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08-01-2011 PRCEMMINUTES Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board August 1, 2011 Members present were Elizabeth Hanninen, Jay Bartholomew, Eric Opland and John Rodeberg. Also present were Dolf Moon, and Karen McKay. The meeting was called to order at 5:15 pm. A motion was made by Eric Opland and seconded by Elizabeth Hanninen to approve the minutes dated June 6, 2011. The board unanimously agreed. OLD BUSINESS Church Purchase - The City Council has elected to purchase the church adjacent to City Center for historical preservation similar to the Harrington/Merrill House. The Railroad Club is interested in utilizing some of the space and may take care of some of the daily maintenance needed in the building. The parks staff will do sidewalk snow removal and grass mowing. Historical Hutchinson will solicit donations as they develop plans for the building. The City would control the property. Public Art - The Public Arts Commission decided to pause on the projected River Horse sculpture. They will review how they approach art projects for the community in the future. Funds will be set aside for future art/culture projects. Summer Projects -The deck/bandstand in Masonic/West River Park was completed for RiverSong. The stage may also be used for the Water Carnival and Relay for Life. -VMF ballpark Phase One is done including restroom and press box renovation and retaining wall installation. Work will continue after the state baseball tournaments which includes changing the left field line. Expanding the concession stand can be done in the winter months. The Huskies have contributed $15,000 and the City has funded $32,000 for the projects. -Phase Two of the 3M planting will be done in September. The storm in July created a great deal of tree damage which diverted park staff. -The addition of lighting in the skate park is complete, the ramps were refurbished and the fence was removed. The lighting is installed in the underpass on School Road. -The outfield fences at Roberts and Linden parks were completed. Seven poles were bent in the storm and need to be replaced again, the fences typically last eight to ten years. Jet Black is sealing the walking/bike path around the Linden ball fields. -The mulch under the playground equipment in Rolling Meadows Park was moldy and replaced. A tiling system was also installed to help prevent future mold issues. -The playground equipment in Elks Park needs to be replaced. NEW BUSINESS Storm Damage - Clean up from the storm in July took a month to complete utilizing nine full time Parks and Streets staff. There were 10 trees down in South Park, four to five at Park Elementary and five in Roberts Park. MINUTES PRCE Advisory Board August 1, 2011 Page two NEW BUSINESS CONT. School Campus Projects - The athletic field projects are on schedule for completion by August 15th when fall activities begin. 2012 Budget - The Community Education budget year began July 1st. The 2012 Park, Recreation, Civic Arena and Senior/Event Center proposed budget of $1,074.052 has been submitted which Dolf hopes will stand. The 2010 budget saw a drop of $100,000 from 2009. An additional $9,000 is dropped from the 2011 budget. There was more scholarship activity this year. PRCE receives some United Way funds to help cover those fees. If fees are increased, staff feels it could deter people from registering. 315 pool passes were sold during the summer. June started out cool and rainy which slowed purchases. September Meeting - There will not be a meeting in September due to the Labor Day holiday. BOARD MEMBER ITEMS Byron Bettenhausen left the PRCE Advisory Board and went to the School Board. There are two vacant seats on the PRCE Advisory Board. Jay asked Dolf if it would be possible to have pre-school swim lessons offered in the evening during the summer next year. Dolf will forward the request to Marv Haugen, Facilities & Operations Manager. John Rodeberg reported to the Board that RiverSong was a great success and was attended by 1,600-1,700 people. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 pm by a motion made by Jay Bartholomew and seconded by John Rodeberg. The Board unanimously agreed.