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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-14-2024 Parks & Recreation CommissionIowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, August 14, 2024 5:00 P.M. Terrell Mill Park CITY of IOWA CITY 1201 N. Dubuque Street, Iowa City, IA 52245 Public Comment for each item will be limited to 3 minutes for each person and a total for no more than 30 minutes per item. Written comments submitted to parksandrecreation@iowo-city.orq, prior to 5 p.m. on Monday, August 12, 2024, will be distributed to the Commission in advance of the meeting. AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF JULY 10, 2024, MINUTES ITEM 3 PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA The Commission cannot engage in discussion or debate. However, once the commenter has left the stand, the Commission may ask staff to respond to a concern or question posed by the public, or to follow up with the speaker. ITEM 4 REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF a) Parks and Recreation Director —Juli Seydell Johnson ITEM 5 CHAIRS REPORT ITEM 6 COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ITEM 7 ADJOURN After adjournment, the Commission and the public are invited attend a ribbon cutting ceremony, celebrating the opening of the Icehouse Single Track Trail at Terrell Mill Park. If you will need disability -related accommodations to participate in this program/event please contact Gabe Gotera, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department at 319-356-5210 orggotero@iowo-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. l[1l i/:T41 I VA J� 7 WIK19 31417 DY;11_Y_[1]C[KlluJu_I 1*1 [SIC 9 7 Dim [oil CM Ali MINUTES OF JULY 10, 2024 MEETING ROOM B — ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER Members Present: Connie Moore, Aaron Broege, Missie Forbes, Virginia Hayes, Rachel McPherson, Brian Morelli, Caleb Recker Members Absent: Alex Hachtman, Alex Stanton, Staff Present: Juli Seydell Johnson, Gabe Gotera Others Present: Mitzi Read CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chairman Moore called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): Moved by Broelle, seconded by Forbes, to recommend the approval of the park projects (Brookland Park Playground, Calder Park Trail Connections, College Green Playground, and New Park near Shannon Drive) as presented. Motion passed 7-0 (Hachtman and Stanton absent). OTHER FORMAL ACTION: Moved by Recker, seconded by Broege, to approve the April 10, 2024, minutes. Motion passed 6-0 (Hachtman, McPherson, and Stanton absent). PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None PARK PROJECTS REVIEW— Bolton & Menk; Consultant Ryan Anderson Dir. Seydell Johnson introduces Ryan Anderson of Bolton & Menk, who is a consultant on the next round of park projects. Seydell Johnson explains that Anderson will give a presentation on each park project, after which the Commission will be asked to make a motion to recommend the approval of the projects or not. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 2 of 9 New Park Near Shannon Drive Consultant Anderson with Bolton & Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation. Commissioner McPherson arrives at 5:04 p.m Commissioner McPherson asks what time and day that the public input open house was held. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that the open houses were held from 5:30 — 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, with each park project having its own dedicated hour-long open house. Seydell Johnson adds that there was an online survey of prompts from the open house available for 10 days after this, allowing people who were unable to attend continue to participate. Commissioner Forbes asks to hear more regarding the fire pit and what kind of feedback was received. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that people were concerned about the safety of the fire pit and the location's proximity to houses. Seydell Johnson says that currently there is a fire pit at both Cardigan Park and Calder Park, and that both are popular and get lots of use, but that the issue lies in getting neighbors to be comfortable with the idea at first. Forbes asks how the fire pits are managed as the mentioned parks. Seydell Johnson says that they are self -serve and that there have been no issues in the 7 years since they have been installed. Commissioner Morelli asks how much use the fire pits receive. Seydell Johnson says that there is use every weekend with the occasional use during the week, commonly from local Scout Troops. Commissioner Recker states that he lives close to Cardigan Park and confirms that the fire pit is used often for family gatherings or child related events for fun activities like making s'mores. Forbes asks if when negative feedback is received, is it brought up that there are two other parks in town that already have fire pits. Seydell Johnson confirms that staff and consultants do speak on that, but that the fire pit remains a notoriously hard sell. Commissioner Hayes asks if there were any requests for amenities for older kids, given the proximity to West High School. Consultant Anderson responds that responses showed a want for a wide range of play experiences for different demographics. Anderson explains that the demographic recommended is 5-12, which is the widest demographic available, serving kids a bit younger than that as well. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that there was more public input received asking to keep high school kids away from the park. Seydell Johnson explains that this input is not reflected in the objective of the project, but that it was probably the biggest neighborhood concern. Anderson asks the Commissioner to consider if the park color scheme should match with the nearby West High School but highlights the importance for the park to be kept at a neighborhood level and not an addition to the school system. Commissioner Morelli ask about the reasoning for having a singular swing versus a more traditional swing set. Consultant Anderson explains that the fall height radius of playground equipment is a boundary defined by how high the equipment is and how far somebody would fall if the jumped. Anderson explains further that traditional swing sets have a notoriously large fall height radius that doesn't fit in with the small footprint of the recommended playground. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 3 of 9 Commissioner Recker asks if the playground with be covered with mulch. Consultant Anderson confirms that it will be mulch. Recker asks if this will be the same for all the parks. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that there are some parks that have pour -in -place, such as Willow Creek Park, the Ped Mall, City Park, and part of Wetherby Park. This means that there is one park with pour -in - place surfacing in each area of Iowa City, while all other parks have engineered wood fiber. Recker asks if this is the preference for parks moving forward. Seydell Johnson responds that it is used because it fits within the budgets, and it is what Parks staff are used to maintaining. Commissioner Recker, notes the public feedback requesting a climbing structure, and asks if the structure in the rendering is what staff is planning to move forward with. Dir. Seydell Johnson confirms that both the climbing structure and the climbing wall are the recommended design, explaining that this is the most that would be allowed within the budget. Commissioner Broege, notes the public feedback suggesting that park users value their privacy, asking if there was considered when designing the park. Dir. Seydell Johnson clarifies that that feedback had more to do with the neighbors to the north and their privacy from park users. Seydell Johnson says that to help address these concerns, staff have planted 28 trees that were left over from a separate project, allowing the privacy block to be added at no additional cost. Seydell Johnson adds that these neighbors already have a chain link in place. Broege asks for confirmation that the privacy concerns are for residents around the park and not for the park users themselves. Seydell Johnson confirms this. Commissioner Moore says that she likes to ask, what can a child a wheelchair do in the park and is glad to see a swing structure where if a child is unable to sit upright on their own, they can lay out on it. Dir. Seydell Johnson says staff typically see kids laying down in that swing structure. Seydell Johnson points out the curved black portion of the climbing structure, noting that staff are looking at to see how it adapts to park users that need a wheelchair or have limited mobility. Seydell Johnson says that this is the first-time staff have installed that item but that it was part of the choice for including it in the recommend design. Consultant Anderson says that as seen in the recommended options, playground manufactures are becoming more aware of the need for accessibility in modem playgrounds, whether it's an actual wheelchair compliant ramp, or something that is accessible and playable and within reach. Brookland Park Plaveround Consultant Anderson with Bolton & Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation. Dir. Seydell Johnson says for those unfamiliar, the park is located on Mrytle West of Riverside Drive and that the project is being paid for from neighborhood open space funds. Seydell Johnson explains that anytime that there is development, a certain amount of money is received to either acquire new park lands or make renovations at a park. Seydell Johnson says that park is 100 years old, and that the neighborhood is looking forward to the renovation, after which they will have a big centennial celebration. Commissioner Recker references the design, asking what it meant by a "Sidewalk with Thickened Edge". Consultant Anderson explains that for the edge of playground surfacing, staff PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 4 of 9 like for maintainability to have some kind of hard edge to keep the engineered wood fibers within the footprint of the playground. Colleee Green Park Plammound Consultant Anderson with Bolton & Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation. Commissioner Recker asks if the basketball hoop be adjustable, by either staff or park users. Consultant Anderson confirms that the basketball will be adjustable by staff but is unsure if park users will be allowed to freely do so, leaving it up to staff to decide on the operations. Commissioner Morelli confirms that in recent years when his local park was renovated, the basketball hoop can be adjusted by park users. Vice Chairman Moore asks if the gazebo will be included in the renovation. Consultant Anderson responds that the first steps of the project were to determine the area of the project. Anderson confirms that the project will not include the gazebo, and that a hard line was drawn around the western quadrant of the park including the playground and the basketball court. Anderson explains that this was made to planned to minimize the square footage of what the project will touch. Commissioner Morelli asks if the play structure will be smaller than the current structure. Consultant Anderson says that the play structures will not be significantly different in size, but that the footprint of the playground will be larger, making the play structure look smaller in comparison. Morelli asks if there is consideration for hammock posts, due to its placement amongst student housing. This feedback led to the specific decision to not have hammock posts. Morelli asks when the playground was last replaced. Seydell Johnsons answers that she does not know the exact year, she does know that playground is the second oldest playground, only behind Brookland Park. Commissioner Recker says that another option along the lines of hammock posts, is to install fixed posts for slack lining that can be easily attached and removed for programming. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that there are 2 hammocks put out at Kiwanis Park and that staff are watching those see what kind of use they get. Seydell Johnson adds that hammocks are something that can be easily added down the line if they are desired. Vice Chairman Moore asks if there is room in the budget for a fire pit. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds that the idea was not popular among the neighborhoods. Commissioner Broege asks what surfacing is planned for the basketball court. Consultant Anderson confirms that the court will be poured with concrete and applied with a topping for color. Commissioner McPherson asks if there was a park shelter planned for the New Park near Shannon Drive. Dir. Seydell Johnson confirms that there will be a small park shelter with 2-3 picnic tables, comparing it to the shelters seen at Villa Park, Cardigan Park, and Frauenholtz- Miller Park. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 5 of 9 Calder Park Trail Connection Consultant Anderson with Bolton & Menk presents the attached PowerPoint presentation. Moved by Broeee, seconded by Forbes, to recommend the approval of the park proiects (Brookland Park Plaveround, Calder Park Trail Connections, College Green Plaveround, and New Park near Shannon Drive) as presented. Motion passed 7-0 (Hachtman and Stanton absent). Commissioner Recker asks when there is project related recommendations, if a high level budget tied to the projects can be presented that would break down costs like consultation or playground purchases. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds while that hasn't been done before, staff could certainly start the practice of doing so, as the projects are usually refined to the point of around 60% when they are presented to the Commission. PARK NAMING: NEW PARK NEAR SHANON DRIVE — Dir. Seydell Johnson Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that this item is only an introduction on a subject, and that there will be no choice made at this meeting. Seydell Johnson says that the Park name was part of the public input gathered earlier in the project. Options included a lot of Irish related names, due to the Irish named streets in the neighborhood. Other options being well known individuals to the area, such as Caitlin Clark or Ashton Kutcher. Seydell Johnson says that the August Commission meeting will be an on -site for the opening if the Single Track trail at Terrel Mill Park, so Commissioners should plan to bring name ideas to the September Commission meeting. Seydell Johnson clarifies that Commissioners should avoid any names associated with West High School due to the City's practice to stay neutral, and that if they have any people that they want to name the park after, to let staff know ahead of time so that staff can start gathering background information. REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF: Parks and Recreation Director — Dir. Seydell Johnson City Park Pool: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that staff and consultants have been working with the Council -approved, Option A but with the ability to look at having either 2 or 3 pools. Seydell Johnson says that it is looking like it will end up with having 3 pools with the leisure pool being separate from the lap pool and the diving well. Dir. Seydell Johnson states that staff have been comparing the current channel versus play equipment and are leaning towards play equipment due to safety concerns heard about the current channel and the added expense of ongoing maintenance and pumps that would be necessary for the channel. Staff thoughts are that the swap to play equipment will bring the budget back down to $18 million and would allow more features like splash pad or playgrounds in the zero depth. Seydell Johnson describes the goal for the play equipment to be fun but not too PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 6 of 9 loud and to give more options for adding a play structure that would cater for the middle school crowd, like a climbing wall off the diving well or basketball hoops. Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that staff are starting to see architectural renderings from consultants on what the bath house might look like but explains that it is still too early to be shared with the Commission. Commissioner Hayes asks for staff to pay special attention to the noise created by the splash features, explaining that she still wants to be able to hear birds singing and kids playing in the park. Dir. Seydell Johnson clarifies that there will not be a bucket with a heavy drop of water, but more like fountains. Commissioner McPherson asks that when Council considers having 3 separate pools at City Park Pool, to keep in mind the focus that families want to be able to play together in the pool. Dir. Seydell Johnson believes that having 3 separate pools will cater to that ideal, with room in the lap pool for adults while leaving the bigger play areas for families to use together. Juli Commissioner Morelli, asks regarding total play area, how does the proposed new pool compare to the current pool. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that the proposed pool has been calculated by bather load, which is very similar to the current bather load. Seydell Johnsons speaks about the possibility of preparing a graphic of the proposed pool plan overlaid on top of the current pool. Seydell Johnson does note that the pool design likely cannot be expanded any more, due to the estimated costs totaling $18.39 million while the budget goal is $18 million. Skate Park: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that staff have seen designs that are estimated to cost $2 million. Staff have applied for a $200,000 grant which would increase the budget from $1.8 million to $2 million. Staff are expecting to hear back regarding the grant in mid -August but are confident that the project can be pulled off even if the grant is not received. The project should go out to bid Fall of 2024. Parks: Dir. Seydell Johnson notes that as of late, there might be garbage issues throughout the parks system, due to the Parks division garbage truck often breaking down. Seydell Johnson explains that Parks staff have been lifting the garbage into their regular trucks and driving them to the dumpsters. Staff are hopeful for the garbage truck to be operational within a week. Dir. Seydell Johnson refers to recent storms, explaining that Forestry staff have been busy clearing away damaged trees across the city. Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the August Commission meeting will be an on -site meeting for the opening of the Ice House Single Track Trail at Terrell Mill Park. The meeting was originally planned for June 2024, but was delayed due to the high ground water and river level. Vice Chairman Moore asks about the status of the Mercer Park Pickleball Courts. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that the courts are not quite complete but that park users have already begun playing on them. The nets are set up, but the fences need to be installed. Seydell Johnson expects PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 7 of 9 the courts to be completed by the expected date of July 15, 2024. Seydell Johnson reminds that the City Park tennis courts have been delayed at least another month due to the ground water levels. CHAIRS REPORT: None COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Commissioner Recker asks if there can be an update included in the Staff Report items for next meeting regarding the plans Mercer Park ball fields transitioning to the school district. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that it likely wouldn't be ready until September, but that it can included sometime this Fall. Seydell Johnson gives the context that the Mercer baseball/softball project is now going to be managed by the school district instead of the city. Seydell Johnson says that she will see if someone from the school district can come present. Commissioner McPherson refers to the trail that crosses Muscatine Ave and 151 Ave that have flashing yellow lights, describing the traffic on this trail crossing as hairy and dangerous to cross safely. McPherson asks about what can be done to make the crossing safer. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that this would not be in the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation department but says that she can pass the information on to the pertinent City staff. Commissioner Morelli relays some points heard from a constituent regarding the Mercer ball fields. (1) When Field 4 is being taken out of commission for the softball field, what are the plans to replace the capacity specifically for the younger kids or different leagues. (2) What was the process that the city used to decide to get rid of one of the ball fields. (3) An expressed desire to form a "Friends of ..." group that would help maintain the fields and what the possibilities are for some small storage to keep rakes and other equipment. On this same point, there could be periodic volunteer days to do maintenance or raise funds to help support upgrades. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds to point (3), saying that the constituent should make contact with one of the youth sports associations, that already have agreements in place for storage access. Seydell Johnson says that she does not have specific answers to the other points at this time but will include with an item at the September meeting. Commissioner Morelli describes a group that he came across that have morning coffee meetups at 6:30 a.m. using various parks across Iowa City. He says he saw them on social media and checked it out, finding it to be very neat. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that she saw them using College Green Park recently. Commissioner Forbes asks if there is a better way can be worked out to indicate when City Park Pool is closed for private events. Forbes says that multiple people have said to her that they were made the trip to the pool and at the last moment saw signs saying that it was closed for private events. Forbes explains that she is not keen on closing the only outdoor pool for private events, PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 8 of 9 but that if it must happen it should be posted on social media or something akin. Dir. Seydell Johnson said that she can investigate it and follow up. Vice Chairman Moore asks if there are any plans to install Wi-Fi in the parks, specifically Lower City Park. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that some parks already have Wi-Fi, supplied by ImOn Communications. Seydell Johnson says that the program is expanding but is unsure of when Lower City Park is expected to receive Wi-Fi. Moore asks if it is possible to receive a list of parks with Wi-Fi, so that it can be shared with people that want to study outdoors. Vice Chairman Moore asks if there is anything planned for the last week of the season at City Park Pool. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that Recreation staff are looking at the possibility of some kind of event, but that Recreation Supt. Barker would have more information. Seydell Johnson does note that City TV staff have been on -site interviewing people to get memories and thoughts about the pool. Vice Chairman Moore asks about the downtown ped mall play structure specifically the climbing structures that get dirty and become hard to clean, and the surfacing that seems to be coming off in chunks. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that staff have been working with the contractor on the subject. Seydell Johnson explains that the climbing structures are not getting dirty in the usual way, but that the rubber surfacing is coming off the ground and clinging to the structures. Seydell Johnson says that there is a quote from the company on repair, but that staff are hoping for the contractor to pay for repairs as it was the surfacing that has likely failed in certain spots. Ideally, the problem will be solved by this upcoming Fall. Seydell Johnson says that Parks staff have tried a lot of ideas to clean the structures themselves but to no avail. Vice Chairman Moore refers to the North Market Square Park playground where Mann Elementary students often play. Moore says that there is a student in wheelchair and wonders if it's possible to work with the school district to install an adaptive swing. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that there are already plans in the works, explaining that that park will have renovations in 2-3 years. Seydell Johnson states that the school district has set aside some money for an accessible rocker that is seen at other playgrounds. Once the park renovations begin, the school will purchase the accessible piece. Moore asks if the public finds accessible play structures that they are interested in how that can be recommended. Seydell Johnson recommends sending the product her way to look over. Moved by Morelli, second by Forbes, to adjourn the meetin¢ at 6:03 a.m. Motion passed 7- 0 (Hachtman and Stanton absent). PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION July 10, 2024 Page 9 of 9 PARKS AND RECREATION ATTENDANCE RECORD M N en N en N M N en N IV N IV N le N IRr N IT N IT N qv N NAME o 0 0 0 0 o O o 0 0 0 0 TERM N QN M r 4 I N M N O N qv N en N O N tn N N N O EXPIRES c IV .. '. 0�0 O� O N Men N O cz O 7 O kn V1 O b O l O Aaron 12/31/24 X X X X X X O/E NM X NM NM X Broe e Missie 12/31/25 X X X O/E X X X NM O/E NM NM X Forbes Alex 12/31/24 X X X X X X X NM X NM NM O/E Hachtman Virginia 12/31/27 * * * * * X X NM X NM NM X Hayes Rachel 12/31/26 X X X X X X X NM X NM NM X McPherson Connie 12/31/25 X X X X X X O/E NM X NM NM X Moore Brian 12/31/25 X X O/E O/E X X O/E NM X NM NM X Morelli Caleb 12/31/26 * * X X X O/E X NM O/E NM NM X Recker Alex 12/31/27 X X X O/E X X X NM O/E NM NM O/E Stanton KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum * = Not a member during this meeting 7/10/2024 2024 Park Improvements July 10, 2024 U1,:� J< ,, �A Y �GLOER PARR �fc i' �' RFAND PARR yl ,' r Wx {-� g WIIEGE GREFN PARK' # lsf xl In W `j b- j��rpy1ry NPARR.P l �Ni-g1 M�q'aZ, i R [_l Lbi'aF�1 ` 'u" a /. IiA { EW ATSNANWNON DR s � ©BOLTON &MENK gvoFiownci 1 Agenda 1. Park Overview • New Park • Brookland Park • College Green Park • Calder Park 2. Project Schedule and Process 3. Public Input Summary 4. Park Design 5. Questions 2 1 7/10/2024 New Park Brookland Park R4351 New Park Playground, Shelter and Paths Near Shannon Drive & Andrea Court $250,000 budget includes consulting fees, playground, shelter & park furnishing purchase, and construction R4410 Brookland Park Playground replacement and ADA paths 423 Melrose Court, Iowa City $150,000 budget Includes consulting fees, Playground purchase, and construction 7/10/2024 College Green Park I I I •J 1 I I - I ll 1 I ?s DglHkllti.??.'. r I R4385 College Green p ��--� �—J �;; • Park playground and Basketball Court replacement. 529 E. College St, Iowa City $400,000 budget includes consulting fees, playground purchase, and construction 5 Calder Park 14206 Calder Park • Accessible trail entry and connection to Monument Hills Subc iWsion. 2831 Hickory Trail, Iowa City. $150,000 budget includes consulting fees, trail construction •M 3 7/10/2024 Project Schedule 2021 finks Schedule Tasks 1 }DlG Due Date Q�2�a'�ozo;LLi 2.Data Collection 3. Quceptual Design�ncept Plan _ Public Input Meeting(si ■■ d. Construction Documents 3M CM ■n■■■■� ,�:��■ 100% CM 5. Bidding Phase 6. Canservction Administration Project Process 1. Kickoff 2. Concept Plans 3. Public Input 4. Construction Documents 5. Bidding 6. Construction Services 7/10/2024 Public Input In -person neighborhood meetings for New Park, Brookland Park and College Green Park - Dot exercise for preferred play experiences - Dot exercise for preferred park amenities - Dot exercise for preferred play equipment - Open response to "my favorite thing about this park is..." - Comment cards Online survey available to the public and advertised online and in the community. - Online survey provided the same dot exercise translated to digital format 7 10 5 7/10/2024 j2"sie�'.w _ L. N��• .—KiAND PARK 11 Public Engagement What we learned... New Park: Preferred concept 41 Preferred contemporary theme Preferred active play experience Preferred climbing structures and shade structures Additional comments included... Privacy concerns, mixed responses to fire pit, liked the paved loop 12 V 7/10/2024 / 1 �,Q• i � I � 11 p \ I O I o? 1 I O. vL ii4 RO YM O' OMiDPWMD' O SnEIEEA �M 1t A� - •SfppV MYgPWNO OEMELiFR �M%AI � ']%Glf M14NWN0 13 I'1 5'PCC4MWA1%WRH �—� • �•.. TIKRFXfN EC4E / �� }x LfigSF VUVGR00N0 \- 1\ � %/Y \ 14 u 7/10/2024 15 Public Engagement What we learned... Brookland Park Preferred nature -based and treehouse themes Preferred active and individual play experiences Preferred climbing structures and similar components to existing structures Additional comments included... "More nature, like the existing open grassy area, like the existing play experience 16 7/10/2024 ":era 17 6 w 7/10/2024 Public Engagement What we learned... College Green Park Preferred nature -based and traditional themes Preferred active and individual play experiences Preferred climbing structures and open lawn Additional comments included... "Open space is really important", consider various demographics of park users 19 Zi] 10 21 22 11 2024 Park Improvements JuLy 10, 202477 7,s}1 — CALGFR IMK �. R �,!�41,i r (nf�f y p 1 lBBil'fx3 I I R'}I}J Rfl00R1ANG 41 x R7, t�J, �l�>�� � q� COLLEGE GAFFN PMR'�. � P!� 4+ �'�x�t. Y" y {F rah, '' } NEW IMRflt FHPNNGN GR `i Ll�g - I 1 OM BOLTON & MENK CI OF IOWA CITY 12 Robert A Lee Recreation Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - July 2024 Day Date 6-7a 7-8a &9a 9-10a 10-13a 11-12p 12-Ip 1-2p 2-3p 33p 4-Sp 5-6p 6-7p 7-8p Daily Nec Totals Water Fitness Swim Lessons Event 4 Count Event Name Ma�mv 1-Jul 6 2 5 8 4 9 6 40 13 w.m.v 2-Jul 6 3 5 3 5 9 8 39 weaoe,ew 3-Jul 6 1 6 5 8 6 4 36 13 Tcumar 4-Jul 3 2 4 4 6 6 0 25 Fm.r 5-Jul 6 0 4 8 8 13 2 41 11 s.,wq 6-Jul 4 1 3 0 2 5 2 17 5 Sumer, 7-Jul 9 $2 Swim uAnmv &Jul 6 1 3 9 6 11 30 46 13 T.emev 9-Jul 7 4 1 5 8 8 1 34 vla—aav 10-Jul 7 0 3 14 9 4 3 AD 14 Tnam.r 11-Jul 7 1 3 7 7 4 3 32 F,u.r 12-Jul 5 3 2 12 8 10 3 43 10 sew,ap 1}Jul 6 1 7 4 4 3 1 26 5 Sumer 14-Jul 64 20 $2 Swim ssom.v 15-Jul 7 1 6 6 6 14 3 43 T.emav 16-Jul 6 1 12 4 7 11 1 42 wmnnmv 17-Jul 7 1 1 14 8 6 4 41 16 Teum.r 18-Jul 6 2 5 4 12 7 6 42 4 v,a.r 1&Jul 6 1 6 3 16 9 1 40 11 mm,aw 20-Jul 5 2 9 4 3 4 0 27 2 Su.ay 21-Jul 65 25 $2 Swim Mawv 22-Jul 5 8 7 30 10 12 1 53 16 Tuem.v 2&Jul 6 8 6 12 16 14 5 67 2 wm�e.mv 24-Jul 9 6 7 30 13 20 3 68 Tnund, 25-Jul 30 5 6 7 6 30 7 51 3 rmry 26-Jul 6 1 4 8 19 11 8 57 12 s.n„mr 27-Jul 6 5 1 4 6 5 4 31 5 mm.r 28-Jul 60 19 $2 Swim vauw.v 2&Jul 3 8 3 11 15 17 11 68 20 TSue, 30-Jul 30 6 6 13 8 26 5 74 w.t.x,e.r 31-Jul 9 2 ] 12 16 14 ] 67 17 170 76 132 201 234 268 109 Totals: 1190 192 189 73 Grand Total 1644 Total Scans: 1134 Averages: 38.4 6.2 6.1 2.4 53 Note: Mercer Park Aquatic Center pool was closed for repairs July Mercer Park Aquatic Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - July 2024 Day Date 6-7a 7-8a 8-9a 9-10a 10-11. 11-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p 34p 4-5p 5-6 p#6-7p7-8pDailyRecTotals WaterFitness Swim Team Event# Count Event Name u. = 1-Jul 8 14 13 21 9 6 8 23 13 7 ] 9 145 8 117 —Ju 2-Jul 8 4 12 10 16 13 9 11 83 3 92 37 $2 Swim W-Jul 3-Jul 4 13 9 22 11 ] 7 11 3 I1 13 5 145 117 Thum., 4-Jul 2 11 15 8 5 11 6 10 68 5 117 27 $2 Swim Fru., SAW 10 6 20 16 18 17 14 8 19 11 8 11 167 4 92 s.mm6-Jul 2 4 9 5 3 4 3 13 11 17 30 8 98 Sumer 7-Jul Jill 25 6 16 19 32 15 6 6 2 127 Munmv 8-Jul 7 20 14 23 12 20 9 14 5 5 15 8 8 5 165 9 117 rums SAW 1 14 9 6 8 12 2 8 15 11 22 3 111 3 92 33 $2 Swim wm—la., 10-Jul 5 14 13 20 7 6 11 12 11 5 19 21 30 2 156 117 Tnuel 11-Jul 1 ] 13 30 1 21 22 15 16 10 16 4 136 7 117 37 $2 Swim F,wv 12-Jul 6 11 9 20 14 10 1 30 9 9 25 30 4 6 1" 5 92 s.mm., 1}Jul 0 0 0 1 0 6 13 8 18 13 18 4 19 5 105 su.mv 14-Jul 0 13 17 18 15 ] 11 11 2 94 mu.mv 15-Jul 7 16 18 16 14 19 11 13 18 11 23 9 8 0 183 6 117 ...= 16-Jul 6 13 9 11 38 18 30 19 18 16 8 4 170 2 92 14 $2 Swim wm—aa, 17-Jul 0 20 15 15 13 9 5 19 14 5 12 13 8 30 158 117 Thum.,125-Jul 8 16 ] ] 14 11 18 4 11 12 10 5 123 117 28 $2 Swim Frm, 5 12 15 19 32 30 9 11 31 6 8 30 12 6 166 2 92 ammry surer Swim Meet Swim Meet M." Closed For Repair Twwr Closed For Repair wm�..mv Closed For Repair Tnumar Closed For Repair Fum, Closed For Repair s.w,m, JM191 Closed For Repair 28-Jul Closed For Repair 29-Jul Closed For Repair L..td�y 30-Jul JI.I!L Closed For Repair 31-JulClosed t4ls 80 395 200 178 192 261 236 214 240 179 For Repair Total Scans: 1985 Closed ICE =92 (includes masters) Totals: Averages: Total using Robert A. lee Pool Open Hours Average using Robert A. lee Pool Open Hours 2544 54 82.1 lJ 1125 363 1605 176 518 5.] Grand Total 4379 141.3 City Park Pool - Outdoor Swimming Pool Totals - July 2024 11 Day Date 6-7a 7-8a 8-9a 9-10a 10-11a 11-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p 34p 4-Sp 5-6 p 6-7p 7-8p Daily Sec Totals Water Fitness Swim Lessons Event# Count Event Name mnnmv 1-Jul 24 11 13 0 23 23 49 14 30 13 20 1 201 30 n.mav 2-Jul 4 0 7 108 21 33 20 193 w.anemav 3-Jul 5 3 ] 0 45 178 88 ]2 67 113 fi0 32 670 205 Water Wednesday(Beach Ball Bash) Tnu.mr 4-Jul 5 2 12 0 2 22 47 39 40 169 Fmw 5-Jul 8 6 1] 8 8 14 14 18 25 29 22 1 170 4 mm,ew 6-Jul 4 3 6 32 34 55 55 93 135 120 83 31 18 14 683 Sumer 7-Jul 3 3 3 6 5 2 3 6 40 23 29 9 / 13fi noomv 8-Jul 30 5 8 1 20 67 30 59 36 33 fi0 17 346 8 59 Twmw 9-Jul 4 ] 11 1 25 104 34 41 26 253 59 4 Junior lifeguard class wmn..mv 10-Jul 16 22 14 0 63 90 35 47 60 347 61 0 Water Wednesday(ICLG for the night/cancelled) nwlmar 11-Jul 4 16 14 1 46 80 83 2 0 246 58 Fruw 12-Jul 11 9 20 38 24 126 100 105 102 79 91 39 7" 9.0 209.0 Food Truck Friday sawmw 1}Jul 6 8 8 35 34 85 74 97 158 110 73 688 12 wmar 14-Jul 5 1 1 ] 23 87 87 113 123 115 97 102 66 42 869 mnnaav 15-Jul 10 5 12 0 0 63 89 36 51 326 60 T... a.v 16-Jul 5 9 30 38 8 92 32 29 17 240 59 6 Junior Lifeguard class wam.m.v 17-Jul 36 14 8 1 57 103 60 55 54 59 76 31 554 60 166 Water Wednesday (Swim and Sounds) Tnnmar 18-Jul 4 23 16 0 52 139 57 291 50 Frm 19-Jul 17 16 21 26 23 LOD 43 28 27 36 24 17 378 6 ]] Food Truck Friday s.n,mw 20-Jul 9 3 5 8 14 8 5 16 28 34 35 15 0 30 250 5 Suvuq 21-Jul 5 2 4 14 17 31 31 44 56 72 BID 70 24 13 463 rnnmav 22-Jul 16 17 14 0 46 81 20 56 45 42 57 18 412 12 70 'uh, 23-Jul 4 10 31 3 34 98 89 38 28 315 69 Junior lifeguard class wmn..mv 24-Jul 12 30 7 0 12 64 26 28 19 27 30 17 252 74 Water Wednesday (Shark Week) Ina, 25-Jul 6 25 10 0 12 88 107 248 64 Fri, 26-Jul 11 23 16 34 30 94 85 55 40 67 79 21 555 8 167 Food Truck Friday sawrmv 27-Jul 5 9 4 23 22 55 65 0 104 113 60 ] 30 4 541 6 wmar 28-Jul 2 4 4 13 31 50 64 68 103 91 41 22 493 Mnnaav 29-Jul ] ] ] 3 35 94 59 57 33 75 71 22 470 8 54 ...nn 30-Jul 15 30 0 25 22 41 40 153 55 6 Junior Lifeguard class .- 31-Jul 3 3 63 124 80 45 51 129 123 20 "1 55 20 Water Wednesday (Swimtrotluction) Hourly 258 288 296 125 1 1071 2431 1978 1553 1351 M27 936 341 Closed for weather: Totak: 122W I 88 833 934 Averages: 396J 2.8 26.9 30.1 Grand Total 14152 456.5 Community Foundation of Johnson County City of Iowa City Parks and Recreation Accounts Statement Activity Iowa City Parks and Rec Charitable Giving Fund June 01, 2024 - June 30, 2024 Beginning Balance: $49,140.50 Total Fund Income: $0.00 Total Fund Expenses: $1,048.56 Ending Balance: $48,091.94 Statement Activity Iowa City Parks and Rec Endowment Fund June 01, 2024 - June 30, 2024 Beginning Balance: $216,190.15 Total Fund Income: $8,319.07 Total Fund Expenses: $52.36 Ending Balance: $224,456.86 Iowa City Parks & Recreation Commission Packet August 2024 Upcoming Events • Iowa City Farmers Market —Season continues through October • Party in the Park — Season continues on Thursdays through August 15, 6:30-8 pm; various park locations • Water Wednesdays — Season continues on Wednesdays through August 21; 5-8 pm; City Park Pool • Hydrant Parties —August 15 (Pheasant Ridge), 1-3 pm • Yoga in the Park —August 10 (Ned Ashton House), 9:30-10:15 am • Get Outside: An Outdoor Rec Fest — September 29, 10 am — 2 pm; Lower City Park • U of I Deeded Body Program — September 20,130 pm — Oakland Cemetery Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff Parks: • Staff have been busy keeping parks mowed and areas maintained. This is the first year in recent memory when the grass hasn't slowed its growth during July. • Pickleball and tennis courts are playable at Mercer Park with some remaining items before they are complete and the courts at City Park will also be complete this fall. • The single track trail is ready for riders at Terrell Mill. Riders should check trail conditions and stay off the trails if they are leaving tracks. Some portions of the trail are underwater from our regular rains and elevated river levels, but the main loop is rideable. • Storms continue to cause tree damage throughout the city, and we continue to respond to multiple after-hours service calls each month. • We are in the hiring process for part time seasonal staff to help us finish out the fall season as many of our summer staff have left for school, other jobs, or maxed out their allowable hours. • Design work for the new skate park is ongoing with construction planned for next year. • Design work is approaching completion for College Green, Brookland, Calder, and the new park on Shannon Drive. • We are applying for an Iowa DNR Resource Enhancement and Protection Grant for a proposed $200,000 restoration of the Sycamore Greenway. Recreation: • Ashton House is transitioning from a rental facility into a satellite recreation facility with an emphasis on adaptive recreation. The majority of adaptive recreation programs will now take place in this facility and will Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City be the primary office location for the Program Supervisor overseeing those operations. The public is welcome to attend a housewarming party from 5:30-7:30 pm on Monday, September 9. • The Fall Activity Guide is available online and as physical copy. Registration begins August 13`h for Iowa City residents and August 14th for the general public. Facilities: • Ashton house roof- o Roof is set to be installed before the end of October. • Installing a Metal shingle roof. • Mercer pool- • Reopened Monday August 5th. o Caulked control joints and fixed missing tile in and around the pool. • Riverside Festival Stage Construction is nearing completion- o Painters are touching up a few spots. • Senior Center construction, phase Two- • Windows, Doors, Locks/Alarm. o In design phase. • Scanlon Gym Roof/Sky Lighting project- o Is 40% complete and is still on schedule to be completed by the end of August weather permitting. • City Hall Roof- • Bids opening is August 131h. o Project will take a couple of months to complete. • Fairmeadows Splashpad- o We are having issues with pipes broken under the play features. o We are working with the installer to see about repairs. Cemetery: • Staff continues to water and cage the new young trees planted this spring. • Requesting quotes for 2010 ADA compliance projects. Top Staff Issues Parks • Weather, equipment failures, and low seasonal staff levels are combining to challenge our capacity to keep all operations functioning at the high level we take pride in. Staff continues to be resourceful and work together to complete all tasks. Recreation • Rain and weather inconsistencies have provided challenges for some outdoor programs and events. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City Program Supervisors are hiring and training new staff and returning students following break in anticipation of fall programming. Facilities • Staff has had roller coaster of facility issues over the last few months that have stretched our staff thin but we are prevailing and making permanent needed fixes. Cemetery: Staff is still busy with keeping up with the growing grass. Mowing and trimming has been the major focus this entire season. Staff hopes to concentrate on some other projects if the grass slows down. Repairing monuments is on top of the list. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City Oakland Cemetery FY 25 Revenue Report ** shaded areas represent previous Syr average Revenue from Lot Sales Lot Sale Syr Average # of Interments Interments Syr avg. Revenue from Interments 5-year Avg. on Interments Total Revenue Syr Avg. on total revenue July $2,700.00 $3,690.00 8 5.4 $4,885.00 $3,106.50 $7,585.00 $6,796.50 August Se pt Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June Totals $2,700.00 $3,690.00 8 5.4 $4,885.00 $3,106.50 $7,585.00 $6,796.50 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet I City of Iowa City LATE HANDOUTS - THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS WERE DISTRIBUTED AT THE MEETING Gabriel Gotera From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Diane Alien cdlallen16@hotmail.com> Week 10 Project GREEN Gardens, Monday July B, 2024 A "This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any links or attachments. ** Hi All, It was mulching day at the Gardens when we met Monday morning at 9 a.m. Project GREEN's project manager, Ed Rinderspacher, spent Friday July 5th mulching a long list of locations. They included: the master gardener/project GREEN native prairie bed, Dashes 3/6/7 , West Oval 3's north end, Nancy Seiberling's peony bed, & the hellebore bed. Ed left piles of the beautiful mulch around smaller areas far volunteers to spread during our regular Monday work day. Ourvolunteers were able to finish the mulching before heading home. The temperature when we met at 9 a.m, was 70 degrees and the Gardens collected 2 inches of rain since Week 9. There were 14 volunteers in attendance They were: Cindy Parsons (extra 2 hours), Rina Sjolund (extra 1/2 hour), Hetty Hall (extra i hour), Nick Goergen, Pat Yeggy (extra 1 hour), Jim Peters, Mary Laughlin (extra 3/4 hour), Monica Hoher: (extra 1 112 hours), Dhyana Kauffman, Jo Pattschull (total 11/2 hour), Linda Bergquist, Chris Ostrander (extra 3/4 hour), Kyle Hulscher, and mot (extra 1 hour). Pat Yeggy worked last Monday (2 hours) and Sunday, July 7 1 1/2 hour. Thanks to volunteers for letting me know when Eeaving the Gardens. Volunteers signed -up to work Saturday and Sunday during Open Gardens Weekend. Here is the list showing names & times each day. Saturday: Jim Peters 4 - 8 p.m., Rina Sjolund 4- 8 p.m., Chris Ostrander 4 - 8 p.m., and moi 4- 8 p.m. Sunday: Mary Laughlin IC a.m. - 12 p.m., Susan Ahrens 10 a.m. - 12 p,m., Monica Hoherz 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Dhyana Kauffman 12 to 2 p.m., Pat Yeggy 12- 2 p.m., and moi 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All volunteers are welcome to help greet guests, handout maps and water, give tours of beds and help sell Garden Art (for a Project GREEN donation). The house is not open to visit, but the lower level restroom will be available to guests and of course, volunteers. plan to take pictures this weekend and will share them with our Week 11 summary. Here are the numbers after 10 weeks working at the Gardens. Weeks 1- 9 + Week 10 = 474 hours+ 39 1/2 hours = 513 1/2 hours for 2024 Project GREEN volunteers! Many thanks to all! For our Project GREEN volunteers! I have not counted any of the Open Gardens Weekend volunteer time. Expect to see these totals included with Week 11's time. Looking forward to a fun weekend together! Hope to see Project GREEN volunteers at the Project GREEN Gardens Monday, July 15, from 9 - 11 a.m. Until then, happy gardening! Diane 17 Dear Parks and Recreation Staff and Commission, I am writing to request your help. But first, I want to give you an update on Water Mindfulness class which began at Robert A. Lee pool in September 2023 and ended at the end of June 2024............ (mark your calendar for the new session that will resume on September 3rd, 2024), In case you aren't familiar with the class, here is what it says on our fliers: "Experience the synergistic healing and relaxing qualities of both water and mindfulness. We explore breathing, water walking, and gentle exercises as a means of being present in the moment. These activities take place in shallow water to accommodate individuals who haven't developed a sense of safety in deeper water. NO FEE. Walk-ins welcome If you experience any barriers to participation, let us help." An official evaluation of the class is progress in collaboration with the Senior Center. This won't be completed for some time, so let me give you a more anecdotal, Informal evaluation that I am basing on comments made to me by the participants. In general, the response has been very positive, There has been growth in the area of community building, reaching out to the more marginalized segments of our community and gains in the health and wellb-being of participants. But, there Is a lot left to do in these areas......... My hopes are that the Senior Center and Parks and Recreation Staff will provide you with the official evaluation when it is complete ......... but my request for HELP can't waitl I've heard repeatedly from participants (and some who dropped out) that these two factors are major barriers to their participation: Water Temperature Until quite recently, the water temperature was cold and participants commented time and time again that they were uncomfortable. Several participants dropped out because of the cold water temperature. Please note that on the Parks and Recreation website it says that the water temperature at Robert A. Lee pool is 83-85 degrees. Consider me the 'human thermometer'! For months the temperature was closer to 80-81 degrees . If you are not a swimmer, that difference might seem insignificant but it is the difference between an intolerable or comfortable experience, particularly for the more senior swimmers. I reached out to the staff on this issue and I owe a big THANK YOU to Caylea Housch, Brad Parker and HVAC technician (sorry I don't know his name) who worked together to adjust the temperature ..... .but this will need to be consistently monitored. The success of Water Mindfulness depends on maintaining the water temperature to a comfortable and consistent temperature PARKING I, and other members of the public, have repeatedly brought up the issue of parking at RAL as a deterrent to the use of the facility. There has been no response on the part of city officials acknowledging that this is a problem nor has there been a willingness to engage in collaborative problem -solving to address this. (Also, important to note that the parking fees have recently increased). $o, I'm suggesting that we all roil up our sleeves and engage In collaborative problem solving. I'm holding tight to the belief that we all share the common goal of furthering the health and well-being of Iowa City residents] Would it be possible, for example, to provide RAL patrons 5.10 hours per week of free parking? With collaborative problem -solving, I am confident that solutions will come forth and I am offering my time, if that would be helpful, to be a part of the discussion of the solution, You might be asking yourself, "is that my role as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner" and my response is "yes ,it is the role of all of us working together", Thank you, Mark Cannon 319 337 6072 markc39@gmail.com "THE MIND IS LIKE WATER. WHEN IT'S TURBULENT, IT'S DIFFICULT TO SEE. WHEN IT'S CALM, EVERYTHING.; BECOMES CLEAR:" __ ( PRASAD MAHE) Date: August 12, 2024 To: Juli Seydell Johnson, Director of Parks & Recreation From: Brad Barker, Recreation Superintendent Re: Parking Fees and Water Temperature Meeting Background: Mark Cannon had previously reached out by email on July 11, 2024 to share with Commission his concern regarding the water temperatures and parking fees at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center. Juli had shared with Mark in replythat the lower than usual water temperatures were a result of some repair work being done at the facility and that the temperature was expected to return to normal shortly. Brad met with Mark on July 22, 2024 to discuss possible options to reduce parking fees during the daytime hours for recreation participants. It had been mentioned at this meeting that the Senior Center has an arrangement with the City's Parking Division for reduced parking pass rates. Brad has reached out to the Parking Division to learn more about this plan and to further investigate options. 220 S. Gilbert Street • Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1632 • (319) 356-5100 • FAX (319) 356-5487 Gabriel Gotera From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Diane Allen <dlallent E@hotmail.com> A "This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any I!nksar attachments. ** Hi All, As I'm typing this summary aboutthe Project GREEN Gardens (PGG), it's 71 degrees and 0% chanceof rain. From my window I can see our backyard filled with sunlight and shadows from trees. It's another perfect summer day... This past weekend was Project GREEN's Open Gardens Weekend, The PGG were part of the event as its "Open Gardens Weekend Headquarters." Another 20 private gardens were ready to be seen beginning Saturday, July 13 from 4 - 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 14 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Project GREEN-ers stayed busy greeting guests, giving tours of the PGG, handing out ice cold water & OGW maps to all 20 gardens to visit. We were able to use the Ashton House lower level allowing visitors to use the restroom. Garden art and house plants were available for our visitors to take home after giving Project GREEN a donation. Rarely was there an extra parking space in the lot off Park Road. A few guests used Normandy Drive and walked across the grass to the "Headquarters." All in all, it was a fun time and we met LOTS of wonderful garden enthusiasts. Our Saturday Project GREEN volunteers were: Jim Peters, Rina Sjolund, Hetty Hall, Cindy Parsons, and moi. Each volunteer stayed four hours on Saturday. Sunday's Project GREEN volunteers were,. Mary Laughlin, Susan Ahrens, Monica Hoherz, Dhyana Kauffman, Pat Yeggy, Cindy Parsons, and me! (4 hours). Each volunteer stayed 2 hours unless otherwise noted in parenthesis. Enjoy a couple pictures taken at our ProjectGREEN Headquarters on Sunday morning. We had fourteen volunteers for Week 11, July 15 from 9 - 11 a.m. The temperature was 80 degrees when we started and the rain gauge showed 11/2 inch since last week. There was a promise of another hot day in the air. Those in attendance were: Chris Ostrander, Mary Laughlin, Dhyana Kauffman, Jim Peters, Rina Sjolund, Susan Ahrens, Kyle Hulscher, Evelyn Frey, Cindy Parsons, Monica Hoherz, Hetty Hall, Erin Buscher, Lynne Giles, and moi. Everyone agreed to head home at 11 a.m. and I'm happy to report our tired volunteers heeded this advice. Our list of goals included: planting two trays of white salvia at the Triangle replacing the spent verbena planted the first week of June, building an arch, spraying Liquid Fence where needed, fertilizing containers, filling our birdbaths, and of course, watering & weeding. We will install the arch during our Week 12 and have purchased a new bird bath to place below the arch. This new addition will be seen from the bridge leading to the Ashton House (inside Ligularia 0ell) and along the hiking/biking trail. Some of the remaining garden art has been placed inside flowerbeds of the PGG. Here are the numbers after Week 11 at the Project GREEN Gardens, Weeks 1- 10+ OGW + Week 11= 513 1/2 hours+ 36 hours + 28 hours = 577 1/2 hou fs for our Project GREEN gardeners! Many thanks to all— Week 12 is Monday, July 22 from 9 - 11 a.m. All are welcome! Until then, happy gardening! Diane Gabriel Gotera From: Sent: To: CC - Subject: Diane Allen <dlal1enl6@hotmai1.com> Week 12, July 22, 2024 Project GREEN Gardens (PGG) A "This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any links or attachments. Hi All, Our Week 12 at the PGG was another success story! We had a long list of to-do Items, which all was checked "done!" by the end of our time together. Project GREEN has a remarkable group of volunteers. The following tells the PGG story for the past two years. On July 19, 2022 there were 13 volunteers in attendance. Our time together was spent watering and weeding, The Monday, July 17, Week 12 for 2023 was cancelled and rescheduled to Tuesday. The Air Quality Index, AQI, value was 160 and considered unhealthy with directions, "Everyone may begin to experience health effects." We met Tuesday, July 18 instead when the AQI was normal. Fourteen volunteers worked Week 12, 2023. We planted S coreopsis in the north -end of a West Oval. Jim Peters was thanked for making our watering system easier and better organized. Our drought was getting started as the summary read, "We've had little rain so weeds are beginning to grow in earnest." Sound familiar? Back to20241 our rain gauge showed 3/4 Rnch rain since Week 11. 1 forgot to note the 9 a.m. temperature, but it was a pleasant morning. There were 14 volunteers in attendance on Monday, July 22, They were Nick Goergen, Evelyn Frey, Pat Yeggy, Susan Ahrens, Jim Peters, Rina Sjolund, Hetty Hall, Monica Hoherz, Mary Laughlin, Linda Bergquist, Sue Terveer- Mullins, Dhyana Kaufman, Kyle Hulscher, and moi. Our volunteer hours from 9 - 11 a.m. gives each 2 hours, but many stayed later totaling an extra 7 1/2 hours. our ambitious list of chores was: installing an arch and bird bath, watering (keeping two hoses busy), watering and fertilizing 6 containers and 2 wagons, looking for deer -eaten plants and spraying with Liquid Fence, continuing weeding, checking flowerbecis for weeds to remove, using the reciprocal saw to trim cranberry bushes behind the north end of ramp leading to house, & cleaning bird baths and refilling with water. Everyone scattered after our team meeting and got busy taking care of the Gardens. JOY! Enjoy the pictures taken Monday, July 22. The arch put together last week was installed. It can be easily seen from the hiking/biking trail to the sidewalk leading to the Ashton House. We will place a bird bath under the arch next week. Does anyone have a deer resistant vine idea to plant in this semi -shady location? Susan Ahrens was kept busy weeding Ligularia Dell where the Arch is now located. So many pretty places to view at the Gardens: Mary's Tree looking north, the Quilt, and three sides of the Triangle. Mary Laughlin made sure all the plants were watered! Evelyn's Corner has been a work -in -progress this year. Its location at the south-west corner of the parking lot is very large and partially filled with weeds. It has been a labor of love clearing this space and making room for beautiful annuals and perennials. Evelyn Frey and Dhyana Kaufman were busy digging to remove unwanted weeds. Volunteers use the app, picture This, making sure to know the difference between wanted and unwanted plants. The red penta plants are very colorful, despite a difficult beginning with confused, hungry deer. When ordering our annual plants we only purchase deer resistant flowers. We are using Liquid Fence now to protect these plants that were supposed to be deer resistant. Here are a few more locations getting Project GREEN attention. There are three Catalpa trees and LOTS of Canadian anemone in the picture of our newest bed to clear. Behind the Sycamore tree is Jim Peters who is hunting and finding Japanese Honeysuckle vines to remove. Sue Terveer-Mullins and Monica Hoherz are continuing to clear west oval 3. Lots of progress has been/will be accomplished! Thanks to Sue Terveer-Mullins for noticing the fallen Aspen tree located along the east Normandy Drive area of the PGG. There have been high winds that may have caused this tree to fall. A message to Tyler Baird, Superintendent of Parks and Forestry, got a quick response to removing the tree. The stub was left as it had a bright green Spongy Moth monitoring trap attached. The Gypsy Moth is an invasive species and the USDA is collecting data with these traps. Volunteers will cut the broken peony stems next week. Can you seethe blooming, deep red hibiscus flower behind the Queen Anne's lace plant? This "Picture of the Week" was taken on the Bridge looking north. Project GREEN did not plant the volunteer Queen Anne's lace plant, but it is lovely. Here are the numbers after twelve weeks at the PGG. Weeks 1 -11 hours+ Week 12 hours = 577 1/2 hours +35 1/2 hours = 513 hou fs for 2024's Project GREEN volunteers! Congratulations to our merry band of gardeners. Our Week 13 will begin Monday morning, July 29 at 9:00. Looking forward to another fun work session! Until then, happy gardening! Diane 8 Gabriel Gotera From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Diane Allen <dlallenl6@hotmaiLcom> Week 13, July 29, 2024 Project GREEN Gardens (PGG) A "This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any links or attachments. ** Hi All, You don't know how wet it is until a rain gauge tells you the story. The PGG have two rain gauges, one in the front of the Ashton House and one behind. This past week we measured 3 inches in front and 2 7/8 inches behind. Let's call it 3 inches for Week 13. It was 73 degrees at 9 a.m. and 78 degrees as we headed home. Perfect gardening weather! Our first chore was to use a couple snow shovels to collect washed out riverbed rocks. All was put back in order in a few minutes thanks to a couple Project GREEN volunteers. Thanks to volunteer, Jim Peters, for sharing this picture with us. By the way, it was also perfect conditions to gently pull most weeds from our garden soil. There were 11 Project GREEN volunteers in attendance for Week 13. They were: Jim Peters, Mary Laughlin, Monica Hoherz, Kyle Hulscher, Nick Goergen, Hetty Hall, Lisa Haverkamp, Evelyn Frey, Erin Buscher, Pat Yeggy, and moi. Thanks to volunteers for writing their "check out" time as I could easily count with my fingers and toes an extra 2 1/2 hours for Project GREEN volunteers. our to-do list this week included: reloading the Little Free Library, cleaning up line-out bed peonies from the tree fall, installing a 16 square inch tile under the Arch and placing the new bird bath upon the leveled tile, and filling all our bird baths, digging or pulling weeds from west oval 3, the catalpa trees bed, & around the Arch. It was decided to fertilize containers+ wagons later in the week. It was much too wet! Here are our pictures after 13 weeks working at the PGG. E IR w.i -On The Catalpa trees bed has beautiful soil hidden under a sea of Canadian anemones. We will save a thumbnail area on the north end of this bed for the anemones and are collecting ideas for the rest of the empty spaces. We will "save" one catalpa tree. This bed can be seen from many places around the Gardens. 3 -On The Catalpa trees bed has beautiful soil hidden under a sea of Canadian anemones. We will save a thumbnail area on the north end of this bed for the anemones and are collecting ideas for the rest of the empty spaces. We will "save" one catalpa tree. This bed can be seen from many places around the Gardens. 3 Take a stroll along Ligularia Dell and you will discover an Arch with a bird bath underneath. In front there are lots of Amsonia plants (blue star) planted. This was a fun project! We still need a couple perennial plants one for each side of the arch's partially shaded location. oh yes, the plants need to be deer resistant. I have an idea so Watch This Space! This walk will make you smile as the ligularia is beginning to bloom. Both sides of the walkway need your attention as there are voodoo lilies planted along the north. Thanks to Project GREEN volunteer, Pat Yeggy, for making and installing ID markers. The markers help when looking for plant surprises. 4 Don't forget to check out the east beds seen along Normandy Drive. Usually gardeners shoo -away pesky rabbits, but there are exceptions! A terra cotta bunny has hippy -hopped stopped next to the memorial tree for Max Molleston. This is a sweet bed filled with lantana, verbena, and some French marigolds. Can you see the allium volunteers spray painted blue along the center of this bed? E Project GREEN volunteers often meet visitors to the Gardens as we work on Mondays from 9 - 11 a.m. Patrick Fan is a regular visitor and can be easily recognized with a camera (and LONG lens) around his neck. Patrick keeps busy capturing pictures of eagles along the meandering Iowa River. If you can scroll into the picture shown on the top, right section of the tree there are two eagles who watched us as we watched them. Patrick knows where these two eagles nest (in City Park) and are raising their young. If you are able to access Facebook you can see a wonderful collection of pictures taken by Patrick who has 10,000 followers. Here are the numbers for Week 13: Weeks 1- 12 hours + Week 13 hours = 613 hours + 24 1/2 hours = 6371/2 hours for Project GREEN volunteers after 13 weeks at the Project GREEN Gardens. Many thanks to all! -HANK YOU IjOR QR; o(u` 09 yneeaec .:OUP?: ((ORTefes Vo(u W, Our next work session will be Monday, August 5 from 9 - 11 a.m. We are at the half -way point in our 2024 year. Time goes quickly! Hope to see volunteers next week. Until then, happy gardening! Diane PatYeggy has completed collecting information from our 2024 Project GREEN volunteers. I will have available a copy for each of the 2024 active volunteers at Week 14's 9 a.m. Monday meeting. Please remember to pick yours up! Gabriel Gotera Frain: Diane Allen <dlallenl6@hotmail.com> Sent: To: Cc: Subject: A ** This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any links or attachments. ** Hi All, Thirteen volunteers met this past Monday for our weekly work session at the PGG. As we began our work, it was 79- degrees and our gauges collected 3/4 inch of rain since last week. Those in attendance were: Linda Bergquist, Susan Ahrens, Pat Yeggy, Hetty Hall, Jim Peters, Monica Hoherz, Nick Goergen, Rina Sjolund, Dhyana Kaufman, Cindy Parsons, Erin Buscher, Lisa Haverkamp, and moi. It was a good turn -out considering the heat & humidity. Everyone agreed 11 a.m. would be our finish time. We had what looked like a short list of chores to complete: weeding and watering, filling the LFL, fertilizing & watering containers and wagons. We are beginning to analyze the beds for next year's plant purchases. Any ideas? Please send to Cindy or me. Our newest bed, the catalpa tree bed had two catalpa trees cut down. There is one catalpa remaining in the center of this north bed. One of our hoses from the house sprung a leak and after locating the correct tool, the hose was doing its job just fine. Our two hours flew by. Here are the numbers after 14 weeks together: Weeks 1 - 13 + Week 14 = 637 1/2 hours + 26 hours = 663 1/2 hours for the Project GREEN Gardens volunteers! Congratulations for a job well done to all. Remember when?? It's been 4 years since the 2020, August 10 Oerecho event. Project GREEN volunteers left the PGG by 11:30 a.m. to head home from our weekly work session. Here are a few pictures from the noon wind damage at the Gardens. M 1 Y Our next meeting date is August 12, from 9 - 11 a.m. Fingers crossed it's another beautiful day like today. Looking forward to seeing Project GREEN volunteers. Until then, happy gardening! Diane Upcoming event: Project GREEN Steering Committee meeting is August 15, Thursday beginning 11:30 a.m, All are welcome! We will meet at the Ashton House, main floor.