03-01-2010 PRCEMMINUTES
Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board
March 1, 2010
Members present were Mike Retterath, Jay Bartholomew, Mary Christensen, Lora Muilenburg, and
Chad Czmowski. Also present from the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Committee were Eric
Opland, Jim Rustad and Steve Kropp. Staff present included Dolf Moon, Mike Bahe, John McRaith,
Sharon Armstrong, Marv Haugen, September Jacobsen and Karen McKay.
The meeting was called to order at 5:15 pm.
A motion was made by Jay Bartholomew and seconded by Lora Muilenberg to approve the minutes
dated February 1, 2010. The board unanimously agreed.
NEW BUSINESS
Annual Report
John McRaith, Recreation Services Coordinator presented the Adaptive Recreation, Senior
Programming and Event Center review for September Jacobsen who wasnÓt able to attend. The
Adaptive Recreation Program serves 2,500 participants annually from a 45 mile radius. They meet
Tuesdays from September through May, and once a month in the summer to participate in group
activities such as bowling, bingo and dances.
Senior programming participation has increased. Some of the activities seniors are taking advantage of
include free tax preparation, line dancing. card games, safe driving courses and book club.
The Event Center booked 14 new clients in Ó09 and several were repeat renters. A challenge at the
Event Center is repair and maintenance of aging equipment.
Recreation Programming Î There were eight more adult sport teams in Ó09 than in Ó08. The numbers
of participants in youth activities have declined only slightly in 2009. Concession sales have
increased, due to the investment in equipment versus renting it. Concession staff also work as building
attendants to maximize staffing options.
While some sponsors ended their relationship with the city at the ballparks and as youth team sponsors,
new ones came forward. Registration fees have remained the same mainly because of the increase in
the number of volunteer coaches.
Mike Bahe, Natural Resource Coordinator presented the parks review. A new statue was installed in
Boy Scout Park, and the Little Crow statue was reinstalled in Eheim Park. A buffer strip was installed
along VMF Field and Tartan Park. Three long-time employees Lawrence Winter, Earl Haarstad and
Cliff Paulsen retired in Ó09. Two new employees were hired in October, Ron Carter who had 14 years
of previous experience in the Parks Department and Brian Magnusson who worked 10 years with the
Longmont Parks Department in Colorado.
There will be two large landscape projects in 2010 including Phase Two of the Hutchinson Utilities
landscape upgrade planting the north and west sides of the downtown facility. There will also be 150-
200 trees and shrubs added to the Les Kouba Parkway along the Gopher Campfire Sanctuary.
Volunteers from the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Committee will be helping with that project.
MINUTES
PRCE Advisory Board
March 1, 2010
Page two
Sharon Armstrong, Community Education Program Coordinator presented an overview of programs.
The Arts Midwest Concert series brought four music groups to Hutchinson for education and music
enrichment in a two-year program. The Hutchinson Wrestling Club, High Tides and Phoenix
Drumline have partnered with Community Education to advertise in the brochure for participant
registration. These groups were also able to lower their facility use fees by doing this. Youth
participant numbers remain strong; while adult enrichment classes have seen some decline. Paul
Szymanski manages the Middle School sports, Julie Mischke is the Adult Basic Education Instructor
and Cindy Wendorff is the Early Childhood Family Education Coordinator.
Marv Haugen, Facilities and Operations Manager oversees Burich Arena, the Recreation Center,
indoor playground, outdoor pool, summer swim lessons and the winter and summer skate lessons.
The outdoor pool is in need of an upgrade due to aging maintenance equipment and recreational
opportunities. Mike asked if chairs and umbrellas could be added to the pool deck to accommodate
parents supervising their children. Marv will check into this.
A new scoreboard was installed in Burich Arena. The Figure Skating Association donated a $5,000
speaker system and the concession stand was remodeled to include a glass display counter. A new ice
resurfacer is needed and may be powered by electricity. The late Irv and his son, Buzz Burich have
been generous supporters of the arena.
Dolf explained that the Parks, Recreation and Community Education Department provides a good
value to the community. The partnerships and relationships with youth groups allow participants to
receive affordable programming.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm by a motion made by Mary Christensen and seconded by Chad
Czmowski. The Board unanimously agreed.
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