Parks Board

REGULAR MEETING OF THE LAFAYETTE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD 4:00 pm 10 June 2024 The City of Lafayette Parks and Recreation Board met in regular meeting at 4:00pm, June 10, 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. Parks Superintendent Claudine Laufman, Director of Operations Jon Miner were present. Parks staff members present were Mike Perry, Christine Hurley, Neil Dale, Chad Aldridge, Samantha Haville and Alex Tanksley. City Council Member Bob Downing was also present. Upon motion by Mr. Metzger, seconded by Ms. Abney and unanimously carried, minutes of the May 20, 2024, Parks Board meeting were approved with scrivener errors. Upon motion of Mr. Mecklenburg, seconded by Ms. Abney, and unanimously carried, General Fund Claims in the amount of $139,935.13, Non-Reverting Fund Claims in the amount of $47,482.22 for a total of $187,417.35 were approved. Superintendent’s Report:  Marketing Manager Samantha Haville shared an update on coming events. Dog Park Appreciation, “Donuts with Your Dog” is Friday, June 14th from 9am-11am. The first Art in the Park of the summer is tomorrow. “Dance Night” at Columbian Park. We are expecting over forty art vendors and several food trucks as well. On Saturday, June 15th McAllister partners with Lafayette Breakfast Optimists for Kid’s Fishing Day at Munger Park. Sunday, June 16th is Dad’s Day at Tropicanoe Cove. Also, at the Cove will be “Hawaiian Day” on June 20th. Customers wearing a Hawaiian shirt will get $1.00 off admission. The second Art in the Park will be June 25th at Columbian Park with a live performance by Decades on the Memorial Island Stage. The first summer concert at Loeb Stadium will be on June 27th with .38 Special taking the stage at 7:30. There have been 1,798 tickets sold to date. Thanks to a generous gift we are working on adding a couple of concerts at Memorial Island to the summer schedule. The first will be Scott Greeson on July 17 at 7pm. Ms. Haville also provided a social media update, sharing that Facebook followers have increased to over 17,000.  Zoo Director, Neil Dale shared the success of the start to the season. Gross revenue is up over $35,000.00 from this time last year. Train and boat ticket sales have been robust. Summer Camps are sold out. Schools on Safari had 152 schools visiting. Boo at the Zoo is scheduled for October 18-20, 2024 and Reindeer Rendezvous is planned for December 7-8, 2024.  McAllister Recreation Center Manager, Chad Aldridge provided an update on summer camp. There are 360 kids registered, averaging close to 260 daily. Staff is busy coordinating activities with different age groups to keep children busy such as visits to Park Board Minutes 6/10/24 Page 1  the bowling alley, pool time and outside speakers. The next Daycation trip is to Beef and Boards to see “Wizard of Oz” on June 20th. There are only two tickets available for that trip. Aquatics Report - Last year there five days all season that the pools were closed due to weather. Today is the fifth day so far this season, with the weather not being great on open days either. Tropicanoe Cove has had 7,967 guests over the twelve open days, which is down about 2,000 from last year. - Three cabanas were open about ten days ago. Reservations are available online. They were sold out Thursday through Sunday. The option has been popular with guests. Project Updates: - McCaw Phase 2 has bids opening on June 11, 2024. - The Columbian Park Playground is nearing completion. The artificial turf has made a big difference in the appearance. We are also working to have some of the other pieces of equipment painted that have faded over time. The Marketing Team is working on plans for the dedication. Communications:  Board: none  Public: none  Written: none There being no further business to come before the Board, on motion of Mr. Mecklenburg, seconded by Ms. Abney, and unanimously carried, the meeting adjourned at 4:20 pm. _______________________________________ Matt Metzger, Park Board President _______________________________________ Siany Molina, Secretary Pro Tem ________________________________________ Jenny Spencer, Recording Secretary Park Board Minutes 6/10/24 Page 2