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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-12-2025 Parks and Recreation Commission Agenda PacketIf 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 or ggotera@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. 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@iowa-city.org, prior to 4 p.m. on Monday, March 10, 2025, will be distributed to the Commission in advance of the meeting. AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF JANUARY 08, 2025, 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 b) Recreation Superintendent – Brad Barker 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 on a tour through the Ned Ashton House after its transition into a hub for Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, March 12, 2025 5:00 p.m. The Ned Ashton House 820 Park Rd, Iowa City, IA 52240 IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES OF JANUARY 8, 2025 MEETING ROOM B – ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER Members Present: Connie Moore, Brian Morelli, Missie Forbes, Virginia Hayes, Michael Gaunt, Jeff Mallory, Caleb Recker Members Absent: Rachel McPherson, Alex Stanton Staff Present: Juli Seydell Johnson, Tyler Baird, Brad Barker, Gabe Gotera Others Present: Jill Fishbaugh, Justin Fishbaugh, Mitzi Read CALL TO ORDER: Director Seydell Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): None OTHER FORMAL ACTION: Moved by Recker, seconded by Gaunt, to approve the November 13, 2024, minutes. Motion passed 6-0 (McPherson, Morelli, and Stanton absent). Moved by Forbes, seconded by Mallory to elect Connie Moore as Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Stanton absent). Moved by Forbes, seconded by Hayes to elect Brian Morelli as Vice-Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Stanton absent). PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Commissioner Morelli arrives. Jill Fishbaugh shares that on December 5, the National Park Service approved the community- led application to place the Iowa City Community Recreation Center on the National Register of Historic Places. As co-author of the application, Fishbaugh details the key reasons for the nomination. The Iowa City Community Recreation Center is an architecturally significant building located in an area of the city, first designated as a public space in 1839 and is an example of a community recreation facility designed in the midcentury modern style. It is a rare example of municipal planning in Iowa, where its central location supports the city goals of a PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 2 of 12 walkable livable vibrant downtown. Fishbaugh says that saving a structurally sound building that has proven to be versatile and adaptable rather than demolishing it favors sustainability goals and honors the visions of Recreation Superintendent Robert A. Lee and Architect Roland Wehner. Fishbaugh explains that being listed on the National Register provides access to federal and state funding streams specific to preservation and restoration. Fishbaugh hopes that the designation encourages city leaders and decision makers to continue investing in the maintenance of the facility. Dir. Seydell Johnson notes that the National Register plaque has been installed at the recreation center. COMMISSION BUSINESS – Parks and Recreation Dir. Seydell Johnson Introduction of New Commission Members Dir. Seydell Johnson welcomes new Parks and Recreation Commissioners, Michael Gaunt and Jeff Mallory. Commissioner Gaunt introduces himself as having been raised in Iowa City before leaving for 35 years and returning in 2022. Gaunt has been a professionally licensed landscape architect since 1999 with a background in park design and maintenance. Gaunt’s family still lives in the local area and his favorite park is Hickory Hill Park. Commissioner Mallory introduces himself as being originally from California but has lived in Iowa City for five and a half years alongside his husband and cat. Mallory says one of the most exquisite parts of living in Iowa City are the birds, animals, and trees of Hickory Hill Park and Pappy Dickens Preserve. Election of Officers Commissioner Forbes nominates Connie Moore as Chairman and Brian Morelli as Vice- Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission for 2025. Moved by Forbes, seconded by Mallory to elect Connie Moore as Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Stanton absent). Moved by Forbes, seconded by Hayes to elect Brian Morelli as Vice-Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Stanton absent). CITY PARK UPDATE – Parks and Recreation Dir. Seydell Johnson Dir. Seydell Johnson presents the attached PowerPoint over the City Park Pool Update. Commissioner Recker, regarding lawn maintenance, asks if it is being considered to use artificial turf within the fence line as opposed to grass lawns. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds that using turf is still an option on the table and may be bid as an alternative PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 3 of 12 Commissioner Hayes asks if the current fence line on the western side of the pool matches up with the rendered fence line. Dir. Seydell Johnsons confirms that the current western fence line does match the rendered fence line. Seydell Johnson notes that the rendered eastern fence line will extend a bit past the current fence line towards the parking lot. Commissioner Mallory asks if the children’s wading pool will be entirely removed. Dir. Seydell Johnson confirms this, clarifying that the entire current pool and pool deck will be demolished and replaced. Commissioner Hayes asks if there will be enough room for lounger chairs between the fence line and the lap-lane pool. Dir. Seydell Johnson confirms that there will be enough space for lounger chairs between the fence line and the lap-lane pool. Commissioner Recker asks how many parking spots are lost when making the service lot for the mechanical/filter building. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds that two parking spots will be lost for the construction of the service lot. Seydell Johnson explains that the new separate filter house will be a great improvement to both safety and efficiency. Currently, the filter house is in the basement of the building and is accessible via confined space entry. This makes for a difficult space for maintenance staff to work around and means that the chemicals are stored not too far from where patrons shower. Having the filter house in its own separate space makes the delivery process for chemicals such as chlorine and CO2 much easier. Delivery trucks would be able to connect their hose to outside of the building to fill the tanks on the inside. This also keeps the chemical storage further away from rest of the pool. Commissioner Mallory asks where the children play feature will be located amongst the three pools. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that children’s play feature will be in the middle of the zero- depth-entry. Mallory asks if this would put the feature in the center of the leisure pool. Seydell Johnson clarifies that it would not be in the center of the pool, but closer to the shore of the zero- depth-entry. The feature will be located at the depth of 1 ft while the deeper part of the pool extending to a depth of 3-1/2 – 4 ft will be used for open swim. Commissioner Recker asks if the new park restrooms that are attached to the bathhouse will be open year-round. Dir. Seydell Johnson confirms that both park restrooms and the community meeting room will be open year-round and will be accessible from the larger park, without admission through the bath house. Vice -Chair Morelli asks if the pool-water water-heaters listed as bid alternates would extend the season that the pool is open for. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds that it could have the potential to do so, but that a larger factor for determining the start and end dates of the season is the availability of lifeguards. Commissioner Mallory asks how the entrance of the pool will operate and if it will be a single or multiple entry points. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that there will be only one entrance to the bath house. Behind the cashier there will be a hallway where patrons can choose to use either the men’s changing area, the women’s changing area, or a single-use change area before making PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 4 of 12 their way to the pool deck. Mallory says that this structure should make it easier to keep track of who is entering the pool. Vice -Chair Morelli, regarding bids, asks if it has been considered to separate the project into multiple phases. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that the option to phase the project was considered but that it was not found to be feasible. Commissioner Hayes says that she likes the plan and thinks that it looks great. Dir. Seydell Johnson agrees with this, saying that the project is in a good place and is moving in the right direction. Seydell Johnson says that that it can be difficult to predict the bidding climate and iterates that, if necessary, the pool can be reopened for one more year but clarifies that would not be the desired outcome. Recreation Programming Update – Recreation Supt. Barker Supt. Barker gives an overview of what the Recreation Division does and where it currently stands. The main thing that Recreation does is provide leisure and recreational opportunities to the community and ensure that needs of the community are met. Barker says that Recreation staff are typically the public face of the department and when people have experiences with the Parks and Recreation department, it is usually with a Recreation staff member in one of their facilities. Barker takes pride in his staff providing great experiences through the programs offered to the community. These programs are curated, meaning that there are people doing the planning, procuring the supplies, instructing the course, and implementing the program. Supt. Barker details the different facilities used and managed by the Recreation Division. • There are two indoor recreation centers, the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center (RALRC) and the Mercer Park Aquatic Center & Scanlon Gymnasium (MPAC), each with an indoor pool. • City Park Pool, an outdoor pool typically open during the summer season. • The Ned Ashton House, which was formally used as an event rental facility, was recently modified in the last year to act as a central hub for Adaptive Recreation, • There are two dog parks, Rita’s Ranch Dog Park and Thornberry Dog Park. • The Terry Trueblood Lodge, located at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, is an event rental facility. • Community Garden Plots located, at four different parks, are managed by Recreation staff. • Park Shelter rentals are managed by Recreation staff. • The Iowa City Farmers Market in the Chauncey Parking Garage on E Washington St. Supt. Barker explains that both recreation centers are open 361 days of the year. Out of an entire week, both facilities are open for 97 hours. At RALRC, the indoor pool is available for open swim for 49 of those 97 hours. At MPAC, the indoor pool is available for 92 of those 97 hours. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 5 of 12 Supt. Barker states that in 2024, the Recreation Division offered 1,300+ programs and events to the public. These numbers are consistent with the numbers recorded in 2019. Barker defines a program as something that has a code and can be registered for in the ActiveNet recreation software used by the division. Barker explains that when the 2022 Recreation Masterplan was put together, 58% of those programs were in Aquatics and were mostly made up of swim lessons. For each different level of swim lessons, there are different instances of lessons offered on different days of the week. Each of those individual weekly lessons would be defined as a separate program. Within each different program area, there are roughly 200 different programs offered. Supt. Barker says that from a staffing perspective, the Recreation division has 8 full-time staff, including himself, and approximately 170 hourly staff through the year. This number inflates to around 220 people during the summer, due to the large amount of summer programming, such as Summer Camp and City Park Pool. Except for seasonal employees, hourly staff are generally limited to no more than 25 hours per week or 1300 hours out of the year. In 2024, hourly staff logged 85,759 hours, which is the full-time equivalent of 41 people. This highlights that the division relies heavily on the hourly staff, supervised by the 8 full-time employees, to provide the experiences offered in Parks and Recreation. Supt. Barker details the eight full-time employees and what their position entails. • Brad Barker, the Recreation Superintendent, oversees the entire operation side of Recreation and its supervisors. • Matt Eidahl, the Assistant Recreation Superintendent, has worked for the division for 25 years. He has been in that role for five years and was formally the Youth Sports Program Supervisor. Eidahl assists with the oversight of the full-time employees and handles the facility operations at MPAC, where his office is located. Eidahl also oversees the ~30 Customer Service staff at both recreation centers and organizes the rental and management of the Community Garden Plots. Eidahl develops the seasonal activities guides by coordinating with Program Supervisors to include all programs descriptions and dates into the three guides released per year. In short, he helps to keep the administrative operations running smoothly. • Malory Smysor is the Adaptive, Inclusion, and Outreach Program Supervisor and has been with the division for over two years. Smysor has done well to change the game with the adaptive programming offered. Barker recalls that five years prior, Adaptive programing was primarily Special Olympics. While Special Olympics is great, it focused heavily only on the competitive sports element. Now, alongside sports programming, there are courses on life skills, cooking classes, and arts and crafts activities. Smysor has started offering youth programming in the adaptive world which has been well received. Smysor also oversees the inclusion programming, where if someone is needing accommodations or assistance to participate in other programs, she has staff that can provide that assistance on a one-on-one experience, helping the patron have the accommodations to enjoy any programs offered by the division. Smysor also does Community Outreach. Barker refers to the upcoming MLK Day of Service, which Smysor is responsible for programming and implementing. Smysor also introduced the Indigenous Peoples Day, which has been well received. Smysor is the contact person for any ADA program accommodation requests. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 6 of 12 • Jeff Sears is the Sports and Wellness Program Supervisor and has been with the department for 16 years. For many years, Sears only oversaw Adult Sports, but recently took over Youth Sports from Asst. Supt. Eidahl. Sears is an expert on the recreation programming software, ActiveNet, and can assist other staff members with any problems that arise. In addition to Sports and Wellness, Sears oversees contract administration for Terry Trueblood Lodge reservations, staffing both dog parks, and managing ball field reservations. As such, Sears has connections with a lot of different sports organizations in the community and can communicate their needs with Parks staff regarding the ball fields. • Bill Lane, a newer employee from Sioux City Parks and Recreation, is the Communications and Special Events Program Supervisor and has worked for the Iowa City Recreation Division for just under a year. Lane oversees the communications for Recreation, including social media posts, website editing, and press releases. Lane has an hourly Content Creation staff member that assists him with planning, making, and scheduling his social media posts. Lane also oversees and the Farmers Market and its operation. Lane is currently preparing to open registration for the 2025 season of the Farmers Market. Lane also works on bigger special events. • Caylea Housh, Aquatics Program Supervisor, has been with the division for five years. Housh initially worked as a lifeguard, before being hired as Recreation Assistant for a few years, then in the last year earned her way to Aquatics Program Supervisor. Over the years, Housh has developed a lot of institutional background knowledge on the Iowa City Pools. Housh oversees all three swimming pools, including their staffing, operations, and programming. Housh coordinates swim lessons, water fitness programming, and certification for lifeguards and water safety instructors. Housh organizes special events such as Hydrant Parties, located in different neighborhoods during the Summer. Housh acts as liaison with the Iowa City Community School District swim teams and the Iowa City Eels swim club. • Nolan Butkowski worked for several years in Recreation Customer Service before being hired as Recreation Assistant. Recreation Assistant is a non-supervisory position that assists primarily Aquatics and Customer Service. Butkowski oversees scheduling and provides general leadership to both areas of staff. Butkowski acts as a point of contact should any trouble occur and aids with training and certification. • Joyce Carroll, recently retired, was the STEAM, Arts, and Nature Program Supervisor and had worked for the division for 45 years. Over the years, Carroll had garnered a list of a lot of different responsibilities. Carroll oversaw the Potters Studio including the staffing, programming, and general passes. A big responsibility for Carroll was organizing Arts and Crafts programs and Nature Education for both youth and adults. Nature Education was something that Carroll has pushed for more of over the last five years and was one of the focuses for the Recreation Masterplan. Carroll oversaw gardening in both the Discovery Garden and the Edible Garden. The Edible Garden and other edible forests were a creation of Carroll working with Backyard Abundance. Carroll also introduced a lot of STEAM programming such as robotics/drones, engineering, music, and more. Carroll organized the Free Roller-Skating on Saturdays, an event that brings in a lot of people to use the facility. This program starts with a beginner program in the beginning of the afternoon followed by an Open-Skating event in the evening. This event is held on most Saturdays except for Winter Break and the summer. Patrons can PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 7 of 12 rent out roller skates from staff at no fee. Carroll oversaw staffing for the maintenance and rental of the skates and contracted music entertainment for the program. For the entire 45 years that she worked, Carroll oversaw the Summer Camp, a program that has gone through different iterations and locations over the years. The Summer Camp program kept Carroll busy between organizing the required number of certified staff and appropriately managing any communication with the parents of participants to resolve issues and address behavioral issues at the camp. Recently the summer camp was held at the Ned Ashton House. Now that AIR programming is hosted at the Ashton House, a different location will need to be found for the Summer Camp. Carroll introduced and oversaw the Play Daze program and its predecessor the Playground program. The Playground program had staff scheduled during the summer on most days of the week at several different park locations around the community, providing games and arts and crafts in a drop-in setting. When numbers for the Playground program diminished over the years, Play Daze was introduced. The Play Daze program has more consistent scheduling and is centralized at a different park location each week. With its condensed format, more resources could be committed towards providing musical entertainment. Barker compares Play Daze to a miniature Party in the Park that is dedicated to getting kids out to a variety of parks. Supt. Barker states that Program Supervisor Carroll had retired the previous Friday. Barker says that the department had recently learned that the position is not going to be hired right away, that there is some uncertainty regarding it, and that this stems from larger things regarding the City budget. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that one of her upcoming items would be to update the Commission on the operating budget. Seydell Johnson explains that while nothing is new or different about the Parks and Recreation budget, the City budget overall will be lean and will depend on what the State of Iowa Legislature may or may not do with property tax. Currently, there are five or six positions across the city that are open, and while not eliminated they are frozen, meaning that the hiring process cannot begin. Seydell Johnson states that these positions vacancies will be handled on a case-by-case basis, referring to maintenance and public works positions that were deemed necessary to fill to keep services operating. Seydell Johnson says that while the STEAM, Arts and Crafts, and Nature Program Supervisor position is put on hold, a level of programming will be continuing through the Summer. Carroll had left behind part-time staff that are trained and ready to continue operating the programs that were scheduled and planned for the Winter/Spring. Staff are planning for Summer Camp to be offered during the Summer. After the summer, if the position is eliminated or not filled, the Recreation division will have to be refocused among the remaining supervisors and prioritize what programs will stay. If there is one less supervisor, the total supervisors are reduced by 20% and there will have to be programs cut as a result. Seydell Johnson says that the department has been told that the decision to rehire or restructure will come after the IA Legislature session closes and will be dependent on the results of said session. Commissioner Mallory asks if the relationship between the Iowa City Community School District and Iowa City Parks and Recreation is more recent or longstanding. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that the school district and the department have been longtime partners on several programs and facilities. Mallory asks about the relationship between the Iowa City Public Library and Parks and Recreation. Supt. Barker responds that there are partnership programs that PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 8 of 12 Recreation offers alongside ICPL. Barker says that ICPL is a staple at a lot of summer programs such as having the bookmobile at Party in the Park. Barker adds that both departments take part in each other’s Halloween Events. REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF: Parks and Recreation Director – Juli Seydell Johnson Parks: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the department is receiving two new park dedications. The first dedication is land from the Lindeman subdivision on the east side, specifically the trail that runs from Lower West Branch Rd to Anna St, connecting to the Scott Park Greenway. The second dedication is officially adding new land to the North-East corner of Hickory Hill Park from the Featherstone senior living development. Facilities: Dir. Seydell Johnson says that the Robert A. Lee pool has been successfully drained, cleaned, painted, and spruced up. The maintenance went well, and the pool was back to full operation and business in a timely manner. Seydell Johnson says that a lot of Government Buildings maintenance staff have been working at the Senior Center. Seydell Johnson explains that while the Senior Center is its own entity, Parks and Recreation maintains the building and provides custodial services. Ned Ashton House: Dir. Seydell Johnson refers to the Ned Ashton House, which had recently transitioned from a rental facility to the hub for Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation. Seydell Johnson tells Commissioners to plan to have the February 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting at the Ned Ashton house. Recreation Superintendent – Brad Barker Events: Supt. Barker announces the following upcoming Recreation events: • The MLK Day Of Service will be hosted from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Monday, January 20, 2025, at the Mercer Park Aquatic Center. This will be a free event offering different activities. • Freeze Fest will be held from 1 – 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at the Terry Trueblood Lodge. Staff have been organizing with a lot of different partnership groups to provide different kinds of indoor and outdoor experiences and education. • The Winter Playday event will be hosted from 1 – 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 8 at Happy Hollow Park. Barker explains that this event does rely on some snow fall for sledding, hot cocoa, snowshoe walking, and other related activities. Parks and Forestry Superintendent – Tyler Baird Winter: Supt. Baird says that staff have been removing snow but notes that there has not been much snow fall yet this season. Baird says that this can be nice as staff on new routes can get used to it first. Baird explains during a snow event, Parks staff will help clear areas all over town, not just in the parks. This includes downtown Iowa City, areas where the City owns a piece of property, and the entire trail network. Baird says that during the only measurable snowfall this year, Parks staff only missed two tiny sections across the whole City, which he credits to his staff training on their new routes. Baird commends his staff for prioritizing to keep the sidewalks clear PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 9 of 12 and safe before clearing the trail networks, including the eight miles of trails that have been added since 2020. Supt. Baird announces that the Ice-Skating Pond in Lower City Park has officially opened for the season. Baird explains that it took until earlier that day for the ice layer to reach the desired thickness. Baird says that in his 10 years of working for the city, he can recall only 3 years during which there was decent ice for a prolonged period. Typically, there is either a lot of snow before the ice is think enough, resulting in a non-workable surface, or there is not a sustained enough period of cold temperatures. Baird says that staff will keep it open for as long as it can but makes no guarantee on if it will last. Baird recalls the previous winter where temperatures rose right after the Ice-Skating Pond opened. Parks & Forestry Maintenance: Supt. Baird says that staff have been busy working on the trail network, clearing away undergrowth with a focus on honeysuckle. The Forestry crews have been busy with lots of pruning and mulching along the trails. Baird adds that there are some Parks staff that had previously worked in Forestry who have been doing the same thing through the park system. Baird explains that staff try to get through ¼ of the city’s street trees per year. At the current rate of work and snowfall, Baird says that this goal should within reach. This goal helps for the trees to be healthier and for longer, while keeping the summer workload manageable. Supt. Baird says that there is a lot planning for the next year of tree planting. Baird explains that for the Spring tree planting, staff have applied for a grant worth $40,000 and another for $10,000. If the grants aren’t received, then the tree planting will have to be scaled back. Baird says that staff are looking to have a tree planting in the neighborhood around Fairmeadows Park, then if funds allow for it, a tree planting in a new section of neighborhood on the North-East side of town without much tree canopy. Supt. Baird says that the division is in the planning stages for prescribed burns during the upcoming spring. One of the locations to receive a burn will be Sand Prairie Park, which had a prescribed burn in Spring 2024. Regarding Sand Prairie Park, Baird explains that staff have been collaborating with many different partners, of which includes the Fish and Wildlife Service Nature Conservancy, Johnson County Conservation, and an expert in Iowa plant biology, Dr. Rosberg from Drake University. Dr. Rosberg has conducted an inventory and is finalizing a report that should help staff with the burn and additional work in the park. The Fish and Wildlife Service has provided funding and will have a team building work day with Parks staff to remove woody material in the park. Baird says that while Sand Prairie may not be the most developed park, it is a gem within the community. Staffing: Supt. Baird announces that the Parks seasonal positions will go out for hiring within the next few weeks. Baird expects to hire 50-60 seasonal employees. During the previous year, seasonal staff had 25,000 hours of work, greatly supplementing the 23 full-time staff. Dir. Seydell Johnson adds that there is no hold on the part-time positions and encourages the commission to spread the word for the summer-time seasonal positions. Baird says that there will be a focus on recruiting Iowa City youth to have their first job in Parks. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 10 of 12 Commissioner Mallory asks Supt. Baird to reiterate about the underdeveloped gem. Baird explains that he was referring to Sand Prairie Park, which is located across South Gilbert St from the new Public Works Facility. The park has some remnant Prairie on it, which makes it special. CHAIRS REPORT: None COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Chair Moore thanks the Commission for entrusting her with the Chair position and states that she will do her very best job. Commissioner Forbes suggest for a meeting to be a Parks field trip. Dir. Seydell Johnson responds that this could happen during the June or July meeting when there are longer sunlight hours in the day. Commissioner Mallory appreciates the welcome he has received and thanks staff for the overview that they have presented. Commissioner Gaunt thanks Chair Moore and Vice-Chair Morelli for serving as officers for the year. Vice -Chair Morelli says that it is amazing that Joyce Carroll had worked for the city for so long and asks if there are any considerations for a kind of thanks for all that she has done. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that there can only be as much done as the employee will allow, explaining that Joyce was very specific to not have much fanfare as she left. Seydell Johnson confirms that there was a small staff gathering on Joyce’s last day. Vice -Chair Morelli passes on appreciation from several members of the public, regarding how quickly the trails were cleared of snow. Vice -Chair Morelli refers to Sand Lake at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, asking if the water is low due to silting or if it just dry. Supt. Baird responds the lake is not substantially silting in and that there is very little watershed, which is partly by design as a former sand quarry. Baird explains that this reason along with the sand bottom of the lake make it a challenge for the lake to hold water and is very reliant on the water table rainfall. Bair notes that while there is a some gain from the river, even when the river rose last year the lake did not raise back up. Baird says that by looking at aerial photos one can see it is normal for the lake to go back and forth in elevation but acknowledges that is it at the dryest point since the park opened. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 11 of 12 ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Gaunt, second by Forbes, to adjourn the meeting at 6:13 p.m. Motion passed 7-0 (McPherson and Stanton absent). PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 8, 2025 Page 12 of 12 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 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 NAME TERM EXPIRES 02 / 1 4 / 2 0 2 4 03 / 1 3 / 2 0 2 4 04 / 1 0 / 2 0 2 4 05 / 1 5 / 2 0 2 4 06 / 1 2 / 2 0 2 4 07 / 1 0 / 2 0 2 4 08 / 1 4 / 2 0 2 4 09 / 1 1 / 2 0 2 4 10 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 4 11 / 1 3 / 2 0 2 4 12 / 1 1 / 2 0 2 4 01 / 0 8 / 2 0 2 5 Aaron Broege 12/31/24 O/E NM X NM NM X X O/E NM X NM * Missie Forbes 12/31/25 X NM O/E NM NM X O/E X NM O/E NM X Michael Gaunt 12/31/28 * * * * * * * * * * * X Alex Hachtman 12/31/24 X NM X NM NM O/E X X NM X NM * Virginia Hayes 12/31/27 X NM X NM NM X X O/E NM O/E NM X Jeff Mallory 12/31/28 * * * * * * * * * * * X Rachel McPherson 12/31/26 X NM X NM NM X O/E O/E NM X NM O/E Connie Moore 12/31/25 O/E NM X NM NM X X X NM X NM X Brian Morelli 12/31/25 O/E NM X NM NM X X X NM X NM X Caleb Recker 12/31/26 X NM O/E NM NM X O/E X NM X NM X Alex Stanton 12/31/27 X NM O/E NM NM O/E X X NM X NM O/E 01/08/2025 Design Considerations What We Learned Preserve History Trees Open Feel Focus Learn to Swim Multigenerational Safety Avoid Overlapping Functions 495 Idea Generation Participants 251 Online Idea Generation Submissions 137 Representative Focus Group Participants 44 Electronic Focus Group Submissions 1,582 Survey Responses What We Heard Community Input Touchpoints 566 Feedback Touchpoints 01/08/2025 01/08/2025 01/08/2025 Design Updates: New water and sewer lines from Park Road. All Electric Heat for Bath House and Community Room Water bodies shifted closer together. Slightly less paved deck space. Bid Alternates: Limestone Raised Bed Planters Exterior and Pool Deck Water Heaters for Pool Water - Choice can be made to heat 1, 2 or 3 pools. Climbing Wall in Diving Well Third Diving Board Shade Structures (Plan is to have them but may need to be purchased separately.) Continuing to discuss architectural materials and finishes. Demolition of Park Restroom Building 01/08/2025 01/08/2025 Day Date 6-7a 7-8a 8-9a 9-10a 10-11a 11-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p 3-4p 4-5p 5-6 p 6-7p 7-8p Daily Rec Totals Water Fitness Swim Lessons Event # Count Event Name Saturday 1-Feb 5 2 4 5 10 4 0 17 1 48 1 Sunday 2-Feb 0 6 2 2 0 10 $2 Swim Monday 3-Feb 7 3 4 3 10 9 3 39 18 Tuesday 4-Feb 4 3 7 1 7 13 2 37 Water Mindfullness (cancelled) Wednesday 5-Feb 9 1 1 3 6 4 3 27 17 Thursday 6-Feb 2 3 4 1 2 9 0 21 Friday 7-Feb 5 3 2 6 8 9 1 1 3 1 0 34 16 5 $2 Swim Saturday 8-Feb 6 1 4 1 1 6 4 7 10 40 2 Sunday 9-Feb 2 8 2 3 0 47 15 $2 Swim Monday 10-Feb 4 3 1 3 7 8 0 26 22 58 Tuesday 11-Feb 4 5 5 2 3 10 2 31 49 19 Water Mindfullness Wednesday 12-Feb 2 1 0 2 1 6 2 14 2 Thursday 13-Feb 4 5 1 3 4 11 3 31 64 Friday 14-Feb 4 3 3 2 4 7 1 0 7 0 3 24 10 $2 Swim Saturday 15-Feb 4 1 4 3 4 1 4 4 0 25 3 Sunday 16-Feb 0 12 3 0 0 54 15 $2 Swim Monday 17-Feb 6 2 4 2 4 7 1 26 13 58 Tuesday 18-Feb 6 0 3 4 6 10 4 33 40 7 Water Mindfullness Wednesday 19-Feb 8 1 1 3 6 11 2 32 6 43 Thursday 20-Feb 2 1 4 2 8 5 1 23 65 Friday 21-Feb 4 1 2 4 9 9 4 1 8 2 0 33 14 11 $2 Swim Saturday 22-Feb 5 2 4 3 5 4 1 21 2 47 3 Sunday 23-Feb 4 9 2 1 0 58 16 $2 Swim Monday 24-Feb 6 0 5 4 3 10 4 32 23 49 Tuesday 25-Feb 5 4 6 1 9 10 2 37 61 19 Water Mindfullness Wednesday 26-Feb 7 5 0 4 2 10 3 31 16 36 Thursday 27-Feb 0 Friday 28-Feb 6 2 4 7 6 10 3 7 6 0 0 38 24 13 $2 Swim Grand Total 672 729 180 682 140 1731 26.0 6.4 24.4 5.0 61.8 text for print Text $2 Swim. This quantity is not included in Daily Rec Totals Facility closed for events/maintenance/holiday/weather Robert A Lee Recreation Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - February 2025 Averages: Totals:Total Scans: Day Date 6-7a 7-8a 8-9a 9-10a 10-11a 11-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p 3-4p 4-5p 5-6 p 6-7p 7-8p Daily Rec Totals Water Fitness Swim Team Event # Count Event Name Saturday 1-Feb 3 0 6 7 10 11 6 8 19 9 7 3 6 2 97 130 Sunday 2-Feb 19 10 3 10 12 4 3 2 6 69 Monday 3-Feb 9 15 16 7 13 7 10 8 9 1 7 1 5 9 117 4 130 Tuesday 4-Feb 3 14 11 13 14 8 11 9 6 5 4 13 5 3 92 2 130 27 $2 Swim Wednesday 5-Feb 9 8 10 10 8 8 3 3 5 0 6 4 3 0 77 130 Thursday 6-Feb 5 3 4 4 6 9 11 5 5 14 7 11 10 1 85 3 130 10 $2 Swim Friday 7-Feb 6 14 7 13 17 8 7 7 4 1 8 3 0 0 95 2 130 Saturday 8-Feb 3 5 3 5 8 11 3 19 9 7 4 4 2 0 83 130 Sunday 9-Feb 24 6 5 16 12 4 6 1 1 75 Monday 10-Feb 9 9 10 14 12 6 11 9 6 8 4 4 4 6 112 5 130 Tuesday 11-Feb 6 13 12 10 6 8 10 7 7 8 5 4 2 1 83 2 130 16 $2 Swim Wednesday 12-Feb 4 3 2 1 3 2 5 1 4 3 0 2 6 1 37 130 Thursday 13-Feb 4 6 2 6 6 7 8 5 3 8 3 10 3 2 61 4 130 12 $2 Swim Friday 14-Feb 4 9 8 17 14 10 7 3 6 2 4 2 6 0 92 2 130 Saturday 15-Feb 5 5 5 10 10 11 9 8 20 9 4 2 7 1 106 130 Sunday 16-Feb 27 13 10 4 11 8 7 4 1 85 Monday 17-Feb 7 9 4 18 10 12 10 4 7 4 5 0 2 2 94 4 100 Tuesday 18-Feb 4 2 7 2 11 9 12 17 7 7 3 6 1 0 75 2 100 13 $2 Swim Wednesday 19-Feb 7 6 8 8 6 9 9 5 3 5 9 6 6 2 89 100 Thursday 20-Feb 8 11 1 10 16 10 8 5 3 9 12 4 9 2 82 4 100 26 $2 Swim Friday 21-Feb 6 9 10 17 11 6 7 7 12 7 7 3 6 2 110 2 100 Saturday 22-Feb 5 3 7 10 2 7 5 27 18 10 14 7 7 1 123 100 Sunday 23-Feb 12 6 23 8 3 5 3 7 3 70 Monday 24-Feb 11 11 12 11 12 8 9 9 3 4 3 2 1 2 98 2 100 Tuesday 25-Feb 10 7 15 9 14 6 3 8 9 11 7 9 8 2 95 3 100 23 $2 Swim Wednesday 26-Feb 9 10 8 12 11 4 2 1 5 4 5 4 0 2 77 100 Thursday 27-Feb 6 12 11 18 11 11 4 8 4 8 1 13 4 1 83 4 100 29 $2 Swim Friday 28-Feb 8 15 4 14 11 11 4 7 6 7 12 7 4 3 113 1 100 Grand Total 2100 2475 46 2790 156 5467 88.4 1.6 99.6 5.6 195.3 ICE =106 (includes masters) $2 Swim. This quantity is not included in Daily Rec Totals Facility closed for events/maintenance/holiday Mercer Park Aquatic Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - February 2025 Totals: Averages: Total Scans: Ending Balance:$241,817.87 January 01, 2024 - January 31, 2024 Beginning Balance:$235,628.27 Total Fund Income:$7,017.49 Total Fund Expenses:$827.89 Community Foundation of Johnson County City of Iowa City Parks and Recreation Accounts Iowa City Parks and Rec Endowment Fund Statement Activity Iowa City Parks and Rec Charitable Giving Fund January 01, 2024 - January 31, 2024 Beginning Balance:$42,123.12 Total Fund Income:$0.00 Total Fund Expenses:$2,835.53 Ending Balance:$39,287.59 Statement Activity 1 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report | City of Iowa City Iowa City Parks & Recreation Staff Report March 2025 Upcoming Events • Tot Time Season – M-F, January 6 – April 25, 9:30-11:30 am, MPAC • Rollerskating – Saturdays, January 11 – May 17; 3-5 pm, 5:30-7:30 pm; RAL • Symmetry in Art & Nature: A Hands-On STEAM Event – Sunday, March 23, 1-3 pm, RAL • Lucky Littles Swim Party – Saturday, March 29, 3:30-5:30 pm, RAL • Earth Expo – Saturday, April 5, 1-4 pm, RAL Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff Parks: • We were able to prune many street trees this winter (1,968 trees between Nov. 1 and Feb. 28) • Parks crews were also busy pruning trees this winter and got to most of the trees in parks in areas we mow. • Our replacement large forestry bucket truck is now in service, and the crew has built out all the storage on the bed to fit our needs. This replaces the previous truck as part of our regular replacement schedule. • We currently have our fall tree order out to bid. • We had two staff successfully complete their certification tests last month. One passed the Certified Park and Recreation Professional exam and the other became our 10th Certified Arborist. • Seasonal hiring is close to complete with a handful of positions left to fill for the summer season. • Prescribed burn season is about to begin, and we have received approval from the Fire Marshal to proceed with our burn plans. Recreation: • Many full-time and hourly recreation division staff have been assisting with STEAM/Arts/Nature program development and implementation and summer camp planning while the Program Supervisor position remains vacant. • Most recreation division full-time staff will attend the Iowa Parks and Recreation Conference in late March in Coralville for continuing education. Facilities: • Ashton House roof- o Materials have shipped. Waiting on a delivery date. 2 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report | City of Iowa City • Robert A Lee & Mercer/Scanlon- o Winter overall has been mild with no major issues. Staff has been working a little more diligently to keep buildings comfortable with the large temperature swings. Cemetery: • Lot sales are on the increase due to the warming weather. • Planning for additional Columbarium space has begun. Top Staff Issues Parks • $30,000.00 in tree funding we had been selected to receive from Iowa DNR as part of Federal passthrough funds from the Inflation Reduction Act are currently on hold. This will delay our planned use of these funds even if they are released. Recreation • Staff have been busy prepping for summer programming and hiring sufficient levels of staffing. Cemetery: • Staff has been busy with repairing ruts along the roads in the cemetery due to the wet soggy conditions. 3 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report | City of Iowa City Oakland Cemetery FY 25 Revenue Report ** shaded areas represent previous 5yr average Revenue from Lot Sales Lot Sale 5yr Average # of Interments Interments 5yr avg. Revenue from Interments 5-year Avg. on Interments Total Revenue 5yr 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 $4,950.00 $7,871.50 7 7.2 $3,520.00 $4,106.50 $8,470.00 $11,978.00 Sept $900.00 $8,082.50 7 7.0 $3,027.50 $3,919.75 $3,927.50 $12,002.25 Oct $10,350.00 $12,342.00 7 7.6 $3,427.50 $4,103.50 $13,777.50 $16,445.50 Nov $1,800.00 $6,111.50 14 6.2 $7,287.50 $3,958.00 $9,087.50 $10,069.50 Dec $13,050 $2,745.50 3 5.0 $2,235.00 $3091.00 $15,285.00 $5.,836.50 Jan $1,800.00 $4,789.50 5 4.4 $2,567.50 $2,482.00 $4,367.50 $7,271.50 Feb $7,650.00 $4,940.00 2 3.6 $1,785.00 $2,623.00 $9,435.00 $7,563.00 March April May June Totals $43,200.00 $50,581.50 53 46.4 $28,735.00 $27390.25 $71,935.00 $77,962.75