McHenry Times

City of Harvard Park Board met  June 17.

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 Charlie Gorman, Alderman Matt Perkins and Joel Kriete. Member Mike Vest was absent. Also present were Mayor Kelly and Supt. Ryan Knop.

Citizen Comment

None

Land Donation Update

Supt. Knop reported there isn’t any update on the Stahl land donation.

Pool Wireless

The cost for pool wireless is $39.99/month. The Park Board discussed whether it would be beneficial to maintain wireless for the full year or only during the pool season (April – Sept). A motion was made by Alderman Gorman, seconded by Alderwoman Heinsohn to approve pool wireless from April 1st – September 30th and to recommend to the City Council that the budget be amended to allocate the funds. All ayes. Motion carried.

Fall Park Clean-Up Plans

The Park Board discussed fall park clean-up projects with a decision to be made in August.

Supt. Knop reported that he previously submitted a 50/50 ComEd Green Region Grant application focused on restoring natural pollinators in the community. The grant would convert about 1 acre of Park Pointe to a natural pollinator park. Supt. Knop received notification today that we were awarded the full grant amount of $3,047.75 which includes equipment rental, seeds and signage. The official letter and grant funds should be received in the next couple of weeks.

Lions Park Softball Facility Discussion

The Park Board continued discussion on improvements that need to be made at the Lions Park Softball Facility based on their June 3rd facility tour. Chairman Schulz noted that the Park Board needs to keep the facility in mind when prioritizing improvements/maintenance for next year. The Park Board will schedule additional meetings to tour each of the parks as a group.

Northfield Park Bathrooms & Garbage Can Lids

• Chairman Schulz thanked Supt. Knop and Darrell Perkins for addressing issues at Northfield Park.

• Chairman Schulz brought up discussion on the bathrooms which need to be refreshed. The Park Board discussed whether to maintain washrooms in parks that do not have activities i.e. Mary’s Park and Northfield Park. Mayor Kelly noted that the Parks Master Plan designates a splash pad at Northfield at some point in the future, but until that happens, the building can be locked and the water/sewer winterized and capped. The consensus was to leave the washrooms at Northfield Park open until the end of the season or until vandalism occurs that impedes the building at which time it would be locked up. Supt. Knop was directed to get prices to replace the garbage can lids which are rusted out.

• The Park Board discussed how to address maintenance issues before it gets reported on Facebook or another open forum. After discussion, Alderman Gorman made a motion, seconded by Joel Kriete to assign each park to individual members of the Park Board to provide a monthly report via email to Supt. Knop. All ayes. Motion carried. Parks were assigned as follows:

o Country Brook – Matt and Pep (upon his approval by the City Council) o Lion’s Park – Jay

o Mary’s Park – Charlie

o MilkyWayPark–Charlie

o Moose Field – Mike V est

o Northfield Park - Bona

o ParkPointePark–Joel

o Shadow Creek – Mike Vest

• The Park Board discussed whether to allocate funds to replace the metal partition in the men’s washroom at Milky Way Park which was vandalized and broken. The consensus was to change it to a single user washroom with an inside deadbolt. Supt. Knop was further directed to investigate the cost to install timer locks for the washrooms.

Board Member Resignation

Michele Froelich has submitted her resignation which will be on the next City Council agenda.

Supt. Knop’s Report

Supt. Knop reviewed his monthly report and updated the Park Board on activities and programs he is working on.

The band night at the pool is scheduled for Saturday, July 27th. A Special Event Liquor License application will be submitted for the June 25th City Council Meeting, pending dram shop insurance.

New Business

Chairman Schulz called a meeting for Monday, July 1st, 2019, at 6 pm to tour the parks at Shadow Creek and Country Brook. The board will meet at Shadow Creek.

Joel reported that archery has become very popular so he is unable to obtain the necessary equipment to offer an all-inclusive event.

Joel passed out information for the board’s consideration on ComEd grants which are primarily for 501(c)3 organizations. He also noted projects with the National Guard are on hold for this year as the unit is going to Afghanistan and Iran.

At Alderwoman Heinsohn’s inquiry, Supt. Knop responded that the Parks Dept. is responsible for mowing the Metra lot as well as other non-park areas in the City. After discussion, Supt. Knop was directed to put together a list of areas mowed and manhours for the board’s review at the next meeting.

Mayor Kelly brought up a point of consideration to increase pool revenue, asking School District 50 to consider shifting the school year to three weeks later. A contributing factor to the cost of the pool is the current pool schedule. The early part of the season is generally too cold for use and the latter part of August when the pool is closed is generally the hottest part of the season. There was discussion of staffing needs should the pool season shift. Supt. Knop has had discussions with the individual who provides the life guard certifications on ways to generate additional pool revenue with a revamped, elevated swim lesson curriculum and/or offering life guard and instructor classes. He is further looking to contact Mercy about a partnership to utilize the pool for physical therapy.

Supt. Knop introduced a change in action for the sand area to just take out the front fence, remove the sand and return the area to grass. The consensus was to move forward with the proposed change in action.

Alderman Perkins brought up discussion of man power and equipment needed for weed removal around fire hydrants and street signs. Supt. Knop guessed that the cost would be and additional $5,000-$7,000 and noted that spraying is the most effective and cheapest method. Due the weather, spraying is about 4 weeks behind schedule.

At 7:26 pm, a motion was made by Alderwoman Heinsohn, seconded by Alderman Gorman to adjourn the meeting. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://www.cityofharvard.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/parks_and_recreation_board/meeting/11111/minutesparks2019-06-17.pdf