Zionsville Board of Park and Recreation

Summary Minutes of the Meeting of the Zionsville Park and Recreation Board August 10, 2016 The Zionsville Board of Parks and Recreation met Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 7:00 PM. The meeting took place at the Town Hall’s Beverly Harves meeting room. George Abel, Tim Casady, Jeff Edmondson, Wayne Bivans, John Wollenburg, and Manda Clevenger were present. Also present were Park Board Attorney, Roger Burrus & Superintendent Matt Dickey. Minutes Jeff Edmondson made a motion to approve the July 13, 2016 regular board meeting minutes as presented. Manda Clevenger seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Public Comments/Presentations None were given. Staff Reports Superintendent Matt Dickey updated the Park Board on the latest information concerning the new Zion Nature Center. The bids have come in and were opened. The Board was asked to recall that the Town had previously entered into contracts they had awarded with two consulting firms; one an architectural firm and the other a construction management firm. Based upon the recommendation from the lead consulting firm (the construction management firm) this was being bid as a series of prime contracts. This was also the mechanism by which Mulberry Fields was built, prior to Superintendent Dickey’s hiring in early 2009. This consultant structured the bid with 13 prime contract so there was plumbing, electrical, asphalting, grading, landscaping, etc. When the bids came back, there were only 4 contractors bidding on 5 primes. So there were not bids on grading, on several of the building related outer shell item, etc. Also, there were considerable differences between the estimation from the consultant team and the numbers in the prime bids that were submitted we did see. Landscaping was one, which was estimated by the consultant team at $6,500 compared to a quote from the one landscaper that was at $92,000. Mr. Dickey charged that the firm go back and look at their estimated cost-numbers and see if they missed something. The plumbing & electrical prime bids were much higher than the consultant estimates as well. Superintendent Dickey related the construction management company was now recommending this be brought down to 4 primes. As far as the landscaping prime goes, the Parks has the ability to get this done in house so Superintendent Dickey is suggesting that in the re-bid process, landscaping have a deduct alternate option that would leave us the potential of removing it from the base bid (and leaving it for us to do later). Mr. Dickey also mentioned that for the project to get decent bids there would have to be more than one plumber, electrician, landscaper, etc. bidding so as to get the benefit of competition. Mr. Dickey wanted to discuss with the Park Board that the management at the Golf Course has been giving preliminary thought to replacing 9 of the older, white golf carts (the originals from the course’s purchase by the Town). Mr. Dickey talked with the management about repairing the old ones. According to Orlin Coleman, Head Greens Keeper, repairing would cost about $1,000 per cart, with not every cart needing that much and only one or two possibly needing more. The Golf Course has been earmarking a set-aside of $15,000 per year toward a new fleet of 30-40 new golf carts by the year 2023 (by then expected to cost around $150,000 total, up from the 30 we bought in 2012 for $95,000). The advantage of purchasing a whole new fleet at one time would be having the same manufacture. $9- 10,000 to repair the current carts would be better than using that dame amount of money for purchasing only 3 brand new carts. Park Board member Tim Casady asked if there were any complaints from the golfers about the carts. Mr. Dickey explained that the carts have had no problems that the average golfer would see, mainly because this is about the older white golf carts that the golfers don’t usually use anyway. They are mainly used by the staff. The Park Board agreed that it was wiser planning to consider spending up to $1,000 per cart in repairing those white ones that need it and to continue to budget for a new fleet in the future. The Board was informed they will be seeing Superintendent Dickey and our Naturalist, Mindy Murdock on our Facebook page in the next few weeks. Both have signed up for the Google Tracker Unit. This is a set of 15 3D cameras that are mounted on a backpack or a golf cart and will be used to film the trails at all of our parks. Updates and pictures will be posted on our Facebook page. Park Board Attorney Roger Burrus had a couple of items to discuss. One being from last year, the Maplelawn people wanted to be able to have the potential for catered alcohol at their events. At that time the Town Council said no, due to a Town Ordinance. After talking with the Town Council and Mayor Haak, that ordinance has been amended to allow alcohol to be served at catered events. And the Town Attorney prepared a draft rework of the lease and it indicates amongst other provisions that alcohol could be served only by trained, licensed bartenders who are employees of the caterer who holds a liquor license could. Mr. Burrus is working with the Maplelawn people on amending their lease with the Parks Department to incorporate these changes. The Park Board will be seeing this soon. Also on Mr. Burrus’s agenda was the Vonterra project. Superintendent Dickey explained that he noticed areas that might be potential fits for thinking ahead. There has been talk of putting a restroom somewhere south of the Rail Trail. Mr. Dickey reminded the Park Board that we do have a restroom at Town Hall and the new Nature Center building. He explained that south on the Vonterra land there is a triangle of land where we the Town and/or parks could put a parking area and a small restroom if the two remnant homes that are still there were acquired. The reason Mr. Dickey brings this up is that the sewer lines are now complete and we could be taping into the end of this. In researching this and what it would take to construct a parking lot and a restroom in this area on the Vonterra land, Mr. Dickey concluded that the cost would be ~$30,000 and wondered if this would make fiscal sense to do. Superintendent Dickey pointed out Mindy Murdock’s report on our Day Camps. Even though we had less this year than last, due to a certain entity that started a new Day Camps program of their own (that had not done by them before), the Nature Center was able to net ~$2,000 more than last year and this was even after paying staff. So, officially, this is the first time the Parks Day camp programs had ever been able to pay for the entirety of their own operation, including staffing. New Business This will be the last Park Board meeting before the Zionsville Fall Festival taking place on September 9-11, 2016. Mr. Dickey showed the Board the sign-up sheet to work our Parks Department booth at this event. There are two hour intervals to volunteer to work. Mindy Murdock will set up the booth and Matt Dickey will likely be there to tear down. We are located under a tent in the same place as last year’s festival. Mr. Dickey asked that each Board member check their schedule and sign-up for a slot. Park Board President George Abel asked Mr. Dickey about the LARE Grant. Mr. Dickey said that tomorrow or Monday, there will be a press release stating that the Parks Department did receive the LARE (Lake and River Enhancement) Grant award of $100,000. This grant was awarded only to 3 of 23 projects in the state of Indiana with only us and two others receiving the maximum $100,000 amount. This will be our second LARE construction grant and out third one in the LARE program (counting the $32,000 engineering grant we received). The Park Board congratulated Superintendent Dickey for his work on this major accomplishment. Old Business None were given. Citizen Advisory Committees No reports given. Other Board Related Items Superintendent Dickey informed the Park Board of a couple of incidents with the Golf Course. A lady golfing at our course, called our Pro Shop staff to report that 2 kids were playing bumper cars with our golf carts instead of golfing. A section of the privacy fence had been knocked down. The staff talked with the two kids and called the police. An incidence report was filled out and the police did talk with the parents. The fence will be taken care of by the parents. Later on, the staff mentioned the cracked side panel on the golf cart. One of the parents was contacted and he is going to have his son pay for the repairs, which would be $50. Another incident occurred at a section of the golf course that Mr. Dickey related the Board may remember a certain section of fence has not been put up yet. An agreement with the property owners states that a fence (without a gate) is to be constructed. This opening is now being used by certain individuals with their golf clubs to go into the course and golf without paying. Our golf staff has caught a pair of individuals doing so at least twice will continue to turn them away, if they see them again. The property owners have had plenty of time to construct the fence. Attorney Burrus said he would get a copy of their deed attached to the agreement. Park Board President George Abel indicated he would pass it on to them and set a timetable for completion of this work that has languished since the spring. Claims Wayne Bivans made a motion to approve the claims as submitted. Jeff Edmondson seconded and the motion was passed unanimously. The meeting was then adjourned with a motion made by Park Board Member Jeff Edmondson, Wayne Bivans seconded and the meeting was adjourned at ~8:05PM. The next regular Park Board meeting is scheduled for September 14, 2016 at 7PM, at the Town Hall’s Beverly Harves Room. _______________________________ ____________________________________ Manda Clevenger, Secretary George Abel, President