McHenry Times

City of Harvard Park Board met April 15.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

Chairman Jay Schulz called the meeting to order and called roll at 6:00 pm. Committee members present: Chairman Jay Schulz, Alderwoman Bona Heinsohn, Alderman Korey Coffer, Mike Vest, and Michele Froelich. Alderwoman Tammy Herrera, Joel Kriete and Jonathan Sara were absent. Also present were Mayor Kelly and Supt. Ryan Knop.

Citizen Comment

None

Harvard Milk Days Park Shelter Rental Application - May 31, June 1 & 2, 2019

A motion was made by Alderwoman Heinsohn, seconded by Alderman Coffer to approve Harvard Milk Day’s park shelter rental application to use Milky Way Park on May 31st, June 1st - 2nd, 2019; the park fees are $2,675. Member Mike Vest abstained. All ayes, with one abstention. Motion carried.

Pool Security Cameras

Supt. Knop reported on recent vandalism at the pool. Two trail cameras were stolen the weekend after installation. In addition, someone broke into the pool deck area last week, damaging two gates and breaking off keys in the front door and chemical room door locks. The locks have been replaced and the gates are now chained and padlocked. Supt. Knop contacted the company that installed security cameras at City Hall and the Police Station and will have a quote for the next meeting.

Lion’s Park Small Shelter Review

Supt. Knop initiated discussion on the Lion’s Park Small Shelter. There is a liability concern as kids stack up the picnic tables and climb up on the roof and into the trees. Supt. Knop related that the shelter is seldom rented and suggested removing the tables and enclosing the shelter for storage; getting to the shelter could be an issue. Mike Vest suggested removing the tables; if the shelter is rented, the lighter, portable tables could be brought in. A motion was made by Alderman Coffer, seconded by Mike Vest to relocate the picnic tables from the small shelter at Lions Park to the Milky Way Park West Shelter. The existing wooden tables at Milky Way Park will be used as traveling tables. Tables can be brought as needed if the small shelter is rented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Land Donation

Amy Beetstra owns a 14’ right-of-way on the north side of Dacy’s property on Airport Rd. that runs to the east and abuts Shadow Creek. They would like to donate the strip to the City which would provide a connection point from Airport Rd. to other City-owned property that would ultimately connect by the HFPD on Eastman St. Part of the City’s Master Park Plan is to connect the downtown with Rush Creek and this land donation would present an opportunity to facilitate that project to be used as a bike trail/walking path. Mayor Kelly noted there are grant opportunities for bike paths. No action required at this time. The owners would need to present an official offer to the City, and upon acceptance, the City Council would need to designate the parcel as park land. There are residents illegally encroaching on the strip for various uses such as sheds and concrete pads.

Park Board Member Terms

Appointed terms for at-large citizens are one year. Jonathan is moving out of town so his term will expire. Mayor Kelly noted that the point of the one year term is to ensure that everyone that wants to serve has an opportunity to do so but there is no issue to renew a member’s term. Chairman Schulz will talk to Joel to see if he wants to remain on the Park Board or if his work schedule presents too much of a conflict that would preclude him from attendance.

Supt. Knop’s Report

Supt. Knop reviewed his monthly report and updated the Park Board on activities and programs he is working on. He recommended moving the one day pool pass sale day until after May 1st each year so all sales are included in the appropriate fiscal year.

Supt. Knop is organizing two additional recreation programs that will go live in the next couple weeks:

 Splash and Dash kids mini-biathlon

 Free magic show/demonstration in June which is being organized in conjunction with the Library.

Supt. Knop attended the Recreational Professional Development Conference in McComb this past weekend which provided an opportunity for alumni to network/collaborate.

New Business

Mike Vest related items discussed at the last Milk Day Board Meeting:

 Milk Days will need to relocate their office within the next two years once the new Police Dept. is built. One of the ideas discussed was the possibility of purchasing City owned property that abuts Milky Way Park on the northeast side by Alumitank/Beaumont St. entrance to build an office. The building would include a conference room and possibly a community type room. Mayor Kelly related another option discussed after the Milk Days meeting was for the City to lease the property to Milk Days similar to the Food Pantry Lease.

 Milk Days inquired about the roof at the electrical building in Milky Way Park which is in need of repair. Mayor Kelly reported that shingles have been ordered and repairs are in progress. The building also needs to be painted/stained.

Mike Vest will investigate getting a quote for seasonal Wi-Fi at the pool.

Supt. Knop requested permission to move underutilized equipment at the pool such as the pizza warmer and slushy machine to other organizations that have concession stands on City-owned property. The consensus was to authorize Supt. Knop to allocate the equipment.

The Boys League contacted Supt. Knop to install a concrete pad for their second batting cage. They would like to install the pad this week, pending Park Board approval. The Boys League would pay all costs as outlined in Kurth Concrete’s quote and will adjust drainage to disperse water. A motion was made by Mike Vest, seconded by Alderman Coffer to approve the request. All ayes. Motion carried.

Mayor Kelly related an incident that occurred this past weekend with a Lion’s Park shelter rental. An individual locked themselves in the bathroom and they had a difficult time contacting City staff as Ryan was out of town. The issue was resolved and the lever lock will be removed and replaced with a deadbolt which will prevent someone inadvertently locking the door.

Supt. Knop related that everything is set for the Spring Clean-up on April 27th.

Mayor Kelly initiated discussion about having a dialogue with the community as to their expectations of the dollars that will be spent on the parks once the budget is adjusted to reflect the amount previously subsidized. Additionally, the future of the pool should be discussed with the community as pool maintenance and wages will increase over the next few years. Supt. Knop was directed to prepare a 20- year cost projection for the pool for review at the next meeting.

At 7:09 pm, a motion was made by Mike Vest, seconded by Alderman Coffer to adjourn the meeting. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://www.cityofharvard.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/parks_and_recreation_board/meeting/10871/minutesparks2019-04-15.pdf