Parks and Recreation Commission

PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES MEETING DATE: Thursday, May 26, 2016 LOCATION: Webster Groves Recreation Complex CALLED TO ORDER: 6:32 p.m. MEETING ADJOURNED: 7:25 p.m. NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 23, 2016 ROLL CALL NAME PRESENT ABSENT Benjamin Stark X Christopher Michael, Chairman X David Addison, School Board Liaison X David Franklin X Erica Morrison X Elizabeth Bailey X Toni Hunt Council Liaison X Jerry Pinkner X Scott Davis, Staff Liaison X Patty Gaines X Steven Brewer X Michelle Clemens, staff APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from the May meeting were approved as written. No meetings were held in February, March or April. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS: Scott Davis * Yvonne Steingruby has been hired as the new Park Superintendent. She replaces Park Manager Shawnell Faber. Yvonne has been working for several years as the City Horticulturist. We are now in the process of hiring a new Parks Supervisor. * We are now seeking bids for lighting at the Sculpture Park. * The tennis courts at Blackburn Park will be refurbished with asphalt this summer. * We are moving forward with improvements at Southwest Park, which will include a small pavilion and new signage. The design should be ready in approximately 4 weeks. We will bid out the project in July and hope to have completed by the end of the construction season this year. This will be a small pavilion (20’ x 12’) and will not be rentable. A comment was made as to if the water pump at Southwest was working. Scott mentioned that $4,000 in repairs were completed there last year but it still may not pump much water. There is a problem with the design as it really never worked correctly. * The City has given approval for Michael & Kathy Silverman’s offer to donate funds for improvements to be made at Glen Park. This $100,000 - $250,000 donation will potentially be used to install a shade structure at the park and some playground equipment. The design will be approved by both the Silverman’s and the City and the shade structure will be named after Michael Silverman’s late mother. These improvements will be at no cost to the City and includes some funding for future maintenance. * A leak was discovered under the pool deck but has since been fixed. We still have to patch the concrete that was dug up to repair the leak. The concrete work will be done as soon as possible. 1 * Improvements at Barbre Park are still under discussion. Funds have been allocated in next year’s budget to do some improvements. It is hoped to break ground on the project next fall. * Alison Stoehner has been hired as the new Recreation Supervisor. She replaces James Boyd, who took another position in Ballwin. * Summer camps, programs and pool passes are selling well. The pool will open for the season tomorrow (Friday, May 27th). * The Ice Arena contractors have been hired for the upcoming project. This will include a new desiccant system, new refrigerant plant and new dasher boards. Most of the work will be done during the usual summer 5 – 6 week shutdown period. This project is being funded by a Municipal Park Grant of $475,000, hockey donation of $50,000 and City match of $50,000. * The library currently has free book carts at the complex entryway and at the pool. This summer they are planning on putting small “library huts” at the parks as well. * Sunscreen dispensers will also be installed at two of the parks. The dispensers, which we received through a grant, will dispense free sunscreen. They are bright yellow and will be used on a trial basis to see how it works out. The lotion is expensive so much will depend on how often the dispensers have to be refilled. * Great Rivers Greenway has received approval from the City for right-of-way access along Deer Creek and Lorraine Davis Parks. GRG is now beginning to contact residents for easements. * The Owens property purchase by the City is still in process. If obtained, this area will be incorporated into the GRG trail system. They are currently working through the details and condition of the property and site verification for contaminants. The purchase will cost the City $200,000 and GRG $50,000, with Owens doing all the maintenance. COUNCIL UPDATE: None CHAIRPERSON UPDATE: *Great Rivers Greenway is now funded for the greenway to Slay Park across Big Bend *Steven Brewer is involved in the legislative initiative with City Council to prohibit the sale of County park lands. Everyone is in agreement with this so it should pass. OLD BUSINESS Parks & Recreation Commission Role Discussion was initiated as to what the Parks & Recreation Commission sees as its role. Some options could be community involvement, parks observations, developing bi-laws, etc. Overall, the City Council sees the Commission as a sounding board between citizens and the Council and receives recommendations from the Commission on relevant park issues. Some months there may not be any issues to review. Christopher Michael volunteered to work on the bi-laws and asked that Scott email them back out to everyone again for discussion at the next meeting. A motion was made recommending the bi-laws be written, a second was made and all were in favor. Everyone also liked the idea of each member “adopting” a park to visit occasionally and report back on their observations (including the Recreation Complex). NEW BUSINESS 2017 Community Development Block Grant Funding The application for CDBG funding for 2017 is due by July 1st. There is $33,300 available again this year. A public hearing will be held at the City Council meeting on June 7th. At this point we are considering our options for funding. Last year funding was obtained for the home improvement program and the summer camp at Crockett Park. 2 The recently revised map developed by St. Louis County based on census income data has shifted the eligible areas. In the past Crockett Park was eligible for improvement funding based on the income in that area. The past two years, however, Crockett Park no longer falls in the need-based area. The only park currently in a targeted area is Lockwood Park, which was recently renovated. A suggestion was made that the City consider installing a drinking fountain and a dog water source at that park. We can also use funding for street and sidewalk improvements which is being considered for the current application. Staff will be working on the application through this month. MISCELLANEOUS: The Community Days carnival will be held July 1st – 4th and will be held on Memorial Park fields. The parade will take place July 4th. Fireworks will definitely be held on the 4th but we are waiting for donations to see if we can also have fireworks on the 3rd as well. In the past, Waste Management donation paid for the July 3rd display. We are not sure if we will be able to obtain a replacement donor. The Lions Club has agreed to pay for ½ the cost of field repairs and ½ the cost of labor for repairs. SET NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Thursday, June 23, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at the Recreation Complex. ADJOURNED Meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.