McHenry Times

City of Harvard Park Board met March 20.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

Chairman Jay Schulz called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Committee members present: Chairman Jay Schulz, Alderman John Lavallee, Alderwoman Rosa Luna, Scott Logan and Pep Saucedo. Member Alderman Raul Meza was absent. Also present were Mayor Kelly, City Administrator Lou Leone, Supt. Knop and members of the audience.

Public Comment

Joel Kriete, 300 Joshua Tree, Harvard, asked the Park Board to look into what would be required to have a summer block party and a fall Halloween Party/Trail with a possible bonfire in Park Pointe Park.

Approval of Minutes

A motion was made by Scott Logan, seconded by Alderwoman Luna to accept the Park Board Minutes of February 27, 2023, as presented. All ayes. Motion carried.

Project Update/Status

Supt. Knop reported that the OSLAD grant submitted to the DNR for the development of the east side of Milky Way Park was not accepted for this fiscal year. He will continue to apply for the grant in the future.

Rebuild Illinois Grant

The IDCEO grant for a proposed walking path through Lion’s Park is still processing.

Survey Results

Supt. Knop reported that there were 339 responses to the survey, much of which the City was already aware of. The survey was available in both Spanish and English. The survey results will be made available to the public. A follow up survey to finetune answers is planned for the fall. Suggestions were to make the follow up survey available at the library and mailed out with the water bill. Results discussed:

• First Aid, CPR and AED classes - Supt. Knop related that his Lifeguard Instructor Certification will let him teach Lifeguard/First Aid/CPR/AED training in house, pending completing online bridge classes.

• Most respondents indicated they preferred to receive information via social media.

• Fitness center - There is fitness equipment at Milky Way Park. The consensus was to create a post that would highlight each of the pieces of equipment and how to use.

• Rec center - Chairman Schulz noted there are costs in addition to taxes associated with building a standalone indoor rec center such as staffing and programs. He further commented we could consider partnering with the school whose Master Plan adds a field house at the northeast end of the high school which could be available to the public at certain times. Mayor Kelly noted a basic facility with a couple basketball courts and extra rooms for programs/activities would cost a minimum of $5 million which is outside of the Park Board budget. The funds generated through the referendum is approximately $20K per year which has been used to update existing equipment and parks. The City currently partners with the school district to offer programs using school facilities. City staff is looking at ways to strengthen the relationship with the school and other entities within the community for indoor activities. The Park Foundation is also partnering with the Park Board.

• Maintain what we have - Chairman Schulz noted that we should focus on what we have before we offer new amenities.

• Communication -should be more active on social media and the City’s Twitter account to communicate on programs that the City already provides.

• City Administrator Leone noted that new programs could be researched and implemented for FY24/25.

• Programming at the Sr. Center - Supt. Knop sits on the Sr. Center Board as a City representative, not necessarily for the Parks Dept. One of the biggest problems with the Sr. Center is the location which is not accessible to walk to. Ryan spoke with the Sr. Center Director; one of the areas discussed was partnering with the Sr. Center to have programs/services at the Community Hall.

Former Community Garden

Supt. Knop spoke with the Master Gardener who works with the seniors at the senior center. She is going to talk with her board about taking over the apple trees, but they are not interested in taking on the entire garden. Mayor Kelly recommended breaking up the garden, which is about an acre in size, into individual plots that can be offered to residents for a personal garden. Supt. Knop will plot it out to maximize the available space as a diagram for people to visualize; this is probably a program that would be available in 2024. Supt. Knop will check with Public Works about fixing the 2” water main for the spigot. The consensus was not to charge residents for the water. It can be metered to keep track of usage. Chairman Schulz noted there is also park land at Shadow Creek not in use by the City that could be similarly offered to residents once the tennis courts are removed next year.

IGA with CUSD 50

In progress.

Swimming Pool 2023 Info

The Park Board reviewed the swimming pool information sheet for the upcoming season. Supt. Knop is proposing modified times for hours of operation as presented at last month’s meeting. He is currently working on staffing for the upcoming season.

Vandalism Report

No vandalism to report.

City Administrator – Park Land Discussion

City Administrator Leone commented that the City has a lot of park land and recommended looking at ways to liquidate park land in Shadow Creek by subdividing and extending the lot lines around the pond to be given to the property owners, similar to what was done at Park Pointe. On the southern part, three lots could be subdivided and sold, each of which could be sold for anywhere from $1,000 up to $8,000. He is working with a survey company; cost would be around $4,600. Additionally, a plat of subdivision would need to go before the Planning and Zoning Commission. The north end could be utilized with solar panels which could be used for power at Public Works and the new treatment plant. He has also reached out to the Land Conservancy about designing and cleaning up the area on City owned property off Eastman St. and Country Brook to be used as an arboretum which would result in lower maintenance. There is also City owned property in Park Pointe Park that is difficult to get to where the lot lines could be extended and given to the property owners. Alderman Lavallee inquired if residents would be given a choice and recommended doing due diligence to get resident input. The general consensus was for City Administrator Leone to move forward and flesh out the proposals.

Mayor’s Report

Mayor Kelly indicated there is enough desire in the community for an indoor rec center that he would like to create a forum in the next couple of months to discuss and set community expectations and ways to finance a rec center in the future. This is likely a 10–15-year project.

Supt. Knop’s Report

Supt. Knop reviewed his report as submitted.

Harvard Parks Foundation Report

Nothing new to report.

New Business

Supt. Knop reached out to the company that has done all of our playgrounds for replacement playground items; the company has been difficult to get back to him. Most replacement parts are brand specific.

The next meeting is Monday, April 17, 2023, at 6 pm.

At 7:18 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/14711/minutesparkboard2023-03-20.pdf