Parks & Recreation Commission

MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION March 14, 2023 City Council Chambers A. CALL TO ORDER B. ROLL CALL: A roll call was taken and Chairman McCleary determined a quorum was present. COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Jason Cohen, Melissa McMahon, Chris Neuhart, Pete Riis and Chairman Mike McCleary. COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: None. OTHERS PRESENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Executive Director Christina Betz, Executive Director Danielle Gulli, Recreation Director Dave Zinnen, Public Works Director Brent Aymond, and Deputy Clerk Bernie Walker. C. FLOOR DISCUSSION: 1. Public Comments: None. 2. Commission Comments: None. D. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: M. McMahon asked if Davis Road Soccer Fields had gone to Council and B. Aymond responded that it’s proposed in the budget and if it passes, then it will go to Council. Discussion ensued about closing the Davis Road Fields for 2023, budget, rotation of fields, user groups, fees and the Parks Policy Document that Staff is planning to have ready for the April Commission Meeting. Motion by P. Riis, second by M. McMahon, to approve the minutes of the February 14, 2023 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Ayes: J. Cohen, M. McMahon, C. Neuhart, P. Riis and Chairman M. McCleary. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried. E. TRANSMITTALS: The following items have been transmitted to the Commission for information and there is no discussion expected or action recommended. 1. Recreation Department Report for February 2023 Chair McCleary asked if the Daddy/Daughter Dance could only accommodate 80 couples and D. Zinnen confirmed that was the max for the space and available parking, which is why they held two sessions. Discussion ensued about pickleball and the need for additional courts; extending rec center hours and adding additional classes and tween nights, which will all require additional staff; the possibility of going to a 24-hour operation which will require office renovations and security; evaluating the cost to make changes and improvements to the existing rec center versus the cost of purchasing an existing building or possibly even building a new rec center.  Parks & Rec Commission 03/14/23 Page 2 of 5 M. McMahon asked if the Rec Center was paid off and when D. Zinnen confirmed the bond was paid off on January 1, she inquired what is being done with the funds that were previously used to pay off the bond and D. Zinnen stated the $67K annually is being reinvested into the rec center. Chair McCleary asked if the whirlpool was closed due to the leak and D. Zinnen clarified that it was closed due to a pipe that burst, which has been repaired, so it is now open. The leak will get fixed in the summer during the pool shutdown. 2. Parks Division Report for February 2023 C. Betz shared that she presented at McHenry County for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and was told that the City of Woodstock received $100,000 to be used for new ADA compliant restrooms to support the Intergenerational Playground in addition to the $600,000 OSLAD Grant they received. The Commission thanked C. Betz for sharing. Chair McCleary asked how much of the brush from the ice storm had been picked up and B. Aymond responded that approximately 80% was picked up with more scheduled to be picked up following trash pick-up days. B. Aymond also shared that they are running two trucks and modified one truck into a chipper truck. P. Riis asked about the total cost for the Melissa Canto-O’Leary Splashpad Project and if it was decided where it will be placed. D. Gulli stated $250,000 is what D. Zinnen is projecting and fundraising efforts are in place to raise funds and Staff is also pursuing grants. As far as location, they are looking at Woodstock Water Works because that is where Melissa worked and that was a big part of her life, so it would be a nice memorial to honor her. A committee is being put together to work on plans and community outreach. F. OLD BUSINESS: None. G. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Discuss Chapter 6 of the Park Master Plan P. Riis commented that the Park Master Plan appears to be a maintenance plan rather than a development plan and he is wondering if it should be broken out into two separate plans. C. Betz also agreed that it was more of a maintenance and inventory of the parks but said they are planning to put out an RFP for an all-city Master Plan. They will retain a consultant to put a plan together and then the Parks and Recreation Commission can review the plan and provide feedback. There will also be public hearings to gather public feedback. Chair McCleary asked how long before the RFP is complete and C. Betz stated probably six months. The Parks and Recreation Commission and Staff reviewed Chapter 6 of the Park Master Plan, which covers 27 different parks. They all agree that the document is more of an inventory of parks that needs updating, and should include the following: add dates for items that have been completed and reference maintenance plan dates if applicable, add target dates or timeframes for work to be completed and remove bulleted items that no longer apply. Discussion also ensued regarding park maps and identifying fields by name, user groups for each park and what parts of the park they use, safety concerns and the possibility of installing cameras in certain parks, and other park specific items as referenced below.  Parks & Rec Commission 03/14/23 Page 3 of 5 William C Donato Conservation Area: Clarify the last bullet; is it the construction of or maintenance of an observation deck. Castle Road Park: Chair McCleary questioned what percentage of the 4.2-acre site is used for the garden plots and B. Aymond stated not much; however, there’s a large portion that is unusable because it stays wet. P. Riis asked if there is running water for the garden plots or a plan to put water in and B. Aymond will provide an answer at the next meeting. Davis Road Park: P. Riis asked about the status of the solar farm and was told by B. Aymond that it wasn’t being prioritized at this time and they’ll look at it again in a couple years. Emricson Park: Remove second bullet regarding picnic shelters and the last bullet regarding the outdoor performance stage. Chair McCleary brought up the land donated by Centegra/ Northwestern Medicine and said it should be added to the list. J. Cohen stated there are exposed electrical outlets near the baseball fields, which is a safety concern; Staff will look into this issue. C. Betz opined there will be some electrical upgrades made, but they need to confirm with C. Lynk to see if the outlets are in scope of the project. Merryman Fields Park: Chair McCleary asked if the road was going to be extended to Queen Anne Road and D. Gulli shared that there was supposed to be a housing development behind it that was going to connect the roads, but as a result of the housing crash, it didn’t happen so the road won’t be extended. J. Cohen has parking concerns with Merryman Fields Park, especially if they move forward with plans to add things listed in the bullets. P. Riis stated there was previous discussion about adding additional parking connecting to the North parking lot, but due to mud and water, it would require an ADA compliant bridge at a cost of $1,000,000. Staff stated that they anticipated using developer fees to upgrade Merryman Fields Park, but since the development of that land never came to fruition, there aren’t funds to make the improvements. Current bullets will be removed and replaced with; the addition of a pavilion, updated parking and potentially a future restroom. Mary Ann Street Park: Chair McCleary stated the big improvement is the basketball court and is back to a full court from a half-court. Bullet one will be updated to include 2022, the year it was completed. Chair McCleary also asked if there is a document that has a list of when all the playground equipment was updated and when it will be replaced. B. Aymond confirmed there is and he will bring it to the next meeting. AJ Olson Park: Commission and Staff expressed safety concerns and discussed taking out the basketball courts and repurposing them for pickleball, as there is a growing demand for pickleball and the rec center doesn’t have space to add additional courts. There was also discussion to repurpose the tennis courts for pickleball. Park in the Square: D. Gulli stated brick pavers on walkways have been identified as a problem and need to be added to the list and M. McMahon stated the monument and fence also need to be added. Chair McCleary asked if you could reserve the park and was told you can only reserve the bandstand via contract; not the park.  Parks & Rec Commission 03/14/23 Page 4 of 5 Raintree Park: Chair McCleary stated the Frisbee Golf was moved to Emricson Park so that should be removed. P. Riis questioned if they are still considering putting a sledding hill there and staff confirmed they aren’t, so that will also be removed. Silver Creek Conservation Area: P. Riis asked about the restoration and management plan that is referenced and Staff will look into this and bring it to next month’s meeting, if one exists. Discussion ensued about ecosystem, Land Conservancy, and revising the plan for Silver Creek. Woodstock Community Recreation Center: P. Riis asked about the adjacent gas station that is being used for additional parking, and if there is something in the CIP for paving it. C. Betz opined that it is being held up by EPA as they need to run more environment sampling. D. Zinnen confirmed they should be starting on the siding in the next couple of days. M. McMahon asked about the installation of a divider curtain in the gym and D. Zinnen stated there is a huge pipe for ventilation, which hangs low, and will interfere with volleyball if the curtain is put in. Staff is working on a Plan B, which may include running the curtain along the wall. Woodstock Water Works: B. Aymond reviewed some of the upcoming projects being worked on including resurfacing the lap pool, replacing the low diving board and structure, replacing the baby-pool fence, installing two funbrellas on the far side of the lap pool and resurfacing the mechanical building pad, which should all be complete when the pool opens for the season. Discussion ensued about installing a spa/whirlpool, which isn’t going to happen, so it will be removed from the list, the plan for the palm trees (keep, remove or replace), which isn’t a current priority, the plan to replace the roping on the auxiliary parking lot, which Staff confirmed is a cost issue, and the shade system, which is also a cost issue and why Staff is planning on adding an additional funbrella next year, and season pass fees, which have increased slightly. Hennen Conservation Area: Chair McCleary asked if this area is maintained by The Land Conservancy and C. Betz opined that the City donated five acres of the Hennen Conservation Area to The Land Conservancy (TLC) in 2022. As a result, TLC now owns all the buildings and they are responsible for the maintenance of them and the City owns 20 acres of natural area. C. Betz shared that we agreed to help them repave their driveway and we are looking at plans to put a public parking lot on the 20 acres, which may or may not have to be deferred in the CIP. M. McMahon asked about the wind-powered generator and Staff will research to see if it’s with the Grants Department. P. Riis asked about the ski trails and C. Betz stated that TLC will be responsible for maintaining them. Tourist Park: Commission and Staff would like to remove this park from the inventory. Chair McCleary asked if there is a formal process that the City Council would need to go through to declassify Tourist Park as a park, and C. Betz believes it will be a zoning change requiring City Council approval. 2. Discuss Sunnyside Park Design Staff presented a design with different renderings to the Commission. Chair McCleary asked about the cost/budget and Staff stated the design cost is around $88K, but they are adding benches so that will add to the total cost, and the budget is $100K. M. McMahon asked if sand would be put down and B. Aymond stated it will be playground mulch. Chair McCleary asked how much it would cost to place a padded matt across and Staff opined it was very expensive; like 60% of the  Parks & Rec Commission 03/14/23 Page 5 of 5 Intergenerational Park. Discussion ensued about using hard, plastic rail ties around the border, putting in a picnic table, keeping the fence for safety reasons and adding ADA playground equipment, which they can’t do at this time due to cost. Staff confirmed they were looking for a recommendation to approve the Sunnyside Park design and C. Neuhart made a motion and P. Riis seconded the motion. Chair McCleary restated the motion to include “with the possibility of adding some ADA features” and it was approved with amendment. Ayes: J. Cohen, M. McMahon, C. Neuhart, P. Riis and Chairman M. McCleary. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried. H. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: 1. Tentative agenda items identified by Administration a. Discuss Melissa Canto-O’Leary Splashpad Project b. Discuss Parks Policies and Procedures 2. Requested by Commission: Any member may suggest an item to be considered by the Commission at a future meeting, but must be approved by a majority of the Commission to be included as a future agenda item. I. ADJOURN: Motion by M, McMahon, second by J. Cohen to adjourn the regular meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission to the next regular meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Ayes: J. Cohen, M. McMahon, C. Neuhart, P. Riis and Chairman M. McCleary. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM. Respectfully submitted, Bernie Walker Deputy Clerk