Parks, Recreation & Forestry Advisory Board

CITY OF SPEARFISH 625 Fifth Street, Spearfish S.D. 57783 Telephone: (605) 642-1333 Parks, Recreation, & Forestry Advisory Board – MINUTES Thursday, May 17, 2018 I City Hall – Council Chambers I 7:30 am Meeting Called to Order: 7:30am Attendance: Bauer, Clark, Donat, Hanson, Kelly, Mader, Neilson, Peters, Rauterkus APPROVAL OF AGENDA - Addition of Campground updates and policies added to Park & Forestry by Mader – Motion by Donat; Second by Kelly APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Motion by Kelly; Second by Hanson ITEMS FROM VISITORS (Policy Note: Visitors are limited to 5 minutes of presentation followed by questions) - Kenadi Jean Weis Foundation Park Plan o Vice President of the Foundation, Randy Deibert, presented and was accompanied by Kelly Weis-Schultz  Deibert proposed an ‘all-inclusive’ playground to replace the current equipment at Jorgensen Park. This comes at a time when there has been talk about replacing the equipment at both Jorgensen Park and Evans Park. The concept can be seen in a video found on the Foundation’s website, www.teamkenadi.com This park would be the first step in making a ‘Destination Park’ in Kenadi’s name. The ‘Destination Park’ will be close to the size of City Park and will not be located in Jorgensen Park, but most likely just outside of town. In order to make this a reality, the Foundation will need partners.  Referred to as a ‘cocoon’ park that will grow into something more.  The park would be an addition to the Foundation’s contributions to the community. The Foundation has a carnival, scholarship fund, and other involvements in the community.  The park would be similar to the playground at Salem Park. However, it will be for a different age group, ages eight to twelve. The playground at Salem Park was $75,000 for the equipment and $75,000 surfacing. Costs for the new equipment at Jorgensen Park would be $180,000. $160,000 for surfacing and equipment and $20,000 for incidentals. Next Meeting – June 14, 2018 7:30 am Council Chambers  CITY OF SPEARFISH 625 Fifth Street, Spearfish S.D. 57783 Telephone: (605) 642-1333  The Foundation is asking for City participation. The Foundation is asking for $80,000 in funding from the City and they would provide the rest. Deibert is hoping to have this in 2019’s budget and begin building in spring on 2019. The City of Spearfish would own and maintain the playground.  The name of Jorgensen Park would not be changed; however, the playground will be named in honor of Kenadi. There would be signs displaying the new name of the playground. Signs would need to be approved by the Advisory Board first and then by City Council.  Concerns about the use of the playground by the general public were addressed. Deibert emphasized that these playgrounds are not designed to feel ‘different’ from standard equipment. Most children will not feel like they are on equipment that is designed to be handicap-accessible. This will not affect the use of the equipment by Summer Rec enrollees and the general public.  Conceptual ideas for the playground will be presented at the next Advisory Board meeting. Donat asked the Board for action and support towards making this a reality. Motion by Donat; Second by Hanson. Motion passes with no further discussion Director Updates - Draft RFP for Exit 8 pathway o City Engineer Kyle Mathis presented to the Advisory Board and had presented to Public Works on Tuesday, May 15th. The goal is to link pathways by Exit 8 to the existing pathway system throughout the City. In order to move forward, the plans need to be approved from three consultants. o A study evaluating ways to connect these pathways is being conducted. The study will look at: two different routes and their designs, cost, and grant funding qualifications. The study will end in November. The information will be presented to the Advisory Board and then to City Council to determine the best route. o The goal is to begin building in 2019. Fitting the project into one budget cycle will depend on the total cost, which will be determined at the end of the study. A rough estimate of the total cost is between $25,000 and $30,000. - Art displays and classes at the Rec Center o Fassbender Collection  Mader presents. A free photography class (minus cost for materials) is being offered to the public at the Rec Center in the Party Room. The room is being rented out for free in exchange for some of their artwork Next Meeting – June 14, 2018 7:30 am Council Chambers  CITY OF SPEARFISH 625 Fifth Street, Spearfish S.D. 57783 Telephone: (605) 642-1333 to be displayed throughout the Rec Center. There is a lot of bare wall space in the Rec Center that could use some decoration. Other community works will potentially be displayed as well. Art will include pictures taken at parks and events. This is still developmental. There has been some coordination with the Art Center downtown. An informational gathering will be in the near future. Board Items Park & Forestry - Emerald Ash Borer o Mader presents. Mader speculates that 25% of the Ash population in Spearfish is affected by these beetles. Bringing in more or other damaging diseases or pests can be prevented by banning outside firewood from being brought into the City Campground. Treated pine is available for campers. Mader will contact other Campgrounds in the City to make sure they have the same policy. Keith and Tyler (when back from deployment) will look at how other communities have dealt with this issue and adopt their policies and procedures. o It is important to make the public aware of this issue and discourage citizens from bringing in outside wood. Mader would like a good PR campaign to get this information out to the public. Rec & Aquatic Center - Grant and Scholarship application still in progress o Rauterkus spoke on this topic. There has been discussion on revamping the process. Rough drafts on the new forms will be emailed out in the next week or two. - Staffing update o Mader presents. There have been good applicants and most seasonal staff has been trained. There are still applications coming in; staff should be fully trained by the end of this month. o Rauterkus adds that staffing was a big issue last year and this year has been much better. A lot of recruiting happened this winter and some applicants might have to be turned away. The Rec Center should be fully-staffed as of 5/18.  On another note, ½ price Water Park sales for 2017-18 are the highest they have ever been, reaching over 1,100 passes sold. - Gold Rush Gravel Grinder o Their numbers are continuously growing. We will extend help if they need it. o The Dakota 5-0 will be coming in next month to discuss their upcoming events. Next Meeting – June 14, 2018 7:30 am Council Chambers  CITY OF SPEARFISH 625 Fifth Street, Spearfish S.D. 57783 Telephone: (605) 642-1333 Additional Board Items - Budget o The current budget is operational, item by item. Mader will have a discussion with Mike Harmon to see where we are currently at. Lots of changes have been made that were not in discussion last year such as different renovations and a new playground. o Mader adds it is important to take a look at needs versus wants. Priorities can easily change. Mader proposes the Board meets in a Special Session to discuss budget. Proposed dates will be sent out. - City Campground o Mader discusses. The campground is up and running but not quite fully staffed. The new software is working well and campers seem to like it. There have been some software issues but they are being reported and fixed. - McLaughlin Sawmill Property o Donat inquired about the status of this property. Mader adds that there has been no use of this property by the Parks and Rec Departments. There has been no discussion about clean-up. There is about 12 inches of granular surface that needs to be removed; this will be very expensive. There have been discussions about using the space for recreation purposes but no final decisions have been made. Mader proposed the creation of a task force to evaluate other potential areas. - Pickle Ball o Clark inquired about the status of additional Pickle Ball courts. Mader says there has been proposed use of the Tennis and Basketball courts in City Park. The addition of two Pickle Ball courts could be made without any large modifications. Tennis users are in agreement. Pickle Ball courts would be along the sides with a shared area coming in. Changes would still accommodate Basketball and Tennis. There is an area south of the Rec Center that could accommodate four or five Pickle Ball courts.  Rental equipment for Pickle Ball could potentially be at the Campground. - Bike to School Train o Peters presents. Bike Spearfish has been meeting once a month to keep this going. Children have gathered for the last three Fridays to ride their bikes to school safely. The first Friday had about thirty-five participants. The second had about fifty. The third had about sixty. Parents have been dropping their children off at stations around town and supervisors ride their bikes with the children to school. Participants have to pre-register in order to join. Next Meeting – June 14, 2018 7:30 am Council Chambers  CITY OF SPEARFISH 625 Fifth Street, Spearfish S.D. 57783 Telephone: (605) 642-1333 o The Bike to School Train has received positive feedback and numbers are continually growing. Bike Spearfish would like to partner with Kiwanis for this program. Surveys will be sent out for more feedback. o Quark and the Bicycle Co-op are sponsors. More discussions about new locations for next year will happen. - Lookout Mountain o Clark inquired about the leasing on Lookout. What will happen with the land should be discussed before the cattle are gone. Ideally, benches and signs will be added as well as kiosks for flowers and some fences should be removed. Some water diversions should be added to eliminate erosion. Hanson brought up the issue of weed control and mowing. Mader adds that this will be added to the agenda for next time. o Mader continues that it should be kept as natural as possible with no benches being added. The nature should be utilized for signage. - State Track o BHSU will be hosting the state track meet on Friday, 5/18. If anyone is interested in helping, they should email Bauer. The event is at BHSU on Friday only, with the finals in Rapid City. - Bauer o Next month will be Bauer’s last meeting. He will be moving to Rapid City and will no longer be able to be on the Board. The Mayor has already made a recommendation for Deibert’s spot. The Board is able to nominate individuals for Bauer’s spot. o Mader asks about the qualifications for the next Board member. He is curious if they have to come from a certain group from around town. Kelly recommends it be someone involved in the schools. Neilson still represents from the schools. Bauer will think about possible candidates. CONSENT AGENDA / FYI ITEMS - Bike to School Train – May 18th - SRAC 5k – May 19th Jorgensen Park - Waterpark opens May 26th - Summer programs start June 4th Meeting adjourned – Motion by Donat; Seconded by Kelly 8:30am Next Meeting – June 14, 2018 7:30 am Council Chambers