PARKS & RECREATION BOARD 2017/08/15 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest
Parks and Recreation Board
Meeting Minutes
August 15, 2017
I. Call to Order
The Parks and Recreation Board Meeting was called to order by Chairman Charlie Kohlmeyer at
6:30p.m. The following were present:
Board Members: Mr. Charlie Kohlmeyer
Ms. Melanie Walsh
Mr. Paul Best
Mr. Jake Lee
Mr. Paul “Skoo” Walker
Staff: Ms. Sally Swarthout, Director of Parks and Recreation
Mr. Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation
Mr. Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks, Forestry & Cemetery
Mr. Anthony Anaszewicz, Athletics Program Manager
Ms. Dani Spann, Administrative Assistant
II. Approval of Minutes
Meeting minutes of the June 21, 2017 Park & Recreation Board meeting were presented and
approved.
Board member Best motioned for approval of the amended minutes and Board member Walker
seconded. The minutes were then unanimously approved.
III. Opportunities for the Public to Address the Board on Items not listed on the Agenda
No comment
IV. Deerpath Golf Course Update Superintendent Myers introduced Vince Juarez, General Manager, and Dean Whitten, Regional
Operations Executive, from Kemper Sports. Vince talked on the financial outlook along with the
impact of the flooding. There has been a 3.1% increase in green fees/carts from 2016. The food and
beverage revenue was up 7.5%. As of June 30, 2017 we were 22% favorable to 2016 and 25%
favorable for budget. Due to the flooding the course was closed for 5 days with damage due to the
irrigation controls being underwater. The bridge on hole #4 was temporarily closed. Due to the quick
action of the staff they were able to help minimize as much damage as possible. Deerpath Golf
Course is recovering from the loss and is currently $15,000 ahead of budget. The Mindshare survey
results have shown an increased rating from 2016 memberships with a total increase of 3.2% in
memberships, outings and bookings.
Vince talked about some of the exciting upcoming events along with a brief mention of the
renovations timeline. Chairman Kohlmeyer and Board member Walker were both very impressed
with how quickly the staff responded and got the course back up and running after the flooding.
Chuck Myers touched on the first phase of the Master Plan. It went before City Council on August 7th
for approval of fairway drainage and the continuous cart path. Additional fund raising efforts are
possibilities for the near future.
We went out to bid in May for a contract for the renovations. Three bids were received with the
lowest bidder being XGD Systems. Because they came in over budget all bids were rejected and the
process was started over. After reducing the scope and adding alternatives, focusing on drainage,
we went back out to bid in June. The second time only one bid from XGD Systems was received.
Discussion followed on the bid and the determination of the scope and alternatives. City Council
accepted and awarded the bid to XGD Systems in the amount of $1,175,000 including 6.8%
contingency funds. Chuck went over the timeline with a start date of September 18, 2017 and an
anticipated completion time by the end of the year. We are planning for minimum shutdown time of
the Golf Course.
V. Pesticide Use in Parks
Superintendent Myers talked about the practice of pesticides in the parks. It is used only when
necessary to control unwanted vegetation and control pests. In order to keep the public notified,
email notifications are sent out a week prior to application along with signage posted at the areas to
be affected. The City is practicing Integrated Pest Management, a more holistic approach. Any
applications are applied by Certified (Illinois Department of Agriculture) City Staff. The use of
pesticides has declined over the past five years.
Mr. Myers went over the different type of applications used within our different sections. Broad-
leaf, spot treatment, turf removal and mosquito control are some of the uses within the Parks,
Forestry and Cemetery sections. He noted we have eliminated the use of fungicides on trees.
We are currently working on a Pesticide Policy that will be in document form. Once completed, it
will be brought back to the Board at a later meeting. The question was asked how many people are
in our notification database. The email notification goes to approximately 1200 contacts.
VI. Open Lands Park Enhancement Project Update
Superintendent Joe Mobile gave an Open Lands Park enhancement timeline update. The mission of
this project is to develop this area as a usable and passive space in addition to beautifying the
gateway to downtown Lake Forest. The objective is to develop a comprehensive Master Plan that
will achieve a balance between the recreational uses and protect the cultural and natural resources
of the park. To date we are working with Craig Bergmann to talk about some ideas and
improvements we would like to see. A public visioning session will be held on August 24th at CROYA
to gather nearby residents and business owners and gain input on their ideas and thoughts. St.
Mary’s owns a portion of this property so a meeting will be set up to keep them involved in the
ideas. The plan to rename the park was mentioned. Once a plan is designed, a second public
meeting will be held to share and gather feedback. A cost analysis will be presented before the
Board and City Council to request funding to move forward with the project. The hope is to be able
to start the developing of this park space in early 2018. Staff ideas and suggestions were discussed.
VII. Athletic Field Usage Policy
Program Manager Anthony Anaszewicz gave a brief overview of the current policy and went over
the proposed FY18 changes. The annual fee adjustment of 3% increase was applied. Staff reviewed
the current policy in June and recommended changes in User Classifications in addition to changes
with fees per Classification. These new proposed changes to Classes/Fees are as follows:
1. Class I - Lake Forest Recreation Department and partner programs- to include the
payment of maintenance fees only
2. Class II - any non-partner programs- to include payment of maintenance fees plus rental
fees
The FY18 fee recommendations for general maintenance/rental fees were presented. Short
discussion followed on reciprocal fields with District 67. Some potential further changes were
mentioned below:
1. Verbiage change of competing/non-competing to Partner or Affiliate
2. Eliminate certain fees
a. Diamond prep/watering
b. Turface
c. Grid Game fields without goals
d. Additional bleachers
3. Increase light fees
4. Remove verbiage of staff approval in paragraph 3 on page 4
Discussion followed on soccer goals/fields. Soccer goals are anchored for safety purposes. The
question arose regarding turf fields. Director Swarthout replied the Park & Recreation Foundation
has talked about turf fields and are seeking out a program and assessing their Capital needs. Board
member Walker had a question regarding the Class II and outside organizations. Mr. Anaszewicz
answered they have to have at least one Lake Forest resident on the team to qualify as a Class II.
More discussion followed on the Policy.
VIII. Comments by Director
Director Swarthout gave an update on a couple of current projects. South Park has an anticipated
completion date for Mid-September. The South beach access road had funding approved by City
Council on August 7th. , the road will shut down on September 5th for construction with a completion
date by Thanksgiving. A letter was sent to all boat launch participants stating a refund will be issued
for the lost time of September and October. AECOM will be coming in to the North Beach access
road to conduct an enhanced engineering survey. Staff will be meeting on Thursday to discuss
options to keep this road open. She also mentioned the upcoming events scheduled. Please come
out and join us!
• Senior Beach Party & Dinner- September 8th at 5:00pm at Forest Park Beach
• Daddy Daughter Luau- September 9th from 6:00pm-9:30pm at Forest Park Beach
• Friends of Lake Forest Library Book Sale- September 14-17 from 9:00am – 5:00pm in the
Recreation Center Gymnasium
• Glow Ball- September 16th at 6:30pm at Deerpath Golf Course
• Family Fun Beach Camp Out- September 30th at 5:00pm at Forest Park Beach
• Oktoberfest- October 14th from 5:00pm – 10:00pm at Deerpath Community Park
IX. Comments by Board Members
Board member Lee had concerns about the trash being left around and the staffing at the beach. It
was mentioned this will be brought up to the appropriate staff.
X. Adjournment
Board member Lee motioned for adjournment and Board member Walker seconded.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:34pm.
Respectfully Submitted
Dani Spann
Administrative Assistant