Parks and Recreation Board Meeting

Unofficial minutes to be approved at the November 17, 2021 meeting October 20, 2021 A REGULAR MEETING OF THE SIOUX FALLS PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD was held on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at 4 p.m. at the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum Members present: Jim Stavenger, Ann Nachtigal, Mike Begeman, Mick Conlin, Rick Weber, Brooke Wegener, and Teresa Cauwels. Members absent: none Parks and Recreation staff present: Don Kearney, Director of Parks and Recreation; Kelby Mieras, Operations Manager; Jackie Nelson, Administrative Manager, Mike Patten, Park Development Specialist, and Rita Meyer, Administrative Assistant. Others present: Karen Leonard, City Attorney’s Office; Mike Cooper, MJW Arboretum; Becky Dewitz, Great Plains Zoo; Justin Arlt, Landscapes Golf Management; Walter Portz and Alex Johnson, Sioux Falls Skatepark Association; and Clay Austin, Falls Area Single Track, Inc. Approval of Minutes (September 15, 2021) A motion to approve the minutes was made by Nachtigal and seconded by Begeman. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. Public Input No public input. Unfinished Business None. Under New Business Nelson Park Skatepark MOU: Patten shared details of the MOU, outlining the terms of a future gifting agreement involved with the development of a skate park at Nelson Park. Walter Portz shared details about the Skatepark Association. A motion to approve the MOU was made by Cauwels and seconded by Begeman. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. McCrossan Bleacher Gifting Resolution: Mieras shared the details of the resolution, gifting five sets of surplus bleachers to McCrossan Boys Ranch. A motion to recommend approval of the gifting agreement was made by Weber and seconded by Conlin. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. Sertoma Park Site License Agreement (Mesonet Weather Station): Mieras shared the details of the agreement with SDSU and the City for upgrading a weather station at Sertoma Park. A motion to approve the agreement was made by Wegener and seconded by Nachtigal. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. SDHSAA Gate Fee Application: Nelson shared details for the proposed gate fees for the SD State Cross Country Championship Meet to be held at Yankton Trail Park on October 23, 2021. A motion to approve the gate fee application was made by Nachtigal and seconded by Cauwels. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. 1 October 20, 2021 Great Plains Zoo Annual Report: Becky Dewitz shared a power point presentation highlighting the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum’s Annual Report, with details of the accomplishments at the Zoo over the past year, as well as plans for the Zoo going forward. Great Plains Zoo Management Agreement: Nelson shared details of the Great Plains Zoo Management Agreement. A motion to recommend approval of the agreement was made by Wegener and seconded by Begeman. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. FAST (Falls Area Single Track) Agreement: Nelson shared details of the FAST Agreement. This agreement combines several other separate agreements for various parks with FAST single track trails into one agreement encompassing all the locations in the various City parks including adding Great Bear Recreation Park. Clay Austin shared details about the FAST organization. A motion to approve the agreement was made by Conlin and seconded by Weber. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum Management Agreement: Nelson shared details of the MJW Arboretum Management Agreement. A motion to recommend approval of the agreement was made by Cauwels and seconded by Nachtigal. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum Fees: Nelson and Mike Cooper shared details of the proposed fee structure for rentals at the Arboretum. A motion to recommend approval of the fee structure was made by Begeman and seconded by Conlin. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. Golf Fees: Nelson and Justin Arlt shared details of fee changes being proposed for the 2022 season. A motion to recommend approval of the fees was made by Nachtigal and seconded by Cauwels. Motion passed unanimously with all present Board members voting yes. Report of Director of Parks and Recreation: Kearney shared that the Midco® Aquatic Center just recently celebrated five years in operation. Also, a recent article by Jodi Schwan listed the Top 7 wonders of Sioux Falls included three of the top seven were Falls Park No. 1, McKennan Park No. 4, and the Recreation Trail No. 5. The Japanese Gardens and Levitt also earned honorable mentions. Mieras shared details of what preparations for winter look like in the park system, including winterizing restroom facilities and irrigation lines, clearing flower beds, fall weed spraying, and progressing into making ice at the skating rinks. Winter Wonderland preparations also began the first week of October. Maintenance staff will continue to be involved with the Emerald Ash Borer response with the removal of trees and stumps. Great Bear had a ribbon-cutting on Saturday, October 16, 2021, for the new chair lift, unveiling a new sponsorship of the lift with Schulte Subaru. 2 October 20, 2021 Nelson shared details of new ways of reaching out to seasonal employees in an early effort to be fully staffed for next summer. Nelson also shared that Parks and Recreation has our own radio station for the Midco Aquatic Center and the outdoor ice rinks, called Neptune Radio. This not only allows us to ensure that appropriate music is played at these facilities, but also gives us the opportunity to include our own advertising, reminding patrons of our job opportunities. Items Added After the Agenda Deadline None. Reading of Communications to the Board None. There being no further business, Begeman made a motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned. Secretary Approved by: President 3