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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-08-09-Park-Board-Meeting-MinutesCarmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 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, Jenn Kristunas, Mark Westermeier, Lin Zheng Member(s) Absent: Joshua Kirsh, Linus Rude, Rich Taylor Others Present: Michael Klitzing, Department Director/CEO; Kurtis Baumgartner, Department Assistant Director/COO; Jonathan Blake, Administration & Planning Director; Doug Kowalski, Park Board Attorney Roll Call; Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance Board Vice President Kristunas welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked Mr. Westermeier to call the role. Mr. Westermeier announced that there was a quorum. Board Vice President Kristunas asked everyone to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. Board Vice President Kristunas thanked the public for joining the meeting and spoke the following in tribute to Jim Engledow. Jim Engledow, a true champion of parks and the Carmel community, sadly passed away on August 2nd. Jim served on the Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation for 20 years from 2001 to 2020 including eight years as President. He was an incredible leader, a voice of reason and wisdom, and made such an incredible impact on the park system. It seems unfathomable that he is no longer with us and will be truly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Engledow family and all of those who were touched by and fortunate to know Jim. We plan to honor Jim's legacy at one of his favorite parks at a later date. Board Vice President Kristunas read a note on behalf of Board President Taylor. My fellow Board Members, I am sorry I am not able to be here this evening due to a work conflict. However, I want to honor Mr. Jim Engledow’s life and legacy. Jim was a personal friend and mentor. His loss was a huge shock. I first met Jim as a volunteer in 2005 when I moved to Carmel. He was serving as treasurer for CarmelFest. Jim took me under his wing and helped welcome me to Carmel. Jim was a true servant leader and dedicated his life to making this world a better place. I learned so much from his leadership and friendship and his impact on Carmel Clay Parks will be felt for generations to come. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. Godspeed, Jim. You are dearly missed. Board Vice President Kristunas said she was sure everyone in the room echoed these thoughts. She reiterated that they will find a way to honor his legacy at one of his favorite parks. This will be announced at a later date and placed on social media and in publications. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 2 Mr. Garretson spoke about Mr. Engledow. “I knew him (Jim) longer than the rest of you because he’s a 1974 graduate of Carmel High School, and I was his government teacher. I also followed the baseball team a lot back then, and he loved baseball. But when I came on the Board about 7 1/2 years ago, Jim was President, and I had a great idea, I thought, and that was to build a garage on the east side of the Monon (Community) Center. Now, I think I'm the only one that thought it was a great idea, and we did get through some preliminary estimates on it, but when it came to a vote, the vote was five to two, against my brilliant idea. Besides me voting, Jim, who I know and I'm sure our former director would know this, wasn't fond of the idea either at the time, but he voted to go ahead because he was a kind man, and he didn't want me isolated as being the only negative vote. You would appreciate that Jenn (Kristunas). I don't know (that) I'd ever met anybody kinder than Jim, and it's really a loss for our whole community.” Board Vice President Kristunas thanked Mr. Garretson and said she had nothing to add. She concluded by thanking the community for watching. Public Comments There were no public comments. Staff Reports Assistant Director Baumgartner stated that Staff Reports were included in the Park Board packet. Ms. Zheng said she was encouraged to see the graphs (12-Month Trailing Financials) with ESE and the Monon Community Center almost approaching our highest level in the past. Assistant Director Baumgartner stated both programs have been doing phenomenal. This has been a great summer for both, and he attributes the success to the way staff managed their respective budgets. Ms. Zheng thanked the administrative team and staff for their hard work. Finance Committee Ms. Zheng advised that the Finance Committee met last month and discussed the budget and salary scale for next year. The Finance Committee made a positive recommendation for the proposed 2023 budget including changes in user fees and salaries and wages for 2023, which will be discussed later in the meeting. Minutes July 12, 2022 Park Board Meeting Mr. Westermeier made a motion to approve the minutes of the Park Board Meeting dated July 12, 2022, seconded by Dr. Beer, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Financial Reports Consolidated Financial Report for June 2022; CCPR P&L Statements for July 2022 Ms. Zheng made a motion to acknowledge receipt of the Consolidated Financial Report for June 2022 and acknowledge receipt of the P&L Statements for July 2022, seconded by Dr. Beer, and unanimously passed 8 – 0. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 3 Claims Claim Sheet August 9, 2022; Clay Township Claim Sheet August 9, 2022; CCPR Payroll for July 1, 2022, July 15, 2022, and July 29, 2022 Ms. Zheng made a motion to approve the Claim Sheet dated August 9, 2022 and Clay Township Claim Sheet dated August 9, 2022, and to approve the Payroll Wages and Liabilities for the Payroll dates July 1, 2022, July 15, 2022, and July 29, 2022, seconded by Dr. Beer, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Monetary Gifts, Grants, Partnerships, and Sponsorships for July Mr. Blake reported that in July, the Department received a $100 anonymous donation for employee appreciation. Dr. Beer made a motion to accept the donation as presented, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. New Business Consideration of 2023 Operating Budgets Assistant Director Baumgartner introduced the Division Directors in attendance: Jennifer Brown, ESE (Extended School Enrichment) and SCS (Summer Camp Series) Director; Eric Mehl, Recreation & Facilities Director; and Michael Allen, Parks & Natural Resources Director. These individuals deserve a lot of credit for putting together their respective budgets and will assist with the budget presentation. Assistant Director Baumgartner said that the proposed 2023 budget was presented to the Finance Committee on July 26th. The detailed version of the 2023 budget was condensed for presentation to the full Park Board. Resolution B-2022-004 Adopting the Proposed 2023 General Fund (101) and Park Capital Fund (103) Budgets Assistant Director Baumgartner presented the General Fund (101) and Park Capital Fund (103) budgets. Resolution B-2022-005 Adopting the 2023 Non-Reverting Operating Budgets and User Fees Ms. Brown presented the proposed budget for ESE (Fund 108) followed by Mr. Mehl’s presentation of the Monon Community Center budget (Fund 109) and the Parks and Rec Facilities budget (Fund 110). Discussions followed each presentation. Board Vice President Kristunas asked about the rates for the Dog Park. Mr. Mehl said the rate was increased to $11 in 2022. It was $10 a month per dog when it was first opened in 2015. The proposed increase for 2023 is $12. Ms. Jackson wanted to know the percentage of time the pavilions and shelters were rented. Mr. Mehl said the shelters are rented quite often, but he would have to run some reports to provide more information. The proposed increases for shelters are for those in parks with recent major renovations. In reference to the pavilions, there are very few public rentals as they are mostly dedicated to CCPR programs and camps. In fact, the Jill Perelman Pavilion is strictly used for programs and summer camps. Discussion followed. Mr. Garretson said that several years ago he asked about finding sponsors for the major pavilions. Director Klitzing responded that Assistant Director Baumgartner will address a possible solution later in the meeting to ensure the Department can secure that type of funding. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 4 Dr. Beer asked about the capacity of the Dog Park. Mr. Mehl stated that the Department’s registration process is relatively intense with the DNA testing and registrations are conducted in the spring and fall. Staff contacted almost 225 on the waitlist to fill about 100 open spots. The registration event will be on August 20th. We will have about 700 (dog) members and 800, more or less, on the waitlist. Assistant Director Baumgartner mentioned that he hopes to bring to the next Park Board Meeting quotes to add a one-acre extension to the Dog Park. Dr. Beer made a motion to waive the reading of Resolution B- 2022-004 and enter it into action, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Dr. Beer made a motion to approve Resolution B-2022-004, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Dr. Beer made a motion to waive the reading of Resolution B-2022-005 and enter it into action, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Dr. Beer made a motion to approve Resolution B-2022-005, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Board Vice President Kristunas thanked Assistant Director Baumgartner and supporting team members for the fantastic budget presentation. Consideration of Resolution B-2022-006 Establishing Salaries and Wages for 2023 Assistant Director Baumgartner provided an overview of the salary resolution, which establishes the maximum salary for each position. It should be noted that the maximum salary does not represent what the employee is actually paid. The resolution also addresses two positions. The new Resource Development Coordinator would be responsible for facilitating grants, donations, and sponsorships on behalf of the Department leveraging the (Parks) Foundation to obtain some of those funds. In response to Mr. Garretson’s earlier question, this position would seek community sponsorships for shelters or other amenities within the park system and the Monon Community Center. If approved, the salary would be split evenly between ESE and MCC. Director Klitzing added that based on conversations he has had with the Foundation Officers, it is the Foundation’s intent to approve a grant that would fund about half or $45,000 toward this position for its first year. The funds received would provide the seed money for this position, and ultimately this position would become self-sufficient with the grants and sponsorships obtained. Mr. Garretson added that the voting members of the Foundation are increasing their individual contributions with each matched by the Chairman. Mr. Allen spoke about the Park Maintenance Technician II. It is not a new position, but rather a new title that provides opportunities for advancement of staff who have excelled in their regular responsibilities or developed advanced skills as a Technician I. This will help with succession and retention as we do not want to lose staff in the competitive job market that currently exists. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 5 Dr. Beer made a motion to waive the reading of Resolution B-2022-006 and enter it into action, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Dr. Beer made a motion to approve Resolution B-2022-006, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Consideration of 2023 Fleet Lease Vehicles Assistant Director Baumgartner described in detail the funds necessary to continue the transition of vehicles to the fleet leasing and management agreement with Enterprise. Ms. Zheng made a motion to: authorize the Director and Assistant Director, and each of them individually, to lease four (4) additional vehicles from Enterprise for an amount not to exceed $3,250 per month for lease and maintenance program payments as it pertains to the General Fund (101); authorize the Director and Assistant Director, and each of them individually, to lease one (1) additional vehicle from Enterprise for an amount not to exceed $750 per month for lease and maintenance program payments as it pertains to the MCC Fund (109); authorize the Director and Assistant Director, and each of them individually, to disburse a one-time amount not to exceed $15,000 for vehicle add-on items for the four (4) additional leased vehicles as it pertains to the General Fund (101); authorize the Director and Assistant Director, and each of them individually, to disburse a one-time amount not to exceed $2,000 for vehicle add-on items for the one (1) additional leased vehicle as it pertains to the MCC Fund (109); approve the trade-in of the 2017 Ford Transit Van, 2018 Toyota Tacoma, and 2018 Ford F-150 on such terms as approved by the Director and Assistant Director, and each of them individually. The motion was seconded by Dr. Beer and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Consideration of Professional Services Agreement with Weihe Engineers for additional Cabanas at The Waterpark Assistant Director Baumgartner reported that there have been many conversations on how to improve The Waterpark experience. One of those ideas is reimagining the activity area. Staff engaged Williams Architects to further explore what that might look like. In initial discussions with Williams, it was suggested to add some cabanas, which are extremely popular, in close proximity to the kiddie pool. Assistant Director Baumgartner displayed a conceptual rendering from Williams to show the reimagined kiddy pool and activity/lap pool areas. The cabanas, which generate revenue, are extremely popular with most rented every day. Weihe Engineers provided a proposal to design and engineer the plans for additional cabanas. Michael Krosschell with Weihe Engineers has played an integral part of our development plans and actually designed the current cabanas in The Waterpark. If approved, design services would begin immediately with bidding this winter and potentially have the cabanas in place for next year’s waterpark season. The proposal includes development of construction documents, bidding, and construction administration. A lengthy discussion followed. Dr. Beer made a motion to accept the proposal from Weihe Engineers for The Waterpark Cabana Additions and authorize the Chief Operating Officer to sign a Professional Services Agreement in an amount not to exceed $40,800, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 6 Consideration of Quote to Purchase and Install Cantilevered Shade Structures at Meadowlark Park Assistant Director Baumgartner spoke about the need for more shade structures, particularly around the playground, at Meadowlark Park. The Department is familiar with the Skyways brand as this product has been installed at Central Park Westermeier Commons and Inlow Park. Dr. Beer made a motion to accept the quote from PlayPros and authorize the Chief Operating Officer to execute a purchase order in the amount $59,750 to purchase and install Skyways cantilevered shade structures at Meadowlark Park, seconded by Ms. Zheng, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Old Business Thomas Marcuccilli Nature Park Master Plan Updates Director Klitzing said the final round of public input will occur next week at which time a refined concept plan will be shared. A meeting for the immediate neighbors to the park will occur on August 17th and the general public is invited to a meeting on August 18th. Once we have feedback from the refined concept plan, the design team will draft the master plan and present to the Park Board in September or October. At a subsequent meeting, the master plan will be presented for final adoption. Clay Township Impact Program Updates Director Klitzing stated that the contractor is working diligently at River Heritage Park, and he anticipates the park to open as soon as October barring any significant weather delays. Meadowlark Park is ever so close to having the final components completed. A ribbon cutting will be scheduled once everything is finished. Director Klitzing spoke at length about his frustration regarding construction at West Park. Attorney’s Report Mr. Kowalski said they are working through the purchase agreement for the bison and calf statue and plan to close on the Albany Village property donation by the end of the month. Mr. Kowalski announced that he had good news about securing alternative financing at a very low interest rate to move forward with the projects submitted by Ameresco. Director’s Report Director Klitzing said the Director’s Report was distributed via email earlier and copies were distributed prior to the meeting. Director Klitzing spoke about the Department’s Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which is updated every five years and guides the management and development of the park system. The current master plan is designed to cover the years 2020 through 2024, but in reality, the plan was developed with public input in 2018 and 2019. Obviously with the pandemic, a lot has changed, and public expectations for parks and recreation have transformed. In many ways, especially in our parks and outdoor spaces, usage has hit a record high, and we can already see participation in our programs starting to return to pre- pandemic levels. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 7 The Department changed in response to the pandemic. Our organizational structure is slightly different, and the types of programs are also slightly different. Considering the transformational change within society, it seems to be an appropriate time to expedite a new comprehensive master plan. Instead of creating a new master plan to cover 2025 and beyond, the Department will start the planning process this fall or early winter. Director Klitzing stated that it was his recommendation to use PROS Consulting, which has done the vast majority of CCPR’s master plans since its inception; they know the history of the community making it easier to proceed at a quicker rate. Director Klitzing will obtain a proposal from PROS Consulting and present it to the Park Board for approval in September or October. Dr. Beer asked when planning would begin. Director Klitzing clarified that he hopes to begin the process in 2022 with a completed master plan presented to the Park Board before the end of 2023. Dr. Beer said she thought expediting the process was a great idea. Board Vice President Kristunas asked about the proposed dates for the upcoming Park Board workshop. Director Klitzing said the initial date was September 27th, the fourth Tuesday of the month, but there was at least one, maybe more, who had prior commitments. Director Klitzing has identified a well-qualified consultant to lead the workshop. He will contact the consultant for open dates and then reach out to Park Board Members for their availability. This is an important workshop, and he wants all Board Members to be present. Board Vice President Kristunas commended Director Klitzing on a great summer and asked him to provide a recap so the audience could hear highlights of the Department’s summer achievements. Summer 2022 Recap (excerpt from Director’s Report) With Carmel Clay Schools resuming classes for the fall semester on 8/10/2022, the summer season has officially concluded for both summer camps and The Waterpark. By all accounts, 2022 was a successful season! The Summer Camp Series had 6,992 enrollments this year, an increase of 1,787 from the previous summer. Twelve different camp types were offered, including extremely popular special camp offerings like STEAM Team (focused on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), IMPACT (featuring job-like experience for youth ages 12-15), and Camp Wayback (exploring historical time periods). No camps were canceled due to low enrollments and 65% of all camp weeks operated at maximum enrollments with almost all specialty camps sold out. The Waterpark season concluded on 8/7/2022 with total attendance of 106,917 for the season, an increase of 6,619 from the previous summer. Daily attendance averaged 1,664, which was on par with the 1,611 we averaged pre-pandemic in 2019. The Waterpark had gross revenue of $1,330,326 this year, an increase of $338,908 from 2021. Information Items School Board Ms. Jackson announced that school starts tomorrow, which is the 10th of August. Everyone is excited, and staff is working feverishly to make sure that everything is in line. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A Carmel/Clay Board of Parks and Recreation Tuesday, August 9, 2022 John W. Hensel Government Center Page 8 Plan Commission There was no report. Parks Foundation Mr. Garretson spoke about the funds coming to CCPR to hire staff to write grants. He added that he has a lot of admiration and confidence in the President of the Foundation Board who is putting $2,600 of his own money toward this. Mr. Garretson relayed to Director Klitzing that the Foundation spent a lot of time discussing who the person would report to and how this individual would be evaluated. Director Klitzing responded that he will continue to work with Dan Dutcher, the Foundation’s Board President, to work through the logistics of the proposed position. Park Board Comments / Discussion No there were no additional comments or discuss. Adjournment Ms. Zheng made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Dr. Beer, and unanimously passed 6 – 0. Board Vice President Kristunas adjourned the meeting at 7:54 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: 71CC76B7-84B9-46E2-A5B5-AE565E03F15A 9/14/2022 9/16/2022