Park Board

Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 KENDALLVILLE PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT BOARD MEETING MINUTES September 14, 2020 6:30pm Present: Kevin Jansen, President; Dave Button; Tom Jansen; Dennis Nartker; Kara Hand; Jim Pankop, Park Director; Dawn McGahen, Recreation Director and Brett Slone, KORC Manager. Also present Ron Witham and Diane Peachy, Skatepark Advocates. They were joined by Cassie Dean, Chris Streb, Cathy Berry, Christian Fritz, Gabby Pastzor, Matthieus McDonald, Malachi McDonald, Jesse Dean, Conner Cornell, Damen Ritchie, Bryce Shaffer and Colton Barner. Public Comments: Cathy Berry spoke about the need for a skatepark and that it would be a welcomed improvement for kids that don’t play other sports. Hunger Skateparks was highly recommended to be the company doing the work. They also presented a petition signed by 55 supporters. Minutes of the meeting of August 10, 2020 were approved as presented. (T. Jansen/Nartker) Claims were reviewed and approved as presented. (Button/Hand) Diane Peachy addressed the Park Board on behalf of the skatepark group. She explained to the Board that after 2 meetings, with Hunger Skateparks, and several visits to different sites they would like to explore the possibility of using the area surrounding Sunset Pavilion. Diane has also contacted several other communities with skateparks and has found they are very well received and that Hunger Skateparks is recommended. The Board voted unanimously to let the organizers explore the southwest area of Sunset Park around the Pavilion and shuffleboard courts to see if it is suitable for this type of construction. (T. Jansen /Nartker) Directors Report: Highlights 1. Reviewed the Appropriation Reports from the Clerk Treasurer for the month of August 2020. 2. Reported that Gate Income was only down $436.00 from 2019 and totaled $4,042.00. This is a very good number considering the obstacles this year. 3. Current project updates were given. Maintenance Report: Highlights 1. Completed final grading and seeding of the area surrounding the new Campground dump station. 2. Installed the Tennis Court backboards. 3. Clean up from the storm is ongoing. Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Complex Update: Brett reported that summer ball leagues have completed their season and fall ball has started. 3 more tournaments are scheduled for 2020. NASA Soccer has started their season and has reported that the numbers of participants are up.  Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 Recreation Update: 1. Since the BBQ Cookoff was cancelled, we decided to host a virtual cookoff on social media. Participants received local gift cards as prizes. 2. Kendallville Boxing Club has started practicing at the Youth Center. The Park Department cosponsored a free movie to help promote participation in the club. 3. Park hosted pickleball clinics have started and are being held two days a week. Attendance has been good and the new courts have been used a lot. 4. Because area events are being cancelled, we are working on a few more virtual social media activities for the community to enjoy. Acceptance of Donations: (T. Jansen / Nartker) ❖ Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Complex o 13U Titans - $490.97 Board Input: Kara Hand was pleased that there are a lot of different things going on and being pursued in the Park Department. Tom Jansen thanked the staff for getting the park cleaned up so quickly after the storm. Kevin Jansen noticed that the Disc Golf project seems to be making good progress. Dennis Nartker made a motion to adjourn at 7:36 pm.