McHenry Times

City of Harvard Park Board met Sept. 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Chairman Jay Schulz called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Committee members present: Alderman John Lavallee, Alderwoman Rosa Luna, Joel Kriete, Scott Logan and Pep Saucedo (6:40 pm). Committee members Alderman Raul Meza and Mike Vest were absent. Also present were Mayor Kelly and Supt. Ryan Knop.

Public Comment

None

Approval of Minutes

A motion was made by Scott Logan, seconded by Alderman Lavallee to approve the Park Board Minutes of August 16, 2021, as presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Mary’s Park Bathroom

After discussion, a motion was made by Scott Logan, seconded by Joel Kriete, to table the agenda item and add to the list of items for consideration for improvements. All ayes. Motion carried.

User Agreement with Sports Groups

The Park Board continued discussion which was tabled from last month’s meeting to determine if there is a need to define City and sports groups responsibilities, specifically neglect by individual organizations. Chairman Schulz initiated discussion on eliminating the usage fees and just charging a security deposit at the beginning of the year. Mayor Kelly related the history behind charging field usage fees to the sports leagues. Item tabled directing Supt. Knop to contact the various sports leagues to obtain their feedback.

Project Update/Status

Pool Island Landscaping

Supt. Knop hopes to complete the project this fall, but it is currently on delay due to equipment availability with Public Works.

Intergovernmental Agreement with School District #50

A meeting has been scheduled for October 4th to meet with School District #50 to start working on the IGA.

No Smoking Signs

Signs have been installed.

Northfield Park Bathrooms

Recessed LED lighting has been installed by Blue Ribbon Electric.

Park Pointe

Dead trees were removed from the retention pond.

Parks Checklist

Chairman Schulz has done 4-5 of the checklists and should have the balance completed soon.

Vandalism Report

The Northfield Park East Gazebo was vandalized and is currently under investigation (multiple spindles were kicked out).

Mayor’s Report

Organization Restructure

Mayor Kelly gave a presentation and brief history of the Parks Board, Harvard Parks Foundation and Mary D. Ayer Board. He will be recommending a proposal for organization restructure to the City Council at their next meeting as follows:

1. Return the Parks Board to a Parks Committee of the City Council seated by four aldermen, one from each ward.

2. To accommodate direct public input into the parks, the Mayor is recommending the Harvard Parks Foundation become that avenue in which members at large are able to bring and put influence on what happens within the Parks & Rec Dept. The Parks Foundation is already an official not-for-profit organization that exists on paper and would not be under the jurisdiction of the City. An active Park Foundation would have access to grants that the Park Board is not eligible for as they are part of the City of Harvard. A Parks Foundation would operate very similar to the Harvard Community Education Foundation which supports School District 50.

3. Dissolve the Harvard Events Committee with the current membership of that committee to take over the Harvard Parks Foundation as they already know how to conduct fundraisers and organize events. 4. Dissolve the Mary D. Ayer Board, which is inactive and hasn’t met during Mayor Kelly’s tenure, and to donate a majority of the funds in that account to the Harvard Parks Foundation as seed money to do the things that the foundation would do to support the Harvard Parks & Rec Dept. There is currently $164,179.96 in the account. The Mayor is recommending that a small portion, in the amount of $10K, be donated to the Spirit of 76 Scholarship Fund which will ensure that the fund has operating expenses for the next 20 years.

5. The Mayor would also recommend that the Parks Foundation By-Laws be amended to ensure that a portion of the money in that account remain as an endowment.

Mayor Kelly will be making the same presentation to the Harvard Events Committee on September 21st and to the City Council on September 28th. If approved by the City Council, he would recommend that the changes to become effective May 1, 2022, which would allow sufficient time for a smooth transition and to get everything in place.

The Park Board discussed Mayor Kelly’s proposal. Member Joel Kriete noted his disappointment in the Mayor’s recommendation. Pep Saucedo stated he disagreed with eliminating citizen input from the Park Board and felt it was vital to get that outlook from a non-city individual. Mayor Kelly related that the elected aldermen are the public’s conduit to the City Council. Chairman Schulz also commented that Park Board Meetings are open to the public who are welcome to attend any meeting.

Supt. Knop’s Report

• Supt. Knop reviewed his monthly report.

• Prices will be needed for the chlorinators to prepare next year’s budget. The cost for the laundromat style locks for the washrooms is $500 each and would also be a budget item for next year.

• Supt. Knop was directed to look into descriptive signs for the Park Pointe Pollinator Park that would provide the educational component to residents.

• Supt. Knop reviewed staff evaluation of the drainage for the Park Pointe pond. No blockages were found that would impede water flow. The whole design of the pond and discharge was to keep flooding out of the neighborhood which has only happened once in the last 20 years. If the park floods, it’s not a real concern or hurting anything as it will eventually drain down and go into the creek.

New Business

• Joel related that Cary and Marengo Park Districts are willing to work with Harvard on surplus pool items that should available in November pending their legal reviews and approval. He reviewed the list of available itemsfrom Marengo. Supt. Knop was directed to reach out to the Marengo Park District.

• Joel also related that ComEd has 5,000’ of security fencing as well as 150,000 lumen LED flood lights. The consensus was for Joel to continue to pursue with ComEd.

The next meeting is October 18, 2021.

At 8 pm, a motion was made by Scott Logan, seconded by Pep Saucedo to adjourn the meeting. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://www.cityofharvard.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/parks_and_recreation_board/meeting/14184/minutesparkboard2021-09-20.pdf