Park Board

Kendallville Park and Recreation Department 211 Iddings StreetKendallville, Indiana 46755 Phone (260)347-1064 BOARD MEETING MINUTES May 12, 2025 6:30PM Present: Tracy Tipton, President, Kevin Jansen, Vice-President, Jen Blackman, Jeni Ekovich, Dennis Nartker, and Dawn McGahen, Park Director Public Comments: None were presented. Minutes of the April 14, 2025, meeting was approved. (Jansen, Ekovich) Claims were reviewed and approved as presented (Jansen, Blackman) Playground Discussion: Dawn told the board that the broken piece was replaced and the playground is complete. All four areas that had new equipment added have been well received and busy. Directors Report: 1. Avilla Fire Department utilized the Outdoor Recreation Complex for drivers training. 2. The campground is open, and reservations are going well. It is full on the July 4 th holiday weekend. We discussed options on checking identification when people reserve spots. 3. Dawn told the board that the Kendallville Police Department has done a great job patrolling the park. 4. The 5-year Master Plan was approved by DNR and we will be receiving copies of the final draft soon. 5. We have received several applications for the Office Manager position. 6. Weekly water tests have started, and results have been good so far. Maintenance Report: 1. Staff fixed the area where the owl tree came down. 2. Continue to mow, trim and spray weeds. 3. Graded the campground roads. 4. Started grooming the beaches. 5. Assisted other city employees with weed eating the cemetery. 6. Formed miniature golf holes and poured concrete. 7. Poured a section of sidewalk near the Cole Garden. 8. Installed cameras at Sunset Park and the soccer concession building. 9. Skimmed back the lips on the baseball fields between the infield and outfield. Recreation Report: 1. Preparations are being finalized for summer day camp. 2. There will be a magic show Wednesday May 14 at 6:00p.m. that is free to the public. 3. The 2nd Annual Endurance Run will be May 17/18 and there are 47 racers coming from 7 different states. 4. Dawn is working with Celeste Gates and the Community Learning Center on two different music events in the park. A cabaret event will be June 25 on the west terraces and the 1 st Annual Musicpalooza will be August 23rd. Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Complex: 1. The schedule is filling up for the season. There were some issues with the soccer schedule and receiving KGSL’s schedule late. 2. Concessions have been busy, and staff are doing a good job. They are young and are learning aspects of the job with supervision. 3. The adult coed leagues start Sunday May 18th and there are 11 teams this year. 4. We had to order a new roller assembly to groom the ball fields. Staff installed them and it is back in working order. Acceptance of Donations: (Nartker, Jansen) *Mobile Stage: Fairview Fellowship $500.00 *General Use: Matt & Cheryl Spears $50.00 Dahlia Society, Al Huth $135.00 *Park Office: Apple Festival $1,500.00 *Playground: Activate Noble County $500.00 Board Input: Dennis suggested making the police department friends of the park, the board agreed. Tracy asked about Kona Ice being at the ball fields. Dawn informed the board that they give us 10% of their sales. Adjournment: 7:15pm (Nartker, Blackman)