Zionsville Board of Park and Recreation

Summary Minutes of the Meeting of the Zionsville Park and Recreation Board April 9, 2014 The Zionsville Board of Park and Recreation met Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 7:00 PM. Phil Howard, Steve Bullington, Manda Clevenger, and Dorothy Hitchins were present. Also present were Matt Dickey, Superintendent and Roger Burrus, Park Board Attorney. Minutes Phil Howard made a motion to approve the March 12, 2014 regular board meeting and the board planning retreat minutes as amended. Dorothy Hitchins seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Public Comments/Presentations Mr. Andy Pickell, with Beam Longest and Neff, was in attendance to discuss a potential program funding opportunity available April 12th - May 12th. Communities within an MPO on the TAP program, under MAP 21, are eligible. There is a total of $13,000,000 available. One potential project is the old rail bridge over Starkey Road. He and Matt had discussed the possibility of a new bridge structure in this location. Mr. Pickell cautioned the Board that this funding opportunity is very competitive. He noted this particular bridge structure is not currently in the Park 5-Year Master Plan, which might be problematic for the grant purposes. He recommended the Board consider modifying the Plan to include this as a priority project, to make it more competitive with other grant requests. This INDOT Call for Projects is for projects to be constructed between July 2017 and April 2018, so there is time to prepare for this. Also, the Town must have its 20% match committed at the time of application. Mr. Pickell made an offer to assist the Board to get ready to apply for these types of grants as they become available. Mr. Howard asked about which group – Parks or Pathways Committee – should have this project on a priority list. Mr. Dickey noted the Pathways Committee is under the purview of the Town Council. He stated the Board could fairly easily add this project to its own priority projects list within the Park Board’s 5-Year Park Master Plan, and wondered if that would remove Mr. Pickell’s concern. Mr. Pickell stated it would help, but possibly not as much as the Town Council indicating it is a high priority. Mr. Bullington clarified that Mr. Pickell’s suggestion is for the Town to have a “shovel ready” list of projects (and necessary funds designated) to take advantage of grant opportunities as they arise. Mr. Pickell agreed, indicating that there is no reason that some of these shovel ready projects might be park projects. Mr. Bullington asked Mr. Pickell to prepare a proposal to draft an application so the Board can get as much information as possible prior to making a decision. 1 Staff Reports The reports from the Superintendent of Parks & Recreation Assistant Superintendent for Maintenance Services, and the Interpretive Naturalist were all part of the Park Board packet and available for review. Mr. Dickey began his report by informing Board members about current golf course numbers. He noted this March underperformed based on last year, but that historically March has been up and down. He stated the golf carts were moved to higher ground earlier in anticipation of a significant amount of rainfall expected. A new fairway mower has been acquired. Mr. Bullington added some detail at this point about interviews for the new naturalist for Zion Nature Center. The interview committee conducted 10 telephone interviews and selected 3 for final interviews. An offer has been made, but not yet accepted. Mr. Bullington hopes to hear within a week, with an anticipated start date of June 1st. Mr. Burrus began his report with an announcement on the Lincoln Park concerts. He has prepared an agreement for the Board to consider. Phil Howard made a motion to add a renewal clause (by February 1st of each year) to the agreement and to approve, and to authorize the Park Superintendent or Board President to sign the agreement. Dorothy Hitchins seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Mr. Burrus stated he has been working on finalizing the commitments for the Quail Run project for the Plan Commission. Mr. Burrus continues to research non-reverting capital and operating funds. New Business Mr. Dickey spoke regarding settlement with DuPont for imprelis damage to trees. Mr. Dickey noted he has gone through the process to file a claim for damages and have received a significant amount of money as a settlement. Mr. Dickey would like the Park Board to consider following Clerk-Treasurer Yeo’s suggestion and place the payment into the non-reverting capital fund. There was a draft request letter prepared for the Board’s consideration. Mr. Burrus asked for clarification that at least some other grant funds have followed the same path – being placed into the non-reverting funds and spent later as needed. The answer was yes and as just one example, the recent LWCF reimbursements in 2013 were deposited into the Non-Reverting Capital Fund. There was some discussion regarding enabling legislation (state and local) for operating and capital funds and which one fits this particular situation best. Mr. Burrus made some suggested changes to the letter presented for the Board’s approval. 2 Mr. Howard made a motion to approve the letter as amended by Mr. Burrus, and signed by the Park Board President. Manda Clevenger seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Next, Mr. Dickey informed Board members about the new Creekside Business Park. It involves some land north of 106th and east of old Interurban rail line. He presented a conceptual plan, which contemplates a low environmental impact development – especially for storm water management. Matt explained that the proposal contains several trails along the bottomland, which the Redevelopment Commission may like to have the Park Board consider constructing. Mr. Bullington then inquired about the Park Board’s thoughts about summer camp this year at the nature center. Mr. Howard stated he is excited to have a good Park Naturalist coming on staff and would agree that trying to have summer camps this year would be a daunting task and should therefore wait until summer of 2015. Other members concurred. Old Business Mr. Dickey presented several informational items about rail trails. He began with an announcement that the new sewer will not be placed on the bridge, as originally presented to the Board, but will instead make a connection under Starkey Road. There may still be some impacts to park facilities during construction, but will hopefully be manageable. Mr. Dickey next spoke regarding “pot-holing” along the area where a utility did some clearing north of American Legion Trail Crossing Park. These holes are dug to determine where the pipes actually lie and how deep they are. Any damage might have to be repaired at the cost of the Parks. Finally, Mr. Dickey reported on a portion of the western side ditch along the Rail Trail north of Mulberry Park. The recent floods (December, January, and last week) have exacerbated this situation, and have deposited silt in these drainage ways. Matt spoke with the Street Department for some help in getting the ditches cleaned out, and as of today, this has been done. Many thanks to Lance and company Citizen Advisory Committee Reports Land Resources – Phil Howard. Mr. Howard reported that his committee is still making contact with landowners along Heritage Trail Finance/ Funding – Dorothy Hitchins. Dorothy announced an upcoming golf outing fundraiser to benefit the parks department. She has spoken with Mike and he is enthusiastic about the potential. He suggested September 26th as a good date. Dorothy proposes to make this a family event, with activities and food. Ms. Hitchins made a motion to move forward with a golf fundraiser on September 26, benefiting a specific item/project to be selected by the Board. Manda Clevenger seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Communications –Manda Clevenger. Manda reported that a press release went out recently announcing the Recreation Grant program and another will go out regarding committee membership availability. Manda will send out a press release on the upcoming bike ride. 3 Recreation –Steve Bullington. The 4th Annual Family Fun Ride for May 3rd. Mr. Bullington announced that 45 attendees were present last year, and looks for more to attend this year. Facilities–No report. Mr. Bullington and Matt continue to meet and/or talk regularly. At this point, there was a bit of general discussion regarding garden plots and the number of reservations. Mr. Dickey announced that in January he had received a request for additional information from the State regarding flood grant moneys. He continues to respond and hopes to receive some payment for the 2013 Flood losses. Other Board Related Items None Claims Phil Howard made a motion to approve the claims as submitted. Dorothy Hitchins seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting was then adjourned with a motion made by Manda Clevenger and seconded by Phil Howard at 8:30PM. The next regular Park Board meeting is scheduled for May 14th at 7PM. ______________________________ ____________________________ Manda Clevenger, Secretary Steve Bullington, President 4