Parks and Recreation - Advisory Board

ADVISORY BOARD MEETING AGENDA Tuesday, November 23, 2021 6:00 PM Merriam Community Center 1. Roll Call/Attendance Staci Chivetta 2. Public Comments Staci Chivetta 3. Approval of October 16, 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. Tim Murphy Art Gallery Updates 1. High School Visual Arts Competition Update 2. Tim Murphy Art Gallery 2022 Schedule ii. Program Evaluations 1. Merriam Drive Live 2. Halloween Happenings iii. Upcoming Events 1. Christmas in the Courtyard 2. Breakfast with Santa 5. New Business Anna Slocum a. Review of Annual Election Protocol b. Election of Chairperson c. Election of Vice-Chairperson 6. Other Business a. Public Park and Facility Naming Policy Anna Slocum b. Downtown Corridor Update Chivetta / Leitch c. JOCO Public Art Library Committee Update Stull 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, Abby Hall  CITY OF MERRIAM PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, October 26, 2021 6:00PM Roll Call The September 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, LaVera Howard, Christopher Leitch, Katie Leary, Evan Quinley and Tony Scott. Staff members in attendance were Anna Slocum, Director and Dave Smothers, Assistant Director. Public in attendance included Nancy Hupp. Public Comments There were no public comments. Approval of Meeting Minutes LaVera Howard made a motion to approve the September minutes. Billy Croan seconded the motion. No questions or discussion of the minutes. Motion passed unanimously. Staff Reports Director’s Report Community Center Update A detailed memo was included in the packet. Updates to information shared in the memo included: • Staff is working to acquire bids on natatorium equipment the City purchased as part of construction that has been damaged due to corrosion. Items include: Hightower party room and office chair frames, lifeguard stands and stool, under-counter refrigerator, ice machine, pace clock, wall clocks, life-jacket rack, and dock boxes. Invoices will be submitted by McCarthy with photos for insurance claim with HVAC vendor. • The porter candidate was unable to be offered the position due to retirement from a former KPERS position. There are income restrictions that would significantly impact the City of Merriam. Staff is back to promoting the position and reviewing other options for filling the role. Interviews continue for the Fitness Coordinator position. Discussion included: • The KU Sensory Program is a specialized program for children on the autism spectrum. The agreement was signed at the beginning of October with both classes maximized in attendance. This specialized program has a unique agreement based on agreements KU had with other municipalities. • Is there an option to contract the custodian position? Staff is exploring several options including working with temporary agencies for placement and Johnson County Developmental Services.  • The plaque in the natatorium honoring the swimmer is green. Is that being replaced or can it be cleaned? Is there a different spot to hang it? Hanging it outside is not an option due to the pre-form nature of the building. Staff will explore cleaning options based on the material of the plaque. Membership / Visit Reports • The membership and visit report was included in the packet. Memberships continue to grow with 103 added during September of 2021 compared to 93 in 2020. September 2020 was the last month to purchase an annual charter membership. At the conclusion of the year, staff will compare memberships to the pro-forma to better understand operations. Since the majority of memberships are continuous monthly memberships, it will take time for revenue to be fully reflected. • Visits fell compared to August. This was anticipated with the closing of the outdoor pool. September visits have improved compared to the first five months of 2021. • Insurance fell in September compared to August. As stated in August, Sylvester Powell was closed for several weeks which caused many people to seek MCC to continue their fitness routine. Discussion included: • Staff is currently working on the development of a membership postcard to target NW Johnson County and Wyandotte County to Turner. The pro-forma had a service radius that people are likely to drive, this will provide a basis for service area. • There was a suggestion to export memberships into a CSV file to identify where memberships are located and targeting areas where there are gaps in service. • Investigate the possibility of utilizing Johnson County Magazine for advertisement. The magazine is delivered to every household. • Has staff considered a promotional event on Sundays of Chiefs games to improve attendance? Assistant Director Report Farmers’ Market Update The update included in the packet and reflects the entire operating season. Visitation came close to surpassing 11,000. There is typographical error on the report. Week 3 should be 298 and week 4 should be 297. Program Evaluations Turkey Creek Car Show The 20th annual show was a success! Although the goal of 300 cars was not reached, it was a gorgeous day with 4,200 in attendance. Revenues of the event exceeded hard cost expenditures, which is a financial goal of the event. The committee is going to explore registration changes to the event to eliminate cars in the show that are not registered. Improvements being discussed include adding an award in memory of Chad  Rowe, adding 3XL to shirt sizing, improving signage for road bicyclists, and improved communication regarding calendar photo shoot logistics for award winners. Merriam Drive 5K Thanks to the volunteers that worked the turn corners, water stations and medal distribution. The weather was perfect. The race was small with no children from the area schools participating in a fall race. Some of the runners were carry overs from three cancellations. A new timing company was utilized that was less expensive and a better option than the shoe chip as the timing was imbedded in the runner’s race bib. The race will be moved to spring and incorporated with the Turkey Creek Festival in 2022. One oversight, Bakers Marble was not notified of the street closure for the event. Upcoming Events Visual Voyages, Opening Reception, November 4 The November art exhibit opening reception will take place at the Tim Murphy Art Gallery featuring the work of Heather Huettner and Jhulan Mukharji. As with all receptions in 2021, beverages will be served. Upcoming December events in which volunteers are needed include: • High School Visual Arts Competition Reception – December 2 • Christmas in the Courtyard – December 3 • Breakfast with Santa – December 4 New Business Public Park and Facility Naming Policy At the October 11 City Council meeting the Governing Body approved changes with their procedures and operational processes. Through this process, 30 policies were updated, reformatted and combined into 10 policies. The Public Park and Facility Naming Policy was recommended to be transferred to the Parks and Recreation Department. Included in the packet is a red-lined policy as well as clean policy for discussion. Staff is recommending: 1. Format changes to match existing policy formats; 2. Naming Process reduce time from 60 days to 30 days in various locations and update official noticing; 3. Renaming sections removing reference to specific number section to title of section; 4. Removing section referenced in plaques, markers, memorials in naming process. Discussion included: • Reference City of Merriam’s existing rule for diversion, equality and inclusion in Qualifying Name section. • Change the weekly newsletter to “electronic newsletter”.  • Editing recommendations in the first two paragraphs. • Is Vavra Park still a park? The land in which the community center is located is Vavra Park. To eliminate confusion, the name is not being used. Depending on future development of green space on the south end of the parcel, the name would be utilized in that location. Other Business Johnson County Public Art Library Committee Kathy Stull reported that artists have completed the site visit but are waiting on schematic design anticipated to be completed in December. Library leadership is revisiting various building designs to ensure the best possible product for the City of Merriam. With supply chain issues and cost of materials, now is the perfect time to slow down and carefully review the project. Downtown Corridor Update Members of the committee had nothing to report. Reappointment of Park Board Members At City Council meeting on Monday, October 25 three members of the advisory board were reappointed for an additional 2-year term expiring in December 2023. Members were: Kathy Stull, Tony Scott and Staci Chivetta. Thank you for your dedication to the board and your commitment to the community. Adjournment Christopher Leitch called for a motion to adjourn. Billy Croan seconded. The meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m. To: Merriam Parks and Recreation Advisory Board From: Anna Slocum, Director of Parks and Recreation Subject: Director’s Report Date: November 23, 2021 Community Center Update  Staff continues to work with McCarthy on the replacement of items in the natatorium. The week of November 15 locker hardware in family change and lifeguard office was replaced. Aluminum door hardware is approximately six-weeks until delivery. Interior wood door and hollow metal door hardware is expected in the next week. A section of the slide rail has been removed for blasting / repainting to provide a mock-up before applied to the entire railing.  A shipment of pool replacement items was delivered Tuesday, November 16. The shipment includes: railings, lane line reel, and accessible chair lifts. Installation date of these items is yet to be determined.  Staff has received quotes from vendors on the various items the City of Merriam was responsible for securing for the natatorium that need to be replaced. Staff is working to secure the required documents to complete the transactions. McCarthy will be processing payment and shipment will be to the community center. Once all the paperwork is complete, McCarthy will be able to process required deposits and / or payments. Items staff is responsible for include: party room chairs, lifeguard stools in office, ice machine, refrigerator, lifejacket storage, pace clocks, dock boxes, on deck guard chairs and stool. The clocks located on the deck, party rooms and offices have been replaced with an invoice sent to McCarthy for reimbursement since these were purchased through Amazon.  Staff has scheduled an appointment with epoxy flooring vendor for Tuesday, November 23. This meeting will provide insight on repairs required to address the sealant that is peeling in this area as other flooring concerns that are occurring in the kitchen and men’s locker room.  Staff welcomed Melissa Neumann on Monday, November 15 as the new day porter / custodian. On Monday, November 29 staff will welcome Elizabeth “Lizzy” Herda to the Fitness Coordinator position.  Part-time recruitment is ongoing for aquatic and facility attendant positions. Trying to think outside the box, staff is crafting a recruitment email that will be sent to members. The email will highlight the perks of working for the city including a free membership!  Utilizing the idea from October meeting to plug membership addresses into Google, staff worked with Community Development to complete this task. Once the map was generated, the concentration of memberships was astonishing within 5 miles of the facility. Working with the Highlights mail house vendor, staff identified an area of  Shawnee from Switzer to Quivira and Kansas City, Kansas from 47th St to Turner to target a membership campaign. There 8,591 addresses in this identified area. The next step is to bid out the project and determine if the scope needs to be reduced. The membership campaign postcard is being designed internally. The goal is to have this hit mailboxes between Christmas and New Year.  Beginning January 2022, a new program “FitClassPass” will be introduced to members. This will be an add-on option for members allowing them the ability to attend select classes for an additional $25/month/member. The pass will allow members to attend as many of the identified classes they want. Currently, there are 10 classes: Barbell Burn, Cardio & Strength, Cardio Splash, Fit Camp, Morning Burn Bootcamp, Pilates/Barre Fusion, Water Aerobics, Water Walking / Therapy Exercise, WERQ and Zumba®. Staff is working to identify additional classes and instructors to expand this pilot program. Non-members still have the ability to register for individual classes. Instructors participating in this program will be paid a per class fee vs. a percentage of registration fees.  Staff introduced a new aquatic program in November: Cardio Splash. The instructor had currently taught at a private facility in Shawnee that closed the aquatic portion of the facility. The class immediately had 13 enrollments. Staff is currently discussing other potential class opportunities with this instructor to build upon the class offerings at the community center.  On Friday, November 19, staff attended a Mid-America Region of Design-Build Institute of America awards celebration. Merriam Community Center design-build project received the Institutional Award of Merit.  At the October meeting there had been a comment made about the tarnished plaque in the natatorium. Staff is still working to identify a safe and effective cleaning solution. There have been several unsuccessful attempts. Not knowing the material of the plaque, staff has been cautious with various remedies to not cause damage.  Christmas preparations are underway for the December 3 Christmas in the Courtyard event. The tree was placed in the plaza area on Thursday, November 18. Interior decorations began that same day. The decorations will “light” on Friday, December 3 after the lighting ceremony. Other Park Updates  Infrastructure for charging stations has been installed at the Merriam Marketplace. It is a City Council goal to add more green initiatives. There is discussion as to what this will look like at MCC but until the library is on site that discussion is on hold. Monthly Community Center Membership Report Included in the packet are the comparison reports for annual membership and daily visits. During October there were a total of 198 memberships purchased taking the total number of membership sales to 1,524 for the year, of which 1,306 are currently active. This was the second largest month of membership sales behind June with 291. October also experienced the largest number of cancellations for the year with 45. In reviewing reasons, many still noted reduced use due to school and the closing of the outdoor pool. Membership sales are approximately 50% of the pro-forma to date. In January, staff will provide a comparison of actual sales to pro-forma with the understanding that the beginning of 2020 was challenging with strict COVID restrictions. October visitation fell 6% from September but when compared to 2020 there was a 46% increase. October is now the 5th highest attended month of the year. Day passes fell to 400 for the month, down 95 from September. This is now the 7th highest for the year. To date, 8,714 day-visits surpasses the pro-forma of 8,300. Insurance visits increased in all categories with the exception of Active and Fit. This continues to be a popular benefit for residents. The increase in participation is due to the closing of the aquatic portion of a Shawnee private facility. Recommendation: This memo was provided for your information. No action required. Membership Category 2020* 2021 TWO PERSON CHARTER 44 0 TWO PERSON HOUSEHOLD 26 140 ACTIVE & FIT 1 23 ADULT CHARTER 41 0 ADULT MEMBERSHIP 56 219 COUNCIL - BOARD MEMBERSHIP 8 7 EMPLOYEE MEMBERSHIP 61 67 HOUSEHOLD CHARTER 81 0 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP 41 364 TIVITY PRIME MEMBERSHIP 30 29 PEERFIT 0 17 RENEW ACTIVE 44 107 RETIRED SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 5 7 RETIRED SENIOR 1 1 SCHOLARSHIP MEMBERSHIP 2 3 SENIOR CHARTER 54 0 SENIOR CHARTER HOUSEHOLD 44 0 SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 6 65 SENIOR MEMBERSHIP 19 102 SILVER & FIT 2 17 SILVER SNEAKERS 105 336 YOUTH MEMBERSHIP 2 20 TOTAL MEMBERSHIP SALES 671 1,524 CANCELLATIONS 66 201 SUSPENDED 30 0 EXPIRED** ***292 17 *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 - Oct. 2021 Membership Category 2020 2021 TWO PERSON CHARTER 3 TWO PERSON HOUSEHOLD 8 18 ACTIVE & FIT 3 ADULT CHARTER 4 ADULT MEMBERSHIP 17 33 COUNCIL - BOARD MEMBERSHIP 1 EMPLOYEE MEMBERSHIP 4 2 HOUSEHOLD CHARTER 17 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP 12 41 PRIME MEMBERSHIP 5 3 PEERFIT 5 RENEW ACTIVE 15 14 RETIRED SENIOR HOUSEHOLD RETIRED SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP MEMBERSHIP 1 SENIOR CHARTER 6 SENIOR CHARTER HOUSEHOLD 5 SENIOR HOUSEHOLD 1 23 SENIOR MEMBERSHIP 9 35 SILVER & FIT 2 SILVER SNEAKERS 23 17 YOUTH MEMBERSHIPS 2 TOTAL MEMBERSHIPS SOLD 131 198 CANCELLATIONS 45 SUSPENDED EXPIRED October 2021 Membership Report September Visit Comparison Report 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 11,284 9,662 6,138 5,799 64,445 DAILY VISITS 185 211 482 386 576 2,148 2,055 1,774 496 401 8,714 GUEST PASSES 3 2 24 20 7 24 18 19 10 2 129 TOURS 77 38 93 85 102 90 107 65 27 83 767 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 247 496 478 449 297 310 MEMBERSHIP VISITS ( Mon 5th) (Tues 2nd) (Mon 15th) 8th) (Wed 19th) (Wed 16th) (Tues 13th) (Mon 9th) (Mon 6th) (Mon 25th) 147 22 66 45 52 69 136 126 (Mon 9th / 78 29 DAILY VISITS (Sat 16th) (Thurs 25th) (Fri 19th) (Sat 10th) (Mon 31st) (Sun 13th) (Mon 5th) Wed 11th) (Mon 6th) (Fri 15th) 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 328 347 443 437 410 475 595 811 557 645 5,048 Prime Fitness 24 17 35 56 53 52 118 112 69 72 608 Renew & Active 136 138 254 286 291 299 330 349 298 309 2,690 Silver & Fit 8 8 13 12 18 22 24 48 9 10 172 Active & Fit 3 2 0 3 24 51 42 62 58 56 301 PeerFit 3 46 39 27 53 43 55 49 54 369 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 October 2021  BEGINNINGS JA N UA RY 6 – 29 A N T H O N Y A L L EN + H O L LY S CH EN K PASTEL TREASURES FE B R UA RY 3 – 26 M A P S M E M B ER S 26TH ANNUAL HEARTLAND ARTIST EXHIBITION M A R CH 5 – 26 J U R I E D A R T I S T S FR O M ACR OS S T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S TRAPPED IN WONDERLAND A PR I L 7 – 3 0 T R OY EL L I OT T + M EG A N G A L L AG H ER + C A N D I PH I L L I P S KC WATER AND LIGHT M AY 5 – 2 8 DA N FI N N EL L + N AT H A N WA L K ER PHOTOGRAPHY: SCENE AND UNSEEN JUNE 2 – 25 A N N E N Y E + JACK S T E M M + J EFF TA M B LY N MERRIAM ELEVATING THE COMMON CO M M U N I T Y CENTER J U LY 7 – 3 0 6 0 4 0 S L AT E R S T. K EN D OW N S + D EB R A PAY N E 9 13 - 3 2 2 - 5 5 5 0 M E R R I A M .O R G / BOLD COLOR, BOLD WORKS A R TG A L L E RY AU G US T 4 – 27 AIMEE FRESIA + MAEGAN KIRSCHNER + JENNIFER ROBERTS HOURS M-TH MISSED MOMENTS 5 a.m.–9 p.m. SE P TE M B E R 1 – O C TO B E R 1 F K ATHARENE DELORENZO + LUKE DODGE + NICK MANGIARACINA 5 a.m.–8 p.m. SAT 8 a.m.–6 p.m. MAPS SUN O C TO B E R 6 – 29 10 a.m.–6 p.m. N AT I O N A L J U R I E D S H OW THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP N OV E M B E R 3 – 26 K I N D ER + K L I N E + T H O M P S O N + ZO O K 26TH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL VISUAL ART COMPETITION D ECE M B E R 1 – 31 J U R I E D WO R K S FR O M A R E A H I G H S CH O O L S T U D EN T S Special Event Evaluation Event Name: Merriam Drive Live Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Merriam Marketplace Number of Registrants: N/A Number of attendees: 350 Cost of Event: FREE Expenses Main Stage and Sound $3,500.00 SPONSORS DMP $5,000.00 Four Fried Chickens and a Coke $1,400 Merriam Foundation $1,000.00 Nick Schnebelen $3,000 Lindan Auto Mechanical & Body Shop $2,000.00 Ricochet $10,000 American Family - Cornhole $250.00 Face Painters $575.00 Goodcents - Cornhole $250.00 Hampton Inn – in-kind rooms N/A Balloon artists $425.00 TOTAL $8,500.00 Fencing $563.42 Volunteer food $270.00 Billboard $575.00 Facebook Boosts N/A Food/Beverage Vendors Eat Schmidt LLC $80.00 Banners N/A Polar Oasis $80.00 Cups N/A Tip Top Kettle Corn $80.00 Barricades Embrace the Grape Revenue Share $35.45 Cornhole trophies $132.30 TOTAL $275.45 Cornhole prize money N/A Facebook post $1.08 Total Revenue: $8,775.45 Cornhole score magnets $24.98 Total Expenses: $20,902.77 Entertainment snacks $5.29 MDL giveaways $200.27 HyVee crew supplies $9.98 VIP glass engraving $96.00 HyVee – ice $4.98 HyVee – food entertainment (Ricochet) $54.83 HyVee – food entertainment (Nick) $64.64 Total $20,902.77 Special Items Needed: A list was created specific to the event. Modes of Publicity: General publicity included: MPRD Fall Brochure, Flyer at all parks, Park Board, poster at Community Center, Merriam Marketplace and City Hall, KC Star Events, do816, various online event sites, media advisory to all news media, E-Merriam, lobby BrightSIgn, Facebook® boosts, cross promoted with vendors, ads with OutFront Billboard, Shawnee Mission Post. Committees/Volunteer/Staff: Parks and Recreation Assistant Director, Recreation Supervisor, Recreation Coordinator, Program Assistant, Aquatics Supervisor, Aquatics Coordinator, 3 volunteers; 3 police officers. Strengths: Better start/event time. Sound and stage worked well. Balloon creations and face painting is always well received. The beverage trailer provided by Embrace the Grape was awesome. The Soundbooth was our VIP/Sponsor area, this was utilized by both Lindan and DMP sponsors. Am Fam sponsor provided giveaways for this area. Snacks, soda, water and other items were provided for this area. Weaknesses: Folks chose not to take the MDL logo’d cup since a full beer would not fit. Yard games were not setup due to rain in beginning of event. Did not want to setup under pavilion due to noise interference with bands. Cornhole was cancelled due to lack of participation. Opportunities: • Work to secure more/new sponsorships • Have dedicated MC to thank sponsors in between acts, let everyone know what there is to do onsite, etc. When we are able to add value added areas, i.e. yard games, Cornhole, etc. • How can we add value to the sponsor area? • Start promoting earlier, other ways to promote? • Other ways to promote Cornhole? Special Event Evaluation Form Event Name: Halloween Happenings Date: Saturday: October 23, 2021 Location: Merriam Marketplace Number of Registrants: n/a Number of participants: 327 Ages: 2-9 Cost of Event: FREE Expenses: Amazon (game supplies) $34.88 Oriental Trading Co (prizes) $99.74 Hobby Lobby (spray paint) $5.49 Walmart Neighborhood Market (candy & supplies) $32.47 Sam’s Club (candy) $46.94 InstafunKC (photo booth) $225.00 Creative Carnival & Events (games) $625.00 Total Expenses: $1,069.52 Special Items Needed: Sound equipment, inflatable Halloween decor, candy, prizes, tables, game supplies, cones, trash cans, liners, tablecloths, etc. There is a dedicated list. Modes of Publicity: Fall Highlights, Fliers at parks, City Hall and Antioch Library, Outdoor sign, 4 x 4 sign at driveway of Merriam Marketplace, Lobby & MCC Brightsigns, Facebook®, MPRD website, Calendars on: Macaroni Kid, iFamily KC & Johnson County, KC Star calendar, KC Parent Volunteers: Chris Hands (City Council), LaVera Howard (Park Board), Nancy Hubbard (running for City Council), Jacob Laha (running for City Council), Serena Clark (SMN NHS), Jerryka Lara (SMN NHS), Anahi Torres (SMNW NHS) Staff: Ingrid, Rachel, Anne Strengths: Great turn out considering the forecast had not been favorable. Good Volunteerism, mid-way games and mini-hole golf game were big hits. As was the Photo booth. Having an Officer Meyers there was a nice addition and he had a lot of families stop by to chat and see his squad car. Saved some money by using glow sticks and toys leftover from 2019 HH plus candy and snacks from MDL for some prizes. Weaknesses: Had a volunteer no show even with an email reminder. Had quite a bit candy/snacks leftover. Opportunities: Continue to come up with extra games to add to the ones rented from CCE. Thoughts: Maybe have 1 or 2 extra volunteers if possible so that way if there are a couple of no shows then we still have enough coverage so that the main staff can float around and make sure everything is running fine/stock up candy at stations/take pictures. Also, maybe have a phone/ipod adapter for the old sound system at the community center just in case it needs to be used in the future for this event or other events.  BREAKFAST WITH SANTA Saturday, Dec. 4 9–10:30 a.m. Merriam Community Center SANTA ▶ PANCAKE BREAKFAST ▶ CRAFTS ▶ GAMES STORY TIME WITH JOHNSON COUNTY LIBRARY STAFF $5 /ADULT Children free with paying adult Preregistration required by Dec. 1 #302001A0 Register at Merriam.org/parks or call 913-322-5550 MERRIAM COMMUNITY CENTER | 6040 SLATER ST. | 913-322-5550 | MERRIAM.ORG/PARKS To: Merriam Parks and Recreation Advisory Board From: Anna Slocum, Director of Parks and Recreation Subject: Public Park and Facility Naming Policy Date: November 23, 2021 As presented at the October 16 meeting, staff undertook the task to update the Governing Body procedures and operational processes. This process included modernizing the look and verifying / updating references to State Statute and excerpts from Municipal Code. There were originally 30 policies, many were outdated and several were very similar in nature. The policies were reformatted and combined into 10 policies. The next step was for a council subcommittee to review and edit the Operating Procedure and Council Policies. The final copy was an agenda item at the October 11 meeting. During the process, Policy 123 Park Naming Policy (1999 & 2010) was recommended to be added to Park Board policies. At the October meeting, there were three additional clarifications / additions requested. 1. Reference the City of Merriam’s existing rule for diversion, equity and inclusion 2. Change the weekly newsletter to “electronic newsletter” 3. Editing changes in the first two paragraphs. Attaches is the policy with those changes for final review and approval. Recommendation: Staff is seeking approval on policy presented.  City of Merriam Parks and Recreation Public Park and Facility Naming Policy The City of Merriam Parks and Recreation Department prides itself in providing first class recreational opportunities to the citizens of Merriam. The purpose is to determine a policy and process for naming public parklands and facilities. The Merriam Parks and Recreation Advisory Board shall be responsible for recommending the names all public parks and facilities in the City of Merriam subject to the approval of the City Council. In reviewing suggestions for park names, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board shall be guided by the following objectives: (a) Provide name identification for individual parks; (b) Provide name identification where appropriate for public buildings, facilities, and specified areas; (c) Provide for citizen input into the process of naming parks and facilities as enumerated above; (d) Ensure control for the naming of parks and facilities by the City Council as recommended by the Director of Parks and Recreation and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; Qualifying Names should provide some form of identity related to: (a) The geographic location of the facility; (b) An outstanding feature of the facility; (c) The adjoining subdivision; (d) Commonly recognized historical event, group, or individual; (e) An individual or group who contributed significantly to the acquisition or development of the facility. (f) An individual who provided an exceptional service to the park system or the City of Merriam; (g) Abide by the City of Merriam’s Diversity, Inclusion and Equity value statement. Naming Alternatives: (a) Parks and facilities that are donated to the City can be named by deed restriction by the donor. The acceptance of land and naming is subject to approval of City Council; (b) Facilities within the parks may be named separately from the parks in which they are located. Naming Process: Park Policy Reviewed October 2021  (a) At the time parkland or facility is acquired but before development occurs, the Director of Parks and Recreation will assign a nondescript temporary working name for the area or facility; (b) Once the development is initiated the Director of Parks and Recreation will receive naming applications in writing for review by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; (c) After a name is decided upon by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, public notice of the recommended name will occur twice during a thirty (30) day period via the City website and weekly newsletter. Citizen comments and recommendations must be in writing to the Director of Parks and Recreation and be postmarked within the thirty (30) day public- notice period; (d) For an individual (excluding historically significant individuals) to be considered, that person must have contributed significantly to the acquisition or development of the park or facility, to the park system, or the community. The recommended name must be accompanied by a biographical sketch which shall provide evidence of contributions; (e) After the thirty (30) day public notice period, the Director of Parks and Recreation, will seek final recommendation of the name from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board for City Council approval. Renaming: (a) Only those parks and facilities named for geographic location, outstanding feature or subdivision should be considered for renaming. Parks named by deed restriction cannot be considered for renaming; (b) Parks and facilities named after individuals shall not be changed unless it is found that the individual’s personal character is or was such that the continued use of their name for a park or facility would not be in the best interest of the community; (c) In order for a park or facility to be considered for renaming, the following must occur:  The recommended name must meet qualifying naming standards previously noted in this policy, and; Be accompanied by a petition from the particular park or facility users. Plaques, markers, memorials (a) All plaques, markers, and memorials are subject to the same naming process outlined in this policy; (b) Because of their proneness to vandalism and maintenance, plaques, markers, and memorials should be used sparingly. (c) The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board establishes the style, size, and placement of all plaques, markers, and memorials. (d) The Irene B. French Giving Tree will be used for recognition rather than placing plaques, markers, and memorials in the park areas; Park Policy Reviewed October 2021