McHenry Times

City of Woodstock Parks & Recreation Commission met May 9

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

A. CALL TO ORDER 

B. ROLL CALL: A roll call was taken and Chairman McCleary determined a quorum was present.

COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Jason Cohen, Chris Neuhart, Pete Riis and Chairman Mike McCleary.

COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: None.

OTHERS PRESENT: None.

STAFF PRESENT: Executive Director Christina Betz, Executive Director Danielle Gulli, Recreation Director Dave Zinnen, Public Works Director Brent Aymond, Superintendent Chris Lynk and Deputy Clerk Bernie Walker.

C. FLOOR DISCUSSION: 

1. Comments: None.

2. Commission Comments: None.

D. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: 

P. Riis asked if there is running water at Castle Road Park for the garden plots and B. Aymond confirmed there is.

Motion by P. Riis, second by C. Neuhart, to approve the minutes of the March 14, 2023 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Ayes: J. Cohen, C. Neuhart, P. Riis and Chairman M. McCleary. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried.

E. TRANSMITTALS: The following items have been transmitted to the Commission for information and there is no discussion expected or action recommended.

1. Recreation Department Report for May 2023

D. Zinnen mentioned he forgot to add to the report that there are 175 runners for the Melissa O'Leary Splash Bash Memorial Run and he expects to see even more. Chair McCleary clarified that this run is replacing the Woodstock Challenge. Discussion ensued about seasonal pay which increased by 20% so the lifeguard hourly wage is now $15/hr. and D. Zinnen confirmed they are fully staffed with lifeguards for the season. Park seasonals also increased to $17.38/hr. in order to get staffed, per B. Aymond.

2. Parks Division Report for May 2023

C. Lynk confirmed they are moving forward with improvements to Sunnyside Park. Chair McCleary asked about the process for declassifying Tourist Park as a park to which C. Betts stated it will be covered in the Master Parks Plan. J. Cohen asked if the exposed electrical outlets were taken care of at Emricson Park and C. Lynk stated Brandon should have replaced them as they are being used for robotic mowers. P. Riis asked about the Emricson Park trails and Staff shared there are 19 acres of good trails; however, they are in the preliminary discussion stages. User group fees were also brought up by P. Riis to which B. Aymond stated if there are user groups/sponsored events, then they will have to look at assigning fees. C. Betz stated the trail discussions are very preliminary and that the plans to build trails and maintain them will be submitted for review, which includes review by the Parks and Recreation Commission.

F. OLD BUSINESS: None.

G. NEW BUSINESS: 

1. B. Aymond opened up the discussion stating they had inquiries as to where they could put outdoor pickleball courts in the City of Woodstock, and one idea was to put them at Olson Park, so Staff would like to know how the residents of Woodstock feel about this idea. D. Zinnen confirmed there are 3 pickleball courts at the Rec Center for indoor play and he proceeded to explain what pickleball is, after Chair McCleary inquired of the audience and found only 50% knew what it was. P. Riis asked if there are any other places to put outdoor pickleball courts and D. Gulli stated that discussion will be part of the Parks Master Plan which will gather community input and feedback to determine possible locations, but they are looking for a solution in the meantime so residents can enjoy outdoor pickleball this summer.

Chair McCleary asked the audience to come to the podium so everyone can hear them and they are on record. Several residents voiced their opinions and concerns. Everyone had wonderful things to say about Olson Park and the majority were in favor of keeping the basketball and tennis courts, but open to the idea of painting the existing tennis courts and using removeable nets for dual purpose of tennis and pickleball. The public also shared that they appreciate signs being put up in advance to let them know about the meeting and sending out post cards. Some concerns that were voiced were the use of finances for pickleball courts, rather than upgrading Olson Park (lights, court maintenance, splash pad, parking, benches for families/spectators); the need to extend the sidewalk for handicapped persons so they won’t have to use the street currently filled with potholes; parking and increased traffic concerns; safety concerns as the surface is a trip hazard; concerns about surfaces being slick when it rains; thoughts that pickleball courts should be placed in a larger, regional park rather than a neighborhood park like Olson Park; and the need for pickleball courts in several parks to accommodate this growing sport which will be addressed in the Parks Master Plan in January 2024.

C. Betz thanked everyone for their input and feedback. She reiterated that they wanted to receive feedback from the community because pickleball is so popular and that Olson Park is one of the few parks that has a repurpose option. She reiterated that no decisions have been made at this time. She also stated that the Parks Master Plan will contain a plan for every park in the community and as budget allows, they will allocate funds to improve parks and make them better for all. D. Gulli differentiated that the Parks Master Plan will be worked on by an outside vendor while the Parks and Recreation Commission is working on the inventory of current offerings at each park. She also mentioned that they will be implementing an improved computer system that will make it easier to submit requests and she encouraged residents to come to future meetings. Chair McCleary also thanked everyone for coming and stated the goal is for all to benefit from the improvements that they are proposing and implementing.

H. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: 

1. Tentative agenda items identified by Administration

a. Discuss Melissa Canto-O’Leary Splashpad Project

b. Discuss Parks Policies and Procedures

c. Korfball

2. Requested by Commission: Any member may suggest an item to be considered by the Commission at a future meeting but must be approved by a majority of the Commission to be included as a future agenda item.

I. ADJOURN: 

Motion by P. Riis, second by J. Cohen to adjourn the regular meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission to the next regular meeting on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Ayes: J. Cohen, C. Neuhart, P. Riis and Chairman M. McCleary. Nays: none. Abstentions: none. Absentees: none. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.

https://www.woodstockil.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/parks_amp_recreation_commission/meeting/46875/parks_and_recreation_commission_minutes_05-09-23.pdf