Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission

South St. Paul Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes of May 9, 2017 The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting was called to order by Lori Miller at 6:31 p.m. at Central Square Community Center. Members Present: Ron Morgan, Michael Heidelberger, Shawn Meck, Michael Lindamood, Rich Dippel, Lori Miller Members Absent: Josh Dormady, Mathew Helwig Others Present: Chris Esser, Shannon Young, Joe Forester, Geno Mazzali, Jayson Dwelle 1. Introductions 2. Approval of Minutes Motion by Ron Morgan and second by Lori Miller to approve the Minutes of April 11, 2017. 6 Yays. 0 Nays. Motion Passed. 3. Old Business 3A. Recreation Program Updates – Giant Egg Hunt, Citywide Camp-out, Staffing, Pools Mr. Mazzali announced that the Giant Egg Hunt was a success. The weather was cool and rainy, affecting the overall attendance of the event. The egg hunt had around 150 people attend. Also mentioned was the upcoming event for the City-wide Camp out on June 10th. The City of South Saint Paul and SSP Jaycees will be teaming up offering hot dogs and the Summer Playhouse will make an appearance. Also noted was the upcoming summer seasonal staff team including 19 lifeguards, 8 concession, 4 playhouse, and 7 playground staff. The pool buildings are being cleaned and pressure washed for the season. 3B. Small/Timid/Frail/Special Needs Off-Leash Mr. Esser mentioned that in order to accomplish the additions there must be room in the 2017 budget. If not we will be waiting until 2018. 3C. McMorrow Field Renovation Mr. Esser noted that the trees have been planted and parking lots have been paved and painted. The city will also be creating extra space for the recycle dumpster. The electrical service upgrade by Xcel Energy is scheduled for installation on June 14th. The grass seed will be installed soon along with sod going in around the playground and high use areas. 3D. Lions Club Donation – Kaposia Landing Mr. Esser noted the city council is in support of the city matching the $50,000 donation from the Lions Club. The funds will most likely come from a combination of undesignated donations and park dedication. Things to be considered in the price will include electricity to the shelter, paved trail to the shelter, and picnic tables. 3E. Kaposia Landing Grand Opening Celebration Review The event on April 22 went well and commissioners agreed the facility looked great! Also noted was the choice of the High School coaches to move their games that day to other facilities due to the soft fields from the rain at Kaposia Landing. Youth softball was able to play two games during the event and concessions were available sponsored by the youth softball association. We estimate around 200 people attended the grand opening of the Kaposia Landing athletic complex. 3F. Seidl’s Lake Legislative Funding Request Mr. Esser noted that there is two more weeks in the Legislative process. The feel is there is no Bonding Bill consensus and our chances are not looking good to receive funding during this round. 3G. Park Assignments/Visit Reports Members of the commission mentioned miscellaneous items in the parks that could use attention. 4. New Business 4A. Doug Woog Arena – 2017 ISI Championship Event, Seasonal Updates, Drivers Mr. Dwelle noted that the projects for the ice arena have concluded and he is starting to see an uptick in people in the building. The ISI Championship is bringing in 200-250 skaters, taking place June 3-4. He also mentioned plans to upgrade the lobby restrooms and landscaping around the building. The arena has received a lot of summer rentals due to the remodeling process at the City of Inver Grove Heights arena. He also mentioned that a new user group has reserved over 280 hours of summer ice. The off-ice training facility played a big factor in the group choosing Doug Woog Arena. 4B. Kaposia Landing Operations – Field Conditions, Flag Pole, Lights, Scoreboards Mrs. Young mentioned that the adults played in light rain most of the first week of play at Kaposia Landing. The scoreboards and lights are coming along with a few minor adjustments. The lighting company had the automatic lights numbers mislabeled for the lights and field numbers so the scheduling program was incorrect the first night, it has now been fixed. Mr. Esser noted the aglime is coming together and the fields will drain better with time. The flag pole is set to be installed in the near future as well as two additional flag poles at Veterans Field funded by local Veterans groups. 4C. Seasonal Staffing Enhancements – Disc Golf Maintenance, Facility Aid Mr. Esser noted how far Public Works staff has come along in numbers over the years. When Mr. Esser started with the City of South Saint Paul there was two and half staff members in parks. Now the division of Public Works has five, which is a nice improvement but still on the thin side for the acreage and facilities we maintain. Public Works Director Pat Dunn is having two full time employees start a work week of Wednesday to Sunday. Also noted was the department adding a seasonal maintenance staff member to work primarily on the disc golf course. He will be working on grass cutting, signs, baskets, and trash. Mr. Esser also mentioned the department hired a facility aid to monitor our parks during the evening hours. This staff member will work on monitoring and troubleshooting scoreboards, concessions, checking dog passes, and general park maintenance. 5. Other Business 6. Adjournment- Meeting adjourned at 7:28 p.m. Next meeting is June 13, 2017. Respectfully submitted, Geno Mazzali