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02-06-2012 PRCEMMINUTES Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board February 6, 2012 Members present were John Rodeberg, Mary Christensen, Jim Waldron, Jay Bartholomew and Elizabeth Hanninen. Also present were Dolf Moon, John McRaith, Sharon Armstrong, Sara Witte, Mike Bahe, September Jacobson, Mary Haugen and Karen McKay. The meeting was called to order at 5:15 pm. A motion was made by John Rodeberg and seconded by Mary Christensen to approve the minutes dated January 9, 2012. The board unanimously agreed. NEW BUSINESS Recreation — John McRaith; Recreation Services Coordinator presented a comparison of statistics for youth and adult sports from 2001, 2010 and 2011. Participation registration numbers remain level for youth sports while adult men's, co -rec and women's team registrations are down in volleyball and softball leagues. John has offered flexible scheduling to accommodate shift workers. Youth sports fees were raised $5 in 2011; the first increase in five years. Looking ahead, parents and participants will be informed of program information by e -mail. All volunteers will be required to do concussion training prior to coaching a recreation program. John will also be seeking bids and securing a new t- shirt printing vendor in 2012. Community Education — Sharon Armstrong; Program Coordinator listed programs that were funded through Community Education in 2012 for example a Sweet Adeline Chorus concert, Top 20 Training for school staff, Middle School sports and youth and adult enrichment programming. Registration numbers are steady. Participants rated instructors and courses high in surveys that were conducted at the end of the programs. Community Education improves the quality of life and provides educational value. The High School pool was drained due to a maintenance issue and was filled in with gravel and concrete to create a new rental facility. The room can be used as a full size basketball court, volleyball courts, wrestling, yoga and dance. New windows and lighting were installed; portable basketball hoops and acoustics may have to be addressed. The facility will provide seating for up to 140 spectators; the parking situation could be improved to the south of the room to provide a more self - contained rental space. Parks — Sara Witte, Parks Supervisor reviewed projects completed by staff in 2011. Mulch was replaced in Girl Scout Park, site lines were extended and the siding and roof were replaced on the concession building at VMF Field. The surface was repaired and lighting was installed in skate park. A permanent stage was installed in Masonic/West River Park to accommodate the RiverSong concert series. The Jaycee Water Carnival and Relay for Life will also be able to make use of the stage. Three modular restrooms were painted in parks. A drain tile was installed in Rolling Meadows Park. Rotary Park playground equipment was repainted and a new playground structure was installed in Elks Park. Mike Bahe was introduced to the Board. He is the Natural Resource Coordinator and will be taking on forestry duties due to the retirement of Mark Schnobrich, City Forester. He will facilitate planting, pruning and will manage the native prairie restoration throughout the city. A gravel bed was developed to maintain bare root tree plantings; this allows for the purchase of more trees. Roberts Park MINUTES PRCE Advisory Board February 6, 2012 Page two Parks Cont. prairie is burned every year to encourage new prairie growth. 4,000 plantings and a rain garden were installed in Cedar Park along First Avenue Northwest. 150 trees and shrubs were planted on Arbor Day by city staff, 3M employees and retirees on 3M property and surrounding park land. Every other Ash tree was removed and replaced with a different species tree along Northwoods Avenue in anticipation of the Emerald Ash Borer. Sara spoke with the artist repairing the Hutchinson Brothers Statue; it should be back in Library Square by May 6th, the opening day of parks. The entrance to Miller Woods will be upgraded and the perimeter of the park will be better defined in 2012. There will be a meeting next week to discuss the landscape plan and what the next step is at the Harrington/Merrill House. Event Center /Sr. Center — September Jacobsen, the Event Center Coordinator, distributed the February Senior Newsletter. She outlined the roster at the Event Center including part-time staff at the reception/registration desk, maintenance specialist, event/senior /adaptive rec coordinator, adaptive rec facilitator and three on call seasonal staff that cover evening and weekend events. There are over 20 groups that hold annual events and are over 1,150 senior /adaptive recreation programs at the Event Center. In 2012 September will be restructuring the rental rates, designing and printing new information pamphlets, hold fundraising events and invite the Center for the Arts to display artwork in the Event Center. Burich Arena/Recreation Center — Mary Haugen, Facilities and Operations Manager compared open swimming participation at the Rec Center pool for the past 25 years. In 1995 there were 31,000 swimmers, 16,000 in 2001 and 12,000 in 2011. The Chamber Leadership group project provided the addition of three sponsored umbrellas to the pool deck. The umbrellas are sponsored by Genesis /Ensopa, Hutch Bowl /Squeakys' Bar and Grill and McCormick's Restaurant. The Recreation Center pool is aging and major maintenance issues are expected in the upcoming years. Budget restrictions limit the number of improvements to the Recreation Center Pool. Nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide levels in the air were too high during the summer ice season at Burich Arena. A decision was made to begin the conversion of the ice making equipment from propane to battery power. The 1990 Zamboni, Irv, sponsored by the Burich Foundation, was converted by a company in Warroad, Minnesota last fall. The 2000 Zamboni, Buzz, will be converted this summer for a cost of $40,000. Ice Time used in both rinks including summer ice totaled over 1,980 hours last year. During the winter months the ice is rented Monday through Thursday 2:00 -10:00 pm for youth and high school boys and girls hockey and figure skating. The weekends are booked with tournaments. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 pm by a motion made by Jim Waldron and seconded by John Rodeberg. The Board unanimously agreed.