grow, the cost of maintaining parks and facilities will only rise. More people using our playgrounds, trails, ball fields, and greenways means increased wear and tear and a greater need for both regular maintenance and future upgrades. A proactive strategic plan will help us plan responsibly for these realities, ensuring we allocate our budget effectively and preserve the quality of our parks as demand increases. By engaging in this process, we can make sure that all members have a voice in shaping the direction of Parks and Recreation and that we’re preparing for the continued growth of our community in a thoughtful, sustainable way.