Park Board

Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 BOARD MEETING MINUTES February 6:30PM Present: Kevin Jansen, President, Tracy Tipton, Vice-President, Jen Blackman, Dave Button, Dennis Nartker, Sam Zollman, Dawn McGahen, Park Director Public Comments: None were given. Minutes of the January 9, 2023 meeting were approved as presented. (Tipton, Zollman) Claims were reviewed and approved as presented. (Nartker, Button) Skatepark Discussion: Dawn reported that a Dekko Foundation Grant and Olive B Cole Grant were completed and submitted. Diana had flyers made and they were printed and will be distributed within the community. Once the skatepark account is active at the Community Foundation of Noble County, they will transfer the previous skatepark balance out of the park account and into the skatepark account. Directors Report: Highlights: 1. The Annual Report was completed and distributed. 2. January appropriation report looks good. There is some concern with rising costs and this year’s budget so we will monitor that. 3. End of the year financial comparisons look good. We had several areas increase and a couple that had participation decrease. 4. The board discussed the park gate attendant’s position and the possibility of changing how we operate it. 5. We discussed daycamp fees and increasing them this year. Prices will increase and we will offer a multi-child discount. 6. The campground coordinator position was discussed. The hiring process for the position will start soon, prices at the campground will stay the same except cabin prices which have been lowered. Maintenance Report: Highlights: 1. The Sherman Street barn work is continuing. Staff built a new bathroom and office and it looks really nice. 2. The Community Christmas Greeting cards are put away and we are starting to prime them for next year. 3. Several trees were planted within the park and along city streets. 4. Helped the Street Department plow snow and also plowed within the park. 5. Staff along with the Street Department are working on the north hill along Sunset Park. They are cleaning up brush and have also worked on taking down more of the ball diamond fencing. Recreation Update: 1. Dawn discussed possible changes with the Fourth of July Festivities. The committee would like to offer children’s activities and also food trucks. The board supported this with a unanimous vote (Tipton, Zollman.) 2. Logan Conley has expressed an interest in expanding the Crew Cup Disc Golf Tournament into more of a family event. His ideas were shared with the board and they were receptive of the ideas. 3. Two Kendallville Titans baseball teams are utilizing the Youth Center for conditioning practices. 4. Wildcats Cheerleading is using the Youth Center for weekly practices. 5. The Kendallville Elks Lodge has asked if they could write a grant to purchase skates for skate night. They will let us know if they are awarded the grant. Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Update: 1. The KORC Managers Job posting has closed and interviews will start next week. We would like to  Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 have the position filled in the next few weeks. 2. Several teams have asked about scheduling practices and games at the KORC. There are also several weekends with tournaments booked. Acceptance of Donations: (Button,Tipton) • Recreation: Kappa Kappa Kappa (Gamma XI Chapter-$150.00) Board Input: Dave mentioned how nice the annual report looked. The meeting was adjourned at 7:28. (Blackman, Zollman )