Park Board

Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 BOARD MEETING MINUTES June 14, 2021 6:30pm Present: Kevin Jansen, President; Dennis Nartker; Dave Button; Tracy Tipton; Jen Blackman, Sam Zollman; Brett Slone, KORC Manager and Dawn McGahen, Park/Recreation Director. Also present, Chris McCreery and Logan Conley representing Disc Golf, Ben Hand and Emma Deming Sports Complex Employees, Stan Myers representing 21 Repeaters Amateur Radio Group. Public Comments: Chris McCreery gave an update on the disc golf course. Future plans were discussed as the additional work that is needed on it. There will be a work & play day on July 10 th. Minutes of the meeting of May 10th, 2021 were approved after it was suggested they be amended to include that it was Jim Pankop last meeting as Park Director. (Tipton/Button) Claims were reviewed and approved as presented. (Zollman/Nartker) Stan Myers from the 21 Repeaters Amateur Radio Group addressed the board regarding use of Bixler Lake Campground. They will be having a national field day contest June 24-27 and asked to set up in 4 camp spots. He has talked to our campground coordinator and he agreed to this as well. (Nartker/Zollman) Skatepark Discussion: Sunset Park rezoning will be on the agenda for the July planning commission. There were three bills paid out of the endowment. Director’s Report: Highlights 1. Reviewed the May 2021 Appropriation Report from the Clerk Treasurer. 2. Water testing began May 17th, 2021 and has continued weekly. 3. Wood fiber for the playgrounds was delivered and will be spread this week. 4. Patriotic Pops committee met and everything seems to be on track for July 4 th. It was mentioned that park board members wanting to volunteer would be welcomed. 5. The campground has done well. Income for the month of May was very high. Having better WIFI has allowed us to take credit card payments and this has been well received. 6. Had a staff meeting with all park staff going over basic expectations. I have also been receiving help from city hall regarding wage adjustment, budget, job descriptions, etc. 7. Working on updating the Facilities Manager Position to fit department needs and hope to post the position soon. Vacation Extension: Brett Slone has 95 hours of vacation time that needs carried over. (Button/Zollman) Maintenance Report: Highlights 1. Repaired split rail fence at West Beach and along Sherman Street. 2. Installed the volleyball net on the East Beach. 3. String trimmed various places within the park and Youth Center. 4. Assisted the Street Department with string trimming the cemetery for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.  Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 5. painting the restroom doors at Sunset Park 6. Graded the parking lots and campground roads. 7. Sprayed herbicide at Sunset Park and the Youth Center. 8. Groomed the beaches each Friday since Memorial Day. 9. Assisted the Building Inspector with installation of WIFI boosters in the campground. 10. Trimmed the bushes along Lake Avenue. 11. Picked up fire rings donated by Noble County Tire and distributed them around the campground. Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Complex Update: 1. Two weekends with tournaments consisting of 50 boys’ teams and 34 Wahoo girls’ teams. 2. Recreation leagues are finishing up and tournaments will be soon. 3. Brett is working with an individual who would like to use the ORC for tryouts for soccer teams. His goal is to start a league at the ORC. 4. Working with an individual who is interested in bringing a World Series Qualifying event to the ORC next fall. This would involve several out-of-town teams and would be great for our community. Recreation Update: 1. Summer Daycamp is going very well. There are 190 kids registered and we have hired 3 new staff members the last two weeks to work. 2. The Winter Sisters concert scheduled for June 2nd was postponed due to weather. It has been rescheduled for June 23rd. 3. Autumn Grey will perform a free community concerts on Wednesday June 30 th at 6:00PM. Community Learning Center Board Appointment: The Park Board discussed and voted to have Dawn McGahen replace Jim Pankop as the park representative on the CLC Board. (Tipton, Blackman) Acceptance of Donations: None Board Input: Dave asked that we consider recognizing Jim Pankop and Tom Jansen for their years of service at an upcoming board meeting. Tracey asked that he receive copies of our Appropriation Report, Kevin will send it to him. Dennis asked about lifeguards and was informed we still have not received any applications but we will continue to groom the beaches. Sam would like further discussion on the usage of the mobile stage and coming up with a contract for renting it out. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 pm