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PARKS & RECREATION BOARD 2018/03/20 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes March 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 Ms. Melanie Walsh Staff: Ms. Sally Swarthout, Director of Parks and Recreation Mr. Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation Mr. Anthony Anaszewicz, Program Manager Mr. Ken Pierini, Program Supervisor Mr. Jason Olson, Program Supervisor Mr. Jason Busdeker, Facility Manager Ms. Dani Spann, Administrative Assistant II. Approval of Minutes Meeting minutes of the February 20, 2018 Park & Recreation Board meeting were presented and approved. Board member Walker motioned for approval of the minutes and Board member Reimer seconded. The minutes were then unanimously approved. III. Opportunities for the Public to Address the Board on Items not listed on the Agenda No comments IV. Baseball/Lacrosse Partnerships Spotlight Ken Pierini, Program Supervisor, gave an overview of the Lacrosse program format and divisions. The Recreation Department currently has a partnership with Lake Forest Lacrosse Association that meets weekly. Mr. Pierini touched on the breakdown of the teams managed by the Lake Forest Recreation Department (LFRD) and the Lake Forest Lacrosse Association (LFLA). The LFRD will manage the 1st and 2nd grade House League that includes the White Team Division. The White Team Division consists of players who are beginners or did not qualify for the Blue and Gold Division. The ages include 10 to 14 year olds. LFLA will manage the Learn 2 Lax kindergarten program, the 1st and 2nd Grade House Plus league and the Blue and Gold teams. The House Plus league include players from the in house program and those looking for more practice. In order to be on the Blue or Gold teams the players must try out and qualify. The program will play in the Illinois Boys Lacrosse Association. There are at least 60 teams in this league with all grades from Kindergarten - 8th. He touched on some of the divisions within the league. Mr. Pierini explained the program philosophy of the various managed teams. The philosophy is to help develop the skill of the players, encourage them to have fun and promote safety. The individual teams hire their coaches with assistant parent coaches. Mr. Pierini talked about the current and projected enrollment. The current enrollment numbers are around 40-50 with combined Lake Forest and Lake Bluff players. The future goals of the program is to grow and increase enrollment, further develop the partnership with LFLA and ensure each player gets a positive experience. Through the partnership, we have gained the beginner (C) level kids to increase the competition for Lake Forest. Discussion followed on the flexibility of moving players based on skill level. Jason Olson, Program Supervisor, gave an overview of the Baseball House League, the program format and various divisions. The different leagues include T-Ball, Pinto, Mustang, Bronco and Pony. These vary in ages from Kindergarten - 8th Grade. They are in their third year of the North Shore House League. They now have travel kids participating in this league. Mr. Olson touched on the partnership with Lake Forest Baseball Association (LFBA). They are currently in their second year of this partnership and it is going very well. The Recreation staff work very closely together with LFBA to hire the coaches, create schedules and winter workouts. All the 8 - 12 B teams are required to play the Recreation Center House League. Mr. Olson went over the Lake Forest Recreation Department (LFRD) responsibilities. Mr. Olson talked about the 2017 enrollment and the 2018 projected enrollment numbers. They are anticipating a significant growth in T-Ball. Discussion followed on the involvement with Lake Bluff; they will be sending ten kids to play in the Pony league. He also mentioned they would be working with Lake Bluff to hold a Crosstown Classic with the 8 – 12 year olds. A date is to be determined. Some goals for this year will be to increase participation in the house league and LFBA and to help increase participation for girl’s softball. They are working with the high school varsity softball coach to help create ideas to bring interest in softball back to the community. V. Approval of Fitness Center Carpet Replacement Jason Busdeker, Facility Manager, presented the Fitness Center Carpet Replacement purchase. He began with a brief background on the existing carpet. The current carpet was installed in 2007 and has had several repairs due to stains, damage and significant fading. This project has been previously postponed for the last three years. Mr. Busdeker explained they would like to replace the current fitness center carpet with Mondo flooring. This is a rubberized and non-porous athletic flooring with a usual lifespan of 20+ years, which is 2-3 times longer than carpet. A sample of the Mondo flooring was presented. City staff did a visit to another facility with Mondo flooring in addition to phone calls for feedback on the flooring. This new flooring will greatly increase the ease of cleaning and maintaining than the current carpet. In response to board members questions on durability, Mr. Busdeker replied due to the thickness it will hold up very well under the various equipment. Facility Manager Busdeker went over the purchasing process. The purchase will be made using National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA). This is a public agency created to provide purchasing assistance to government agencies and will complete the bidding process for us. NJPA purchases are included in the City’s purchasing directive. Discussion followed on the installation process and the closing of the fitness center to complete the installation. Requested Action: Staff requests approval of a purchase of Mondo flooring to replace the Recreation Fitness Center flooring. The total amount requested is $67,240. A motion was made by Board member Walker to approve the purchase to replace the carpeting in the Fitness Center. Board member Best seconded. The motion was passed. VI. Forest Park Maintenance Contract Superintendent Chuck Myers gave an update to the board regarding extending to a third and final year with Mariani Landscape for the mowing and grounds maintenance services at Forest Park. When the contract went out to bid in 2016, Mariani Landscape was the lowest bid in a three year ability to renew contract. Staff has been very satisfied with the work they have done in maintaining Forest Park. One additional change this year is the ecofriendly program that Mariani Landscape is offering. They will be using all battery-powered equipment. These offer no emissions and low decibel level. This is very fitting with the current Sustainability Plan. Brief discussion followed on the benefits of Mariani Landscape and other options for the contract. Requested Action: Staff requests approval to enter into a one year contract with Mariani Landscape to provide mowing and grounds maintenance services at Forest Park, in the total amount of $38,502.67 for FY19. A motion was made by Board member Best to approve the one year contract with Mariani Landscape. Board member Walker seconded. The motion was passed. VII. Annual Grounds Maintenance Contract Superintendent Chuck Myers gave an update to the board regarding extending to a second year with Landscape Concepts Management, Inc. for the mowing and grounds maintenance services of City owned properties, cul-de-sacs, and right-of-ways. The contract went out to bid in 2016, and Landscape Concepts Management was chosen with the lowest bid in a three year ability to renew contract. Staff is happy with the work Landscape Concepts has done and would like to recommend the contract be extended in FY19. The question was raised on the time it takes to maintain these properties within a month. Mr. Myers replied it is difficult to answer as high growth times and other factors could change the amount of time to complete, but it takes about two and a half days a week. Requested Action: Staff requests approval to enter into a one year contract with Landscape Concepts Management, Inc. for the mowing and grounds maintenance of City properties, cul-de- sacs, and right-of-ways. A motion was made by Board member Duffy to approve the one year contract with Landscape Concepts Management, Inc. Board member Walsh seconded. The motion was passed. VIII. Comments by Director Director Swarthout talked about the exciting upcoming events scheduled in April and May. 1. Easter Bunny Baskets delivery – March 21st from 3:00om – 6:00pm 2. Easter Eggstravaganza- March 24th from 9:30am – 11:30am at Deerpath Middle School 3. Smelt-O-Rama- April 21st from Sundown to 10pm at the Forest Park Beach Boat Pavilion 4. Lake Forest Dance Academy preschool Recital 2018- April 22nd from 11:30am – 1:00pm at Gorton Community Center 5. Family Drive-In Movie Night- April 28th from 4:00pm – 6:00pm at Lake Forest Recreation Center 6. Lake Forest Dance Recital 2018 of Wizard of Oz & In These Shoes- May 5th & 6th at Lake Forest High School Ms. Swarthout talked about scheduling an upcoming meeting at Stirling Hall in the Gallery and being able to learn more about the facility and program offerings. She also reminded the members there is still time to RSVP for the NSSRA event, Shining Stars. IX. Comments by Board Members Board member Duffy commented on the phenomenal job the Lake Forest Dance Academy did at the Company Benefit Show performed at the Lake Forest Academy. Board member Reimer inquired about the North Beach parking being moved to the South end this summer. Director Swarthout replied it is still going through the permitting process and we are waiting for Army Corps to inform us on what type of permit is required for the project to start. The timeline of the project may be moved to the end of the summer to enable keeping this road open with careful monitoring. There was short discussion involving brief access to the lower south parking lot by visitors without a South Beach Access or Boat Launch permit. This issue will be coming before the Board at the April 17, 2018 meeting. X. Adjournment Board member Best motioned for adjournment and Board member Walker seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10pm. Respectfully Submitted Dani Spann Administrative Assistant