Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

Agenda Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Thursday, September 4, 2025, 7:00 p.m. City Hall, Room 122 203 S. Troy Street Royal Oak, Michigan 48067 Anyone planning to attend the meeting who has need of special assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is asked to contact the city clerk’s office at 248-246-3050 at least two (2) business days prior to the meeting. Pages 1. Meeting Called to Order 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approval of Minutes 3 Recommended Motion: Motion to approve minutes of the August 7, 2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting. 4. Public Comment 5. Reports a. Staff Report – Nicole McEachern 1. Introduction – New Recreation Coordinator - Meghan Veiga b. City Commissioner Report - Commissioner Brandon Kolo 6. Business Items a. Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) - Nicole McEachern No formal action necessary. For informational purposes only. Resources: • Recreation Master Plan https://www.romi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/34899/2023-27- Recreation-Master-Plan • Capital Improvement Plan https://www.romi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40163/_ADOPTED- CIP-Full-book-2025-26 7. Items Not on the Agenda 8. Upcoming Events • Tentative - Senior Center Grand Reopening/Ribbon Cutting, Friday,  September 26 at 9 am. • Tentative - Lockman Park Grand Reopening and Ribbon Cutting, Thursday, October 2, 4 pm. Rain Date October 9. 9. Adjournment 10. Next Meeting: October 2, 2025 Page 2 of 6  Minutes Parks and Recreation Advisory Board August 7, 2025, 7:00 p.m. City Hall, Room 122 203 S. Troy Street Royal Oak, Michigan 48067 Present: Sarah Kindinger Brigitta Burguess Tony Rennpage Sue Wells Hannah Holliday Ryan Danescu Ian McKinney Absent: Perry Abbey Brandon Kolo _____________________________________________________________________ 1. Meeting Called to Order Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm. 2. Approval of Agenda Resolution Number: Motion to approve the agenda. Moved by: Ryan Danescu Seconded by: Ian McKinney Motion Adopted 3. Approval of Minutes Resolution Number: Motion to approve minutes of the June 5, 2025 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting. Moved by: Hannah Holliday Seconded by: Sue Wells Motion Adopted 4. Public Comment 1 Page 3 of 6  -Resident lives near Meininger Park. No repairs have been made to the courts since 2013. Sees a lot of people playing in the courts. Wants to know how we decide what courts stay or which are going to be eliminated. Spoke against removing the courts. Wants to see money be put into the park. -May Werdly lives near Meininger Park. Family plays racquet sports. Was hoping to have the courts repaired. Spoke against removing the courts. Suggested a revamp of tennis and pickleball. -Jackie: spoke against removing courts at Meininger Park. Suggested resurfacing the courts to support tennis or other racquet courts. 5. Reports 5.a Staff Report – Nicole McEachern Administration  Full time Recreation Coordinator hiring process is complete. We received 135 applications. It was a competitive process. Meghan Veiga from City of Troy was selected as the most qualified candidate and accepted our offer. She is coming from the City of Troy where she oversees youth and adult sports leagues, sports classes and clinics, community sports organization partnerships, and the adaptive recreation programs. She is a a Certified Youth Sports Administrator (CYSA) and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). Her anticipated start date is August 19. Thank you to this board for support for additional staffing.  The vacant Clerk position has been posted, closing August 17. Estimated start date is late September/early November. Alayna Brasch (City Manager Fellow) is temporarily filling in for the vacant Clerk position.  Fall Insight has been mailed to residents. Registration begins Tuesday, August 12. Recreation  We are focused on Dream Cruise Car Show event preparations. Hope you will stop by to enjoy the event. As of now we have 420 classic cars registered.  Art Fair held July 12-13 was a success, with approximately 3,000 attendees.  We partnered with Oakland County to host the Health and Housing Summer Fest at Normandy Oaks Park on August 5. We had 603 people sign in to attend the event. Park/Facilities 2 Page 4 of 6   Senior Center updates are underway and progressing smoothly. The project is anticipated to finish this month.  Salter Center roofing project has been awarded. Project is estimated to be completed in the fall.  Memorial Park Netting project - Start date pending change orders.  Clawson Park Improvements are on track for substantial completion in October.  Kick off for Gunn Dyer Park improvements starts tomorrow with our first meeting with the design engineer. 5.a.1 Congratulations to Sue Wells on mParks Hall of Fame Class of 2025! 5.b City Commission Comments - Commissioner Kolo None - Commissioner Kolo absent. 6. Business 6.a Presentation– Garden Club Garden Club members presented report. Details included in agenda packet. 6.b Presentation– Great Lakes Live Steamers Train  Details included in agenda packet. Volunteer David Pierce presented overview of report.  Individuals interested in becoming members may speak with a representative at the park or visit website for details. Membership is open to individuals aged 16 and older. The membership fee is $25. 6.c Red Run and Meininger Court Removal Memo on this topic was included in the agenda packet. Director McEachern and DPS Director Kevin Yee presented an overview of the memo. The parks in question are not eligible for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. A full removal and rebuild of the courts is estimated to cost approximately $500,000. Sarah Kindinger expressed concern regarding the safety of the courts and acknowledged that removal may be unpopular. Brigitta Burguess also voiced concerns about safety. Sarah Kindinger noted that the board has made efforts to be strategic with limited financial resources. Ryan Denascu commented that due to ongoing 3 Page 5 of 6  funding constraints, similar removal discussions may be needed in the future. Sue Wells remarked that while the community has an large number of parks, this number can also present challenges in terms of maintenance and funding. Sue Wells suggested that the city and local schools, which meet monthly, could explore the potential use of tennis courts at the Middle School. Ryan Denascu emphasized the importance of community engagement in expressing interest to the City regarding future use of the site. He clarified that removal of the courts does not preclude future development and that utilizing available insurance funds is a priority. Resolution Number: Motion to recommend the City Commission approve the hard surface court removals Red Run and Meininger Parks as presented. Moved by: Hannah Holliday Seconded by: Sue Wells Motion Adopted 6.d Kensington Play Structure Location Ryan Denascu mentioned that parking was this group's biggest concern. Resolution Number: Motion to recommend the City Commission approve the installation of the Kensington Play Structure at the Red Run Park location as presented. Moved by: Ryan Danescu Seconded by: Ian McKinney Motion Adopted 7. Items Not on the Agenda 8. Upcoming Events Clarification - Car show event is open to visitors 12-7 Friday, 10-7 Saturday. Times listed above are for classic cars/vendors only. 9. Adjournment Hannah Holiday made motion to adjourn at 8:36. Sue Wells seconded. Adjourned at 8:37 pm. 10. Next Meeting: September 4, 2025 4 Page 6 of 6