Recreation & Parks Commission

. Commissioners: The Russellville Recreation and Parks Department will hold the monthly meeting of the Recreation and Parks Commission on Tuesday, May 14, 2013. The meeting will be held at noon at the Hughes Community Center. Lunch will be served prior to the meeting. Attachments include the agenda for this meeting, the monthly report, and the minutes from the last meeting.  Russellville Recreation and Parks Department Monthly Commission Meeting Agenda May 14, 2013 I. Call to Order II. Approval of Minutes (3-12-13) III. Old Business A. Commission Chairman/Vice Chairman B. Commission Ordinance/Procedures C. Capital Projects D. Splash Pad IV. New Business A. Winter Wonderland 2013 B. Grants 1. LWCF 2. Trail for Life C. Bike and Build Request V. Updates A. Aquatic Center B. Program Agreements Review C. Monthly Report D. Upcoming Events  RUSSELLVILLE RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION Minutes from Monthly Meeting May 14, 2013 Present: Marvin Collier, Theresa Herrick, Mack Hollis, Chloe Lieblong, Spence Roberts, J.W. Stratton Absent: Andy Hatley, Mike Johnston Person Recording: Kelli Nealy Guests: Christie Graham-Russellville Advertising & Promotion, Whitney Snipes-The Courier The meeting was called to order at 12:05pm. Marvin Collier made a motion to accept the minutes from the March meeting. J.W. Stratton seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Old Business A. Commission Chairman/Vice Chairman-According to Ordinance 630, the parks commission must elect a chairman and vice chairman to serve one year terms. The chairman, and the vice chairman in his absence, will call the commission meetings to order and conduct the meetings. A motion was made by Mike Johnston, via the telephone, to appoint J.W. Stratton as the chairman of the parks commission for 2013. Chloe Lieblong seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Marvin Collier made a motion to appoint Mike Johnston as the vice chairman for 2013. Chloe Lieblong seconded the motion, and the motion passed. B. Commission Ordinance/Procedures-A brief discussion was held during the March commission meeting about Ordinance 630, as well as Ordinance 1190. The ordinances detail the appointment of members of the parks commission and the organization of the commission. During the March meeting, a recommendation was made to seek legal advice from the city attorney to clarify the ordinances. City Attorney Trey Smith advised that the meetings must be conducted by the chairman or vice chairman. Meeting minutes may continue to be recorded by parks department staff. Any requested changes to the ordinance must first be voted on by the commission and then presented to the city council by the chairman and council liaison. The City Attorney did not recommend changing the ordinance and felt that the commission should return to operating the way the ordinance was written. Ordinance 1190 states that the commission will consist of six members including a representative of the Russellville Junior Auxiliary that will serve a one year term. Currently, Commissioner Lieblong serves as both a commissioner, as well as the Junior Auxiliary representative. She is a lifetime member of Junior Auxiliary; however she is not an active member. Clarification will be requested from the City Attorney. C. Capital Projects-During the March meeting, the commissioners chose the next four capital projects to follow the construction of an aquatic center. The projects are Soccer Complex field lights, trails, Shiloh Park restrooms, and backstops at Hickey Park. Commissioner Lieblong was unclear as to how the aquatic center was chosen as the top project. Mack offered to have the mayor speak at the next meeting for clarification. Plans for the Russellville Aquatic Center have been reduced in scale to a $5.5 million cap. Vick Field and the Hughes Center are being considered as potential sites. D. Splash Pad-The commissioners were reminded that the grand opening for the Splash Pad at City Park will be held immediately following the commission meeting at 1:00pm. A suggestion was made by Mack to set the hours of operation for the Splash Pad at 9:00am – 9:00pm daily. The commissioners agreed. New Business A. Winter Wonderland 2013-Christie Graham addressed the commission about Winter Wonderland 2013. In an effort to reduce expenses, Christie would like to decrease the number of days the display is open. She proposes opening from December 11 – December 22. This reduction in days would also allow fishermen more days to fish. For insurance purposes, park gates are only unlocked when the display is open to the public. Last year, while the display was set up, parks department staff worked at the park several hours each week day and allowed fishermen access to the pond during that time. This worked well, and a suggestion was made to implement a similar schedule this year. Marvin Collier made a motion in favor of the proposed display dates. Chloe Lieblong seconded the motion, and the motion passed. B. Grants- 1. The department has been awarded a $40,000 grant thru the Arkansas Recreational Trails Program to complete a trail around the Flying Field to the end of Orbit Lane. 2. LWCF-A 50/50 matching Land and Water Conservation Fund grant opportunity is available thru Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. Estimated cost for the Soccer Complex lighting project is $325,000. Mack suggested that a grant application be submitted for $162,000 and the remaining cost will be paid by revenue from the one cent sales tax. A public meeting will be scheduled to receive input regarding recreational needs. 3. Trail for Life-A 100% Trails for Life grant is available to complete the trail at the Historic Tree Park at Pleasant View Park. The grant application deadline is in October. C. Bike and Build Request-Jeff Priore requests permission to allow approximately thirty Bike and Build members to spend one night at the Hughes Center as they travel through Russellville on their way to San Jose. Members are riding across the country as a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. They will arrive at approximately 4:00pm on June 16 and will leave at 6:00am on June 17. According to the City Fire Marshal, an employee must stay awake through the night because the building is not equipped with a fire suppression system. Mack recommended that the group pay extra labor costs. Marvin Collier made a motion in favor of the request. Chloe Lieblong seconded the motion, and the motion passed. Parks Commission Minutes – May 14, 2013 Page 2 Updates A. Aquatic Center-The commissioners were given copies of revenue and expense projections generated by ETC Engineering. The committee is currently working on a plan to cover operations and maintenance expenses for the Aquatic Center. B. Program Agreements Review-Copies of program agreements for various user groups were distributed to the commission for review and discussion at a later date. C. Monthly Report-The commissioners received a copy of the department’s monthly report. D. Upcoming Events-A schedule of upcoming events was given to the commissioners. The meeting adjourned at 12:55pm.