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PARKS & RECREATION BOARD 2020/08/18 PacketPARKS AND RECREATION BOARD TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020 6:30PM REMOTE ACCESS MEETING Please be advised that all of the Park and Recreation Board members will be remotely attending this Park and Recreation Board meeting by electronic means, in compliance with Governor’s Executive Order 2020-07, issued on March 16, 2020, that suspended certain Open Meetings Act provisions relating to in-person attendance by members of a public body. Specifically, the Governor’s Order: (1) suspends the requirement in Section 2.1 that “members of a public body must be physically present;” and (2) suspends the limitations in Section 7 on when remote participation is allowed. This Executive Order is effective the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster proclamation. The City will be providing members of the public with the opportunity to participate in this meeting. Members of the public can participate remotely in the meeting by following the following link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88526378825 . The City of Lake Forest will update the website after the meeting with information about the meeting. I.CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Paul Best, Chairman Marc Silver Nancy Duffy Kaci Spirito Shannon Maguire Jared Rhoads Melanie Walsh II.*APPROVAL OF MINUTES i.Approval of minutes of the June 16, 2020 Parks and Recreation Board Meeting III.OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZENS TO ADDRESS THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS IV.DEERPATH GOLF COURSE UPDATE- Presented by Vince Juarez, Regional Operations Executive, Kemper Sports Management V.RECREATION PROGRAMS UPDATE- Presented by Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation and Anthony Anaszewicz, Program Manager, Athletics VI.LAKEFRONT UPDATE- Presented by Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation VII.PARKS UPDATE- Presented by Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks, Forestry and Special Facilities VIII.VETERANS PARK UPDATE- Presented by Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation IX.COMMENTS BY DIRECTOR X.COMMENTS BY BOARD MEMBER XI.ADJOURNMENT *ACTION ITEMS The City of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 REMOTE ACCESS MEETING I.Call to Order The Parks and Recreation Board Meeting was called to order by Chairman Paul Best at 6:30p.m. The following were present via Zoom meeting: Board Members: Mr. Paul Best Ms. Nancy Duffy Ms. Shannon Maguire Mr. Jared Rhoads Mr. Marc Silver Ms. Kaci Spirito Ms. Melanie Walsh Staff: Ms. Sally Swarthout, Director of Parks and Recreation Mr. Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation Mr. Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks, Forestry & Special Facilities Ms. Dani Spann, Administrative Assistant Special Guests: Mr. Steve Konters, Hitchcock Design Group Ms. Bridget Deatrick, Hitchcock Design Group Foundation Members: Mr. Ara Goshgarian Mr. Ed Zarek Mr. Fred Jackson Mr. Rick Amos Mr. Patrick Marshall II.Approval of Minutes Meeting minutes of the May 19, 2020 Park & Recreation Board Meeting were presented and approved. Board member Maguire motioned for approval of the minutes and Board member Duffy seconded. The minutes were then unanimously approved by roll call with 7 ayes and 0 nays. III.Opportunities for the Public to Address the Board on Items not listed on the Agenda No comments IV.Athletic Fields Feasibility Study Workshop Mr. Steve Konters started with an update on the study and comprehensive plan. The goal of the study was to develop a maintenance plan that will aid staff to recognize resources needed to improve quality of play on the athletic fields. The focus of this meeting/workshop is for a Ctiy-wide approach with preliminary recommendations and very high level planning. Mr. Konters went over the background and timeline. A site evaluation with staff and Park Board members was conducted at each of the parks for athletic field needs. These preliminary recommendations are very high level. The City wide approach consists of three levels of improvements. These improvements include: Improve In-place Layout Improvements Sports Complex Mr. Konters went over each park and their levels of improvement. Deerpath Park o Improve In-Place ($359,000 - $440,000) Create storm water management Reduce field overlap Minor grading improvements Raise center of field and drain south o Layout Improvements ($1,112,400 - $1,361,800) Maximize space Shift baseball fields east Make more multi space in between More movement of fields Regrade and crown field space Optional facility expansion o Sports Complex ($9,687,600 - $11,842,600) Multi use synthetic turf field with lighting Remove soccer fields in floodway and floodplain Existing tennis practice court Restroom and storage building Regrade and crown field space Optional facility expansion Northcroft Park o Improve In-Place ($58,500 - $73,700) Restore grass space Better utilize open space and restripe fields o Layout Improvements ($949,500 - $1,166,000) Restore and regrade grass and relocate playground Regrade and relocate tennis courts Relocate parking lot Optional grass soccer field o Sports Complex ($5,062,500 - $6,194,100) Multi use synthetic turf field with lighting Relocate playground Expand parking lot with two entrances and drop off loop Regrade and relocate tennis courts Optional grass soccer field Townline Park o Improve In-Place ($18,000 - $22,000) Complete planned field maintenance of sand grading Lighting is not an option currently o Layout Improvements ($675,900 - $827,200) Regrading and recrowning fields Amend soil and add underdrainage (only if slit improvements do not mitigate drainage issues) Convert to grass infield Elawa Park o No changes at this time Everett Park ($52,200 - $66,000) o Improve In-Place Add underdrain and batting cage South Park o Continue Master Plan Improvements o Phase 1 construction in progress Waveland Park ($577,800 - $710,600) o Layout Improvements Turning fields to open more space Convert fieldhouse to open air structure Replace swales with underdrain and flatten site Consider relocating playground to the southeast Potential tennis court reduction West Park ($222,300 - $275,000) o Layout Improvements Relocate baseball/softball diamond to create additional space Consider adding coils to ice rink Eliminate heavy football use Consider additional parking in north triangle Mr. Steve Konters went over the cost summaries for each of the three levels of improvement. The members discussed the direction to move forward with a final plan. Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Foundation member Patrick Marshall mentioned a big drive for artificial turf and would like to continue evaluating all options. The topic was mentioned of sharing fields with the High School or other areas in the community. This could be challenging with all the needs of the other entities. Board member Maguire asked about looking into environmental aspects such as; solar lighting, semi permeable green parking, underground water storage. Discussion followed on which park should receive synthetic turf along with fundraising ideas and community support. There was small discussion on parks that would have a sports complex and how this would affect the current park and neighbors. Next steps will include an athletic field assessment report with a series of options to move forward. V.Adjournment Board member Rhoads motioned for adjournment and Board member Duffy seconded. There was a roll call of 7 ayes and 0 nays. The meeting was adjourned at 8:29p.m. Respectfully Submitted Dani Spann Administrative Assistant SUBJECT: DEERPATH GOLF COURSE UPDATE STAFF CONTACT: CHUCK MYERS, SUPERINTENDENT OF PARKS, FORESTRY& SPECIAL FACILITIES, 810-3565 PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Kemper Sports Management Regional Operations Executive, Vince Juarez, will provide the Board with a verbal report on the golf course goals, programing, and staffing for the upcoming golf season. This agenda item is for informational purposes only and no action is being sought. PARKS & RECREATION BOARD ACTION: No action required. For informational purposes only. SUBJECT: SUMMER PROGRAM RECAP AND UPCOMING FALL PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHTS PRESENTED BY: Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation (847-810-3941) Anthony Anaszewicz, Program Manager (847-810-3945) PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Staff is providing a status update to the Park and Recreation Board through a recap of summer programming and a look into our fall programming. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: As staff were working from home from March 13 - May 31 we faced many challenges. While working remotely, we moved forward with plans for summer programming keeping the community’s needs in focus as we faced ever changing regulations from the State in regards to Covid-19. During this time Staff spent many zoom meetings networking with other neighboring recreation departments and park districts as to what the regulations meant and how they affected each of us. Discussions were had specifically identifying challenges and opportunities put forth by this new environment. The first decision was how and when to re-open Forest park Beach. Significant damage from storms and the high water level was sustained over the winter months forcing a shutdown of the facility. During the closures, staff were able to restore the beach back to normal and we were able to open as scheduled on Memorial Day weekend. For the re-opening, Staff implemented many safe practice guidelines including the use of PPE’s and social distancing, changing roles of some positions, and implementing some new policies. The beach has successfully remained open and has had a very successful summer. More information regarding the beach will be presented in a different presentation. In June, Staff were allowed to return to the Recreation building on a full time basis to get ready for the upcoming summer programs. Staff started out working staggered schedules 2 days a week for half days and progressed each week for the remainder of the month until we were back to full time in the building. One of the highlights of the summer was our youth sailing program. Beginning in June, we offered and continue to offer small group and individual lessons. We also contracted one of the top laser coaches from US sailing to coach kids in our program. This was extremely well received and a great addition to our program. When July started we were able to proceed with our youth sailing programs with our safety guidelines in place. All programs were a hit with the participants. The fitness center also started to see some welcomed programming in June as well. We started offering personal training and outdoor fitness classes during the phase 3 guidelines. We offered many different outdoor fitness classes weekly to our members and each class was and continues to be well received and full of participants. As the 2 state moved to phase 4 we were able to open the fitness center for our members based on a lower capacity of 40 members at one time. The Fitness Center is offering a shortened schedule but the members are happy to be back. Staff were able to use the state guidelines to offer several summer camp programs. We started the process in phase 3 where we were limited to groups of 10 and planned accordingly. As camps approached, the state moved to phase 4 and we were able to expand our groups from 10 to 15 total per group. The Recreation Department offered 4 different camps with 9 different pods of 13 kids and 2 counsellors. We were able to accommodate 164 participants this summer. As our summer programs are coming to a quick end, staff have turned their attention to the fall. We are planning to offer many of our regular programs but are prepared to adapt as necessary as the guidelines from the state change or the school districts plans change. A large part of the fall programming we provide is our community events. We have had to cancel many of these this summer due to the state guidelines however we are slowly adapting some events to introduce back to the community beginning in September. In response to the Covid-109 pandemic, we have decided to offer a virtual on-line brochure in lieu of a printed book to enable updates as needed due to the ever changing circumstances and guidelines. We mailed a post card to all residents letting them know of the change and highlighting the registration process. Out of challenge comes inspiration…Staff would like to highlight our new Friday Night Lights 7 v 7 football program. This adapted program is from our youth tackle football program that had to be changed when the league we play in decided to cancel the fall 2020 season. We have seen a large response from the community and already have over 80 players registered. Staff are excited and looking forward to the fall this year as we plan to offer many programs for our residents. We are still a long way from normal but have been successful in implementing procedures to keep both our staff and participants safe. It is great to see the energy back in our facilities and parks as we do what we do best, meet our community’s needs through programming. BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT: N/A BOARD ACTION: No action requested at this time. SUBJECT: 2020 BEACH UPDATE PRESENTED BY: Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation (847-810-3941) PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Staff is providing a status update to the Park and Recreation Board on the 2020 summer beach operating season BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: Staff were delighted to open the beach on schedule for the 2020 Memorial Day weekend after the tough winter storms that caused damage on several occasions throughout the winter as well as the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Staff spent many hours at the lakefront cleaning and repairing damage from the record high water levels and the winter storms. Thanks to their commitment and determination the beach was able to open to the public as scheduled. After coming off continuous summers with closures and policy changes staff were hoping for a somewhat normal summer. That wasn’t the case once our environment changed due to Covid-19. Due to the pandemic, staff was once again forced to adapt and change to provide a safe beach season for our community. Staff implemented guest procedures based on the state guidelines and recommendations. All visitors were encouraged to use PPE when unable to social distance appropriately as well as social distance their groups while using the facility. Staff established a new capacity limit for the beach and monitored attendance each day. Signage was posted throughout the facility to remind our visitors to follow the guidelines. To help promote further social distancing, decisions were made to close the boating center and not rent the pavilions for the summer as well. Staff also limited the field trips to the beach and didn’t install the shower towers. Additional staff was also hired to help manage the facility and access by all visitors. All of these methods allowed our residents to enjoy the lakefront all summer long. We have had 106,335 visitors to our lakefront through 8/9/20. In addition to the guidelines, staff amended the non-resident beach access fee. Non- resident visitors are now being charged daily from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. at a rate of $25 per visitor. To help with contact and sanitation staff only accepts credit cards for this transaction. As of 8/9/20 we have had 2916 non-resident guests translating to $72,900 in revenue thus far. The south end of the lakefront has also been extremely busy. We have been able to offer our sailing camps, individual and small group lessons as well as race team coaching this summer and all programs have been well received by our sailing community. The boat launch has been busy this summer as well. We have had 980 total launches from the crane, boat launch and the sand this summer already. With a few nice months remaining this season we are confident we will continue to see high usage of the facility. As you can see, the staff have done an excellent job and the beach has successfully remained open and has had a very successful summer. 2 BOARD ACTION: No action requested at this time. SUBJECT: PARKS UPDATE STAFF CONTACT: CHUCK MYERS, SUPERINTENDENT OF PARKS, FORESTRY& SPECIAL FACILITIES, 810-3565 PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Chuck Myers will provide the Board with a report on projects currently underway and some of the ongoing planning for future projects. This agenda item is for informational purposes only and no action is being sought at this time. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: The Parks Section currently has a number of project underway or that are scheduled to begin soon. Many of our projects have been delayed by the challenging circumstances created by the Covid 19 pandemic; however, progress is being made and many of our projects are expected to be completed on schedule. The following is a brief update on some of our projects, followed by a preview of some of the planning underway for future projects. South Park Improvement Project: Construction is well underway at South Park and we are looking forward to offering residents a beautifully designed park full of amenities for everyone to enjoy. The exciting additions and changes taking shape over the next few weeks are expected to be done on schedule, by the end of September. Once completed, park amenities will include walking loop trail connecting all amenities to parking lots and neighborhood sidewalks, an outdoor fitness station, basketball court, new tennis/pickleball courts, batting cage, and a bocce court. A new parking lot will replace the existing entrance/parking lot that is adjacent to the playground. The new lot will hold twenty vehicles and will drain into a rain garden feature. Some highlights of recently completed work include: ● Asphalt has been completed for the new tennis and basketball courts, as well as some of the new trails around the park. ● Concrete curbing is now complete for the bocce ball court and the fitness station. Most of the concrete walkways have also been completed. ● Most of the grading and drainage for the park improvement area is complete (excluding the new parking lot area). ● Excavation and grading is now underway for the new 20 stall parking lot with adjacent rain garden. ● The fitness equipment has been installed, as well as fencing for the tennis and basketball courts. ● Tennis/basketball court surfacing (color coating) of courts will begin soon, and the parking lot will begin to take shape. Waveland Park Tennis Court Resurfacing: This project involves the resurfacing and color coating of three tennis courts and one basketball court. We have a contract with U.S Tennis Court Construction Company (the same company doing the new South Park tennis courts) to perform the work. We have added color coating of the courts to allow for pickleball play. The work is scheduled to start near the end of August and expected to be competed in approximately two weeks. West Park Sidewalk Addition: A new sidewalk connection has been added to the west side of West Park and goes from the pavilion/playground/tennis court area to the existing sidewalk that runs along Green Bay Road. The new sidewalk will provide an ADA accessible connection to park amenities. This does not replace the previously discussed capital project in our CIP, that provides for new sidewalks on the north and east side of the park. Planning for Future Projects: There are currently a number projects in the planning stage that will be coming back to the Park Board for discussion in the coming months. Much of the focus is currently on Forest Park and the lakeshore issues. The lakeshore erosion issues on the beach that are associated with historically high lake water levels and the intensity of storms has necessitated that we take a closer look our lakeshore. We are considering a large study by an engineering firm that would look at our current beach condition as well as develop a long-term monitoring and maintenance plan. The City is currently contracted with Hey & Associates, a professional engineering, ecological consulting, and landscape architecture firm, to provide bluff pre-design services and three years of bluff monitoring at Forest Park. The study involves geotechnical assessments, survey monitoring of the movement areas, bluff condition observations, slope stability review, slope condition evaluation, and a feasibility study that will identify restoration concepts with accompanying cost estimates. Hey & Associates will be presenting City staff with the preliminary pre-design findings in the next few weeks. A final project of note that is in the planning phase is the Forest Park boardwalk/path replacement. As you are aware, the boardwalk was removed two years ago after it was discovered that the land movement along the bluff had damaged the aging boardwalk structure. At that time staff elected to leave the wooden steps on the far south end of the boardwalk to provide access down to the beach. Earlier this summer, staff observed damage to the remaining steps due to further shifting of the land mass near the steps, and decided to close the steps indefinitely. The result of the closure leaves us with only one pedestrian passage from the Forest Park tableland to the beach, which is the concrete steps at the center of the Ring Road (the Belvedere). Staff is considering options for additional pedestrian access to the beach would provide a safer pedestrian walkway and be ADA compliant. PARKS & RECREATION BOARD ACTION: No Action required. For informational purposes only. SUBJECT: VETERANS PARK IMPROVEMENT PROJECT INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION PRESENTED BY: Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation (847-810-3941) PURPOSE AND ACTION REQUESTED: Staff is providing a status update to the Park and Recreation Board on the Veterans Park Improvement Project. BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: Veterans Park is a 1.3 acre park located at the intersection of Deerpath and Green Bay Road. The City of Lake Forest acquired Veterans Park through a land transfer agreement with Lake Forest Open Lands Association in January of 2016. Soon after, the City began the process of developing a plan for the new Park, which included community input forums. The City then hired Craig Bergmann Design Group to analyze the data collected and design a conceptual plan for the new park. The goal of the project is to develop a passive, open space which serves as a gateway park and leads residents and visitors into the Central Business District. It is also a goal to develop a park that will provide opportunities to achieve a balance between the recreational use and the protection and interpretation of the cultural, natural and scenic resources of the park. Some of the key new elements of the park include: 1.New entrance to the park – The intersection corner will be opened up with two new entrances to the park. The entrance will feature a new flower bed planted with annuals with a flag pole to mimic the one at City Hall. The new wall will have the name of the park facing the intersection with plaques for the military branches on the back side of the planted area. 2.Natural performance platform – An elevated natural grass area for bands to perform or for a movie screen to be placed for events. It will be located in the middle of the park off of walkway. 3.Natural walking path – Walking path through the wooded area on the east side of the park. This area will be a natural planting area with both seed and plugs. 4.Musical Instruments – Outdoor musical instruments will be placed along the natural walking path for use by the residents (not included on this bid proposal). 5.Plantings – Additional trees and shrubs will be planted throughout the property to replace some that have been removed. There will be a focus on planting native species. 6.Cobblestone walks – The existing walkways will be retained in the park; however, a new walkway will be completed from the new entrance to the existing walkways. In addition, safety lighting will be added to the walkways. Once the conceptual plan was completed and shared with the community in August 2019, staff met with Craig Bergman Design Group to finalize the plans. Both sets of plans 2 were amended and submitted back to Staff with a specification list to solicit bids for the construction of the project. On July 1, 2020 staff issued a request for bids for the project with a bid opening on July 22, 2020. Staff received six (6) bids for the project ranging in costs from $484,698 – $931,115. Staff evaluated all of the bid submittals and decided that since all of the bids were over budget the best plan moving forward was to reject all bids and go back out to bid in January 2021. Staff will take the available time to refine and edit the bid packet, evaluate the specification list and secure additional funding for the project now that we have up to date cost estimates. The new time line for completion of the Veterans Park Improvement Project will begin in January with staff soliciting bids from potential business. The bid opening will be held in late January with the actual project beginning in early March. Staff are optimistic that we can still meet the project completion date of Memorial Day 2021. If something delays the project then staff would open the park on the Fourth of July. PROJECT REVIEW/RECOMMENDATIONS: Reviewed Date Comments HPC 6/24/20 Certificate of Appropriateness granted Park Board 10/15/19 Approve $100,000 funding from PPL Community Viewing of Plan 8/15/19 Community rollout Park Board 12/4/18 Name approval Park Board 10/16/18 Approve $200,000 funding from PPL Park Board 10/17/17 Approve $200,000 funding from PPL BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT: The balance of the approved $500,000 budget for the project is $477,100. Staff will further evaluate the bid submittals and return to the Board at a future meeting to secure the additional funding necessary to complete the project in 2021. Below is an estimated summary of Project budget: FY2021 Funding Source Amount Budgeted Amount Requested Budgeted? Y/N Park and Public Land Fund $477,100 Y BOARD ACTION: Veterans Park Improvement Project Informational Presentation. No action requested at this time.