Parks, Recreation & Forestry Advisory Board

Parks, Recreation, & Forestry Advisory Board – MINUTES Thursday, July 20th, 2023, City Council Chambers 7:30 A.M. The meeting was held in the Council Chamber and is available at: https://vimeo.com/848733125?share=copy CALL TO ORDER 7:34 A.M. ROLL CALL In attendance were Caldwell, Coburn, Dardis, Neilson, Reth, Running, Winterstein, and Clark. Also in attendance were P & R Director Ehnes, SRAC Facility Superintendent Rauterkus, City Administrator McFarland, and Front Desk and Concession Coordinator Heiting. Present on Zoom, Griffith, Parks Maintenance Superintendent McDonald, and City Attorney McDonald. Absent: Weigel DECLARATION OF ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Dardis declared a conflict of interest with Black Hills Rapids MOU. Griffith declared a conflict of interest with both the BHSU MOU and the Black Hills Rapids MOU, Caldwell will be appointed chair of the board for the BH Rapids MOU and Dardis will be appointed chair for the BHSU MOU. Neilson questioned if Dardis and Griffith can answer questions regarding the soccer MOUs. Attorney McDonald stated that the only way Griffith and Dardis can comment would be as a member of the public. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Caldwell moved, Reth, seconded, and all voted to approve the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Dardis moved, Coburn, seconded, and all approved the minutes of the April 20, 2023, meeting. PUBLIC COMMENT Public comment was opened at 7:39 A.M., with no public comments received. OLD BUSINESS Board Items  Question and answer session on the July staff update. o Ehnes discussed the progress of the Rocketship renovation. The Rocketship slides have been removed from the main structure and have been taken to the designated welding location for repairs. The City Council recently approved additional funding for better turf surfacing under the structures that meets ADA requirements as well as appropriate fall protection. o Caldwell questioned the cost breakdown regarding the renovation of the Rocketship. Ehnes stated that a lot of the donations have been in-kind donations. Ehnes stated Next Meeting – August 17th, 2023, 7:30 A.M. Council Chambers  Parks, Recreation, & Forestry Advisory Board – MINUTES Thursday, July 20th, 2023, City Council Chambers 7:30 A.M. that it is unknown how much money has been received from the fundraising. The city has budgeted $350,000 to purchase new playground equipment that will replace the old playground structure as well as add additional equipment. An additional $110,000 was approved by the City Council for the Forever Lawn surfacing. o Griffith questioned the impact of the bandshell due to not receiving the Wellmark grant. Ehnes stated that Spread the Tunes has raised approximately $115,000.00 to help fund the project. Funds for the project have been requested in the 2024 budget and staff will continue to apply for another grant this fall. o Neilson questioned if the cross-country meets will be relocated due to the Evans Park renovation. Ehnes stated that a meeting was held on Tuesday with the school district at the location to discuss if it would be safe for all participants. Due to the heavy construction, the cross-country meet was determined to temporarily relocate to Jorgenson Park. o Griffith questioned the daily check-ins for the Rec Center. Rauterkus stated that the check-ins have been fewer this year due to weather closures. o Running questioned the city’s weed control contract and what is included in that contract. Ehnes stated that the contract is designed to spray the areas that are only identified in the bid documents and the contractor has until July 15th to complete the initial spraying. If there are continued weed problems the contractor will return to spot-treat the problem areas as well as certified city staff will help to resolve those areas of concern. o Running also questioned Rauterkus about the weeds and clover in the rec center lawn, the cleanliness and safety of the waterpark stairs, and cleaning of the lounge chairs. Rauterkus said that the stairs are cleaned at the beginning of each year along with the lounge chairs and then cleaned as needed. NEW BUSINESS Director Items  Recommend approval of an MOU with the Black Hills Rapids for the use of the Teener baseball field. o Dardis motioned, Coburn seconded, and all voted to approve Caldwell as the chair of the board for this item. o Ehnes discussed field space that would be available to allow Black Hills Rapids the opportunity to practice in Spearfish. Ehnes stated that due to the baseball team not utilizing the Teener field this fall, and a lack of available soccer fields due to Sky Ridge Next Meeting – August 17th, 2023, 7:30 A.M. Council Chambers  Parks, Recreation, & Forestry Advisory Board – MINUTES Thursday, July 20th, 2023, City Council Chambers 7:30 A.M. Complex not being available yet, the Teener field would be the only available option at this time. o Neilson questioned how many Spearfish athletes would be affected by combined organizations. Griffith stated that he is the head coach for the Spearfish girls’ varsity soccer program and is helping assist with the Black Hills Rapids program. The Black Hills Rapids program would allow athletes who have the desire to advance in the sport the opportunity to do so in Spearfish. Griffith stated that they have been traveling to Rapid City to train during the off-season to be more competitive at the high school level. o Neilson questioned if adding this program would grow and take players from the local organizations. Griffith stated that he does not believe that the program is going to grow to the point it causes any disruption in the multi-sport athletes or the local Spearfish soccer association. o Coburn moved, and Reth seconded to recommend approval of the MOU with the BH Rapids for use of the Teener field with Coburn, Caldwell, Running, and Reth, voting yes, Weinstein and Neilson voting no. Dardis and Griffith abstained due to a conflict of interest. Motion carried; a recommendation will be forwarded to the council on August 7th, 2023.  Recommend approval of an MOU with the Black Hills State University for the use of the soccer field at the Black Hills Energy Complex. o Clark moved, Winterstein seconded, and all voted to approve Dardis as the chair of the board for this item. o Ehnes discussed that the current Ronnie Theisz soccer field no longer meets the requirements due to BHSU Women's Soccer joining the NCAA. Due to the required space needed, the only space that is large enough is the Black Hills Energy soccer field. If approved, the MOU agreement discussed would be a two-year agreement. o Dardis questioned how the lines would be painted since the high school would be playing east/west and due to the space needed, BHSU would be playing North/South. Ehnes stated that the lines would have to be double-striped with the high school using white and BHSU using yellow. o Caldwell commented on how incredible it is for high school-aged athletes to have the opportunity to be able to go to watch soccer be played at a higher level. o Coburn moved; Neilson seconded, and all voted to recommend approval of the MOU with Black Hills State University for the use of the BH Energy Soccer Field. Griffith Next Meeting – August 17th, 2023, 7:30 A.M. Council Chambers  Parks, Recreation, & Forestry Advisory Board – MINUTES Thursday, July 20th, 2023, City Council Chambers 7:30 A.M. abstained due to a conflict of interest. Motion carried; a recommendation will be forwarded to the council on August 7th, 2023. FYI ITEMS  August advisory board meeting will meet at the council chambers and adjourn at Sky Ridge. ADJOURNMENT Neilson moved, Coburn, seconded, and all voted to adjourn at 8:31 A.M. Next Meeting – August 17th, 2023, 7:30 A.M. Council Chambers