Parks and Recreation Board

CITY OF MUSKEGON PARKS & RECREATION BOARD MEETING July 15, 2026 @ 5:30 PM CITY OF MUSKEGON, ROOM 204 933 TERRACE STREET, MUSKEGON, MI 49440 ☐ CALL TO ORDER: ☐ ROLL CALL: ☐ APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Approval of 1/21/26 Minutes A. 4/15/26 DRAFT Minutes DPW- Parks and Recreation ☐ UPDATES: A. 2027 Parks 5-Year Master Plan Update DPW- Parks and Recreation B. Capital Improvement Plan - Reforecasting of Remaining Funds DPW- Parks and Recreation ☐ DISCUSSION: A. Summer Recreation DPW- Parks and Recreation ☐ PUBLIC COMMENT: ☐ ADJOURNMENT: AMERICAN DISABILITY ACT POLICY FOR ACCESS TO OPEN MEETINGS OF THE CITY OF MUSKEGON AND ANY OF ITS COMMITTEES OR SUBCOMMITTEES To give comment on a live-streamed meeting the city will provide a call-in telephone number to the public to be able to call and give comment. For a public meeting that is not live-streamed, and which a citizen would like to watch and give comment, they must contact the City Clerk’s Office with at least a two-business day notice. The participant will then receive a zoom link which will allow them to watch live and give comment. Contact information is below. For more details, please visit: www.shorelinecity.com The City of Muskegon will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being Page 1 of 2 Page 1 of 16 considered at the meeting, to individuals with disabilities who want to attend the meeting with twenty-four (24) hours’ notice to the City of Muskegon. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact the City of Muskegon by writing or by calling the following: Ann Marie Meisch, MMC. City Clerk. 933 Terrace St. Muskegon, MI 49440. (231)724-6705. clerk@shorelinecity.com Page 2 of 2 Page 2 of 16  City of Muskegon Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Wednesday, April 15th City Hall - Conference Room 204 AGENDA Present: Roberta King, Sarah De La Rosa, Sidney Long, Mayor Johnson, Yancy Weaver, Lynnette Marks, Hillery Ross, David Ruck, Aaron Bodbyl-Mast, Leann Heywood Absent: John Burt 1.​ Call to Order a.​ Meeting called to order at 5:32pm D 2.​ Action Items a.​ Approval of 1/21/26 Minutes i.​ Motion to approve by Marks, second by De La Rosa. Motion passes unanimously R 3.​ Updates a.​ Parks & Recreation Budget Update – Staff will provide information regarding the FY27 budget which goes into effect in July ‘26 i.​ Director Karczewski shows a presentation to the commission that outlines the AF Recreation Budget and the Parks Budget. He notes the primary reason for an increase from the previous year is due to an increase in staff cost. ii.​ In the Recreation Budget, the key expenditures fall into the following categories: personnel, building rentals, contractual services, and supplies. The Parks Budget key expenditures were as follows: personnel, seasonal staff, vehicle rental, building rental, and utilities iii.​ Ruck inquired what last year’s totals were and Director Karczewski said they were T approximately $200,000 less. iv.​ Marks asked where park improvements fall in the expenses, and Director Karczewski noted that his presentation was a brief overview of mostly operational costs and there are additional funds that improvements come out of. v.​ De La Rosa asked if a sponsor was found for the fireworks. Director Karczewski said there has not been anyone interested so far – noting that the City staff does ask a lot of local organizations for money for other events which makes additional requests difficult. Mayor Johnson adds that after the 2026 Fireworks show, City staff will discuss finding a partner or possibly handing the fireworks off to another organization to assist with the expense. b.​ Park Projects Update – Staff will report updates on current park projects, engagements and bid results. i.​ Director Karczewski presents current parks improvement projects: Kruse boardwalk, McGraft pickleball court, Richards kayak launch all came in under budget and we have found contractors for these projects. Improvements will begin soon. Page 3 of 16  ii.​ Director Karczewski notes that with the cost savings, we decided to replace the McGraft Park playground which is the older playground in our system. There was an engagement for this during April. He also mentions that we will have additional engineering construction oversight on some projects that we previously were not able to afford with the given budgets. iii.​ The Sheldon Park and Hartshorn Marina bathrooms construction is moving slower than anticipated, but we still hope to have them up and running as soon as possible. iv.​ Pere Marquette Beach parking lot bids are due on April 23. The plan is to redo and add additional parking spots at the beach. v.​ De La Rosa inquired about the timber blockades at Reese Park and Sheldon Park parking lots. Director Karczewski notes that it is planned to put wooden curbing around the parking lots at the locations and the current logs were put down as a temporary D solution. There is a plan to cut the logs in half, put them up vertically in the ground and connect them with rope to make a fence. vi.​ Mayor Johnson asks Director Karczewski if there are any plans to install cameras at city parks due to the amount of damages that have been happening lately. Director R Karczewski notes that he has added about 10 cameras at parks in the City in the past year and a half including Beukema, Sheldon and Hartshorn, and still intends to continue adding more as budgets and technology restrictions allow. 1.​ Ruck notes that some may feel that parks should be a place to get away from AF cameras. Mayor Johnson says that could be a conversation in the future if the City decided to add cameras to all parks. vii.​ Director Karczewski notes that there has been more parks usage, and the more people in the parks, the safer they are. Mayor Johnson asks if park usage is tracked at all, and Director Karczewski said that we do have data from Placer.AI. Mayor Johnson said it would be helpful information for justifying funding the parks when feedback from the community sometimes says that they are not being used. T viii.​ Additional park updates from Director Karczewski include a small park clean up day at Smith Ryerson Park and McGraft Park; a small, unfenced park at the old skeleton building has been created; and work is being done to keep the fish cleaning station at Fisherman’s Landing open and accessible. 1.​ Discussions are had about fishing tournaments at Fisherman’s Landing and how they get a 50% discount on parking and receive more services. General consensus from the committee and the mayor are that they should not get a discount. Heywood notes that it would likely be a PR nightmare to make a change. Mayor Johnson also notes that they are taking away from public amenities. Director Karczewski notes that the directive came from the City Manager. c.​ Summer Recreation & Events – Staff will discuss summer recreation plans and hurdles and discuss programs and events planned for the summer. i.​ Director Karczewki notes the following summer programs: Boys and Girls Club will have a free half day camp at Reese Park, YMCA will be back at McGraft Park doing full day Page 4 of 16  summer camp, Boys and Girls Club will have a 5-8pm program for teens at their facility with the school district providing dinner (Monday-Thursday for the entire summer), Meet Up and Eat Up will be back at Smith Ryerson, a group called Healthy 2 Connections will be joining at Smith Ryerson to provide Lunch & Learns about neuroscience health and violence prevention, MPS are still looking to establish summer recreation at the middle school to fill the Pathfinders void, 1.​ Marks said she was given different information regarding the Boys and Girls Club partnership, specifically the dates and type of programming. There also may be a hurdle with the typical registration process that Boys and Girls Club uses. 2.​ Mayor Johnson inquired if it would be possible to have the summer evening programming run 2 days at the Boys and Girls Club building and 2 days at the middle school. D ii.​ City-specific events were also presented for the Spring and Summer. Planned events include: Community Action Day Bike Path Cleanup, multiple craft class, senior social painting, weekly walking club, spring soccer league, fishing teen nights, patriotic tie dye, McGraft Park Concert Series, the Lakeshore Art Festival, 4th of July Fireworks and R preparty, Chalk the Park, Reptiles 101, Soggy Doggies, and Touch the Trucks. 1.​ Director Karczewski adds that by next summer he hopes to hire a Recreation Supervisor 4.​ Discussion AF a.​ 2027 Parks Master Planning – Committee will discuss priorities for the upcoming 5-year Parks Master Plan. i.​ Director Karczewski notes that as a department, there is a plan to focus the 2027 Master Plan on recreation and programming more than was done in the last Master Plan that focused heavily on parks and upgrades. He is looking for initial input from the committee about what they would like to see on the plan. ii.​ Bodbyl-Mast asks what the timeline for the plan is and Director Karczewski notes that it T is due by February 1st, 2027 in order to get into the grant funding cycle. iii.​ Mayor Johnson questions if bidding out the plan after July is too late on getting input during the nicer weather season. Director Karczewski mentions that previously it was done all in-house and we intend to have a firm do this for us. Mayor Johnson would like options for priorities by the July meeting rather than it being open-ended to the committee. iv.​ De La Rosa would like to poll the community on sustainability of funds noting that we won’t have ARPA funding again. v.​ Bodbyl-Mast suggested a limited survey due to how robust the previous survey was. vi.​ Mayor Johnson suggests holding a May Meeting followed by polling the group. 1.​ The entire group votes yes, and the meeting will take place on the second Wednesday in May (May 13). 2.​ Marks requests that the existing plan is sent to the committee. 3.​ Ruck suggests defining parks and what they mean to our community. 5.​ Public Comment Page 5 of 16  a.​ No public comment. 6.​ Adjournment a.​ Motion to adjourn by Marks, second by Ross. Motion passes unanimously Meeting adjourned at 7:31 DRAF T Page 6 of 16 DRAFT 2026 RECREATION SURVEY Hey Muskegon! The City of Muskegon is planning future recreation programs, events, and activities and we want to hear from you! This survey will help us understand the interests of our community. You can expect this survey to take roughly 10 minutes. We encourage you to complete the survey with all members of your household in mind. Thank you for helping shape the future of recreation in Muskegon! Section One Household Member Information Select All Ages in Your Household: • 0–4 • 5–12 • 13–17 • 18–24 • 25–34 • 35–44 • 45–54 • 55–64 • 65–74 • 75+ Your Neighborhood: • Angell • Beachwood / Bluffton • Campbell Field • East Muskegon • Glenside • Jackson Hill • Lakeside • Marquette • Marsh Field • McLaughlin • Nelson • Nims • Oakview • Sheldon Park Page 7 of 16  • Steele • Other _ When participating in recreation activities, which format do you prefer? • Drop-in activities with no registration required • Pre-registration for individual events or classes • Ongoing weekly programs • Seasonal leagues or programs • Large community events • No preference For each recreation category below, how often would you participate if programs were offered by the City of Muskegon? Never Once per A few Monthly Weekly year times per year Adult Sports & Athletics Adult Fitness & Wellness Arts, Culture & Creativity Outdoor & Nature Recreation Aquatics Youth & Teen Programs Active Senior Programs Community Events & Entertainment Educations & Lifelong Learning Inclusive & Adaptive Recreation Logic begins: If someone selects Once per year, a few times per year, monthly, or weekly they will go to a page with additional questions regarding that topic. Section Two Category Specific Follow-Ups Which activities would you participate in? Select all that apply. This will differ for each category. Other / fill in the blank is an option Page 8 of 16 Section Three Supporting Recreation Programs Providing high-quality parks and recreation opportunities requires ongoing investment. While many parks and amenities will continue to be available at no cost, some programs and services may include user fees to help offset operating costs, maintain equipment, and expand recreation opportunities for the community. The following questions will help us understand community expectations for recreation program fees and which optional services or amenities you would value most. Would you be willing to pay for you, or members of your household to participate in a recreation program? • Yes • No • It depends on the program Which statement best reflects your expectations for what one person should pay to participate in a recreation program? • I would only participate if the program were free. • I am willing to pay up to $10 per activity or event. • I am willing to pay $11–$25 per activity or event. • I am willing to pay $26–$50 per activity or event. • I am willing to pay more than $50 for specialized programs, leagues, lessons, or camps. Which of the following programs would you support in City parks if they were offered? Select all that apply. • Kayak rentals • Canoe rentals • Stand-up paddleboard rentals • Bicycle rentals • Fishing equipment rentals • Sports equipment or lawn game rentals • Outdoor fitness classes • Guided nature hikes or educational programs • Youth sports leagues • Adult sports leagues • Summer camps • Swim lessons • Ticketed concerts, movies, festivals, or other special events • Recreational tournaments or sporting events • RV or campsite rentals Page 9 of 16  • I would not support any of these. • Other: ____________________ Section Four Program Awareness Please indicate your familiarity with the following City of Muskegon recreation programs and events that were available in 2025 or 2026. Select one response for each program. Program / Event Unaware of Aware of Program Participated in Program Program Summer Concert Series Youth Soccer League Lakeshore Art Festival Walking Club Community Game Nights Teen Nights (Fishing, Laser Tag etc) Holiday Tree Lighting Event Craft Programs 4th of July Fireworks Open Skate Breakfast with Santa Senior Art What currently prevents or might prevent you from participating in recreation programs? (Select all that apply) • Cost • Transportation • Scheduling • Lack of awareness about available programs • Childcare responsibilities • Programs do not match my interests • Accessibility concerns • Safety concerns • Health limitations • Nothing prevents me • Other: ____________ Page 10 of 16 Are there recreation programs, classes, leagues, camps, clubs, or events that you currently participate in outside of the City of Muskegon or with another organization? What and where are they? How do you typically learn about community events, recreation programs, or activities in the Muskegon area? (Select all that apply.) • City of Muskegon website • Visit Muskegon event calendar • Muskegon Area District Library • Facebook • Facebook Events • Instagram • TV news • Radio • Newspaper • School or school newsletters • Community organizations or nonprofits • Parks and recreation brochures or flyers • Email newsletters • Friends, family, or word of mouth • Community bulletin boards • Other: ______________________ • I don't typically look for community events What is the single most important thing the City of Muskegon could do to improve recreation opportunities for you and your household? If the city could make one improvement to its parks, what would have the biggest positive impact on you or your family? Data for Section Two The question for each will be: Which activities would you participate in? Select all that apply. Sports & Athletics • Youth sports leagues • Adult sports leagues • Pickleball Page 11 of 16  • Tennis • Basketball • Volleyball / Beach Volleyball • Soccer • Baseball/Softball • Flag football • Golf • Running clubs or races • Sports tournaments • Sports clinics and skill development • Multisport events • Open gym/drop-in sports • Other (please specify) Fitness & Wellness • Group fitness classes • Yoga • Pilates • Walking clubs • Running clubs • Strength training • Dance fitness • Senior fitness • Wellness workshops • Nutrition education • Meditation/mindfulness • Outdoor fitness programs • Other (please specify) Arts, Culture & Creativity • Painting • Drawing • Arts and crafts • Pottery/ceramics • Photography • Sewing/textiles • Music lessons • Choir or music groups • Dance classes Page 12 of 16  • Theater/drama • Cultural heritage programs • Creative writing • Maker workshops • Other (please specify) Outdoor & Nature Recreation • Hiking • Nature walks / exploration • Birdwatching • Camping • Fishing • Kayaking • Paddleboarding • Biking • Beach Activities • Community gardening • Environmental education • Park stewardship/volunteer activities • Outdoor adventure programs • Winter recreation (snowshoeing, cross country skiing, sledding) • Other (please specify) Aquatics • Swim lessons • Open swim • Lap swimming • Water fitness/aerobics • Water safety classes • Family swim events • Competitive swim programs • Lifeguard training • Boating or Boating Safety • Sailing • Kayaking (recreational or instructional) • Paddleboarding (recreational or instructional) • Other (please specify) Page 13 of 16 Youth & Teen Programs • Summer camps • School break camps • After-school programs • Teen nights • Leadership programs • STEM programs • Arts programs • Beach recreation programs • Sports programs • Outdoor adventure programs • Volunteer opportunities • Esports/gaming activities • Social events for teens • Other (please specify) Active Adult & Senior Programs • Fitness classes • Walking groups • Social clubs • Day trips and excursions • Educational workshops • Arts and crafts • Technology classes • Card and board games • Pickleball • Volunteer opportunities • Intergenerational programs • Health and wellness programs • Other (please specify) Community Events & Entertainment • Concerts • Outdoor movies • Festivals • Holiday events • Family fun days • Neighborhood events Page 14 of 16  • Cultural celebrations • Food truck events • Farmers market activities • Community picnics • Community game nights • Live performances • Other (please specify) Education & Lifelong Learning • Book clubs • Board game clubs • Language classes • Technology classes • Financial literacy workshops • Home and garden workshops • Cooking classes • History and heritage programs • Professional development workshops • STEM education • Guest speaker series • Other (please specify) Inclusive & Adaptive Recreation • Adaptive sports • Inclusive fitness programs • Sensory-friendly events • Inclusive arts programs • Therapeutic recreation programs • Adaptive aquatics • Social and support programs • Accessible outdoor recreation • Inclusive camps • Family-inclusive programs • Other (please specify) Page 15 of 16  Agenda Item Review Form Muskegon Parks & Recreation Board Commission Meeting Date: July 15, 2026 Title: Summer Recreation Submitted by: Department: DPW- Parks and Recreation Brief Summary: Update on Summer Recreation Programs in the City. Detailed Summary & Background: Update on Summer Recreation Programs in the City. Updates will include what is happening with the Evening Teen Programs at Charles Hackley Middle School. Goal/Action Item: 2027 Goal 1: Destination Community & Quality of Life - Parks and Recreation Department and Services Is this a repeat item?: Explain what change has been made to justify bringing it back to Commission: Amount Requested: Budgeted Item: Yes No N/A Fund(s) or Account(s): Budget Amendment Needed: Yes No N/A Recommended Motion: Approvals: Name the Policy/Ordinance Followed: Immediate Division Head Information Technology Other Division Heads Communication Legal Review Page 16 of 16