Parks and Recreation - Advisory Board

ADVISORY BOARD MEETING AGENDA Tuesday, July 27, 2021 6:00 PM Merriam Community Center 1. Roll Call/Attendance Staci Chivetta 2. Public Comments Staci Chivetta 3. Approval of June 22, 2021 Minutes Staci Chivetta 4. Staff Reports a. Director’s Report Anna Slocum i. Community Center Update ii. Monthly Community Center Membership Report b. Assistant Director’s Report Dave Smothers i. Farmers’ Market Update ii. Program Evaluations 1. Family Fun Friday – Quail Creek & Dive-in Movie iii. Upcoming Events 1. National Night Out 2. “Heartland Creations” Opening Reception 3. Cruise Night 4. Concert in the Courtyard 5. New Business Anna Slocum a. Geocache & Metal Detecting Department Policies 6. Other Business Anna Slocum a. Municipal Parking Lot Ordinance Update 7. Adjournment Distribution: Board Members: Chivetta, Croan, Howard, Leary, Leitch, Quinley, Scott, Stull Mayor Sissom City Council Members City Staff: Chris Engel, Jennifer Jones-Lacy, City Clerk, Anna Slocum, Dave Smothers, Renee Nagle, Cole Surber  CITY OF MERRIAM PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, June 22, 2021 6:00PM Roll Call The June meeting of the Merriam Parks & Recreation Advisory Board was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chairperson Staci Chivetta. Board members in attendance included: Billy Croan, Kathy Stull, Evan Quinley, Christopher Leitch, Katie Leary and Tony Scott. Staff members in attendance were Anna Slocum, Director and Dave Smothers, Assistant Director. Public in attendance included: Nancy Hupp and Jacob Slobodzian. Public Comments There were no public comments. Approval of Meeting Minutes Christopher Leitch made a motion to approve the May minutes. Billy Croan seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Staff Reports Director’s Report Community Center Update A detailed memo was included in the packet. Highlights and updates included: emergency exit lights are now off during the day with the exception of one. There was one faulty photo cell that prevented the task from being completed. The last remaining light is located on the north side of the building and will be repaired soon. Abby Hall has started as the new Customer Service Representative and will begin her duties of meeting scribe in July. Child Watch operation will begin on Tuesday, July 6. There will be limited day hours due to staffing issues. This will allow for a soft opening to work out any operational concerns. Birthday Party applications will begin on July 13 for parties to occur on or after Friday, July 23. In coming months there will be several new departmental policies discussed to include: public use for private gain, geocaching and metal detecting. To ensure a consistent response to the recent questions asked about these activities; an official policy is best practice. There was a question regarding public use for private gain. Recently, a member was offering private swim lessons not associated through our program. There is City Code that prohibits solicitation which what was sited but the member did challenge staff requesting proof. The email sent to him was requested by the board. Swim instructors with the City of Merriam are paid hourly; other program instructors have a contractual agreement for revenue sharing. Billy Croan questioned that since he is a member and a tax-payer does he not have a right to utilize the facilities. This is why when rooms are rented staff question if fees will be collected as this automatically changes the rate to commercial fee which is significantly higher. Once money is exchanged, it becomes a business transaction. Staff will also include information regarding non-compete with programs offered by the department. Christopher Leitch asked if there would be a “cross pollination” of the public areas when the library is on site. There will be and there is language included in the agreement to ensure that the space is reserved properly to avoid conflicts. The City manages the reservation of space on the campus. Membership / Visit Reports Included in the packet were the monthly reports. There is still growth occurring in memberships with 133 annual memberships added in May. To date there have been a total of 612 memberships sold in 2021 which is 59 less than all of 2020. There are 879 active memberships which is approximately 75% of the pro-forma. In the coming months, staff will analyze the membership statistics to start building better revenue projections for future budgets based on the type of memberships sold. Due to the cold start of May, summer memberships were slow to start. There have been a total of 76 sold. As of May 31, there have been a total of 22,851 pass visits and 395 tours. This is an average of 152 visits per day as compared to 72 visits per day in 2020. Insurance visits continue to hold steady, down 10 compared to April. Discussion involved the outcome of tours. The majority of tours have already made up their mind to purchase a membership there are some that are curious or just beginning their investigation of services. There has been an influx of Silver Sneaker inquiries that mention they are comparing services to Sylvester Powell. Recreation Report Included in the packet for the first time in over a year is a summary of programs and services provided from January – May. This report tracks enrollment and participation for each program offered. Over time, this tool helps identify programs that are not successful, those that are growing and those that have matured in participation. There will be a report created for each season of Highlights. In future seasons there will be historical data to compare. Assistant Director Report Tim Murphy Art Gallery Invitation for the July 1 reception was included in the packet. Beverages will once again be served. Farmers’ Market Update The June 2021 update was provided in the packet. As with past years, attendance is starting to increase in the bell curve fashion as the season for peak produce is here. Family Fun Fridays Included in the packet is the flyer for the first outdoor special events in over a year! Staff is excited to be able to offer these events. The pool events are free to members; $10 for non- members. Program Evaluation Included in the packet is program evaluation for the Adult DIY Porch Welcome sign class. This class sold-out! Staff will be exploring more of these types of classes – crafting with wine is quite popular! New Business Municipal Parking Lot Ordinance Managing parking in municipal lots has continued to be a challenge. The ordinance associated with parking lots does not mirror the rules of the park itself. This spring, several inoperable cars were left on the south end of the Merriam Marketplace. While there is code that deals with inoperable vehicles in zoning for residences, the code for municipal parking is very specific. Staff from various departments have met and will be drafting a change in code that provides for easier enforcement. Parking for areas defined as a municipal park will be allowed from dawn to dusk. The municipal campus will be defined as city operated facilities during hours of operation with exception for “allowable” vehicles to include city vehicles, staff and those with permission. Once approved, signs will be posted at all locations. Park Board will see a proposed draft of the ordinance prior to City Council approval for feedback. Discussion of this topic related to enforcement. Cars left after dusk will be subject to tow. Typically, the police will ask staff what they want done when a car is identified as being “abandoned”. There was a question asked about the possibility of renting spaces as that has been a practice in the past. This has been done with a local business but the parking was for employees for a short term solution during an inventory crunch. This solution would cause more issues as the majority of the cars belong to local auto repair shops and would be an ongoing issue with little control of the condition or length of time the car would occupy the space. Eagle Scout Project – Quail Creek Christian Ryan’s proposal was included in the packet. Park Board members did have a concern about trees with fruit / debris and recommend that Christian work closely with his mentor and Public Works to avoid these types of trees. Katie Leary made a motion to approve the proposal with this direction. Kathy Stull seconded, motion passed unanimously. Staff will reach out to Christian so he can begin his fundraising campaign in order to plant the trees in September. Other Business Finalization of Meeting Procedures and Rules of Order Included in the packet was the final version for members. Tim Murphy Art Gallery Fundraiser Included in the packet was the final flyer with recommendations from the Board. Christopher Leitch recommended sharing the opportunity with Johnson County Community College and Kansas City Christian School as former tenants of the building. Adjournment Billy Croan called for a motion to adjourn. Katie Leary seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m. To: Merriam Parks and Recreation Advisory Board From: Anna Slocum, Director of Parks and Recreation Subject: Director’s Report Date: July 27, 2021 Community Center Update Staff continues to make headway on items identified on the 11-month warranty walk. The lone emergency exit light that was still lit, is scheduled to be repaired this week. The men’s locker room shower issue has been fixed. The lockers were closed longer than anticipated. They opened on Monday, July 19. Staff will monitor the repair to ensure proper adhesion. Staff is working with the pool contractor to identify a time to complete the gutter issue in the lazy river. Focusing on two possible dates, the week of August 16 or August 23. This time frame is after the start of school when the outdoor pool opens later, allowing for morning indoor activities to be held in the outdoor pool. Staff continues to work with McCarthy to address the HVAC issue occurring in the natatorium. It was discovered that the damper is not operating properly. The part has been ordered, confirmation of a ship date is pending. Once known, a schedule to complete the repair and the impact to members will be shared. After the repair is complete, the system will be balanced and then the work to repair / replace the equipment damaged by this imbalance will begin. All of the work is considered warranty so it will be covered by the vendors. The concession cart is fully operational including accepting credit cards! Staff worked diligently to address the outstanding issues and used the dive meet as a trial run of the system. Operations are working great! During the month of July, aquatics hosted 1 swim meet and 2 dive meets. Staff estimates that there were approximately 1,050 that attended these three events. Staff learned a lot and will be implementing changes for the 2022 season. There have been strides made in hiring Facility Attendants and Child Watch Attendants but additional staff is still needed. Child Watch opened on July 6 with morning hours only. There have been 9 children utilize the service through Saturday, July 17. The most popular day of the week is Saturday at this time. The goal is to fully open Child Watch by August. Birthday Party reservations began on July 13 and to date there are 3 parties currently scheduled. Johnson County Nutrition congregate meal program returned to MCC on July 12. The crowd is smaller than prior to COVID but there have been more inquiries lately. Monthly Community Center Membership Report Included in the packet are the comparison reports for annual membership, summer membership and daily visits. In June there were a total of 291 annual memberships purchased taking the total number of membership sales to 903 surpassing the total sold in 2020 by 232. Due to the limited number of summer memberships sold, staff believes that many patrons purchased the annual / monthly option and there will be a significant amount of cancellations in September. This year with the timing of Memorial Day / Labor Day it was appeared to be a better bargain. It is something that will be monitored over the next several seasons. Due to the cold wet start of May, summer memberships sales were slow to start. Through the end of May, a total of 76 memberships were sold. Visitation in the month of June sky rocketed more than doubling previous months’ visitations. There were 10,607 membership visits, 2,148 pass visits, and 24 guest passes for a total of 12,779 visits averaging 426 visits / day. This number does not take into account the number of people that participated in programs or classes. Prior to this the March had been the best attended month with 5,430 membership visits or an average of 175 visits / day. July visits are on pace to surpass June based on current daily average attendance coupled with warmer weather forecasted for the end of the month. Insurance visits held steady in May. Insurance visits in all categories increased in the month of June. Silver Sneakers and UHC (Renew Active) continue to be the more popular programs. Recommendation: This memo was provided for your information. No action required. Membership Category 2020* 2021 TWO PERSON CHARTER 44 0 TWO PERSON HOUSEHOLD 26 76 ACTIVE & FIT 1 14 ADULT CHARTER 41 0 ADULT MEMBERSHIP 56 116 COUNCIL - BOARD MEMBERSHIP 8 7 EMPLOYEE MEMBERSHIP 61 49 HOUSEHOLD CHARTER 81 0 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP 41 234 TIVITY PRIME MEMBERSHIP 30 11 PEERFIT 0 4 RENEW ACTIVE 44 63 RETIRED SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 5 4 RETIRED SENIOR 1 1 SCHOLARSHIP MEMBERSHIP 2 2 SENIOR CHARTER 54 0 SENIOR CHARTER HOUSEHOLD 44 0 SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 6 22 SENIOR MEMBERSHIP 19 44 SILVER & FIT 2 11 SILVER SNEAKERS 105 236 YOUTH MEMBERSHIP 2 9 TOTAL MEMBERSHIP SALES 671 903 CANCELLATIONS 66 46 SUSPENDED 30 0 EXPIRED** ***292 1 *Charter Sales for Grand Opening began in March **All Council and Employee related passes expire annually in December ***Includes 80 IBFCC memberships carried over due to COVID-19 closures Annual Membership Sales Comparison Jan - June 2021 Membership Category 2020 2021 TWO PERSON CHARTER 4 TWO PERSON HOUSEHOLD 1 34 ACTIVE & FIT 6 ADULT CHARTER 6 ADULT MEMBERSHIP 36 COUNCIL - BOARD MEMBERSHIP 2 EMPLOYEE MEMBERSHIP 14 25 HOUSEHOLD CHARTER 16 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP 1 104 PRIME MEMBERSHIP PEERFIT 2 RENEW ACTIVE 14 RETIRED SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 1 1 RETIRED SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP MEMBERSHIP 1 2 SENIOR CHARTER 12 SENIOR CHARTER HOUSEHOLD 11 SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 5 SENIOR MEMBERSHIP 13 SILVER & FIT 2 SILVER SNEAKERS 3 43 YOUTH MEMBERSHIPS 4 TOTAL MEMBERSHIPS SOLD 72 291 CANCELLATIONS SUSPENDED EXPIRED 1 Annual Membership Sales June 2021 Membership Category 2021 2022 2023 TWO PERSON HOUSEHOLD 13 0 0 ADULT MEMBERSHIP 4 0 0 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP 60 0 0 SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 12 0 0 SENIOR MEMBERSHIP 4 0 0 YOUTH MEMBERSHIP 5 0 0 TOTAL MEMBERSHIP SALES 98 0 0 2021 Summer Memberships May/June 2021 2021 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 3,318 3,169 4,924 4,769 4,775 10,607 31,562 DAILY VISITS 185 211 482 386 576 2,148 3,988 GUEST PASSES 3 2 24 20 7 24 80 TOURS 77 38 93 85 102 90 485 2020 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 388 1,765 1,862 3,159 2,833 2,490 12,497 DAILY VISITS 3 53 59 197 104 144 560 TOURS 366 378 149 133 56 31 1,113 2021 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 149 159 213 228 (Thurs 247 496 MEMBERSHIP VISITS ( Mon 5th) (Tues 2nd) (Mon 15th) 8th) (Wed 19th) (Wed 16th) 22 66 45 52 69 136 DAILY VISITS (Sat 16th) (Thurs 25th) (Fri 19th) (Sat 10th) (Mon 31st) (Sun 13th) 2020 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 72 85 92 148 159 117 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Thur 30th) (Mon 24th) (Thur 10th) (Tues 27th) (Wed 11th) (Wed 30th) 19 2 6 11 (Sat 10th/ 16 (Sat 16 (Mon DAILY VISITS (Tues 28th) (Mon 31st) (Sat 5th) Tues 27th) 14th) 28th) 2021 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 328 347 443 437 410 475 2,440 Prime Fitness 24 17 35 56 53 52 237 Renew & Active 136 138 254 286 291 299 1,404 Silver & Fit 8 8 13 12 18 22 81 Active & Fit 3 2 0 3 24 51 83 PeerFit 3 46 39 27 53 168 2020 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 32 156 187 264 308 287 1,234 Prime Fitness 0 26 37 33 29 32 157 Renew & Active 1 19 98 118 121 357 Silver & Fit 6 6 Active & Fit 0 0 PeerFit 0 Visit Comparison Report June 2021  July 2021 Update The Flags 4 Freedom display was a big hit as always. The July 3rd Take & Make giveaway was a sparkler/fireworks craft and all 25 were given away to kids to do at home. Several season vendors have purchased extra booths since we were able to open all of them back up again. And there continues to be a steady stream of mostly regular daily vendors. Week 2019 Vendors 2019 Attend 2020 Vendors 2020 Attend 2021 Vendors 2021 Attend 1 17 275 N/A N/A 20 442 2 20 160 N/A N/A 20 445 3 20 314 N/A N/A 18 298 4 17 275 16 555 18 297 5 20 262 20 393 19 360 6 24 463 18 555 23 500 7 21 337 17 608 19 516 8 23 361 19 456 24 520 9 24 571 21 506 24 532 10 27 680 20 423 23 688 11 27 723 21 718 20 542 12 26 714 20 612 22 690  Turkey Creek Cruise Night Saturday, Aug. 14 6:30–8:30 p.m. Merriam Marketplace All show-quality cars and motorcycles welcome! Live music by the RONNI WARD BAND Food available from EAT SCHMIDT food truck FREE MERRIAM COMMUNITY CENTER | 6040 SLATER ST. | 913-322-5550 | MERRIAM.ORG/PARKS  Partnered in part by AdventHealth TROUBADOUR RETRIEVERS FRIDAY, AUG. 20 6:30–8 P.M. MCC FOOD TRUCKS  ADULT BEVERAGES  GAMES  FACE PAINTING CARICATURE AND BALLOON ARTISTS  PHOTO BOOTH FREE MERRIAM COMMUNITY CENTER | 6040 SLATER ST. | 913-322-5550 | MERRIAM.ORG/PARKS Special Event Evaluation Form Event Name: Family Fun Friday Date: Friday, July 9, 2021 Location: Quail Creek Park Number of Registrants: N/A Number of participants: 126 Ages: ALL Cost of Event: FREE Expenses Entertainment –Tracy Allison Band $400 Stage $518.62 Sister Act Face painting $172.50 Sam’s – lemonade, cups, bug spray $37.60 $1,128.72 Special Items Needed: tables for drinks and face painter, drink coolers with water and lemonade, cups, bug spray, yard games (corn hole X 2, Jenga, Cliffhanger, hula hoops). Modes of Publicity: Summer Highlights, fliers at parks, City Hall and Antioch Library, Community Center Brightsign, Facebook®, MPRD website Staff: Dave, Ingrid, Rachel Strengths: People were thankful to be out enjoying FREE live music and activities in their local park again. Having lemonade and water available was a big hit and everyone was understanding about not being food this year. It was pretty hot, but there was a breeze and luckily the rain held off. Weaknesses: The porta potty was ordered in January, but was not delivered for the event. The stage was not facing the way staff asked to have it placed, but the band worked with it. Opportunities: Be sure to follow up with Waste Management two weeks prior to be sure it is on their schedule. Be very clear with Marquee about direction of stage set up. Thoughts: Go back to serving food for 2022? Special Event Evaluation Form Event Name: Family Fun Friday – Dive in Movie Date: Friday, July 16, 2021 Location: MCC Outdoor Pool Number of Registrants: N/A Number of participants: 85 (78 members and 7 paid at the door) Ages: ALL Cost of Event: FREE for MCC members / $9 for non-members Expenses Fun Flicks – screen, projector & sound system $429.29 SWANK – movie license $465.28 -$894.57 Revenue 7 X $9 $63 -$831.57 Special Items Needed: Blow up movie screen, projector & sound system (provided by Fun Flicks). Modes of Publicity: Summer Highlights, fliers at parks, City Hall and Antioch Library, Community Center Brightsign, Facebook®, MPRD website Staff: Ingrid, Rachel, Cole, five lifeguards. Strengths: People really enjoyed being able to use the pool after hours. Asking about when we are going to do it again. Weaknesses: Some people were confused on arrival time and came early. It was nice having the courtyard area for them to hang out in until doors opened at 8:05pm. Opportunities: Be sure to let front desk staff know details of event (doors open times, etc) so they are well informed if/when people call with questions. Thoughts: As the indoor pool was closed, be sure to have people go through the main NOT family locker rooms. Offer several in 2022? Open concessions? To: Merriam Parks and Recreation Advisory Board From: Anna Slocum, Director of Parks and Recreation Subject: Geocaching and Metal Detecting Department Policy Date: July 27, 2021 Included in the packet are two draft policies related to Geocaching and Metal Detecting within the City of Merriam parks. Creation of department policies provides consistency from staff in answering questions. There are clear parameters as to what is allowed and expected by those that participate in these activites. Staff researched how other departments handle these requests and reviewed various policies to ensure a thorough approach. Staff is seeking a review and input of these policies by Park Board prior to implementation and enforcement. Recommendation: Staff is seeking input on the policies presented.  City of Merriam Parks and Recreation Geocaching Policy The City of Merriam Parks and Recreation Department prides itself in providing first class recreational opportunities to the citizens of Merriam. While staff strives to provide a wide range of experiences within the park system, it is important to ensure all users have a positive experience. GEOCACHE GENERAL INFORMATION  Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for Global Positioning System (GPS) users. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is to leave something to replace the item that they took.  Geocaching in the park system has mutual positive benefits to the user and the department:  Geocaching attracts visitors who otherwise may never visit Merriam parks;  Participants in geocaching receive the benefits of exercise while searching for the caches;  The placement of geocaches in the park system provides new, wholesome recreational opportunities for individuals and families. GEOCACHE POLICY Merriam Parks and Recreation allows geocaching under the following guidelines: 1. Caches shall not be placed within 100 feet of playgrounds and shelters. 2. When placing caches in the park system, no digging or any other kind of disruption of the ground will be permitted. 3. Caches shall be clearly labeled as a geocache and include an explanation of what it is in the event it is found by non-geocachers. At the very least, contact information should be included on or inside the cache with the description of the cache as well as the name of the cache as listed on www.geocaching.com. 4. Please include a detailed description of the cache location in the encoded "hints" section that will guide a finder to the location without difficulty. 5. In order to see the geographical impact of geocaching, the Merriam Parks and Recreation Department encourages the finder to submit his name, city and state on the official geocache web site once a cache is located in a city park. 6. Geocachers are allowed to place a cache on City of Merriam park property so long as they comply with the restrictions stated above. Caches found not to be in compliance with this policy may be removed at the discretion of department staff. 7. Caches should not include: food, sharp items, illegal items such as drugs, or materials restricted from minors, such as tobacco or alcohol. Draft Document – Created July 2021  City of Merriam Parks and Recreation Metal Detecting Policy The City of Merriam Parks and Recreation Department prides itself in providing first class recreational opportunities to the citizens of Merriam. While staff strives to provide a wide range of experiences within the park system, it is important to ensure all users have a positive experience. METAL DETECTING / TREASURE HUNTING CODE OF ETHICS Those who wish to participate in metal detection / treasure hunting are asked to follow the following Code of Ethics: a. Respect city property. b. Appreciate and protect heritage of natural resources. c. Remove and dispose of any trash. d. Do not destroy property, buildings or structures. e. Do not tamper with signs, structural facilities or equipment. METAL DETECTING POLICY Merriam Parks and Recreation allows for metal detecting under the following guidelines: 1. Digging by hand implements only (e.g. trowel). Small probes or sand sieves are acceptable. Digging is limited to 3 inches in depth and 3 inches in width. Return ground to holes and restore area to original condition as much as possible. Recommendation is to preserve the “plug” of ground that is removed, then placed back in hole for minimum disruption to turf and no noticeable impact to park property resulting from metal detecting activity. 2. A litter apron or bag is to be worn or carried during metal detector use and all litter disposed of in trash containers or removed from site. 3. If an object of historical or archaeological value or interest is found, the metal detecting activity shall cease, and park staff notified. 4. Plants and trees may not be dislodged or have their roots disturbed. 5. Metal detecting is prohibited in landscaped locations or if causing interference of the enjoyment of other park users. 6. Metal detecting hours are daily from sunrise to sunset. Draft Document – Created July 2021