Parks Board

REGULAR MEETING OF THE LAFAYETTE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD 4:00 pm 12 February 2024 The City of Lafayette Parks and Recreation Board met in regular meeting at 4:00pm, February 12, 2024. The meeting was held at Rush Pavilion in Columbian Park. The meeting was called to order by Park Board President Matt Metzger. Board members present were Dave Mecklenburg, Siany Molina and Jan Abney. City Controller Jeremy Diehl, Parks Superintendent Claudine Laufman, Parks Director of Operations Jon Miner and Recording Secretary Jenny Spencer were present. Parks staff members present were Mike Perry, Dean Landes, Kurt Wolf, Caitlin Laffery and Alex Tanksley. City Council Member Eileen Hession Weiss was present. Maxwell Bury and Daniel Pike represented the Purdue Exponent, LIPA members Jeff Kelly, Bruce Stewart, Cheryl Parker and Lane Slabaugh attended. In addition, Deb Schmucker from Cornerstone PDS and Dennis Figueroa were present. Upon motion by Ms. Abney, seconded by Mr. Mecklenburg and unanimously carried, minutes of the January 8, 2024 Parks Board meeting were approved with correction of scrivener error. Upon motion of Ms. Abney seconded by Ms. Molina, and unanimously carried, General Fund Claims in the amount of $19,155.27, Non-Reverting Fund Claims in the amount of $50,539.84 for a total of $69,694.11 were approved with Mr. Mecklenburg abstaining. Superintendent’s Report: • Event Coordinator Alex Tanksley shared the marketing update. The 2024 Fun Guides are available and being distributed. The Father Daughter Dance was a great success providing dancing, photos and carriage rides. Interviews with WLFI and Star City News were held sharing programming at McAllister Rec Center. The Columbian Park Zoo is holding workshops for homeschool students. The Zoo Teens programs is accepting applications. In addition, Ms. Tanksley provided a social media update with an uptick across all platforms. • Director of Operations Miner updated on seasonal hiring. Postings went up about four weeks ago. Applications are still coming in. We have received fifty-two lifeguard applications. Interviews for management positions are being conducted. To date, the lifeguard certification class at Jeff High School has thirteen of twenty spots taken. The swim test will be held on March 7, with class April 12-14. The course fee of $200 will be refunded if the candidate is successful and completes the full season. We will consider holding a second class if there is enough interest. Project Updates: - McCaw Park has wrapped up Phase 1. There is a contract with Chastain for the design work on Phase 2, which includes twelve new pickleball courts, updated trail, relocation of batting cages and outfield fences. Park Board Minutes 2/12/24 Page 1  - The Zoo Commissary project has Waterworks and Renew onsite completing their projects to make way for Mattcon to start with the foundation work. - Design work is continuing for additional zoo exhibits. - The Columbian Park Playground renovation will begin and remain closed until expected completion the first week in June. Pickleball Association Report Lane Slabaugh, Vice President of Lafayette, Indiana Pickleball Association shared that there are now 441 members. This is an increase of 20% from last year. There is a 75% membership retention rate. LIPA spent $2,000.00 on pickleballs and court maintenance. The association offers free clinics. Novices made up 92 of the new members. The Survivor Tournament had 200 players from 8 states. Evening utilization has seen a 20% increase. Presentation of 5-Year Master Plan Deb Schmucker presented the 5-Year Master Plan beginning with the statistic that more than one third of all American households are made up of one person. This and the fact that households with children are declining in certain areas shaped some programming suggestions. An important factor called the 10-minute walk zone demonstrates the need for growth on the south and east sides of town. The IDNR recommends 20 acres of park/rec space per 1000 residents, putting Lafayette in a deficit. There are planned additions such as splash pads and dog parks, as well as identification of potential areas of development to address this issue. A public input survey was conducted with 1,000 responses. Those responses shared an increased number of visitors with a high degree of satisfaction. Trails in our area had a good overall quality rating. An area for improvement is the online accessibility of programs offered. An action plan is provided for projects and grants available. The creation of a 5-Year plan makes us eligible for grants and endowments as it is a requirement for those applications. The public will have access to the full master plan after the Park Board and Department of Natural Resources approve the final document. Communications: • Board: none • Public: Ms. Hession Weiss inquired about the carousel project. Superintendent Laufman responded that we continue to see good quality work at a slow pace. • Written: none Park Board Minutes 2/12/24 Page 2 There being no further business to come before the Board, on motion of Ms. Abney, seconded by Mr. Mecklenburg, and unanimously carried, the meeting adjourned at 4:42 pm. _______________________________________ Dave Mecklenburg, Park Board Vice-President _______________________________________ Siany Molina, Secretary Pro Tem ________________________________________ Jenny Spencer, Recording Secretary Park Board Minutes 2/12/24 Page 3