Park Board

Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 BOARD MEETING MINUTES September 9, 2024 6:30PM Present: Tracy Tipton, President, Kevin Jansen, Vice-President, Jen Blackman, Dave Button, Dennis Nartker, Sam Zollman Dawn McGahen, Park Director, Diane Peachey, Cathy Berry, Ron Witham, Christopher Streb skatepark enthusiasts. Public Comments: None were presented. Minutes of the August 19, 2024, meeting was approved. (Jansen, Zollman) Claims were reviewed and approved as presented (Nartker, Zollman) Friends of the Park: Diane Peachey, Cathy Berry and Ron Witham were recognized as Friends of the Park. Without the persistence, dedication and input of this group, building the skatepark would not have been possible. They played a valuable role in the fundraising process, design and implementation of the Kendallville Skatepark. Directors Report: 1. Dawn explained to the board that the police and city attorney would like park rules revised. The board agreed to these revisions and will sign a copy to be forwarded to the police. 2. The campground inspection showed a few minor violations. Park employees have been working on some of the issues already. 3. The park department received a playground grant through Gametime. Dawn will meet with the representatives and see what it entails and if we can raise funds to improve the Tot Lot and Sunset Park playgrounds. 4. The State Fire Marshall inspected the mobile stage during the car show downtown. She found two violations but after further inquiry it was discovered they weren’t regarding the stage. Our state permit has been renewed and the violations were removed. 5. We are looking at having a mural painted on the concrete wall of the skatepark. The artist has shown us a design and will donate her time if we buy the supplies needed. 6. A reminder that the October meeting will be a week later due to Columbus Day and the November meeting will be a week later due to Veterans Day. The October meeting will be 21 st in the Lions Pavilion. The November meeting with be the 18th. Vacation Extension-Dawn McGahen: The board approved a vacation extension of 177.5 hours. (Blackman, Jansen) Maintenance Report: 1. Staff are working on the miniature golf course. 2. Staff helped with work on the Woodland Trail disc golf course. 3. Continue to mow, trim and spray weeds. 4. Fixed issues at Sunset Park bathroom and the East Beach bathroom. 5. Cleaned up the East Diamond Street flower bed. 6. Fixed and painted several picnic tables in the park. Recreation Report: 1. The Armed Forces Endurance Run will be a 24hr race held on May 17/18 2025. 2. Logan Conley and Chris McCreery ran a disc golf tournament at the Woodland Trail. It had 80 participants and went very well. 3. We are preparing for the Community Christmas Greetings. 4. East Noble High School Outdoor Adventure Class came to the park and used the kayaks and went fishing as part of their curriculum. Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Complex Report: 1. YMCA Flag Football has started at the complex. There are between 80-90 participants. 2. The fall ball baseball league and adult softball leagues are still running and going well. 3. NASA soccer has started practicing and will have 3 games at the complex this fall. 4. The ball fields are rented for two different fundraisers. Acceptance of Donations: Melissa Andrews-Miniature Golf Course: $5,000.00  Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 Board Input: Sam asked that we put into the park/campground rules about unsanitary campers being asked to leave the premises. He also inquired about hosting the triathlon again. Dawn informed him that in the last few years we did not have enough participants and had to cancel it. Jen asked about our ICE student Jake Ramey and how he was doing. Dawn told the board that he is doing well, will do what is asked and takes initiative to complete tasks on his own. Dennis asked how the cabin rentals were doing. They are doing very well with most of the rentals occurring on the weekends. The meeting was adjourned at 7:30PM (Nartker, Zollman)