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PARKS & RECREATION BOARD 2018/02/20 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes February 20, 2018 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. Nancy Duffy Staff: Ms. Sally Swarthout, Director of Parks and Recreation Mr. Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation Mr. John Eldridge, Program Manager Ms. Dani Spann, Administrative Assistant II. Comments By Chairman Chairman Kohlmeyer introduced the new Board Member, Nancy Duffy. Ms. Duffy talked a little about herself and her involvement in the community. She served on the Lake Forest Caucus for five years. Was the fundraising chair for the last two years. Her family has been involved with the Recreation Center and their programs for many years. III. Approval of Minutes Meeting minutes of the November 21, 2017 Park & Recreation Board meeting were presented and approved. Board member Reimer motioned for approval of the amended minutes and Board member Walker seconded. The minutes were then unanimously approved. IV. Opportunities for the Public to Address the Board on Items not listed on the Agenda No comments V. Stirling Hall Spotlight John Eldridge, Program Manager, gave an overview of Stirling Hall and the various program offerings. He touched on some of the amenities offered and talked about the experienced staff. Mr. Eldrige went over the Adult classes and workshops. There are many offerings including Beginner Wheel Throwing, Mosaics and Tile Making. The Youth classes and workshops offered are for all ages starting at three years old. The facility can be rented for themed birthday parties and private rentals, such as, baby showers, bridal showers and team building events. Mr. Eldridge talked about the growth of Stirling Hall over the last year and the increase in enrollments. He mentioned the attendance has doubled over the past year. Some of the driving force behind this growth is the expanded offerings, special events and the improved marketing and outreach through social media. A new event called, Art Bash, has generated some great feedback and shows the community what they have to offer. Boardmember Walker inquired about the social media followers. Mr. Eldridge replied most of the followers are parents of the students. The marketing was discussed and ideas of how to reach out to those on social media that are not enrolled in the programs. Mr. Eldridge talked about the following new program offerings and partnerships at Stirling Hall. • Rosalind Franklin Wheel Class for students • Empty Bowls is a fundraiser out of Gurnee geared towards needy families • Partnership with Lake Forest Library called, “Ragdale Reads Event” • Expanded weekend class offerings • New Summer Youth Classes/Camps Board member Best asked if staff has looked into any opportunities to offer programs to assisted living groups in the community. Mr. Eldridge replied they have worked with Dickinson Hall to offer some events. Stirling Hall also partners with Lake Forest College and allows them to teach their twelve week Ceramic class on site. He mentioned the attendance is growing and they are getting close to the maximum participants. Staff would like to increase the amount of painting classes offered. VI. Comprehensive Master Plan of Friends of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Superintendent Mobile is requesting approval of joint funding of the Master Plan of Friends of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation for $30,000 from the Parks and Public Land Fund. He went over the process to adopt a new plan. In July they met to discuss the upcoming projects, came up with a blue print of needs and desires of the community, and developed an action plan to achieve these needs. A bid proposal was posted and three bids were received. Company Amount Bid Williams Architects $49,000 Hitchcock Design Group $50,000 The Lakota Group $103,110 The Friends of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Foundation have recommended and decided to go with Hitchcock Design Group. If approved for the funding, the Foundation will set up a restricted fund in their accounting, and all the payments will come from this account. City staff will be very involved in this process. Board member Walker inquired as to what was completed from the 2008 Master Plan. Joe Mobile replied that Townline Park was a big completion along with other smaller improvements such as ball fields and playgrounds. Discussion followed on the decision process of improvements needed. Staff would like to start the planning meetings in April and they anticipate it being a 16 week project. Requested Action: Approval of joint funding of Comprehensive Parks and Facility Master Plan with the Friends of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Foundation. A motion was made by Board member Walker to approve the joint funding of the Comprehensive Parks and Facility Master Plan Project with the Friends of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Foundation not to exceed $30,000 from the Park and Public Land Fund and recommend moving forward to City Council for approval. Seconded by Board member Best. A roll call vote was taken. The following voted “Aye”: Chairman Kohlmeyer, Walker, Reimer, Duffy, and Best. The following voted “Nay”: None. 5 – Ayes, 0 Nays, motion carried. The motion was passed. Comments by Director Director Swarthout talked about North Suburban Special Recreation Association (NSSRA) and the opportunities they provide for our residents and other communities. They currently have 13 partners including surrounding park districts, cities and villages. They have found a building site to house a new facility that can offer much more to its participants. In 2017, we had 41 registrants within Lake Forest that had 217 registrations throughout their programs. Ms. Swarthout passed around an invitation to the 2018 Shining Stars Banquet, the City of Lake Forest will be named Partner Agency of the Year. Ms. Swarthout invited the Board members to join them for the evening. If interested, please RSVP to Joe Mobile. Director Swarthout spoke about the upcoming events scheduled. 1. Seuss-A-Bration – February 24th from 1:00pm – 3:00pm at Recreation Annex, Everett Park 2. Summer Camp Registration Opens on March 6th at 8:30am 3. Reptile Rampage- March 11th from 10:00am – 4:00pm in the Recreation Center Gymnasium 4. Passion To Dance – March 17th from 6:00pm - 9:00pm and 10:00am at Cressey Center for the Performing Arts 5. Easter Bunny Baskets delivery – March 21st from 3:00om – 6:00pm 6. Easter Eggstravaganza- March 24th from 9:30am – 11:30am at Deerpath Middle School VII. Comments by Board Members Board member Reimer asked about the engineer working on the North Beach Access Road. Director Swarthout replied AECOMM will be the consulting engineer heading this and it will be a different strategy for this road as it involves the Army Corps of Engineers. As of right now, the timing on this is unsure. Depending on the recommendation, the road may be closed over the season. Alternative transportation options are being looked into. The question of concessions at the beach came up. In response, Kemper Sports will be taking over the concessions this year. Discussion followed on the hours of concessions. VIII. Adjournment Board member Best motioned for adjournment and Board member Duffy seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 7:46pm. Respectfully Submitted Dani Spann Administrative Assistant