12-01-2008 PRCEMMINUTES
Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board
December 1, 2008
Members present were: Bill Arndt, Lenore Flinn, Beth Hepola, Lora Muilenburg, Mike
Retterath and Deane Dietel. Also present were Dolf Moon and Karen McKay.
The meeting was called to order at 5:17 pm.
A motion was made by Bill Arndt and seconded by Lenore Flinn to approve the minutes dated
November 3, 2008. The board unanimously agreed.
OLD BUSINESS
2009 Budget – The City’s 2009 preliminary budget will be presented to the City Council at an
upcoming meeting. City staff are waiting to see if/or how much city budgets will be cut in Local
Government Aid. The school district’s budget is in good shape. The part-time position at the
Event Center will not be filled at this time. It was advertised, but interviews were not held.
September has been able to spend more time taking care of those duties as some meetings and
events have been cancelled at the Event Center for the upcoming year.
Girls Softball Survey – The majority of parents that completed the survey believed that if you’re
on the team, you should get to play. The City will be involved in the Girls Softball Association
program for registration and scheduling if the program is based on everyone plays, at the 12 year
old level, rather than their ability to play.
NEW BUSINESS
Central Garage – The City has operated a central garage for vehicle repair and maintenance.
From now on, individual departments will be responsible for repair and maintenance of their
equipment. In Parks, the budget is $60,000 to $70,000 for new equipment and $30,000 for repair
and maintenance. Some of the equipment is leased. This method of vehicle management may
reduce the number of vehicles the City owns.
Public Arts Funding – The Public Arts Commission has requested up to $50,000 from the City of
Hutchinson for a start-up budget to get the group off the ground. State funds are available, but
require a match from the City. The group consists of eight citizens and four elected officials.
One upcoming project the group has is putting the Little Crow statue back in place now that the
Highway 15/22 project is complete.
Brochure Funding – The long-time corporate sponsor of the PRCE brochure is no longer
donating $3,000 annually for the brochure; the total cost is $16,000 a year. An alternative to
consider is an on-line only brochure and/or e-mail direct to current participants. Something to
consider is that not everyone has access to the internet. St. Cloud is experimenting with an on-
line only brochure right now. Currently, fliers are printed of age-appropriate programming and
taken to the schools for the children’s Friday folder. It’s very effective in getting children
registered for programs. Deane suggested a stuffer in the Utility billing.
Minutes
PRCE Advisory Board
December 1, 2008
Page two
ABE/GED – Julie Mischke has been the instructor of Adult Basic Education (ABE) in
Hutchinson since 1996. Classes are held at Ridgewater College. The number of participants
using the services has flourished. Students consist of individuals from over 21 countries in
addition to High School drop-outs. 90 to 95% of the participants receive a General Educational
Development (GED) diploma.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:05 pm by a motion made by Bill Arndt and seconded by Mike
Retterath. The board unanimously agreed.
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