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02-05-2007 PRCEM MINUTES Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board February 5, 2007 Members present were: Bill Arndt, Keith Kamrath, Mike Retterath, Mike Cannon and Kirk Kosel. Also present were Dolf Moon, John McRaith, Lawrence Winter, Sara Witte and Karen McKay. The meeting was called to order at 5:19 pm. A motion was made by Bill Arndt and seconded by Mike Cannon to approve the minutes dated December 4, 2006. The board unanimously agreed. OLD BUSINESS 2007 Park & Recreation Budget Î The budget was approved by the City Council and there were no adjustments made. NEW BUSINESS John McRaith, Recreation Services Coordinator highlighted the accomplishments of 2006 in the Recreation Division. A tournament director position was added to reduce the amount of time John spends working weekend tournaments. Two well-qualified people share the position. John took over the position of League Director for the Girls Softball Association. It involves approximately 70 teams from the region of St. Cloud, Hutchinson and the metro area. One goal is to reduce the amount of travel time for the players. The girls youth softball program was moved to the evening and the number of participants grew. An additional field was added to the program. The field is located on the St. Anastasia Church/School property. John began coordinating the elementary basketball program to make it more enjoyable and less expensive for young players. The program has already seen an increase of 50 players. The city will net $5,000 for the administration of the youth basketball program. Registration activity on the PRCE web site increased in the past year, as residents get more familiar with it. A part-time temporary employee will be hired to coordinate the softball umpires for weekend tournaments. John asked the Board ÐAt what age and how far should youth participants travel to compete in sports.Ñ Once fundamentals are taught, the Board felt participants could have more fun and variety with some traveling. Most thought that less than one hour was appropriate for travel times. Lawrence Winter, Parks Supervisor summarized how the park staff time is divided between park maintenance, mowing, snow removal and ice rink preparation. Some of the activities that the parks are used for include: Bird watching, church services, family gatherings and weddings. MINUTES PRCE Advisory Board February 5, 2007 Page Two Parks staff developed brochures outlining the parks in 2006. Staff spent more time landscaping in 2006 and will see an increase in 2007 as the highway project is completed. A mowing comparison was presented showing the addition of the school property in Ó99. A more efficient method of mowing was implemented by using larger equipment. In addition, to time saving measures were added, with pavers under park benches as an example. Goals for the parks division in 2007 include playground equipment installation in Drift Riders and Rolling Meadows park areas. Oversight and maintenance of landscaping along the Highway 7 and 15 renovation project including the museum area. BOARD MEMBER ITEMS th The next PRCE Advisory Board meeting will be March 5 with the location yet to be determined. September Jacobsen, Event Center Coordinator, Sharon Armstrong, Community Education Programmer and Marv Haugen, Facilities & Operations Manager will be presenting their year-end reports. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:19 pm by a motion made by Bill Arndt, seconded by Keith Kamrath. The board unanimously agreed. klm