McHenry Times

City of Harvard Park Board met July 18.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

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

Public Comment

No Comments

Approval of Minutes

A motion was made by Scott Logan, seconded by Pep Saucedo to approve the Park Board Minutes of June 20, 2022, as presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Project Update/Status

• Mary’s Park sealcoating is scheduled for July 21st.

• A work order for $806 has been signed to crack fill and seal coat the Northfield Tennis Courts and to restripe the tennis court and add pickleball. Hastings will complete in August.

• The original quote received from Powell last August for the Park Pointe walking path was $2,700. Due to an increase in the cost of materials and fuel, the updated quote is $6,090. The budget allocated $3,000 in this fiscal year for the project. Supt. Knop recommended completing whatever can be done for the budgeted amount which should cover the path back to the fishing pier and complete the project next year. A motion was made by Scott Logan, seconded by Pep Saucedo to do $3,000 worth of gravel in Park Pointe this year. All ayes. Motion carried.

Joel Kriete joined the meeting. After discussion, the consensus was to do the loop instead this year and the rest of the path back to the fishing pier next year.

Dog Park

The Park Board reviewed the estimates to put in a dog park in Milky Way Park as attached. The Harvard Parks Foundation (HPF) does not have to pay prevailing wage so the cost would be about 15% cheaper if contracted through the HPF. Another option would be an off-leash zone which would be a designated area where you can have a dog off-leash. The consensus was to put in a gated, fenced in area, with signage and a couple of garbage cans. Fencing would be the first stage; other amenities can be added in the future if the dog park becomes a popular use. Chairman Schulz recommended talking to the City Attorney on liability. Ryan and Scott will bring up discussion at the HPF meeting tomorrow evening.

Vandalism Report

Supt. Knop updated the Park Board on the vandalism at the swimming pool on July 13th. Restitution cost for replacement glass, man hours, loss of pool revenue and wages is $6,484.45. Actual cost to replace the glass for the double doors and windows is $2,700 and the cost for the bathroom mirrors is $300 each. The bathroom mirrors will not be replaced. Supt. Knop was directed to ask the City Administrator if insurance would cover the loss. There have been a couple other incidents at Mary’s Park and Northfield Park.

Mayor’s Report

The Mayor reported that the City was not awarded the grant for Milky Way Park.

Supt. Knop’s Report

Report as submitted.

Parks Foundation Report

Scott gave an update on the RWB Food Truck Feastival which was held on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at Milky Way Park. The event went well and made a little money. The HPF has a meeting tomorrow and will discuss options and changes to the event going forward.

The Inaugural Fore Our Parks Golf Outing is scheduled for August 31st at Beaver Creek Golf Course.

New Business

As the Mayor mentioned, notification was received from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that the City did not receive the OSLAD grant for Milky Way Park.

ComEd has an energy efficiency program and Supt. Knop met with an electric company out of McHenry last month to evaluate field and pool lighting. The initial application was sent for review to ComEd to replace all lighting at the Moose Field, HERS Fields, pool, sledding hill, wall packs on the pool and weather stripping/door seals at the pool, including all the LED fixtures. If approved, the replacement value is $210,000 which will only cost the City $1,100.

Chairman Schulz presented Supt. Knop with a t-shirt.

The next meeting is August 15, 2022.

At 6:43 pm, a motion was made by Scott Logan, seconded by Alderman Meza to adjourn the meeting. All ayes. Motion carried.

https://www.cityofharvard.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/parks_and_recreation_board/meeting/14557/minutesparkboard2022-07-18.pdf