HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-08-2018 Parks and Recreation CommissionIowa City
Parks and Recreation Commission
Wednesday, August 8, 2018 ..
5 p.m.
Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center — Meeting Room B
AGENDA
ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER
ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES
ITEM 3 PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
ITEM 4 DEPART FOR ANNUAL PARK TOUR
ITEM 5 ADJOURN
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please
contact Tammy Neumann, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department at 3191356-5210 or tammy-
neumann@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your
access needs.
IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION
MINUTES PRELIMINARY
JULY 11, 2018
RECREATION CENTER — MEETING ROOM B
Members Present: Suzanne Bentler, Steve Bird, Cara Hamann, Ben Russell, Angie Smith, Jamie
Venzon, Joe Younker
Members Absent: Wayne Fett, Lucie Laurian
Staff Present: Chad Dyson, Zac Hall, Juli Seydell Johnson
Others Present: Tony Malkusak
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Younker called the meeting to order at 5 p.m.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action):
None
OTHER FORMAL ACTION:
Moved by Venzon, seconded by Smith, to aoorove the May 9 2018 minutes as written Passed 7-0
(Felt & Lucian absent)
PUBLIC DISCUSSION
None
PLAYGROUND SURFACES — ZAC HALL
City Council has asked the Commission to discuss and make a recommendation for playground surface
options for future play areas. Current playgrounds, excluding the Ped Mall structure, have 12 inches of
wood fiber for the fall surfaces. While this wood fiber meets ADA guidelines, it may not provide full access
for people using mobility devices. Tony Malkusak, a playground safety expert who assisted in Kiwanis and
Terry Trueblood Playground Designs, joined the discussion. Seydell Johnson explained that there is a large
difference in price for the various surfaces. For example, the cost of the surface at Creekside Park
playground was $7,000 for the engineered wood fiber material. This type of surface needs to be fully
replaced every 3 to 5 years. For a poured surface, the cost is $107,000. The warranty on such a surface
would be between 3 and 10 years. Items for commission to discuss include:
• Should the City continue with just the one inclusion playground located downtown?
• Out of the six districts in the city, should there be one playground in each with the integrated
surface?
• Can the school district playgrounds that have the integrated surface for inclusion be counted as a
playground in each district?
It was noted that the Willow Creek renovation will likely have at least part of the playground surface as
integrated when it is replaced next year. Smith asked if the funds for such a surface would have to come
from another part of the budget. Seydell Johnson confirmed that it would. Staff discussed issues with
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2018
Page 2 of 6
accessibility rating of wood mulch. With even just a little bit of mulch shifting, it throws off the level of
ADA accessibility. Bird asked if there could be a combination of a rubber mat and engineered wood fibers
used, or perhaps an accessible rubberized path that could be placed to the first level access point. Both
Seydell Johnson and Malkusak agreed that this could be a possibility. Staff was asked to gather information
for future discussion as follows:
• Gather pricing information for the different surface options.
• Review the Master Plan to determine which playgrounds/parks are coming up in line to be
upgraded.
• Inventory the schools that have such playground surfacing.
Staff will report back to Commission who will continue this discussion at a fixture meeting.
CITY PARK AMUSEMENT RIDE CLOSURE:
Seydell Johnson reminded commission that closing City Park Amusement Rides was discussed during the
FYI budget process to make way for a Lower City Park Adventure Area. She reported that staff have
received a few calls and emails asking for the rides to be saved. Staff has also received a number of inquiries
about the possibility of purchasing the rides. She further noted that replacing the rides is not about a lack
of revenue or ridership as much as it is about the age of the rides and the difficulty for continued
maintenance. The rides were purchased 20 years ago and were used at that time. The current rides have
accessibility issues and if replaced they would have to be upgraded to meet ADA guidelines. In comparison,
there were more hours spent maintaining the rides during these few months of summer than were spent
maintaining trails all year round. The Adventure Play Area will not require staff to operate. Consultant
proposals are currently being evaluated by staff to select a designer of a new play area. Public meetings
will be held in late summer to early fall for new play area design.
REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF
Parks & Recreation Director — Juli Seydell Johnson:
Facilities:
o Robert A. Lee Recreation Center's HVAC and boiler controls are getting an update.
Project is near completion.
o Mercer HVAC/boiler replacement and pool deck restroom remodel have been completed.
RAGBRAI:
o The final prep has begun and will continue for the next two weeks.
o There is a lot of excitement in showing off the community.
o There is still a need for volunteers.
Recreation Division Superintendent — Chad Dyson
■ Dyson announced that the Fall Activity Guide has been released.
• Some activities within the Recreation Center had to be shifted to various locations due to the
HVAC updates.
• The solar lights at both Thornberry and Rita's Ranch dog parks have been installed.
Parks Division Superintendent — Zae Hall:
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2016
Page 3 of 6
• Hall noted that he has reposted all temporary staffing positions.
CHAIRS REPORT:
No report.
COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE ATENDA rrEMS
Hamann asked if new restrooms are designated as unisex. Seydell Johnson reported that all new restrooms
are single use and gender neutral.
Smith asked if the Commission could go on their annual park tour in August. Seydell Johnson agreed to
schedule the tour for the next meeting.
ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Bentler. seconded by Bird, to adjourn the meeting at 5.25 p.m. Motion Passed 7-0 (Fett
& Lucian absent).
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
July 11, 2018
Page 4 of 6
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused
NAME
r
r
.t,\..
o
o
°�°
.°0.
at
m
ao
TERM
o
"
EXPIRES
.Ri
Suzanne
1/l/17
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
WE
NM
X
X
Bender
Steve Bird
l/l/22
*
*
*
*
*
X
X
O/E
X
NM
X
X
Larry Brown
1/1/18
O/E
X
X
X
X
Clay
1/1/18
X
X
X
X
X
Claussen
Wayne Fett
1/1/19
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
X
NM
X
O/E
Cara
1/1/20
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
-X
-X
X
NM
X
X
Hamann
Lucie
1/1/10
O/E
X
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
X
NM
X
O/E
Laurian
Ben Russell
1/1/22
*
*
*
*
*
X
O/E
X
X
NM
X
X
Angie Smith
1/1/18
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
NM
X
X
Jamie
1/1/20
X
X
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
O/E
X
NM
X
X
Venzon
Joe Younker
1/1/20
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
NM
X
X
iviri = No meeting LQ = 1No meeting due to lack of quorum
* = Not a member at this time
Iowa City Parks & Recreation Commission Packet
August 8, 2018
Upcomine Events
• Farm to Street Dinner, August 15
• Taste of Market, Wednesday, August 29
Status — Previous Commission Items and Discussions
April 2018
Discussion of designated specific park spaces as off -leash dog areas.
o To be added to a future agenda
Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff
Parks
• Matt Grimm has joined the department as a Park Maintenance Worker I. Matt has been a
seasonal temporary employee with Parks for the past three seasons. Matt has an artistic eye
for the Parks with many his photographs used in the Recreation Activity Guide and featured in
the DNR magazine Iowa Outdoors.
Staff had a successful lead up to and completion of RAGBRAI.
Parks is coordinating with the Refuse division to pilot a program of new trash and recycling
containers in the City Park. Homeowner style receptacles were placed in the Park during
RAGBRAI and staff are now testing them after the event.
Recreation:
• Chad Dyson's last day as Recreation Superintendent is August 3`d. Chad will be taking the
position as Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Davenport.
• Fall program registration will begin on August 15th at 6am.
• Recreation staff assisted RAGBRAI by overseeing ice sales at 3 campgrounds and downtown.
Cemetery:
• The LDS youth conference volunteered to clean head stones at Oakland cemetery on Friday
July 27th. Groups of 15-30 students with adult chaperones arrived in shifts throughout the
day. Over 200 students participated in the event and did a great job cleaning the monuments.
• Cemetery staff also assisted with parking at lower city park during RAGBRI.
Facilities:
Mercer/Scanlon and Robert A. Lee Recreation Maintenance Staff are continuing to work on
the coordination of the new Building Automation System contract with the electricians and
control contractor, the substantial completion deadlines have been met for rebates.
Facilities staff worked with RAGBRAI participants at our Recreation Centers, Adaptive Sports
stayed overnight at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, and Mercer Aquatic Center showers
were kept open to midnight to accommodate cyclists camping on the grounds of that facility.
And Brian Buhr and Chad Lautner were on ice duties at lower City Park.
Too Staff Issues
Parks
Staff was hyper focused during the end of July on RAGBRAI and are now playing catch up to
prep for the end of summer activities and back to school.
Temporary staffing is beginning to diminish due to many University students leaving for
vacations and preparing for semester to begin.
Recreation
• Staff is busy getting ready to conclude summer programming and jump into fall programs.
• We have had several recent issues with pool systems and staff has been busy working to
resolve issues at RAL, City Park Pool, and Fairmeadows splash pads.
• Dog parks continue to be busy. User have given good feedback on the solar lights. Algae
growth in the pond is becoming and issues. Staff is reviewing options to remedy.
Cemetery
• Staff planted a tree to replace the young tree that was destroyed by deer. Staff will begin
putting up enclosures around all young trees before the fall season.
• Mowing and trimming continues.
• The 3 seasonal employees at the cemetery will end employment on Aug. 15 to return to
college.
• Monument repair work continues as time allows.
Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet , City of Iowa City
Facilities:
Heritage Woodworks have been working to set foundation and the Cabin 1 logs in place.
• Testing and Balancing is taking place in Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, following the Building
Automation Controls installation, staff are working closely with the contractors to adjust
temperatures and humidity in the spaces.
• Happy Hollow Park Restroom and Shelter Structure has significantly progressed in the last two
weeks. The pictures below are from July 24"', roof decking on the shelter is now in place and
the contractor is working on grading and mechanical tie-ins.
Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City
Project
Timeline
Status
Facilities- HVAC Control Software
Multi -year Implementation for all City Buildings
($535,000 CIP)
Project in progress.
Mercer— HVAC
Summer/Fall 2017
Complete.
Cardigan Park Development
Summer 2018
Project nearly complete.
Villa Park Playground
Summer/Fall 2018
Construction late summer 2018.
Creekside Park Redevelopment
Summer 2018
Project bid — Construction late
summer 2018
Forestry: Tree Inventory
2017
Tree inventory 80%complete.
City Park Cabin Restoration
Construction Fall 2017
Project in progress.
Happy Hollow Shelter & Restroom Upgrades
Construction Fall 2017
Project nearly complete.
Riverfront Crossing Park, Phase 1
Fall 2017—Spring 2018 (Phase 1 and Nature Play)
Project nearly complete.
Chauncey Swan Park
TBD — Park rebuild at end of building project.
Park construction 2018.
Hickory Hill Trails, Signs & Bridges
Construction Spring 2017
Design delayed, work delayed until
Fall 2018.
Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City
Oakland
Cemetery
FY 19 Revenue Report
** shaded areas represent previous svr average
Revenue from Lot Sales
tot Sale
Syr
Average
# of
Interments
terments
Syravg.
Revenue
from
Interments
S year Avg.
on
Interments
Total
Revenue
Syr Avg. on `
total
revenue
July
$11,050.00
$4,510.00
9
6.4
$4,630.00
$3,315.00
$15,680.00
$7,825.00
August
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
March
April
May
June
Totals
$11,050.00
$4,510.00
9
6.4
$4,630.00
$3 315.00
$15,680.00
$7,825.00
Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City