Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-12-2025 Parks & Recreation CommissionIowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, November 12, 2025 5:00 P.M. • ' Robert A. Lee Recreation Center — Meeting Room B CITY of Iowa CITY 220 S Gilbert Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 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.orq, prior to 4 p.m. on Monday, November 10, 2025, will be distributed to the Commission in advance of the meeting. AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 8, 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 COMMUNITY GARDEN PLOT RENTAL PROGRAM — Asst. Recreation Supt. Matt Eidahl and Parks and Forestry Supt. Tyler Baird ITEM 5 REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF a) Parks and Recreation Director —Juli Seydell Johnson b) Parks and Forestry Superintendent — Tyer Baird c) Recreation Superintendent — Brad Barker ITEM 6 CHAIRS REPORT ITEM 7 COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ITEM ADJOURN 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 or ggotera@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES OF OCTOBER 8, 2025 ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER —MEETING ROOM B Members Present: Connie Moore, Brian Morelli, Virginia Hayes, Michael Gaunt, Jeff Mallory, Alex Stanton Members Absent: Missie Forbes, Rachel McPherson, Caleb Recker, Staff Present: Juli Seydell Johnson, Tyler Baird, Brad Barker, Gabe Gotera, Caylea Housh Others Present: Anne Jensen CALL TO ORDER: 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 Stanton, seconded by Morelli, to recommend moving forward with the plan proposed by staff for City Park Pool operations. Motion passed 6-0 (Forbes, McPherson, and Recker absent). Moved by Stanton, seconded by Mallory, to recommend approving the FY27 Recreation Fees and Charges as presented. Motion passed 6-0 (Forbes, McPherson, and Recker absent). OTHER FORMAL ACTION: Moved by Gaunt, seconded by Morelli, to approve the September 10, 2025, minutes. Motion passed 5-0 (Forbes, Mallory, McPherson, and Recker absent). PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 2 of 10 CITY PARK POOL OPERATIONS — Superintendent Brad Barker and Prol4ram Supervisor Caylea Housh Dir. Seydell Johnson introduces Superintendent Barker and Program Supervisor Housh, who will be discussing the operations for City Park Pool. Seydell Johnson clarifies that tonight will create the base that the hours, rules, and fees will be built up from. Supt. Barker compares the proposed hours of operation to that of past years. Barker explains that having three different pools would give a lot of options with how staff can program the space but clarifies that the intent is to have City Park Pool open to the public as much as possible, within the reason of budget and staff allocations. Barker highlights the following major changes: - The Activity Pool will be a 0-depth-entry and will be the space getting use most from the younger crowds at the pool. Open swim is proposed for 1 — 8 p.m. on most days for consistency but would close at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays due to swimming lessons. In past years, the pool opened for lap swim at 1 p.m. on week days, 11 a.m. on Sundays, and closed earlier on Saturdays due to pool rentals. - The Deep Pool will be the diving well and has proposed hours similar to the Activity Pool. The Deep Pool would have open swim from 1— 8 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Deep Pool would also close at 5 p.m. for swim lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. - The Lap Pool would have more varied hours of operations and would resemble the lap lane swim hours that were offered previously. The Lap Pool will open for lap swim from 6:15 — 9 a.m., close for swim lessons, and continue lap swim from 11:45 a.m. — 2 p.m. This would provide an additional 45 minutes of public lap swim every day. The Lap Pool would transition to Open Swim at 2 p.m. but would keep two 50m lanes open for exclusively lap swimming. This adds up to 46 additional hours each week where there are at least two 50m lap lanes available to the public. - Barker explains that there are blocks on the schedule where the pool appears closed but clarifies that this is to keep options available to staff for recreation programming. Supt. Barker explains that staff are currently in the midst of FY27 budget planning, and that what is possible for hours of operation are dependent on resource and staff allocation. All considered, staff feels comfortable that there will be enough funding to open with the hours proposed. This first season will certainly be an opportunity for staff to see what does and doesn't work in the new facility. Supt. Barker says that there will likely be pre and post season hours. Barker explains that the regular season would be considered when the school district is out for the summer and kids have availability to go to the pool. Pre and post season hours would consist of reduced open swim hours and increased lap swim hours during the week. The weekend hours would typically remain unchanged. Supt. Barker says that a question was received about keeping the Activity Pool open for water walking in the morning. Barker explains that the proposed hours would see the Activity Pool being used for swim lesson in the mornings but clarifies that the Lap Pool could be used for PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 3 of 10 water walking during lap swim hours. The Lap Pool was designed to be shallow enough so that patrons can utilize the 50 m pool for either water walking or lap swimming. Vice Chair Morelli notes that there is a block in the middle of the day from 11:45 a.m. — 1 p.m., where the Activity Pool is closed while the Lap Pool remains open. Morelli asks why the Activity Pool is closed for this period when the larger facility is open. Supt. Barker responds that it is due to the amount of lifeguard staff necessary to cover an additional pool for an additional hour and a quarter. Barker notes that this would be consistent with previous year's open swim schedule, opening at 1 p.m. Barker clarifies that this does not rule out the possibility of additional hours down the line, if there is enough demand. Barker notes that staff is wanting to keep the 1p.m. opening time consistent, allowing staff to tell the public that the entire facility opens at 1 p.m. The Lap Pool would have one more hour before four lanes transition to open swim at 2 p.m. Commissioner Stanton asks this one hour different would make scheduling a headache for the lifeguard staff. Program Supervisor Housh expects it to be easy because this would be consistent with how lap swim operated in the past. Housh says that it may take some time for the lifeguards to acclimate, but that the lifeguards will be trained to reference the different hours for the different pools. Commissioner Mallory arrives at 5:10 p.m. Supt. Barker goes over the pool rules which are available in Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, and Spanish. The rules are consistent across all three city pools to make it easier for patrons to know that it is the same expectations for behavior no matter the location. This also makes it easier on lifeguard staff who work at multiple locations. Supt. Barker goes over the following updates to the general pool rules that will take effect next season: - Previously, only children 7th grade and up were allowed to be at the pool unattended. This has changed to also include 6th graders. This change is after Southeast Junior High started teaching the 61h grade. The rec center rules have already been updated to allow 6" graders to have rec center facility passes. - There will not be rentals of the entire facility. Previously, City Park Pool would close at 5 p.m. on Saturday evenings for any pool rentals, sometimes to the disdain of the public looking to swim. Now, the 5 — 8 p.m. slot on Saturdays will be for public open swim. - The lap lanes can be rented out to organized swim groups. Some examples would include iFly, the Iowa City Community School District, and Iowa City Eels. The exact parameters are lane rentals are only during lap swim time when there are six lanes available. Only one group can rent lanes at a time, and each group can reserve a maximum of two lanes. - The Deep Pool may be available for rental during the morning hours, if there is no programming scheduled, such as a water fitness class. This would happen during lap swim time, adding a new guard into the rotation. Barker explains that this are the new schedule during normal circumstances, clarifying that the Parks and Recreation Director could make some exceptions to the schedule when warranted. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 4 of 10 Commissioner Mallory asks, historically, how popular were pool rentals at the old City Park Pool. Program Supervisor Housh says that only half of the rentals offered would get reserved. Housh adds that even if someone reserved the space online, sometimes they would never show up. This wasn't very economically efficient with the lifeguarding staff. Even at indoor pools, rentals would only get reserved about half of the time. Since then, it has been beneficial to have groups reserve a room at an indoor pool and swim during open swim hours. Due to this success, staff are looking to use this model at City Park Pool. People would be able to reserve the multi- purpose room at the new City Park Pool, hang out in a private area, and still get to enjoy the pool. Commissioner Stanton asks for confirmation that a parry could just rent an individual room at the pool, as opposed to renting the entire pool. Barker confirms this to be true. Commissioner Hayes asks if there will still be reduced rates offered for evening swims. Supt. Barker says that this is to be determined. Staff are discussing the options but have not made any decisions yet. Supt. Barker talks about organized groups and camps at the pool. It was a sore point for the public on Thursday afternoons, when the pool was closed to the public except for organized camps that has pre -registered with the facility. These camps would only be able to come on Thursday afternoons. The idea was that having all camps come on one day increased the enjoyment of the public for the rest of the week. This will change to have the pool open as usual on Thursday afternoons. Now groups and camps can come on any day of the week but will have to pre -register. There will likely be a set percentage of capacity that will accept groups up to that point. This way, it will not be overwhelming on any given day. Commissioner Stanton asks if a motion is made to use the proposed policies as a framework and if it is found that changes need to be made down the line, would it be brought to the commission to review. Supt. Barker confirms that this is accurate. Commissioner Mallory, regarding Rule 15, where if there are 15 or less pool users for 60 minutes or more, staff reserve the right to close, asks if this is a new or old rule. Program Supervisor Housh explains that it this has been a rule since at least she was working as lifeguard. Housh says that it doesn't happen often, and that staff try to avoid this. If it does happen, it is typically towards the end of summer when temperature get cooler, children get ready for school, and attendance drops. Moved by Stanton, seconded by Morelli, to recommend moving forward with the plan proposed by staff for City Park Pool operations. Motion passed 6-0 (Forbes, McPherson, and Recker absent). PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 5 of 10 FY27 USER FEES & CHARGES — Superintendent Brad Barker Supt. Barker explains that staff typically propose any fee adjustments only every other year, and that for the most part, will be true for FY27. FY26 saw a fee adjustment across the board, while the only adjustments proposed for FY27 are regarding the daily pool admission fee and a deposit fee for farmers market vendors. Supt. Barker says that if you see any empty stalls at the Farmers Market, it is not for a lack of interest. Typically, these are vendors not showing up, either withdrawing late, or no -call -no - showing. When this happens, staff don't have time to reach out to other vendors that are interested in the spot. This creates the following problems: 1) The poor aesthetic of empty stalls make it appear that there is a lack of interest of vendors to come to the market. 2) It takes away an opportunity from another vendor that would have been interested in attending. 3) It takes away revenue from the both the market and the department. Typically, staff would collect the $25 vendor fee on the day of the market. Staff have tried to have vendors pay in advance, but it quickly turns into a weekly puzzle to get the payments beforehand. From both a staffing and vendor perspective, it's easier to collect the fees day of, but if they don't show up, staff is unable to collect their fees. The new idea is to implement a $100 refundable deposit. For each instance that a vendor no -call -no-shows, staff will take $25 from the refundable deposit. This allows the market to make revenue and the vendor to have bit more skin in the game. At the end of the season, their remaining deposit balance will be refunded. Barker state that there have been over 100 no -call -no-shows, leading to a couple thousand dollars in lost revenue. Vice Chair Morelli asks if currently, there are any penalties against someone if they don't show up. Barker explains that the current penalty is that they will have to call in on Wednesday and pay in advance to attend the market. The issue with this is that it depends on staff to be present when they call. From an administration perspective, it would just be easier to take the $25 from their deposit. If their entire deposit runs dry, they will be taken off the market for the rest of the season. Supt. Barker explains that staff are looking to increase the daily pool admission fee from $4 to $5. The daily pool admission fee of $4 has not increased since the early 2010s. In the meantime, there have been incremental adjustments to the prices of swim passes, but not the daily fee, as an increase of $4 to $5 would be a 25% increase. Typically, staff would not make that large of a price increase, but staff also tries to keep the prices to a flat dollar amount. This way patrons do not have to deal with coins. Staff have found that from an operation perspective, the increase to $5 is warranted, and when compared to other local options, is still very fair, competitive, and affordable. Supt. Barker states that the cost of the "10 Punch Pass" would also increase from $32 to $40, making it buy eight punches, get two for free. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 6 of 10 Vice Chair Morelli asks how much of the fees are a portion of the budget for the pool. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that in 2024, City Park Pool brought in about $100,000 in revenue and that the expenses were about $241,000. This makes it under 50%. Seydell Johnson clarifies that this does not take into account season passes. Vice Chair Morelli asks if the fee would restrict some people from attending. Is there anybody that does not go to the pool due to the costs. Supt. Barker says that he does not know for the people that don't attend, but notes that this was something addressed in the master plan, particularly financial barriers for participation in programs. Staff tries to alleviate this as much as possible. There is the RecAssist program, which would take 50% of the swim passes for those that are income eligible. This would make the 30-day pass basically the cost of a few admissions a month. Barker says that with the daily fee not adjusting for 15 years, he does not see the $5 fee to be prohibitive to people any more than the $4 fee was. Commissioner Stanton asks if the policy to remove someone from the market's season after their deposit is run dry is listed in the market rules. Supt. Barker says that it is not currently, but that it would be in the vendor handbook. The fee adjustment would make it possible to charge the $100 deposit. Stanton asks if it would be possible for a vendor to reup their deposit and miss more than four markets. Barker says that the larger issue is that the vendor is repeatedly not giving staff the courtesy of saying "I won't be able to make it". Moved by Stanton, seconded by Mallory, to recommend approving the FY27 Recreation Fees and Charges as presented. Motion passed 6-0 (Forbes, McPherson, and Recker absent). REPORTS ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF Commissioner Hayes leaves at 5:33 p.m. Parks and Recreation Director — Juli Seydell Johnson Nothing Parks and Forestry Superintendent — Tyler Baird Projects: Supt. Baird announces that the summer park projects are mostly complete. Staff have been communicating with the contractor and are waiting for the delivery of safety surfacing, such as mulch, which would be installed in the parks. Baird says that the projects have turned out nicely, encouraging the commissioners to revisit the park locations that they had toured in May 2025. Tree Plantings: Supt. Baird says that staff have been busy with tree plantings, with only 50-60 trees left to plant in the rights -of -way near Pheasent Hill Park. Baird adds that staff had recently planted 30 trees in the same neighborhood with the support of Big Grove Brewery. They funded PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 7 of 10 the planting in conjunction with Trees Forever and the Rotary Clubs. Baird notes that Big Grove Brewery has helped the department with multiple projects over the years. Parks Maintenance: Supt. Baird discusses the maintenance on the grounds of the following Parks: - A new park shelter has been installed in Court Hill Park near the basketball court. The shelter was of a new style. Staff were able to install it smoothly. - The playground that was previously in Upper City Park has been moved to Lower City Park, near the baseball fields. The playground was moved to make way for the renovated City Park Pool, while keeping the recently new playground equipment still in use. Baird says that he has already heard positive words from visitors using the baseball fields. - Staff have been busy working on the Athletic Fields at both Napoleon Park and Iowa City Kickers Soccer Park for the Fall sports, including soft ball, baseball, flag football, soccer, and cross country meets. - One of the parks crews have been working on the bridges in Hickory Hill Park. Some have already been added with another one being added as part of the REAP grant project. The new bridge will be wider than before, allowing for emergency services to get across. This will also make the park more accessible to different areas. Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that Supt. Baird was chosen to give a presentation at the National Recreation and Park Association conference. Baird presented "Building the Forest Through the Trees", regarding forestry. Seydell Johnson says that the presentation was well attended and received many good comments from across the country. Recreation Superintendent — Brad Barker Events: Supt. Barker highlights the following recent and upcoming Recreation events: - The "Get Outside!" festival was held several weeks prior at Lower City Park. This was the third year the festival was hosted and had great turnout with good weather. The festival is a great opportunity for people to explore different options of outdoor recreation. There were around a dozen different partner groups that partook, each with their own activity. On Oct. 12, 2025, at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, staff will be hosting an Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration. There will be multiple stages, each with different activities or crafts. The Recreation Division has been working with Great Plains Action Network, from Sioux City, who has helped with financing for music, dancing, and spoken word poetry. The event will require no attendance fee. There is a variety of different Halloween events. o The Sensory Scare Fair, an event with sensory friendly Halloween-themed games and activities. This was the second year that the event was held and had around 150 attendees. o The Teen Mystery Night is a type of a dinner theater event. o The Floating Pumpkin Patch, an event held in one of the indoor pools. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 8 of 10 o The Halloween Carnival is the Recreation Division's big Halloween event, with usually around 1,200 attendees, most in costume. o The Halloween Market is a Halloween themed Farmers Market. o The Tot Monster Mash is an event for young children to come out and play different games and activities on Oct. 31. Chair Moore asks if there is an itinerary for the Indigenous People Day Celebration. Supt. Barker says that there is a tentative schedule of the different events that staff can send to her. CHAIRS REPORT None COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Commissioner Mallory says that he heard that earlier in the day, there were women who felt unsafe in the woman's locker room at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center. Dir. Seydell Johnson says that staff are on taking the situation seriously, noting that that morning she had been personally speaking with these women on the subject. Seydell Johnson adds that staff have been in contact with the police department and have additional meetings setup. Commissioner Stanton thanks Supt. Barker and the larger Parks and Recreation team for hosting the open -meeting training at the Terry Trueblood Lodge. Stanton says that he is excited to attend the upcoming Halloween Carnival, having brought his family in past years. Vice Chair Morelli says that he watched Parks staff install the shelter in Court Hill Park, noting that it was fun to watch the crews work and that the shelter looks great. Morelli says that it is cool to see all the different events that Recreation hosts, especially ones that encourages people to explore new ways to get outside. Chair Moore says that she is loves Hickory Hill Park and is glad to see the bridges and trails being maintained and improved. Commissioner Mallory wants to recognize the Robert A. Lee custodian, Spencer, for changing the locks in the men's locker room, allowing for more use of the larger lockers. Mallory says that he spoke to Spencer about it and that it was addressed within two days. Dir. Seydell Johnson thanks Mallory, noting that his appreciation has been passed along to Spencer and the Government Buildings division. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 9 of 10 ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Mallory, seconded by Morelli, to adjourn the meeting at 5:46 p.m. Motion passed 5-0 (Forbes, Hayes, McPherson, and Recker absent). PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION October 8, 2025 Page 10 of 10 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD N N N N N N N N Rn N N N N NAME o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 N N N N N N N N N N N N TERM EXPIRES Missie 12/31/25 O/E NM X NM X X X NM O/E O/E X O Forbes Michael 12/31/28 * * X NM X X X NM X X X X Gaunt Virginia 12/31/27 O/E NM X NM X X O/E NM X X O/E X Hayes Jeff 12/31/28 * * X NM X X O/E NM X O/E X X Mallory Rachel 12/31/26 X NM O/E NM X O/E X NM X X X O/E McPherson Connie 12/31/25 X NM X NM X X X NM X X X X Moore Brian 12/31/25 X NM X NM X X X NM X X O/E X Morelli Caleb 12/31/26 X NM X NM X O/E O/E NM X O/E X O/E Recker Alex 12/31/27 X NM O/E NM X X X NM X O/E X X 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 ITY Date: November 6, 2025 To: Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Cc: Juli Seydell Johnson, Director of Parks & Recreation From: Matt Eidahl, Assistant Recreation Superintendent Re: Community Garden Plot Information Background Iowa City Parks and Recreation offers over 270 garden plots for individuals and organizations to grow and harvest their own vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Community gardening is a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors, meet neighbors, and share gardening tips. Garden Plot Locations • Chadek Green Park —1920 Friendship St, Iowa City, IA 52245 • Kiwanis Park —1519 Teg Dr., Iowa City, IA 52246 • Reno Street Park — 516 Reno St., Iowa City, IA 52245 • Wetherby Park — 2400 Taylor Dr., Iowa City, IA 52240 2026 Garden Plot Reservations Plot Renewals • Open: February 10 — March 6, 2026 • Current gardeners may renew their plots - In person at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center of Mercer Park Aquatic Center - By phone: Call Iowa City Parks and Recreation at 319-356-5100 New Plot Reservations • Open: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 7:00 am ■ Location: In person only at Mercer Park Aquatic Center, 2701 Bradford Dr, Iowa City 2026 Garden Season Location Season Dates Chadek Green Monday, March 23 —Tuesday, December 1 Kiwanis, Reno Street, Wetherby Monday, April 13 — Saturday, October 17 Garden Plot Sizes & Fees Plot Size Dimensions Fee* Mini 10' x 10' $15.00 Small 20' x 10' $20.00 Large 50' x 10' $30.00 * Non-residents add $5 per plot Raised Garden Beds at Chadek Green Park As part of the Chadek Green Park Improvement Project, which includes ADA access improvements, a new restroom, a shelter, and a parking area, six new raised garden beds have been added. Each "H"- shaped bed measures 7' x 7'. 220 S. Gilbert Street • Iowa City, Iowa 52240-1632 • 319-356-5100 Robert A Lee Recreation Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - October 2025 (1 of 2) 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 Wed, Oct 1 8 12 3 4 7 10 4 48 Thu, Oct 2 5 6 5 0 10 8 8 42 Fri, Oct 3 7 7 5 8 5 13 9 1 21 1 0 54 Sat, Oct 4 4 4 3 5 6 3 2 3 3 33 Sun, Oct 5 2 11 1 2 0 Mon, Oct 6 3 6 2 5 7 16 7 46 Tue, Oct 7 4 1 6 4 2 6 5 28 Wed, Oct 8 6 4 4 1 11 7 5 38 Thu, Oct 9 7 3 7 3 3 11 6 40 Fri, Oct 10 7 4 2 5 8 7 7 1 3 2 1 40 Sat, Oct 11 7 2 1 1 2 6 3 1 3 26 Sun, Oct 12 0 12 3 0 0 Mon, Oct 13 7 3 1 7 11 8 4 41 Tue, Oct 14 5 4 1 6 4 8 5 33 Wed, Oct 15 4 4 2 3 16 9 3 41 Thu, Oct 16 4 4 3 6 5 6 4 32 Fri, Oct 17 5 4 1 5 8 10 3 1 10 5 1 36 Sat, Oct 18 4 2 5 2 0 6 6 3 0 28 Sun, Oct 19 0 0 3 4 0 Mon, Oct 20 8 2 1 6 9 8 4 38 Tue, Oct 21 5 2 6 6 3 12 7 41 Wed, Oct 22 3 5 2 4 7 9 8 38 Thu, Oct 23 2 3 4 4 4 8 1 26 Fri, Oct 24 7 4 3 0 5 5 2 0 0 0 0 26 Sat, Oct 25 4 3 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 25 Sun, Oct 26 0 2 1 1 0 Mon, Oct 27 9 3 2 3 9 13 1 40 Tue, Oct 28 5 1 3 4 5 6 8 32 Wed, Oct 29 6 5 2 4 9 8 4 38 Thu, Oct 30 5 1 5 4 9 7 5 36 Fri, Oct 31 4 3 5 3 3 11 4 1 0 0 0 33 Total Scans: 924 Column Total: 979 Averages: 31.6 $2 Swim. This quantity is not included in Daily Rec Totals Facility closed for events/maintenance/holiday: Robert A Lee Recreation Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - October 2025 (2 of 2) Date Daily Rec Totals Water Fitness Swim Lessons Event # Count Event Name Row Totals Wed, October 1 48 42 90 Thu, October 2 42 57 99 Fri, October 3 54 4 23 $2 Swim 81 Sat, October 4 33 5 38 Sun, October 5 62 16 $2 Swim 78 Mon, October 6 46 28 47 121 Tue, October 7 28 63 91 Wed, October 8 38 22 29 89 Thu, October 9 40 62 102 Fri, October 10 40 18 7 $2 Swim 65 Sat, October 11 26 5 31 Sun, October 12 49 15 $2 Swim 64 Mon, October 13 41 21 37 99 Tue, October 14 33 42 75 Wed, October 15 41 22 43 106 Thu, October 16 32 56 88 Fri, October 17 36 21 17 $2 Swim 74 Sat, October 18 28 5 33 Sun, October 19 38 $2 Swim/Floating Pumpkir 38 Mon, October 20 38 21 59 Tue, October 21 41 41 Wed, October 22 38 14 52 Thu, October 23 26 26 Fri, October 24 26 26 Sat, October 25 25 2 27 Sun, October 26 64 4 $2 Swim 68 Mon, October 27 40 24 42 106 Tue, October 28 32 51 83 Wed, October 29 38 16 48 102 Thu, October 30 36 54 90 Fri, October 31 33 18 1 $2 Swim 52 Column Totals: 979 246 848 121 2194 Averages: 31.6 7.9 27.4 3.9 70.8 $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 - October 2025 (1 of 2) 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 Wed, Oct 1 9 7 9 10 11 15 8 8 6 3 9 10 4 4 113 Thu, Oct 2 8 9 10 14 10 11 10 15 13 6 4 8 3 0 97 Fri, Oct 3 9 12 6 21 15 15 8 6 15 11 11 8 2 5 144 Sat, Oct 4 4 5 4 5 8 11 5 9 6 12 15 6 8 2 100 Sun, Oct 5 21 5 13 10 19 9 11 1 0 89 Mon, Oct 6 10 10 4 18 18 9 8 16 4 5 12 2 2 1 119 Tue, Oct 7 7 13 13 13 12 12 13 8 5 10 6 7 4 2 100 Wed, Oct 8 12 10 8 14 5 12 8 6 3 4 14 6 6 2 110 Thu, Oct 9 6 10 8 11 5 5 7 17 5 5 4 5 9 0 81 Fri, Oct 10 9 8 10 12 13 8 12 7 9 5 1 1 8 0 103 Sat, Oct 11 4 3 3 5 4 7 9 6 8 4 5 5 1 1 65 Sun, Oct 12 20 5 15 4 6 15 10 4 0 79 Mon, Oct 13 8 8 9 20 14 6 5 4 5 5 8 6 8 2 108 Tue, Oct 14 9 13 8 16 14 9 7 9 5 1 2 1 3 3 70 Wed, Oct 15 14 9 10 17 4 10 10 3 5 8 11 9 4 3 117 Thu, Oct 16 9 9 7 24 10 11 8 11 6 9 8 1 0 5 84 Fri, Oct 17 11 14 6 11 3 9 12 6 7 5 9 3 6 0 102 Sat, Oct 18 2 2 7 3 6 16 5 5 9 6 4 5 5 2 77 Sun, Oct 19 21 8 2 12 4 9 6 7 1 70 Mon, Oct 20 7 14 7 13 8 11 3 3 6 5 12 3 4 3 99 Tue, Oct 21 9 9 10 12 16 12 9 11 12 8 9 0 5 4 98 Wed, Oct 22 8 9 6 8 12 9 8 6 6 4 6 2 3 0 87 Thu, Oct 23 8 7 8 12 13 11 9 8 3 8 9 6 2 4 83 Fri, Oct 24 6 13 5 11 13 7 10 4 15 9 0 1 2 2 98 Sat, Oct 25 4 1 4 7 7 6 9 6 6 6 19 3 4 6 88 Sun, Oct 26 19 7 9 11 2 4 5 7 0 64 Mon, Oct 27 10 10 10 15 5 13 8 5 6 1 7 8 7 2 107 Tue, Oct 28 7 11 11 13 21 9 12 9 8 5 7 0 3 1 83 Wed, Oct 29 10 8 10 11 9 6 7 1 2 7 8 1 4 3 87 Thu, Oct 30 7 6 5 9 12 10 13 16 4 7 4 2 1 2 77 Fri, Oct 31 10 9 7 11 11 4 13 2 9 5 3 3 1 1 89 Total Scans: 2601 Column Total: 2888 Averages: 93.2 $2 Swim. This quantity is not included in Daily Rec Totals Facility closed for events/maintenance/holiday: ICE = 92 (includes masters) Mercer Park Aquatic Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - October 2025 (2 of 2) Date Daily Rec Totals Water Fitness Swim Team Event # Count Event Name Row Totals Wed, October 1 113 120 233 Thu, October 2 97 6 120 24 $2 Swim 247 Fri, October 3 144 1 120 265 Sat, October 4 100 120 220 Sun, October 5 89 89 Mon, October 6 119 2 120 241 Tue, October 7 100 6 120 25 $2 Swim 251 Wed, October 8 110 120 230 Thu, October 9 81 5 120 16 $2 Swim 222 Fri, October 10 103 0 120 223 Sat, October 11 65 120 185 Sun, October 12 79 79 Mon, October 13 108 1 120 229 Tue, October 14 70 4 120 30 $2 Swim 224 Wed, October 15 117 120 237 Thu, October 16 84 7 120 34 $2 Swim 245 Fri, October 17 102 0 120 222 Sat, October 18 77 120 197 Sun, October 19 70 70 Mon, October 20 99 1 120 220 Tue, October 21 98 5 120 28 $2 Swim 251 Wed, October 22 87 120 207 Thu, October 23 83 7 120 25 $2 Swim 235 Fri, October 24 98 0 120 218 Sat, October 25 88 120 208 Sun, October 26 64 64 Mon, October 27 107 2 120 229 Tue, October 28 83 4 120 34 $2 Swim 241 Wed, October 29 87 120 207 Thu, October 30 77 7 120 21 $2 Swim 225 Fri, October 31 Column Totals: 89 2888 0 58 120 3240 237 209 6423 Averages: 93.2 1.9 104.5 7.6 207.2 1 $2 Swim. This quantity is not included in Daily Rec Totals: Facility closed for events/maintenance/holiday: ICE = 92 (includes masters) Community Foundation of Johnson County City of Iowa City Parks and Recreation Accounts Statement Activity Iowa City Parks and Rec Charitable Giving Fund September 01, 2025 - September 31, 2025 Beginning Balance: $42,349.09 Total Fund Income: $100.00 Total Fund Expenses: $3.20 Ending Balance: $42,445.89 Statement Activity Iowa City Parks and Rec Endowment Fund September 01, 2025 - September 31, 2025 Beginning Balance: $277,589.72 Total Fund Income: $8,455.63 Total Fund Expenses: $67.01 Ending Balance: $285,978.34 Iowa City Parks & Recreation Staff Report November 2025 Upcoming Events • Holiday Market — Saturday, November 15 and December 6, 8 am —1 pm; RAL • UI Day of Play — Saturday, December 6; 10 am — Noon; MPAC • All In: Community Wellness — Saturday, December 6; 10 am — Noon; MPAC • Winter Solstice Celebration — Sunday, December 221; 1-3 pm; RAL • Noon Year's Eve Beach Ball Drop & Pool Party; Wednesday, December 31; 11:30 am —1 pm; RAL Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff Parks: • We planted a total of 587 trees this year. We were short of our 750-tree goal because we are still waiting on $30,000 worth of grant funding that has been on hold at the state level. If these funds would have been available, we would have planted a total of 755 trees this year, but we are still proud of what we accomplished. • The park improvement project at Adelaide Joy Rogers is waiting on delivery and installation of the shelter but the playground is open for play. • The improvements to the grounds at the Ashton House are mostly complete and utilized $200,000 of Iowa DNR REAP Grant funding. • The open house for the North Market Square Park Improvement Project is scheduled for November 20tn at 6:30 pm at the Rec Center. • Contracted natural areas work along the Sycamore Greenway has begun and is being funded by part of a $200,000 Iowa DNR REAP Grant. • We are happy to share that we have yet another REAP Grant project that has been awarded $200,000 to make improvements to the recent addition to Hickory Hill Park. • Eight staff competed in the first annual park maintenance skills rodeo event in October. We had one staff member place 3rd in the plant ID contest and a trailer operations team of two place 3rd in that event. • The Terrell Mill Skatepark/Pump Track project is currently out for bids. • All parks have been winterized meaning all drinking fountains and unheated restrooms are closed for the season. • Each day for the month of November, two rotating staff members are assisting Streets with their leaf collection program. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report I City of Iowa City Recreation: • Staff have been collaborative in planning and implementing several fall events that require the coordination of many program areas and their Program Supervisors. Of particular note, the Halloween Carnival and Get Outside Recreation Festival both benefited from beautiful weather and had wonderful attendance. • The third annual Indigenous Peoples Day event was held at TTRA on October 12. This was held on a Sunday afternoon rather than a weekday evening. The daylight and warmer temps make this mid - October event easier for visitor engagement. This event is in partnership with the Indigenous led Great Plains Action Society in an effort to feature representative entertainment, speakers and food options. • The Winter/Spring activity registration period will begin Tuesday, December 9t" for residents and Wednesday, December 101" for everyone else. Facilities: • Robert A Lee- o Staff are continuing to strip and wax floors in-between events and rentals. o Pool Deck and locker room epoxy floor RFP have came back favorable. We plan to award contract next week for work to be completed in December. ■ Work Will take place take place Dec. 12" -Jan. 16t" o Facilities staff are in the design phase of replacing portions of RAL roof and updating HVAC units ■ Project will take place summer FY26' Cemetery: • Staff noticed some roof damage on one of the mausoleums in the cemetery and will be calling contractors for repair estimates. Toa Staff Issues Parks • Continuing to provide the same high level of service is a challenge as prices of all inputs go up while budgets stay flat. Recreation • Illness as we head into the winter months has made the staffing of some program areas challenging at times. • Customer service staffing hours have shifted at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center to double -up on weekday mornings where there tends to be a higher volume of patrons coming through the doors with transactional needs and additional assistance to address patron behavioral issues and concerns. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report I City of Iowa City Cemetery: • Mowing / leaf mulching is in full swing. • Staff has also been watering the new trees more often. • Staff will need to retrofit the cabs to fit on the new tractors before the first snow. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report I City of Iowa City Oakland Cemetery FY 26 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 $10,800.00 $3,468.00 3 5.6 $2,040.00 $3,407.50 $12,840.00 $6,875.50 August $7,650.00 $8,531.00 8 7.8 $6,285.00 $4,216.50 $13,935.00 $12,747.50 Sept $9,000.00 $5,994.50 4 7.4 $1,335.00 $3,783.00 $10,335.00 $9,777.50 Oct $6,300.00 $12,948.00 5 8.0 $3,820.00 $4,318.00 $10,120.00 $17,266.00 Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June Totals $33,750.00 $30,941.50 20 28.8 $13,480.00 $15,725.00 $47,230.00 $46,666.50 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report I City of Iowa City LATE HANDOUTS - THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS WERE DISTRIBUTED AT THE MEETING Gabriel Gotera From: Diane Allen <dlallenl6@hotmail.com> Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2025 4:40 PM Cc: Tyler Baird; Steve Erickson; Eddie Rindenspacher; Juli Seydell Johnson; Geoff Fruin; Beth Cody; Barbara Lee -Burkhart; Natalie Benson; Larry Allen; Jess Benson; Johanna Abernathy; Ron and Susan Haffner; Duane Kruse; Dawn Bouslog; Malory Smysor Subject: Week 23, October 6, 2025 at the 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. ** This message is from an external sender. Hi All, It's late afternoon on Sunday, so I'll do my best to keep this short. Last Monday was cool and wet. There were 14 volunteers who braved the sprinkles from above. The PGG has collected 0-inches of rain since last week. No one was complaining about getting wet. In fact, most of us were quite happy! Those in attendance were: Diane Allen (3 hours), Evelyn Frey, Jim Peters (3 1/2 hours), Monica Hoherz, Pat Yeggy, Mary Laughlin (1 hour only), Linda Bergquist, Sue Mullins, Linda Schreiber (Master Gardener), Lisa Haverkamp, Susan Ahrens (3 hours), Erin Buscher, Chris Ostrander, Hetty Hall. Since last Monday Jim Peters spent 1 hour at the PGG and Evelyn Frey added another hour. Thanks to all for their efforts at the PGG! We had a "to-do list" and checked everything as done. Volunteers cut down the Nancy Seiberling peonies (excepting the tree and Itoh peonies), we finished mulching Mary's tree, Cindy's Arch, the Catalpa bed, West Oval 2, and the Dashes. We weeded and pulled out any dead annuals. The Little Free Library was filled. Containers and wagons were fertilized and watered. The sidewalks, driveway, and parking lot were cleared of leaves, walnuts, and debris. The Triangle bed was dead headed. The iris were cut back at the arrowwood viburnum bed. Whew! That's a long list! c- ' Them was LOTS of REAP Grant action around the PGG!TRS picture shows the beginning of a spur from the hiking bikink #ƒ[heading south. Next step &G be a bird b§nd yma[Led at the end of the new Spur. What fun it'll be when it's done! 2 Today, Sunday October 12, Larry Allen weed whipped West Oval 1. Tomorrow volunteers will gather the debris left behind and trim a few trees of low branches. Project GREEN's project manager, Ed Rinderspacher, plans to bring a truck load of mulch to completely cover this bed in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed 3 inches (or so) of mulch will suffocate any remaining weeds over winter. Next spring it'll be a joyful task to plant empty spots with beautiful plants and shrubs, and maybe dwarf trees. Lisa Haverkamp has taken on the north end of this Oval and has plants ordered from Pleasant Valley Greenhouses to be delivered next spring. So much to look forward to in 2026! Here are the numbers after 23 weeks working together at the Project GREEN Gardens. Weeks 1 - 22 + Week23 = 940 hours + 30 1/2 hours = 970 1 /2 hours for 2025's Project GREEN volunteers! Many thanks to all! We have three more weeks to finish our 2025 work together. It's been a grand year. Please bring your favorite rake tomorrow to clear West Oval 1. The 4 Seasons Garden Club is having a meeting at the PGG Wednesday beginning at 1 p.m. Our goal Monday is to make the Gardens pretty and welcoming, Like always. Should bean easy task! Looking forward to our time together tomorrow (Monday). Until then, happy gardening! Diane Gabriel Gotera From: Diane Allen <dlallenl6@hotmail.com> Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2025 1:02 PM Cc: Tyler Baird; Steve Erickson; Eddie Rindenspacher; Juli Seydell Johnson; Geoff Fruin; Beth Cody; Barbara Lee -Burkhart; Natalie Benson; Larry Allen; Jess Benson; Johanna Abernathy; Ron and Susan Haffner; Duane Kruse; Dawn Bouslog; Malory Smysor Subject: Week 24, October 13, 2025 at the Project GREEN Gardens (PGG) ** This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any links or attachments. ** This message is from an external sender. H i All, Well, it's finally happened. Today it feels like autumn has officially begun. Larry is outdoors wearing his winter coat and I'm in the study with the fireplace warming my toes. Our calendar officially reminded us Last month (September 22) when cooler weather was expected along with shorter amounts of daylight. All I can think is, Welcome fall! For week 25 expect beautiful PGG pictures of spectacular tree colors. Last week when Project GREEN volunteers + Master Gardener (MG) volunteers met the temperature was 64-degrees and as we left the temperature had risen to 68-degrees. The air quality was "good" at 39 and humidity was 81 %. Our week's rain total was 0.25 inches. There were 11 volunteers in all and they were: Diane Allen (3 hours), Kara Frankman, Monica Hoherz, Barb Schintler (1 hour), Susan Ahrens, Rina Sjolund, Pat Yeggy, Hetty Hall, Lisa Haverkamp (MG), Cindy Parsons, Linda Schreiber (MG). Since week 23, Larry and Diane Allen spent 2 hours each clearing West Oval 1. This past Saturday, Jim Peters cleared the sidewalks, driveway for 1 hour. By the way, we have a lot more sidewalks now! It was reassuring when Jim mentioned nearly all the walnuts had fallen. Diane Allen and Michele Sorrell met on Thursday, 9:30 a.m. for 1 hour each to discuss other times to volunteer at the PGG. Our to-do list included: raking West Oval 1, weeded and deadheaded the Gardens, watered containers and wagons, filled the Little Free Library, cleared sidewalks, driveway, and parking lot, pruned trees in West Oval 1 with new batches of reciprocal saw blades, straightened the garage. Thanks to Gary 2 Klinefelter and Cindy Parsons for their latest donation of a battery powered blower. We LOVE power tools at the PGG! Pictured above is West Oval 1 looking north towards the Circle and Nancy Seiberling peony bed. Notice the weed -whipped bed volunteers cleared of debris. A large pile of pruned tree branches was left for Steve Erickson + Crew to pick up and take to the landfill. Thanks Steve! Cindy Parsons, our #1 pruner, spent most of the morning clearing tree branches for easy walking and viewing the large bed. Here are the numbers after spending 24 weeks caring for the Project GREEN Gardens. Weeks 1 - 23 + Week 24 = 970 1/2 hours + 25 hours= 995 1/2 hours for the PGG and our merry - band of gardeners! Many thanks to all! Look how close we are to our goal of 1000 volunteer 3 hours! With two weeks left on our PGG calendar, we will surpass this amazing number while continuing our quest to beautify and make welcoming the PGG. Ed Rinderspacher, Project GREEN's project manager, has delivered to the parking lot mulch to move to West Oval 1. Do I need to remind everyone it's still the good stuff, better known as black -gold quality mulch? Ed plans to bring his dingo and gater to move the mulch along with our very own Fern. We will use shovels, rakes, and volunteer power to get a 3 inch mulch layer over the Oval. Also volunteers will dig canna lilies and elephant ears to place onto tarps. The rhizomes and bulbs will be cleaned up and dried before over -wintering in the Hidden Acres well house. The REAP GRANT continues! Here are a few pictures of last week's work. � ` V �7Qyi' �n� t '* � t 4 f' _ _ �` bj fir. --� ^' - �� � -�� ,��+ �' - L� IN av Picture 1 shows the Bird Blind being placed in its new home. Avery large crane (ironic, huh?) placed the Bird Blind where it belongs. How do Bird Blinds work? The internet answered this way, "A blind is anything that can be used to block the birds' view of you, but still have some sort of opening for the camera —the purpose is to have a clear view of the birds without the birds having a clear view of you. Simple blinds can be made by using objects at hand, such as the latticework of a deck or a wooden fence." Our blind is located at the southwest corner of the PGG, next to the river. There is a new path from the hiking/biking trail to this location. Pictures 2 & 3 show a northern path from the hiking/biking trail that leads to a fire pit. Project GREEN hopes to use the fire pit October 27 after volunteers finish their to-do list. Fingers crossed it will be ready to make s'mores for all! More info on this later. During our week 23 morning discussions, volunteers chose November 3 for our end -of -season brunch. Brunch will beat Chez Alien's, 2752 Hidden Valley Trail NE, Solon, 52333. GPS will lead you to our. front door. We will begin at 9 a.m. and celebrate our 26 weeks together. There will be a slide show as we eat and discuss this year's successes and next year's plans. The Aliens will provide 2 breakfast casseroles, mimosas, coffee, hot tea, etc. Larry will grill a couple ham steaks. Tomorrow (Monday, October 20) a sign -in sheet will be available for volunteers to help with the menu by bringing: fruit salad, potato dish, and sweet breakfast treats. Anyone who has worked at the 2025 Gardens is invited! Please let me know if you plan to attend. Looking forward to seeing our volunteers tomorrow! Until then, happy gardening! Diane Gabriel Gotera From: Diane Allen <dlallen16@hotmail.com> Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2025 2:11 PM Cc: Tyler Baird; Steve Erickson; Eddie Rindenspacher; Juli Seydell Johnson; Geoff Fruin; Beth Cody; Barbara Lee -Burkhart; Natalie Benson; Larry Allen; Jess Benson; Johanna Abernathy; Ron and Susan Haffner; Duane Kruse; Dawn Bouslog; Malory Smysor Subject: Week 25, October 20, 2025 at the Project GREEN Gardens (PGG) A RISK ** This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any links or attachments. ** This message is from an external sender. Hi All, My heart is full today knowing we've spent 25 weeks together caring for the PPG. Our last official work session will be Monday, October 27 from 9 - 11 a.m. Our Week 26 plans include a s'mores party after we finish our to-do list. There's lots of ooey-gooey fun ahead for the Project GREEN volunteers! I promised a few pictures of autumn's beauty and here they are. Do plan to drop by the Gardens soon to see beautiful colors for yourselves! gooA v � Lamm 47t i� I; w , 1 - � iMI" The Ashton House parking lot (at 820 Park Road) is often filled with Project GREEN volunteers' cars for our Monday morning work sessions. Week 25 had blue skies and pleasant temperatures. The last two pictures show a memorial tree honoring Max Molleston. a past Project GREEN volunteer. Max's tree is a special one, called a Three -flowered Maple, AcerTriflorum. Ed Rinderspacher, our Project Green manager, chose this tree and planted it in 2022. Look at it's very straight trunk and beautiful autumn colors! The Missouri Botanical Garden describes this tree as, "Aces triflorum is commonly known as three -flowered maple. It is a small, deciduous understory tree which typically grows 25-30' tall with a densely -branched, rounded crown. Best ornamental features are its attractive shape, exfoliating bark and fall color. Medium green trifoliate leaves (leaflets to 3" long) turn vibrant shades of orange to red in autumn. Ash -brown bark exfoliates in vertical strips to reveal orange -brown inner bark. Greenish - yellow flowers appear in April in clusters of three, hence the species and common names. As with most maples, the flowers are not showy. Fruit is a samara (1-1.25" long). Similar in appearance and habit to paperbark maple, Acer griseum. 4 Genus name is the Latin name for a maple tree. Specific epithet means three -flowered in reference to the flowers, which are in clusters of three." There were 14 volunteers in attendance at the PGG for week 25. They were: Diane Allen (4 1/2 hours), Sue Mullins (+1 1/2 extra for 10/13), Kara Frankman, Rina Sjolund, Hetty Hall, Cindy Parsons, Susan Ahrens (2 1/2 hours), Barb SchintLer (2 1/2 hours), Pat Yeggy, Evelyn Frey, Paula Sanan, Lisa Haverkamp (MG), Monica Hoherz, Linda Schreiber (MG), Our 9 a;m. temperature was 49 degrees and 11 a.m. 59 degrees. The humidity was 81 % and air quality 17, described as "good." The PGG rainfall since week 24 was 0.4 inches, once again declared "not enough." Our to-do list was a busy one. Mulch was moved from the parking lot to West Ova[ 1 using Ed R's dingo and Bator, mulch was spread evenly over the Ova[, the Arch, and Ligularia dell, canna lilies and elephant ears were dug and placed on tarps. Sue Mullins collected the rhizomes and bulbs, putting them in her truck and transported them to Diane Allen's home. TheywRL be placed in boxes and settled into a heated (40 degree) well house for over -wintering. See pictures below showing some of week 25's accomplishments. * - `IR 'tr - It l ""gyp 71� al�t5 - . 'T� �-��••�����`��- P ,ry "�{. _ e_ I\ jlA .. .!•'yam '. Here are the numbers after volunteering at the PGG for 25 weeks. Weeks 1 - 24 + Week 25 = 995 1 /2 hours + 29 hours = 1024 1 /2 hours for the 2025 Project GREEN volunteers! Congratulations to each and every Project GREEN volunteer making the Gardens a extra -special location for all visitors and locals who hike, bike, and rest in the many benches around the trails. Each of you is appreciated and please know you have made a significant difference at the Project GREEN Gardens! So, ANYONE who has helped at the 2025 PGG is invited to the s'mores party Monday, October 27 beginning at 11 a.m. We will meet at the fire pit located near the river in the northern section of the Gardens. There is a new path off the main hiking/biking trail to follow. Lisa Haverkamp and Cindy Parsons will be starting the fire around 10:30 a.m. As I mentioned ANYONE who has volunteered for 2025 Project GREEN is invited. Also, our PGG celebration is planned November 3, at 9 a.m. Again, ANYONE who has volunteered at the 2025 PGG is welcome! The brunch is located at the home of Diane and Larry Allen, 2752 Hidden Valley Trail, Solon 52333. GPS will take you to our driveway. Our week 26 to-do list includes pulling annual plants and placing on tarps to send to the landfill (thanks to Steve Erickson + crew!) and collect hoses to drain and relocate to the Ashton House garage. Three containers will be moved inside the screened -in porch to spend the winter. The remaining containers will be decorated with juniper greens by Becky Hall. A s'mores party will follow week 26's work session. Looking forward to being together (for our last 2025 time) at the Project GREEN Gardens Monday, October 27, 9 a.m. Until then, happy gardening! Diane Gabriel Gotera From: Diane Allen <dlallen16@hotmail.com> Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2025 2:16 PM Cc: Tyler Baird; Steve Erickson; Eddie Rindenspacher; Juli Seydell Johnson; Geoff Fruin; Beth Cody; Barbara Lee -Burkhart; Natalie Benson; Larry Allen; Jess Benson; Johanna Abernathy; Ron and Susan Haffner; Duane Kruse; Dawn Bouslog; Malory Smysor; Diane Baumbach; Lutz; Gary Baumbach Subject: Week 26, 10/27/2025 at the Project GREEN Gardens (PGG) RISK ** This email originated outside of the City of Iowa City email system. Please take extra care opening any links or attachments. ** This message is from an external sender. Hi All, Congratulations to all the Project GREEN volunteers who have spent 26 weeks caring for the 2025 Project GREEN Gardens! There's no doubt the Gardens are a special place to hike/bike, and rest a spell on a park bench while watching the meandering Iowa River pass -by. Volunteers did not miss a week beginning Monday, May 5 through Monday, October 27. A few weeks we moved our Monday, two hours (or more!) sessions to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday but we always worked at LEAST one day/week for the past 26 weeks. Go ahead and check off our goal #1 for 6 months of gardening fun, filled with gardening friendships and gardening accomplishments. We will get to goal #2 soon. Our last work session together was a cool one with a beginning temperature of 45 degrees and as we left, the temperature had risen to a whopping 53 degrees. Since week 25, the PGG received 0.02 inches of rain, considered "pitiful." Our humidity was 72% with air quality of 51 meaning "moderate." Now what does "moderate" mean for our air quality? First of all the scoring for moderate is from 51 - 100. It's comforting to know where "good" ends (50) and moderate begins, isn't it? The air quality people consider moderate as acceptable, but to watch closely for respiratory symptoms. Ok, class dismissed! There were 19 volunteers in attendance for week 26. They were: Diane Allen (3 1 /2 hours), Paula Sanan, Pat Yeggy, Sue Mullins (3 1/2 hours), Barb Schintler, Monica Hoherz, Kara Frankman, Rina Sjolund, Mary Laughlin, Lisa Haverkamp (MG), Linda Bergquist, Susan Ahrens, Erin Buscher, Evelyn Frey, Hetty Hall, Cindy Parsons, Kathryn Hall (MG), Jim Peters, and Linda Schreiber (MG). Our to-do list was long, but our merry band of gardeners were up to the tasks! We pulled annuals and their labels from all the flowerbeds. The annuals were placed on tarps for Steve Erickson and Crew (IC Parks and Rec) to collect our debris to be taken to the landfill. Thanks for folding the tarps to return to the garage and use again. Labels for plants and flowerbed names were placed into buckets for Pat Yeggy to organize for our 2026 gardens. Here's a list of flowerbeds: the Triangle, Quilt, Circle, Catalpa Bed, Sue's Welcome Garden, Evelyn's Corner, Susan's Northside Garage Garden, 7 Dashes, the Arch and more. We chose to leave the annual fountain grass for winter interest and were reminded to leave Mary's Tree berm as is. Mary's Tree berm is filled with daffodils and perennial dwarf (pink and blue) catmint. The hoses were drained and put away in the Ashton House garage for 2026. Sidewalks, driveway, and parking lot were cleared along with the patio and pergola. The garage was tidied up and looks great. Plans have be put 1 into place to tighten up the garage and install a heater which will keep the garage temperature in the 40 degrees. Fern needs these conditions and hopefully next year we can over -winter our rhizomes and bulbs at the AH! The Little Free Library was filled and will be cared for over the winter by Roger Swartz and Mary Laughlin. Books are welcome donations anytime! Give me a call (319-430-6649) to make plans to donate any books, children's or adult's. 2 00000'* I Our to-do list looked daunting, but not for Project GREEN + Master Gardener volunteers! There were checks for each to-do item by 10:15 a.m. and it was time for the s'mores party to begin. The REAP Grant awarded in 2023 to Project GREEN included a fire -pit that is now finished and available to visitors and Local residents. It is located in the northern portion of the Gardens. Follow the hiking/biking trail until you see a bike repair station. Turn north on the new path and follow to the fire -pit area. Thanks to Lisa Haverkamp and Cindy Parsons for getting the fire started and ready for marshmallow roasting sticks. There was plenty of ooey-gooey fun for all! The fire felt pretty good, too. By the way, no marshmallows fell into the fire... 4 � y� § /`� /\ \: k7- 5 Pr'- � _AA Here are the numbers after 26 weeks at the Project GREEN Gardens: Weeks 1 - 25 + Week 26 = 1024 1/2 hours +35 hours =1059 1/2 hours for the Project GREEN Gardens from our Project GREEN volunteers. Congratulations to all! It's also been a wonderful addition to have master gardeners join our weekly work sessions. Their added efforts are greatly appreciated and welcome any time! The hours collected at the Gardens for master gardeners are donated to the master gardener program of Johnson County. Also, Cindy and I have discussed the 3 hours spent writing the weekly summaries of our work completed and decided it should be included along with our 26 week count. Therefore, 26 weeks X 3 hours each week = 78 hours. Now the 2025 total is: 1059 1/2 hours + 78 hours =1 137 1/2 hours for our 2025 Project GREEN Gardens! Whoopee ! It's time to check off our goal #2, collecting over 1000 hours for our Project GREEN Gardens. ANY Gardens' volunteers who have worked during the 2025 Season are invited to a Celebration Brunch that will be held Monday, November 3, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The brunch will be held at the home of Diane and Larry Allen, 2752 Hidden Valley Trail NE, Solon 52333. GPS will take you to our driveway. Anyone having trouble finding us call: 319-430-6649 or 319-430-6647 and either Larry or I will help you. We have a healthy and plentiful menu, so please come hungry! There will be a photo show of all the 2025 pictures taken during our 26 weeks together. Cindy and I have NOT forgotten the party favors! The Project GREEN newsletter should be in your mailbox soon. There are lots of interesting articles telling of 2025 and happenings to look forward to in 2026. Wishing our Project GREEN family all the best and many thanks for a fantastic gardening year. Please remember the gardener's battle cry, "There's always next year!" and it should be a good one. Until then, happy gardening! Diane 1. Garden Site Used This Season (71 Completed Evaluations) Chadek Green Park: 56% (40) Kiwanis Park: 14% (10) Reno Street Park: 4% (3) Wetherby Park: 25% (18) 2. Number of Seasons Reserved with Iowa City Parks and Recreation This is my first season: 18% (13) 2-3 seasons: 27% (19) 4-5 seasons: 28% (20) More than 5 seasons: 27% (19) 3. Satisfaction with Overall Management Favorable: 87% (52%'Very Satisfied', 35%'Satisfied') Unfavorable: 5% (4% 'Dissatisfied', 1%'Very Dissatisfied') 4. Communication from Iowa City Parks and Recreation Favorable: 93% (64%'Excellent', 29%'Good') Unfavorable: 7% (6%'Fair', 1%'Poor') 5. Garden Plot Reservation Process Favorable: 82% (45%'Very Easy', 37%'Somewhat Easy') Unfavorable: 4% (3%'Somewhat Difficult', 1%'Very Difficult') 6. Value of Garden Plot Compared to Fee Favorable: 92% (77%'Excellent value', 15%'Good value') Unfavorable: 7% (6%'Fair value', 1%'Poor value') 7. Satisfaction with Amenities Favorable: 83% (49%'Very Satisfied', 34%'Satisfied') Unfavorable: 4% (4%'Dissatisfied') 8. Gardening Season Length (April 14—October 19) Favorable: 60% (21%'Strongly Agree', 39%'Agree') Unfavorable: 27% (16%'Disagree', 11%'Strongly Disagree') 9. Support for "No -Till" Gardening Favorable: 51% (31%'Yes', 20% Tm open to it') Unfavorable: 39% (28%'No', 11% Trn not familiar with no -till gardening') Neutral: 10% (1 don't have a preference)