PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD
MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2004
7:30 P.M.
1. ROLL CALL. Mr. Campbell called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. Roll call was taken with Mrs. Ball, Mrs. Shankland, Mr. Boetcher, and Mr. Campbell present. Mr. Frazier was absent. Others present were: Steve Carr and Lynda Yartin.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF February 23, 2004, Regular Meeting. Mrs. Shankland moved to approve; Mr. Boetcher seconded the motion. Mr. Campbell, Mr. Boetcher, Mrs. Shankland, and Mrs. Ball voted “Aye.” Motion carried, 4-0.
3. COMMUNITY COMMENTS: None.
4. PARK DEVELOPMENT/IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS:
A. Parks Master Plan – Update. Mr. Carr stated the next step in this project will be the current facilities inventory which he plans to have completed this spring.
B. Skate Park – Update. Mr. Carr stated the park opened the week of spring break and it has been heavily used. Mr. Carr stated Safety Committee moved to open the park and not allow use of bikes in the park. He stated they have had to ask a few people on bikes to leave and he has had two calls from parents who stated their child was clipped by a bike while they were using their skateboard. He stated none of the cities in Central Ohio who are in our insurance pool allow the use of bikes and boards at the same time. He stated, however, Lancaster, Reynoldsburg, and Gahanna do allow joint usage. Mr. Campbell stated he agreed with not allowing the bikes as they are just too dangerous. He stated the bikers tend to be older teenagers, and the younger skaters are then intimidated and will not go out there. Mr. Carr stated he has not had any complaints from parents that their children cannot use the park for their bikes. Mr. Carr stated the benches still need to be installed, and we need an asphalt path from Covered Bridge Lane. Mr. Carr stated in the future we may want to consider widening Covered Bridge Lane because we have cars parking on the edge of the road and it makes it hard for traffic to get through. Mr. Boetcher inquired if we should put up “No Parking” signs and Mr. Carr stated those signs are there. Mr. Campbell stated perhaps if the police would give warning tickets that might help with people parking there. Mr. Carr stated he would speak with Chief Taylor on that, but he did feel the best solution would be to widen the lane and perhaps put in a pull off area. Mr. Carr stated this is a new venture for the City and the park has been open for almost a month and he has been pleasantly surprised that there has been no vandalism. Mr. Campbell stated he thought a couple more trash cans would be a good idea so the litter doesn’t build up around the fence. Mr. Carr stated that anything we put in the park must be chained down or the skaters will use it as an obstacle. Mr. Boetcher inquired if we would be having a grand opening or if the public in general were aware that the park had opened. Mr. Carr stated we do plan on having a grand opening of the park sometime in June. He stated further the notice of the opening is in the summer brochure that will come out the week of May 13th, and he was also interviewed by the Lancaster Eagle Gazette last week regarding the park. Mr. Carr stated we do have an agreement with the company that we purchased the equipment from that they will provide us with a professional skater for the grand opening. Mr. Carr stated they were considering June for the ceremonies to allow the seeding to take hold and get the final details of the park completed. Mr. Boetcher ascertained that the project was being completed within budget amount of $125,000. Mr. Carr stated we are at about $113,000 for the project right now, and the remaining funds will be used for the asphalt pathway and perhaps a security light. He stated the benches have already been purchased. Mr. Carr stated a security camera had been discussed, however, the estimates have been in the $10,000 range. He stated so far it did not appear that we needed to have one installed. Mr. Boetcher clarified the widening of Covered Bridge Lane would be another project and not included in the budget of the skate park.
C. Handicap Garden – Update. Mr. Carr stated we should hear something on the grant in June or July.
D. Sycamore Park Improvements.
(1) Dam Repair (Nature Works Grant Project) – Update. Mr. Carr stated our engineers are still working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources regarding the approval of the repair plan. He stated the engineers did receive a preliminary letter stating the original plan was not approved, however, they believed there were some figures regarding the capacity of the lake and the height of the dam itself that could be fine tuned. He stated we are waiting for a final response on that.
E. DeWolfe Property (Clean Ohio Conservation Grant Project) – Update. Mr. Carr stated we are waiting for the property owner to accept the City’s offer. He stated the deadline for her response was sometime in June.
F. Putting/Chipping Green – Update. Mr. Carr stated we still have plans to add the putting green this spring and the chipping green went in last fall.
G. Sycamore Park Tennis Court – Update. Mr. Carr stated we have received some estimates for this project that are in the $40,000-$50,000 range to repair the three courts. He stated two to three years ago we spent approximately $5,000 to $6,000 to repair cracks in all three courts and those cracks are now deeper and wider. He stated we are looking at a new technology that is a synthetic overlay that is guaranteed for 15 years. He stated there are a few sites with this new technology that he plans to visit and see how happy the people are with it. Mr. Carr stated even if it is more expensive now, with the 15 year guarantee it should be a cost savings in the long run. Mr. Campbell clarified this was just for the tennis courts, the basketball court has not been discussed.
5. RECREATION AND EVENTS.
A. Summer Programs/Special Events. Mr. Carr stated again the Summer Brochure will be distributed May 13th. He stated the City has taken over the responsibility for the Fourth of July celebration. He stated as July 4th is a Sunday this year, it has been decided to open the park at 4:30 P.M. for activities, the parade will be at 6:00 P.M., the main stage entertainment at 8:00 P.M., and fireworks at 10:00 P.M. He stated this schedule was determined to allow people to attend church in the morning, they can then have their picnics or whatever, and come to the park at 4:30 P.M. Mr. Carr stated we can evaluate this schedule after the event and see how it worked.
B. Sports Programs. Mr. Carr stated our adult softball program starts April 30th and we have 34 teams this year.
6. OTHER BUSINESS.
Mr. Boetcher ascertained the Music in the Air Program will begin on Sunday, June 13th, and there are three shows in June, three shows in July, and three shows in August. Mr. Carr stated the Friday night movies will also be starting on Friday, June 11th.
Mr. Boetcher inquired if we have made any progress regarding use of the Field House. Mr. Carr stated he has been waiting for spring sports to move outside and the athletic director to compile information about his usage in the spring. He stated when he last spoke with them it was not looking good because of the demands they were placing on the facility. He stated they had also discussed the possibility of using the facility at Pickerington North for two evenings a week and Pickerington Central for two evenings a week, both after 7:30 P.M. or so. He stated he will continue to pursue this and see if anything can be worked out. Mr. Carr stated we would have to ensure we could properly staff this program and to do that the annual cost to the residents may increase if we can work something out. He also stated we would have to ensure that there was consistency in the hours the facility would be open for the city. Mr. Carr stated Mayor Shaver has had some informal discussions with school board members, and there seems to be support for the program, however, the details will have to be worked out. Mr. Carr stated he will keep this Board informed on the progress.
7. ADJOURNMENT. There being nothing further, Mrs. Shankland moved to adjourn; Mr. Boetcher seconded the motion. Mr. Campbell, Mrs. Ball, Mr. Boetcher, and Mrs. Shankland voted “Aye.” Motion carried, 4-0. The Parks and Recreation Board meeting adjourned at 8:05 P.M., April 26, 2004.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
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Lynda D. Yartin, Municipal Clerk