Loading...
04-04-2011 PRCEMMINUTES Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board April 4, 2011 Members present were John Rodeberg, Jim Waldron, Byron Bettenhausen, Jay Bartholomew, Mary Christensen and Eric Opland. Also present were Dolf Moon, 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 March 7, 2011. The board unanimously agreed. OLD BUSINESS Annual Report - The PRCE annual report is a tool that measures accomplishments and goals. Staff were present to review their programs and answer questions. Staff have also been on the weekly radio show to talk about their facilities and programs. Outdoor Ice - Dolf and Parks Supervisor Sara Witte met with Greg who flooded and maintained the outdoor ice rink at Park Elementary last winter. The outdoor rink was part of budget cuts in the Parks Department. There were a lot of positive comments from the community. One suggestion from the principal of Park was to divide the rink in half to provide boundaries. It cost $800 to heat the warming house during the months of operation. Comprehensive Plan - Dan Jochum, Planning Director compiled results from the Steering Committee for the City of Hutchinson Comprehensive Plan Update. The board reviewed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and challenges gathered at public meetings. The information will provide good discussion for upcoming Steering Committee meetings. Dolf told the board that several of the items were similar to those gathered 6/7 years ago. NEW BUSINESS Community Education Budget - The budget for expenditures in the 2011-2012 school year is proposed for $409,861. Included in that is the middle level sports that the school cut and that Community Education picked up. Middle School dances that were run through CE, are now run by the Middle School Student Council as a fund raiser for plays. Student Drivers revenues were reduced by $20,000 to reflect families payment directly to the provider. Staff will review the budget again in May before it is presented to the School Board. Dakota Rail/Depot - The City Councils of Hutchinson and Lester Prairie along with the McLeod County Board have sent letters of support to continue the pavement of the Luce Line Trail from the depot in Hutchinson to County Road One in Lester Prairie. Community members in Hutchinson are also interested in preserving the current Dakota Rail Depot as a trail head location. SEH Engineering has drawn a preliminary design plan. At this time there is no long-term plan for the site. MINUTES PRCE Advisory Board April 4, 2011 Page two City/School Update - The next meeting of the facilities group, which Dolf is a member of, is scheduled for April 21st. They will be evaluating the costs of operating buildings, what the condition the buildings are in and the cost of repairing issues. The community uses the gyms, pools and theaters extensively. Other assets include the Library, Fairgrounds and Armory. The Committee will make recommendations. School Turf/Calendar - Dolf worked with Daron, Paul Szymanski, Athletic Director, Brian Mohr Director of Building and Grounds and Phy Ed to develop a school turf schedule. Local bids will be received for products used on the fields. Community users, Phy Ed teachers and coaches will be surveyed in the fall. The school wants to protect their investment in the school fields and grounds. May Registration - Rather than a board meeting in May, members are invited to help with the early summer registration Tuesday, May 3rd 6:00 to 7:30 pm in the Recreation Center Gym. A notice will be emailed closer to the date to confirm volunteers. BOARD MEMBER ITEMS Byron Bettenhausen questioned if the PRCE office/Rec Center Gym could be opened on Fridays again by having staff rotate days off. Dolf was required to cut the budget, and with the small number of office staff, having the building/office open isn't feasible. The Recreation Center Gym is available for private rentals on Fridays. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm by a motion made by Byron Bettenhausen and seconded by John Rodeberg. The Board unanimously agreed.