Board of Parks Commissioners Meeting

Norman Board of Parks Commissioners Regular Meeting June 7, 2018 The Norman Board of Parks Commissioners of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, met in Council Chambers on the 7th day of June, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. and notice and agenda of the meeting were posted at 201 West Gray Street, 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. ITEM 1, being: ROLL CALL Present: Chairman Dolan, Commissioners Favors, Isacksen, Salmond, and Wright Absent: Commissioners Moxley, Rogers and Sallee City Officials Present: Jud Foster, Director of Parks and Recreation Karla Chapman, Administrative Technician IV ITEM 2, being: APPROVAL OF THE MAY 3, 2018 MEETING MINUTES Commissioner Salmond made the motion and Commissioner Wright seconded to approve the minutes. The vote was taken with the following results: YEAH: Chairman Dolan, Commissioners Favors, Isacksen, Salmond, and Wright NAY: None ITEM 3, being: APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Commissioner Wright made the motion and Commissioner Salmond seconded to approve the agenda. The vote was taken with the following results: YEAH: Chairman Dolan, Commissioners Favors, Isacksen, Salmond, and Wright NAY: None ____________________________________________________________________________________ Park Board Page 2 of 3 June 7, 2018 ITEM 4, being PRESENTATION OF THE SOONER THEATRE Ms. Jennifer Baker, Executive Director of the Sooner Theatre, presented the annual report to the Board and submitted financial reports prior to the meeting. She said the Sooner Theatre is more than just a venue for putting on shows stating there are over 1,000 people enrolled in camps and classes held at Sooner Theatre, with $42,250 given back in scholarships for tuition to students who could otherwise not afford to participate. Ms. Baker said with growth comes growing pains and arts continue to be cut which makes it more of a struggle. Ms. Baker said there were 11,989 audience members last season who spent on average $44.21 per person in the community with an economic impact of $530,033. She said she is incredibly proud of the impact the Sooner Theatre makes on the Norman community as well as on communities surrounding Norman. Ms. Baker highlighted many of the programs and their successes and thanked the City of Norman for the municipal funding. Commissioner Isacksen said the reports were easy to read and asked why insurance was significantly less than last year. Ms. Nicki Kraisky, Business Manager, said the Sooner Theatre changed insurance companies. Chairman Dolan asked whether the Sooner Theatre could show movies and Ms. Baker said yes and they have done so before; however, it costs about $500 per movie and they lost money because there was not enough interest. Commissioner Salmond suggested when looking for donations, the Sooner Theatre should begin investing in mutual funds. He asked what the accumulated depreciation was and Ms. Kraisky said their CPA gives that number to adjust annually for equipment, computers, etc., that depreciates annually. Commissioner Wright asked what programs would be cut if funding is cut and Ms. Baker said most likely concerts and/or shows. The Board acknowledged the report. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ITEM 5, being MISCELLANEOUS Mr. James Briggs, Park Planner, highlighted to the Board about Park activities stating the Outdoor Movie Series at Lions Park and at the Westwood Family Aquatic Center (WWFAC) began May 18, and will conclude October 12, 2018. Mr. Briggs said the Legacy Park Activity Committee (LPAC) has been meeting and working to schedule events at Legacy Park through the summer months. The LPAC mission is to assist Norman Parks and Recreation Staff regarding coordination of enjoyable and rewarding activities, programs, and concerts for the citizens of Norman at Legacy Park. LPAC is currently working on sponsorship packages and marketing, has had a couple of live music performances, and has several others performances scheduled through October, 2018. Mr. Briggs said Council awarded the Norman Forward Indoor Tennis Facility Construction Management contract to Flintco on June 12, 2018, and will go out to bid for construction materials testing and special inspection services on June 28, 2018. Commissioner Wright asked Staff about the “no stainless steel cup” rule at the WWFAC, stating she had heard patrons could bring empty clear water bottles to the facility; however, patrons could not bring in empty stainless steel cups. She said she felt the rule needed to be Park Board Page 3 of 3 June 7, 2018 changed to allow “Yeti” type cups because plastic bottles are harmful to the environment and the City of Norman should do their part to be more environmentally conscious. Since the meeting, the decision was made to allow (empty) stainless steel cups into WWFAC. Commissioner Salmond asked Staff about the baseball program stating not only as a parent of a child who played in the league, but a coach, it has been a rough year of game cancellations and communication issues. Staff acknowledged that there have been issues and the issues are being addressed at this time. The Parks and Recreation Department continually strives to make all of our programs successful and will take what has been learned from the issues this season to make a better baseball program. Commissioner Salmond mentioned the ruts at the Griffin Baseball fields, specifically near the sidewalk corners. He asked Staff to address the issues with those mowing the fields. ______________________________________________________________________________ ITEM 6, being ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Isacksen made the motion and Commissioner Wright seconded to adjourn. The vote was taken with the following results: YEAH: Chairman Dolan, Commissioners Favors, Isacksen, Salmond, and Wright NAY: None Passed and approved this ____________of ________________________ 2018 Bud Dolan, Chairperson