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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-06-14-Park-Board-Meeting-MinutesCarmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 6:00 p.m. John W. Hensel Government Center 10701 North College Avenue Carmel, Indiana 46280 Member(s) Present: Jessica Beer, James Garretson, Louise Jackson, Joshua Kirsh, Jenn Kristunas, Linus Rude, Rich Taylor, Lin Zheng Member(s) Absent: Mark Westermeier Others Present: Michael Klitzing, Department Director/CEO; Kurtis Baumgartner, Department Assistant Director/COO; Jonathan Blake, Administration & Planning Director; Brian Bosma, Park Board Attorney Roll Call; Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance Board President Taylor welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked Mr. Rude to call the role. Mr. Rude announced that there was a quorum. Board President Taylor called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. and asked everyone to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comments There were no public comments. Staff Reports Assistant Director Baumgartner stated that Staff Reports were included in the Park Board packets. He added that the Department is very busy now that summer has arrived. The Waterpark is open, and camps are off to a good start. Mr. Garretson asked if the Department is using the new (Badger) fieldhouse. Assistant Director Baumgartner replied that one of the summer camps is held at the Badger Fieldhouse, and staff is elated with the new facility. Finance Committee Ms. Zheng said the Finance Committee did not meet in May, but a meeting will be held soon to review the 2023 proposed budget. Assistant Director Baumgartner said he would ask staff to coordinate a date and time to meet. Minutes May 10, 2022 Park Board Meeting Mr. Rude made a motion to approve the minutes of the Park Board Meeting dated May 10, 2022, seconded by Mr. Garretson, and unanimously passed 8 – 0. Financial Reports Consolidated Financial Report for April 2022; CCPR P&L Statements for May 2022 Ms. Zheng made a motion to acknowledge receipt of the Consolidated Financial Report for April 2022 and move to acknowledge receipt of the P&L statement for May 2022, seconded by Mr. Kirsh. Assistant Director Baumgartner said we are off to a good start, and June has been really good as well. He is optimistic about how things are trending. Mr. Garretson inquired about Cash Reserves under Other Financing Sources listing $5.6 million and a total of $13 million. Assistant Director Baumgartner advised that a lot of that money is allocated for current projects. The MCC and Rec Facilities non reverting funds are for rainy day reserves. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3D5720E7-1FA7-4B5A-9CC1-EB91C9384F15 Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, June 14, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 2 Mr. Garretson asked how much of the $35 million allotted from the Township was left. Director Klitzing said that the Township manages those dollars, and the records are not shared with us. Board President Taylor mentioned the velocity of new memberships. Assistant Director Baumgartner added that a lot of our members are coming back, and in the summer, we have a peak in memberships as people join for The Waterpark. Mr. Rude asked if the Department tracked headcounts in the splash pads. Director Klitzing responded that there is no statutory requirement to do so and since there is no revenue generation, there is no particular way or reason to do so. Traffic counters at the entrance of most of our parks provide estimates for total visitation, but a specific number of visitors within a splash pad is not tracked. Mr. Rude said he thought it might be good information to attract sponsors or advertisers. Discussion followed. Board President Taylor called for the vote and the motion was unanimously passed 8 – 0. Claims Claim Sheet June 14, 2022; Clay Township Claim Sheet June 14, 2022; CCPR Payroll for May 6, 2022 and May 20, 2022 Ms. Zheng made a motion to approve the Claim Sheet dated June 14, 2022 and to approve the Clay Township Claim Sheet dated June 14, 2022, and to approve the Payroll Wages and Liabilities for the Payroll dates May 6, 2022 and May 20, 2022, seconded by Mr. Kirsh. Board President Taylor asked about the additional sidewalks at Flowing Well Park. Assistant Director Baumgartner said sidewalks were added in low-lying areas that get washed out or become extremely muddy. Director Klitzing said the sidewalks are in close proximity to the bridges and entrance to the trail system from the parking lot. The Department plans to install a boardwalk within an area that periodically has flowing water. Board President Taylor called for the vote, and the motion was unanimously passed 8 – 0. Monetary Gifts, Grants, Partnerships, and Sponsorships for May 2022 Mr. Blake stated a monetary gift in the amount of $100 toward staff appreciation was received too late to include in the May report and will be listed in June. New Business Consideration of Management Agreements with the City of Carmel Northern Beach Blue Woods Creek Director Klitzing requested the Park Board to approve two separate management agreements: Northern Beach property, a roughly 11-acre parcel of land, and Blue Woods Creek property, 29.62 acres. He continued with details on the locations with proximity to Hazel Landing Park, White River corridor, White River Greenway, Martin Marietta quarry, and Carmel Dads’ Club on Gray Road. Director Klitzing provided a broad picture of this geographical area and the possibilities. Discussion followed with Director Klitzing answering questions from the Park Board members. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3D5720E7-1FA7-4B5A-9CC1-EB91C9384F15 Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, June 14, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 3 Ms. Kristunas made a motion to approve the management agreements with the Cit of Carmel for the Northern Beach Property and Blue Woods Creek Property and authorize the Director of Parks and Recreation to execute the same, seconded by Mr. Kirsh, and unanimously passed 8 – 0. Old Business White River Greenway North Extension Design Development Plans Consideration of Amendment to Professional Services Agreement with SJCA Director Klitzing provided history of the project and the justification for the request for additional funds including additional work to stake the proposed trail alignment and supplemental fees for the Phase 1a Archaeological Field Reconnaissance for additional field and laboratory work necessary due to the substantially larger number of artifacts found onsite. Discussion followed regarding Mr. Kirsh’s recent experience with artifacts and their relevance to today. Mr. Kirsh made a motion to approve an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with SJCA to design development plans for the White River Greenway North Extension and authorize the Director of Parks and Recreation to execute the same in an amount not to exceed $26,000 as prepared by the Park Board’s legal counsel, seconded by Dr. Beer. Board President Taylor clarified that work reflects design development plans only and the possibility of obtaining ready grant funds. Director Klitzing expanded with specifics regarding the American Rescue Plan funds and the subsequent allotment for different projects. Board President Taylor called for the vote, and the motion was unanimously passed 8 – 0. Bear Creek Park Consideration of Amendment to Professional Services Agreement with SmithGroup for the Development of the Bear Creek Park Master Plan Director Klitzing reported that additional funds were requested for SmithGroup, mainly due to the expenses for a second round of meetings to obtain valuable feedback from middle school and high school students. Discussion followed. Mr. Kirsh made a motion to approve an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with SmithGroup for development of the Bear Creek Park Master Plan and authorize the Director of Parks and Recreation to execute the same in an amount not to exceed $14,300 as prepared by the Park Board’s legal counsel, seconded by Ms. Kristunas. Board President Taylor stated SmithGroup has been a partner of ours for a longtime, however, Director Klitzing should communicate to them that any expenses outside of the scope should be approved prior to the work. Director Klitzing concurred and advised that he spoke to SmithGroup about this. Board President Taylor called for the vote, and the motion was unanimously passed 8 – 0. Consideration of Resolution G-2022-002 Adopting the Bear Creek Park Master Plan Director Klitzing announced that the Master Plan, as presented to the Park Board on May 10, 2022, had no changes. Only a few typographical edits were made. Staff request that the Park Board formally adopt the Master Plan that will guide all future capital improvements with Bear Creek Park. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3D5720E7-1FA7-4B5A-9CC1-EB91C9384F15 Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, June 14, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 4 Ms. Kristunas made a motion to waive the reading of resolution G-2022- 002 and enter it into action, seconded by Mr. Rude, and unanimously passed 8 - 0. Board President Taylor said this park is needed in this underserved area. It was remarkable for this land to become available in the middle of a pandemic and to accomplish this is just amazing. Board President Taylor said he was thankful to Nick Plopper, a former Park Board member, who was very instrumental in securing this property and had a relationship with the former owners. He also thanked Jay O’Neil (Circle Real Estate) who brought this property to our attention when it was placed on the market. Thomas Marcuccilli Nature Park Master Plan Update Director Klitzing advised that no action was required from the Park Board. Work continues on development of the master plan. Three concept plans have been developed based on feedback from the residents as well as focus groups. The next step in the process is to solicit more input from the public and consolidate the three concept plans into one for presentation to the Park Board, similar to what was done for the Bear Creek Park Master Plan. Director Klitzing provided more information related to the archaeological study and history of the Native Americans in this area. MKSK will present the preferred concept to the Park Board in a couple of months. Clay Township Impact Program Updates Director Klitzing highlighted Meadowlark, Carey Grove, Inlow, and West Parks through his PowerPoint presentation and videos. (The entire presentation may be viewed at carmelclayparks.com.) Discussion followed with questions and comments from Mr. Kirsh, Ms. Jackson, and Dr. Beer, Ms. Kristunas, and Board President Taylor. Board President Taylor said he very much appreciated Clay Township Trustee Callahan and Township Board Members Mark Eckard, Matt Snyder, and Paul Hensel. He stated that the community is very blessed. Director Klitzing also thanked the Township for their $30 million investment in the park system through the Clay Township Impact Program. Attorney’s Report Mr. Bosma advised he is working with staff on options for the Ameresco energy project and hopes staff will have a recommendation to the Board at its next meeting. Working on the donation by Albany Village and the amendments to the professional agreements that were on this evening’s agenda. Mr. Bosma spoke about continued discussion with the CRC regarding ‘The Corner.’ A shortened project agreement has been developed with the CRC for them to provide design costs and inspections costs for both the trailhead and the Kite improvement. He advised that there is still no progress from the Building Corporation on approving the maintenance easement. Additional details followed. Director’s Report Director Klitzing said the Director’s Report was included in the packet. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3D5720E7-1FA7-4B5A-9CC1-EB91C9384F15 Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, June 14, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 5 Director Klitzing informed the Board about the possibility of some new artwork in Central Park. He has been working with the Kuaba Gallery and an incredibly talented artist Dominic Benhura from Zimbabwe. He met with the artist and engaged in conversation regarding the type of sculpture that would be appropriate for Central Park, something that would be indigenous to Indiana. It was decided to pursue a sculpture featuring the American Bison and calf. Director Klitzing will work closely with the Township on potential funding to help subsidize this project that will require approval of the Park Board. Discussion followed. Director Klitzing spoke about the challenges in attracting lifeguards. Reference was made to the lack of lifeguards in Indianapolis that limited the number of open pools in Marion County, which impacts the number of people coming to The Waterpark. Also, it has become apparent that pressure is building to retain the Department’s full-time staff at the current compensation. Within the last year and a half to two years it has become more difficult to keep up with inflation and retain staff. Assistant Director Baumgartner and the management team have been tasked to explore options that might be required to make sure CCPR remains an ‘employer of choice’ and keep our incredible full-time employees. As a cost recovery organization, the problem was exacerbated in 2021 when employees were not able to receive merit increases. The Department is looking at potentially providing a midyear increase and determining what would be an appropriate amount. Of course, the proposal would be presented to the Park Board for consideration and approval to insure the Department remains competitive. Discussion followed. Board President Taylor asked about possible benefits for part-timer staff. Director Klitzing replied that staff has a meeting with City HR that received serval proposals for review. He added that he is optimistic that the Department will be in a position to offer health benefits to part-time staff similar to Target and other places. Information Items School Board Ms. Jackson said CCS is reviewing the survey results for extending Fall Break, not this year, but for the following year. She stated that the School Board asked for more specifics on the diverse supplier vendor piece (resolution) that was implemented by the Park Board. The School Board is considering doing the same thing, and she asked Director Klitzing to forward her the information so she could share it with her team. Director Klitzing replied that he would be happy to do so. Plan Commission Mr. Kirsh said there was a fairly contentious project that did not make it through Plan Commission. This project was on the former Altum garden site on Michigan Road. It was most notable cause it was a split vote. Mr. Kirsh advised that the ‘510’ area that was previously deemed undevelopable along the Monon Trail is going back before the Plan Commission at its next meeting. It is now deemed potentially developable, but it does not impact the tree canopy of the Monon Trail, which is probably the most important part of that project. Parks Foundation Mr. Garretson said he had nothing to report. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3D5720E7-1FA7-4B5A-9CC1-EB91C9384F15 Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, June 14, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 6 Director Klitzing said he extended to the Foundation Board Members the opportunity to tour the park system, similar to a tour for new Park Board Members. Many of the Foundation Board Members previously served on the Park Board. However, the park system has transformed over the last several years, he wanted to reintroduce the parks as they are today. Director Klitzing added that he wants to keep the dialogue open and show how CCPR and the Foundation can work together to benefit the citizens of Carmel Clay Township. Park Board Comments / Discussion Mr. Kirsh said that Carmel Clay Schools provides an ‘Expedition’ that is very informative. He suggested CCPR look into offering something of this nature, similar to the Carmel Police and Fire Departments, to make more advocates for parks and recreation. Director Klitzing said he had thought of this as well and would like to consider this type of initiative when the Department has the capacity to do so. Mr. Kirsh also suggested funneling some of the youth in our programs into staff positions. Board President Taylor added that the Department should consider developing a partnership with swim clubs, etc. to retain lifeguards. Director Klitzing replied that CCPR has a good working relationship with the Carmel Swim Club. Adjournment Mr. Kirsh made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Dr. Beer and unanimously passed 8 – 0. Board President Taylor adjourned the meeting at 7:59 p.m. Approved, Signature Date Signature Date Meetings of the Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation are recorded and may be viewed at https://vimeo.com/channels/parkboardmeetings or see the archive of meeting recordings at https://www.carmelclayparks.com/about-us/park-board/. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3D5720E7-1FA7-4B5A-9CC1-EB91C9384F15 7/18/2022 7/18/2022