Recreation & Parks Commission

RUSSELLVILLE RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION Minutes from Monthly Meeting May 8, 2012 Present: Marvin Collier, Andy Hatley, Mack Hollis, Mike Johnston, J.W. Stratton, Mark Tripp Absent: Theresa Herrick, Chloe Lieblong Person Recording: Kelli Nealy Guests: Kelley Davis-AR RV Tennis Assoc., Shelia Jackson-AR RV Tennis Assoc., Emily Langford-RV Leader, Heather Sprinkle-The Courier The meeting was called to order at noon. Mike Johnston made a motion to accept the minutes from the April meeting. Andy Hatley seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Old Business A. Community Fireworks Display-Donation commitments to date total $7,000 for our 2012 Community Fireworks Display. A recommendation was made to move the event to Old Post Park to allow the department to seek per car donations. Moving the display from Pleasant View Park to Old Post Park will eliminate the ground display. A suggestion was made to control the traffic light at Lock & Dam Road and Highway 7 at the end of the event to speed traffic flow. The commissioners were in favor of changing the event site to Old Post Park. B. Capital Outlay-The commissioners were given a list of capital projects at the April meeting and were asked to rank the list after receiving public input. The commissioners agreed that another month was needed before completing their list. This agenda item will be discussed in June. C. Splash Pad-An updated list of equipment, including costs, was received from Rain Deck for the splash pad at City Park. Engineer drawings are being completed by Rain Deck, and upon receipt, will be submitted to the Arkansas Health Department for approval. Tentative start date for the project is September 2012. New Business A. Red Cross Disaster Shelter Agreement-This agenda item was tabled until June. B. L.W.C.F. Grant-In the April meeting, commissioners were made aware of a Land & Water Conservation Fund Grant opportunity from AR Parks & Tourism. The 50/50 matching grant has an application deadline of August 31, 2012, and the maximum amount is $250,000. After a brief discussion, the general consensus was to use the original capital outlay list, and complete the grant application for lights at the soccer complex. Mike Johnston made a motion in favor of applying for the grant for field lighting at soccer. Marvin Collier seconded the motion, and the motion passed. The recommendation will be presented to the City Council Finance Committee. C. River Valley Tennis Association, Tennis Facilities, Shelia Jackson-Arkansas River Valley Tennis Association representative Shelia Jackson addressed the commission about the need for additional tennis courts in Russellville. There are currently over 300 tennis players in the River Valley area. The group currently uses the eight tennis courts at Arkansas Tech University, but Ms. Jackson is unsure how long the facilities will be available to them. The existing capital outlay list includes doubling the number of courts at City Park, however Ms. Jackson felt four courts wouldn’t be sufficient. The commission would like to research the possibility of building six courts at Vick Field. General Update A. Aquatic Center-The number of engineering firms has been narrowed to five. The selected firms will make presentations to the committee on May 23. B. Monthly Report-The commissioners received a copy of the department’s monthly report. C. Upcoming Events-A schedule of upcoming events was given to the commissioners. D. Future Agenda Items- Capital Outlay Red Cross Disaster Shelter Agreement Aquatic Center The meeting adjourned at 12.45pm.