10-03-2005 PRCEM
MINUTES
Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board
October 3, 2005
Members present were: Bill Arndt, Mike Cannon, Beth Hepola, Ralph Johnson, and Lora
Muilenburg. Also present was DolfMoon and Karen McKay.
The meeting was called to order at 5:21 pm.
A motion made by Mike Cannon and seconded by Bill Arndt approved the minutes dated August
1,2005. The board unanimously agreed.
OLD BUSINESS
Rotary Park: A donation of $30,000 will be given to the city in January will provide a paved
parking lot and a paved trail looping around the park. The work will be completed this fall.
The park upgrades have been completed with grant money totaling $67,000 along with $47,000
from the Rotarians. The Rotarians also planted additional trees in the park.
Library Square: Projects are being finished in Library Square. The Hutchinson Brothers statues
were dedicated on September 11th. The lighting has been installed. A 40 foot flagpole will be
installed on the north side of the park toward Main Street. The drinking fountain will be
installed as part of the streetscape project. The upgrades have been completed over a three-year
period.
State Amateur Baseball: The field looked great for the three weekend tournaments. The new
entrance in the parking lot worked well for traffic flow and it kept the dust under control. The
state board had good comments. The city will receive 15% of the gross sales of concessions,
beer sales, novelties and booklets. Hutchinson won't be eligible for another state amateur
baseball tournament for 10-12 years.
NEW BUSINESS
High School Pool: The boiler that heats the High School Pool is down and the School Board has
to decide whether to fix or replace it. Brian Mohr recommended a temporary fix by purchasing
two water heaters, one to handle the pool and one for the domestic water at the High School.
High Tides has worked out a rough schedule provided the pool does not get repaired. At the
School Board meeting several community and High Tides members spoke regarding the priority
of fixing the pool heater. Dolf told the board that the rate structure had not been addressed since
1998 and needs to be looked at again.
MINUTES
PRCE Advisory Board
October 3, 2005
Page two
Budget: Dolf is working on the 2006 budget. New in ' 06 will be the transfer of the Forestry
Division from Parks to Public Works. The Street Division has provided staff, vehicles and
equipment to complete forestry tasks. The budget process will ongoing through December. The
Mayor wants to reduce the city budget by a half million dollars.
Dakota Rail: The Rail Authority has purchased Dakota Rail. The City retains all of the spurs,
and bridges stay intact. Sheldon Nies has suggested that the DNR manage the transportation
corridor up to Highway 22 and the City control Highway 22 to the Depot. Dolf told the Board
that an interest group would be put together to present a proposal to the DNR.
Fall Program Update: The Board received an outline of program participant registration
numbers. There are 42 volunteer coaches for soccer and flag and tackle football. The volunteers
get their program fee waived if they coach their child's program.
Communication Information: Dolf questioned the Board to find out where they receive their
local news and information. Common responses were the internet, the Hutchinson Leader, the
PRCE gameline, the seasonal brochure, bulletin boards and local television Channel 10. The
City of Hutchinson has a web page set up to route resident's inquiries, comments and concerns to
the appropropriate departments for a follow phone call or e-mail.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm by a motion made by Lora Muilenburg and seconded by
Ralph Johnson. The board unanimously agreed.
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