PARKS & RECREATION BOARD 2017/10/17 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest
Parks and Recreation Board
Meeting Minutes
October 17, 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
Mr. Steve Reimer
Mr. Paul Best
Mr. Paul “Skoo” Walker
Ms. Melanie Walsh
Ms. Shannon Maguire
Staff: Ms. Sally Swarthout, Director of Parks and Recreation
Mr. Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation
Mr. Jason Busdeker, Facility Manager Mr. Aaron Dalzot, Program Manager, Lakefront
Ms. Dani Spann, Administrative Assistant
Special Guest: Mr. Vince Juarez, General Manager, Kemper Sports Management
II. Approval of Minutes
Meeting minutes of the September 19, 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. FY2019 Golf Fees
KemperSports General Manager, Vince Juarez gave a brief recap of the total revenue for FY17 and
FY18. Utilization increases were considered when figuring the FY19 rates. Currently, the weekday
utilization increased by 20% with the weekend utilization to 100%. Vince talked on ways of driving
the revenue; including increasing rounds or increasing rates. Utilization is derived from the available
paid slots.
KemperSports and Staff recommend the following:
• Increase membership fees by an average of 4%. There are currently 210 members vs.
194 in FY17. Implementing a junior membership geared towards the DiscoverGolf
program. This is a junior weekday membership running from May-August.
• Increasing the greens fees ceiling rates during the week to 63 and weekends to 75. The
rates are determined by the various segments of the day and the demand.
• Other misc. fees including cart fees, range fees, locker fees, etc. are increasing to keep
up with inflation.
Mr. Juarez talked briefly about the cart fee revenue. There was a decrease in revenue this year due
to the lack of the cart paths. Board member Walker asked about the membership and the
breakdown on new members vs renewing memberships. Mr. Juarez answered they picked up about
17 new members this year. He also mentioned a new program; DiscoverGolf, geared towards the
junior golfers to capture more play time during the week and beyond the program. Discussion
followed on the DiscoverGolf Program.
Mr. Juarez touched more on the locker fees and range bucket fees. Because the lockers are currently
being 100% utilized, the proposed fee will be going from $110 to $130. Vince proposed selling more
of the large range buckets due to the demand and value versus the medium.
Mr. Juarez gave an overview of the increases in food and beverage, outings and event totals. There
was a 16% increase in food/beverage, 27% in outings and they had a total of 27 community events
this year. This has been a very successful year. The survey results are up and everyone is very
pleased with the utilization and increases. Board member Best asked how the fees compare to other
courses. Vince replied we are fairly competitive to the surrounding communities, including the
online specials and bookings.
A motion was made by Board member Maguire to approve the Proposed FY19 Fees. The motion
was seconded by Board Member Walker. The motion was passed.
V. FY2019 Fitness Fees
Jason Busdeker, Facility Manager, gave a recap of the proposed FY19 fees for the Fitness Center.
Jason noted there was an increase in month to month and 3 month memberships since last year.
There are currently 716 total memberships with projected FY19 revenue of $284,034 and a
projected annual increase of $11,755. Discussion followed on membership growth and the various
marketing strategies to increase memberships. Jason gave an update on the different ideas, and
promotions coming up, including Silver Sneakers and partnering with the Chamber of Commerce to
offer discounts to those members.
Staff is recommending the following:
• Increase all membership fees by an adjusted 4%
• Continue the month to month membership
• Continue the 3 month membership, the summer promotion and the one month
membership over the holiday season
Program Manager Busdeker requested the Board to approve the FY19 fees to go forward to City
Council.
A motion was made by Board member Walker to approve the Proposed FY19 Fees. The motion
was seconded by Board Member Best. The motion was passed.
VI. FY2019 Lakefront Fees
Aaron Dalzot, Lakefront Facilities Manager, went over the proposed FY19 Lakefront permit fees.
Staff is recommending a 4% increase for permit fees. The projected revenue increase for FY2019 is
$3,185. Board member Maguire inquired about changing the watercraft fees for those who launch
more than one watercraft. Program Manager Dalzot answered there hasn’t been enough
participation to qualify changing these fees.
The following Passes/Fees were excluded from the 4% increase:
• The Nanny and Caregiver Parking Pass
• The Resident Guest Daily Parking
• The Non-resident Beach Access Fees
• The Non-resident Daily Boat Launch
Program Manager Dalzot requested the Board to approve the FY19 fees to go forward to City
Council.
A motion was made by Board member Best to approve the Proposed FY19 Fees. The motion was
seconded by Board Member Walker. The motion was passed.
VII. Capital Prioritization
Director Swarthout started out with an introduction on the ranking of Capital Projects. These
projects will be funded from the Park and Public Land Fund. Brief discussion about the projects
presented qualified for this fund. Board member Walker asked about the fund used for bridge at the
Golf Course. Director Swarthout replied this was classified as an emergency fund. The following
projects were presented by Superintendent Myers and Superintendent Mobile. The Board members
discussed and ranked the projects in order of importance.
#1- South Park Tennis Court- Installation of two new tennis courts
#2-Waveland Park Playground Expansion and Surfacing- Expansion of swing area to accommodate
a new swing and installation of Poured-in Place surfacing
#3- Open Lands Park- Re-design the park space to achieve a balance between recreational use and
protecting the natural and scenic resources of the park
Waveland Park Playground Expansion and Surfacing- Superintendent Myers presented the
Waveland Park Playground expansion and surfacing ideas. These improvements will include
concrete, poured- in- place and a new swing. In addition to providing a safer play environment it
will also reduce annual maintenance costs. The total cost for this project is $50,000.
South Park Tennis/Basketball Court Replacements- Superintendent Myers presented the South
Park Tennis and Basketball court replacements ideas. This has been long overdue for this park.
Discussion followed on the other improvements within the Master Plan and reassessing the needs of
this park. Questions were raised on the demand of a basketball court. The total cost of this project
is $150,000.
Open Lands Park Redesign- Superintendent Mobile presented the ideas on the Open Lands Park
redesign. They worked with Craig Bergmann for the preliminary design. Mr. Mobile went over the
plan and structural changes. Some possible ideas would be to add a zero depth fountain along with
some large interactive instruments. A lot of the work could be completed in house. Discussion
ensued on the park entrance, grant options and the possibility of exploring options of local funding
sources. The total cost for this project is $200,000.
A motion was made by Board member Walker to rank the Parks and Recreation Capital
Improvement plan to reflect South Park Tennis Court being the top priority then Waveland Park
Playground Expansion followed by the Open Lands Park Design. The motion was seconded by
Board Member Maguire. The motion was passed.
VIII. Comments by Director
Director Swarthout spoke about the upcoming events scheduled.
A. Art Bash- October 21st from 10:00am – 3:00pm at Stirling Hall Art Center
B. Croctoberfest- October 22nd from 10:00am – 3:00pm at the Wildlife Discovery Center
C. Halloween Tricks & Treats- October 27th from 5:00 – 7:30pm at the Recreation Center
D. Holiday Boutique- November 15th – November 18th – Recreation Center
E. Lake Forest’s 34th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony – November 24th – Market Square
F. Cocktails with the Claus’s – December 1st from 7:00pm – 10:00pm – Northcroft Park Pavilion
G. Dinner with Santa – December 2nd and 3rd from 4:00pm – 7:30pm – Northcroft Park Pavilion
IX. Comments by Board Members
No Comment.
X. Adjournment
Board member Best motioned for adjournment and Board member Walker seconded.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:17pm.
Respectfully Submitted
Dani Spann
Administrative Assistant