HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-09-2025 Parks and Recreation Commission Agenda PacketIf you will need disability-related accommodations to participate in this program/event, please contact
Gabe Gotera, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department at 319-356-5210 or ggotera@iowa-city.org.
Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.
Public Comment for each item will be limited to 3 minutes for each person and a total for no more than 30
minutes per item. Written comments submitted to parksandrecreation@iowa-city.org, prior to 4 p.m. on
Monday, April 7, 2025, will be distributed to the Commission in advance of the meeting.
AGENDA
ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER
ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF MARCH 12, 2025, MINUTES
ITEM 3 PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
The Commission cannot engage in discussion or debate. However, once the
commenter has left the stand, the Commission may ask staff to respond to
a concern or question posed by the public, or to follow up with the speaker.
ITEM 4 TRAIL NAMES AND SIGNS FOR HIGHWAY 1 AND HIGHWAY 6 TRAILS –
Associate Planner Sarah Walz; MPOJC
ITEM 5 REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF
a) Parks and Recreation Director – Juli Seydell Johnson
b) Parks and Forestry Superintendent – Tyler Baird
ITEM 6 CHAIRS REPORT
ITEM 7 COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
ITEM 8 ADJOURN
Iowa City
Parks and Recreation Commission
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
5:00 p.m.
Robert A. Lee Recreation Center – Meeting Room B
220 S Gilbert Street, Iowa City, IA 52240
IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY
MINUTES OF MARCH 12, 2025
THE NED ASHTON HOUSE
Members Present: Connie Moore, Brian Morelli, Missie Forbes, Michael Gaunt, Virginia
Hayes, Jeff Mallory, Rachel McPherson, Caleb Recker, Alex Stanton
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: Juli Seydell Johnson, Brad Barker, Gabe Gotera, Malory Smysor
Others Present: None
CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Moore called the meeting to order at 5:02 p.m.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council
action):
None
OTHER FORMAL ACTION:
Moved by Mallory, seconded by Gaunt, to approve the January 8, 2025, minutes. Motion
passed 8-0 (Hayes absent).
PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA:
None
REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF:
Parks and Recreation Director – Juli Seydell Johnson
City Park Pool: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the City Park Pool project is out to bid.
Seydell Johnson says that the pre-bid meeting, where contractors can ask questions, had a good
turnout despite there being a blizzard that day. There were nine general contractors and several
sub-contractors in attendance, asking a lot of good questions. The bid is open until Tuesday,
March 25, 2025.
Dir. Seydell Johnson says that earlier that morning, staff were at City Park Pool, confirming that
the facility could reopen if the bids are not good. Seydell Johnson explains that due to the
political climate and federal changes, contractor bids are in a sporadic state. Staff does not know
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
March 12, 2025
Page 2 of 7
how these factors will affect a project of this scale, from tariffs to construction companies not
having enough employees due to their reliance on employees with work visa.
Vice -Chairman Morelli asks how much the pool design has changed since the initial proposal.
Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that the design approved by City Council, was “Design A” with
the open option to split the large pool into two. Since then, the only major change to the design
was that the pool was split and flipped in the design, making it a mirror image of what was
initially shown as “Design A”. Morelli asks if the size of the pool or the number of lanes offered
has changed. Seydell Johnson responds that the number of lanes has stayed the same since
Council approval and that the size of the pool has not changed by a significant margin.
Facilities: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the Ned Ashton House will be getting a new roof.
The construction crew has been given the go-ahead to start work, which is expected to last only a
few days. Seydell Johnson explains that staff are excited as they have been trying to get a new
roof for the Ned Ashton House for several years now.
Commissioner Hayes arrives at 5:05 p.m.
Parks: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the Parks & Forestry division has ten International
Society of Agriculture certified arborists on staff. This would include all of the division’s
Forestry staff and several Parks staff. Three of the arborists were certified as recently as February
2025. Seydell Johnson announces that Alex Lorack, Assistant Superintendent of Parks &
Forestry, has become a Certified Parks and Recreation Profession (CPRP) through the National
Recreation and Parks Association. Seydell Johnson explains that these certifications raise the
quality, professionalism, and the significance of staff’s decision-making regarding trees.
Dir. Seydell Johnson asks Commissioner Hayes for any context for being a Certified Arborists.
Hayes explains that there is a broad spectrum of education needed to pass the necessary exams.
Dir. Seydell Johnson states that Parks & Forestry staff have pruned around 2,000 trees during the
winter season. A common question from the public is “Why are newer trees are being trimmed”.
Seydell Johnson explains that staff start pruning trees when they’re young so that they grow in
the correct directions and avoid running into problems down the line. Seydell Johnson adds that
most of the trees in the Parks system have also been pruned.
Dir. Seydell Johnson says that most of the seasonal staff have been hired for Parks, Forestry,
Athletic Fields, and Cemetery. The seasonal staff will help with the increased workload for the
summer season.
Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the prescribed burns in the parks have begun the previous
day. During the first day, there were burns in three small areas in Hickory Hill Park. On the
second day, there were burns in two different locations. Seydell Johnson explains that staff are
closely watching the Red Flag Warning. Seydell Johnson explains that it can be difficult to
scheduled burns for specific times at specific locations, as the burns are heavily dependent on
weather conditions such as wind. The weather conditions are changing daily and sometimes
hourly. With the capable staff and equipment on hand, a small burn can be done when there are
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
March 12, 2025
Page 3 of 7
limited hours of good conditions. Seydell Johnson says that the burns are helping the quality of
prairies across the city.
Park Projects: Dir. Seydell Johnson announces that the project for the Ashton House Grounds is
out to bid. Seydell Johnson reminds that this project is funded with a Resource and
Environmental Protection (REAP) Grant of $200,000. The project will see the installation of
several amenities to the Ashton House Grounds. Amenities will include but are not limited to:
• A bird blind installed by the Iowa River. This is the first bird bind in Iowa City Parks and
will be accessible by the nearby paved trail.
• A fire pit, accessible by the paved trail.
• A new trail entrance on Normandy Drive, adding a new accessible trail connection to the
back of the house. This should help relieve conjugation during drop-offs and allow for
street parking.
• A bike repair station and bike racks.
• Additional benches on the paved trail.
Seydell Johnson states that the projects bids are due the following week, reiterating that the
REAP grant will fund $200,000 of the project.
Recreation Superintendent – Brad Barker
Staffing: Supt. Barker explains that due to the uncertainty related to the City Park Pool project
bids, Recreation supervisors are in a holding pattern regarding hiring City Park Pool staff such as
lifeguards or front desk workers. Recreation is still receiving applications for such positions so
Caylea Housh, Aquatics Program Supervisor, is informing them of the tentative nature of the
2025 City Park Pool season and that more information will be known after the project bids are
complete. If the bids are not acceptable, and City Park Pool will remain open for one more
season. Recreation is positioning themselves to make a quick pivot and conduct a mass hiring to
have enough lifeguards on staff. Barker notes that currently, there are enough lifeguards to
complete year-round pool operations.
Supt. Barker states that Recreation is still on a holding pattern for the STEAM, Arts, and Nature
Recreation Program Supervisor position, who would normally oversee the Summer Camp
program. Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation (AIR) Recreation Program Supervisor Malory
Smysor has been assisting Barker and Assistant Recreation Supt. Matt Eidahl with planning for
the summer camp. Barker says that Summer Camp registration has been going well, firmly
capped at 240 campers. Across eight weeks, that entails a capacity of 30 campers per weekly
session. After a week of registration, there are 200 campers enrolled. Barker expects the program
to fill up within the next few weeks.
Recreation Programming: Supt. Barker says that the Recreation Division is wrapping up the first
half of the Winter/Spring season. Spring break will typically have less programming before
ramping up the number of sessions available for Spring. Barker has been working with Special
Events Recreation Program Supervisor, Bill Lane, and City Communication staff to make, for the
first time, a midseason program guide. This program guide would be much smaller than the
standard recreation guide and will include information on upcoming events and programs. The
standard Winter/Spring recreation guide is released in December, so many patrons only look at it
right away and forgot to keep the Spring events in mind. Barker says that the midseason guide
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
March 12, 2025
Page 4 of 7
will be made in-house and will be available to pick up at the Recreation Centers and the Public
Library.
Supt. Barker announces that summer registration will begin April 15, 2025, for Iowa City
residents and April 16, 2025, for non-residents. Staff have completed the final draft for the
Summer Recreation Guide, which is expected to release in the next few weeks, right before
registration opens.
Supt. Barker says that the Community Garden Plots have been open for renewal for several
weeks. Barker explains that the garden plots have always been very popular and that of the 271
plots available, 214 plots have been renewed. Trends show that annually, roughly 80% of the
plots are renewed. On March 18, 2025, the remaining 20% of garden plots will become available
for public registration. Barker expects the remaining garden plots to fill up very quickly.
Commissioner Mallory asks for more details regarding what the Community Garden Plots are
for. Supt. Barker explains that for people without the space for their own garden, these plots give
community members the opportunity to plant and harvest their own produce. Dir. Seydell
Johnson clarifies that the public rents individual plots and take their own produce as opposed to a
singular larger communal planting space. Mallory asks what parks have garden plots. Barker
responds that Chadek Green Park has 115 plots, Wetherby Park has 110 plots, Kiwanis Park has
30 plots, and Reno Street Park has 16 plots.
Dir. Seydell Johnson adds that recently, there were two unexpected closures of the Robert A. Lee
pool, both being fecal incidents during swim lessons. When this occurs, the pool must be closed
for at least 24 hours. This time frame allows time for the pool to be shocked and sanitized
sufficiently before the chlorine level is lowered back to an amount safe for swimming. Seydell
Johnson says that nothing can be done for this except for reminding parents to take their children
to the restroom before getting in the water. Seydell Johnson does note the advantage of having
three separate pools at City Park Pool, which would allow for two other pools to operate
normally, while one is closed for shocking.
CHAIRS REPORT:
None
COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:
Commissioner Recker, regarding the City of Iowa City website, asks if the city leads the way on
decisions of when the website is reviewed or when the website could be rebuilt using a different
platform. Recker explains that a common question heard from the community, is that the website
is not friendly to navigate or is effective as other websites. Recker’s asks generally, what input
was gathered on the website, when was the website created, when could the website next be
overhauled.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
March 12, 2025
Page 5 of 7
Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that the city website is run by the City Communications division,
under the City Manager’s office. The Parks and Recreation specific pages are updated by the
Parks and Recreation staff, while the content on the larger website is city-wide. Seydell Johnson
says that if there is specific content on the Parks and Recreation pages that people are having
trouble with, then department staff can edit/rearrange those webpages. Seydell Johnson recalls
that two to three years prior, there was a city-wide effort to completely overhaul the website.
Seydell Johnson says that currently, there is an ongoing process ongoing of looking through
every document to ensure that they are all ADA compliant, which will change a lot of websites
overall. Seydell Johnson expects there not to be another major overhaul of the website for at least
another five years. Supt. Barker adds that by April 2026, all municipal, state, and federal
websites must be fully ADA complaint. Because of this, the City’s Communication division is
being proactive with getting all necessary items including, PDF files, images, linked documents,
and linked websites, fully complaint by the April 2026 deadline. Barker explains further that any
third-party websites that are linked from the city website, will also need to be complaint on their
end.
Supt. Barker asks Commissioner Recker if the troubles that the community members described
were more general or specific to Parks and Recreation. Recker responds that the issues seemed
more general but says that he can get more information on that. Commissioner Forbes says that
she uses the city website all the time and finds it generally to not be intuitive. Commissioner
Stanton, as someone who regularly works with the government, says that he hears similar
complaints about the Johnson County website. Stanton says that it can be difficult to refer a
specific piece of information to someone when it is six-clicks deep into the website. Stanton
affirms that the move to make a website ADA complaint is a major overhaul and that while it is
better, the website remains not easily navigable. Recker says that while he understands and
appreciates the difficulties with maintaining the website, he iterates that if website navigation is a
commonly heard complaint, then it’s likely for people to get frustrated by the website design and
end up not registering for events and programs. Forbes asks if there are ways for community
members to register for classes physically or over the phone. Dir. Seydell Johnson confirms that
these are acceptable methods to register for programs. Recker says that his recommendation for
people having trouble with the website is to call the recreation center directly.
Commissioner Mallory asks if the Recreation division is Red Cross certified for lifeguard
training. Dir. Seydell Johnson affirms that the division is certified. Mallory says that while he
was looking at the Iowa Parks and Recreation Association website, he did not see Iowa City on a
list of American Red Cross classes. Seydell Johnson reiterates that the division is a Red Cross
provider. Supt. Barker says that he will investigate this.
Commissioner McPherson says that she was not in attendance for the January 2025 Parks and
Recreation Commission meeting, noting that she had missed the introductions of the new
Commission members. Chairman Moore asks Commissioners Gaunt and Mallory to detail their
favorite Iowa City park. Mallory says that his favorite park may be biased as he lives near both
the Pappy Dickens Preserve and Hickory Hill Park. Mallory says that he is amazed by the
number of parks and that he thinks the department is doing a great job regarding the parks. Gaunt
says that he lives near Wetherby Park, which is nice, but that when growing up, Hickory Hill
Park was his favorite by far.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
March 12, 2025
Page 6 of 7
Commissioner McPherson explains that recently, a community member that lives near James
Alan McPherson (JAM) Park had a child that passed away. McPherson asks if it would be
possible to install a bench in JAM Park, commemorating the child. Dir. Seydell Johnson
responds that the department does have a Memorial Bench program. Unfortunately, the program
is closed to applications after reaching its maximum capacity for the year. Seydell Johnson
explains that the department commissions five memorial benches a year, and that the memorial
bench would cost $1,500. Seydell Johnson recommends reaching out to Administrative
Coordinator Gabe Gotera, who is the contact for the Memorial Bench and Memorial Tree
programs.
Chairman Moore says that she has looked at the Memorial Bench application and noted that
there were only certain parks offered as options. Moore ask if someone can request for their
memorial bench to be in a park not listed on the application. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that
someone can request for a specific park, but notes that memorial benches will not be considered
for the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area or for Hickory Hill Park. This is due to the number of
memorial benches at each of those locations. The Parks division is trying to spread the memorial
benches across the park system.
Chairman Moore, in lieu of a community member, asks why there are no tree swallow houses at
Waterworks Park this year and who can they speak to about it. Dir. Seydell Johnson explains that
there is a community volunteer who puts up the houses and that she is unaware of why he has not
done so recently. Seydell Johnson recommends for Moore and the community member to reach
out to the Parks and Forestry Superintendent, Tyler Baird, who can help to get in contact with
this volunteer.
ADJOURNMENT:
Moved by Gaunt, second by Mallory, to adjourn the meeting at 5:24 p.m. Motion passed
9-0.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
March 12, 2025
Page 7 of 7
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
ATTENDANCE RECORD
KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused NM = No meeting
LQ = No meeting due to lack of quorum * = Not a member during this meeting
NAME
TERM
EXPIRES
04
/
1
0
/
2
0
2
4
05
/
1
5
/
2
0
2
4
06
/
1
2
/
2
0
2
4
07
/
1
0
/
2
0
2
4
08
/
1
4
/
2
0
2
4
09
/
1
1
/
2
0
2
4
10
/
0
9
/
2
0
2
4
11
/
1
3
/
2
0
2
4
12
/
1
1
/
2
0
2
4
01
/
0
8
/
2
0
2
5
02
/
1
2
/
2
0
2
5
03
/
1
2
/
2
0
2
5
Missie
Forbes
12/31/25 O/E NM NM X O/E X NM O/E NM X NM X
Michael
Gaunt
12/31/28 * * * * * * * * * X NM X
Virginia
Hayes
12/31/27 X NM NM X X O/E NM O/E NM X NM X
Jeff
Mallory
12/31/28 * * * * * * * * * X NM X
Rachel
McPherson
12/31/26 X NM NM X O/E O/E NM X NM O/E NM X
Connie
Moore
12/31/25 X NM NM X X X NM X NM X NM X
Brian
Morelli
12/31/25 X NM NM X X X NM X NM X NM X
Caleb
Recker
12/31/26 O/E NM NM X O/E X NM X NM X NM X
Alex
Stanton
12/31/27 O/E NM NM O/E X X NM X NM O/E NM X
SY
C
A
M
O
R
E
S
T
SU
N
S
E
T
S
T
BENTON ST
MELROSE AVE
CL
I
N
T
O
N
S
T
DO
D
G
E
S
T
Sy
c
a
m
o
r
e
G
w
y
T
r
a
i
l
Highway 6 Trail segment to
be constructed in 2026
Highway 1/6 Trail connection
to be constructed in
2027-2028 with reconstruction
of the Iowa River Bridge (DOT)
Legacy sign for
Willow Creek Trail
Updated sign for
Willow Creek Trail
2023
Updated sign for
Iowa River Corridor
Trail 2025/2026
Legacy sign for
Iowa River Corridor
Trail
Legacy sign for
Sycamore Greenway
Trail
Updated sign for
Sycamore Greenway
Trail 2025
Proposed signs for the Highway
1 and Highway 6 Trails
SOUTHGATE
Day Date 6-7a 7-8a 8-9a 9-10a 10-11a 11-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p 3-4p 4-5p 5-6 p 6-7p 7-8p Daily Rec Totals Water Fitness Swim Lessons Event # Count Event Name
Saturday 1-Mar 5 2 5 3 4 2 5 17 1 44 3
Sunday 2-Mar 17 4 0 0 58 21 $2 Swim
Monday 3-Mar 4 7 2 2 9 11 3 38 24 48
Tuesday 4-Mar 7 4 6 1 6 14 3 41 56 17 Water Mindfullness
Wednesday 5-Mar 7 4 0 5 2 9 2 29 12 42
Thursday 6-Mar 4 3 3 3 10 7 1 31 58
Friday 7-Mar 5 4 0 8 8 8 2 20 8 1 35 25 29 $2 Swim
Saturday 8-Mar 6 1 4 4 5 3 0 1 3 27 3
Sunday 9-Mar 0
Monday 10-Mar 0 6 48
Tuesday 11-Mar 6 4 4 4 9 14 9 50 45 16 Water Mindfullness
Wednesday 12-Mar 5 5 1 5 11 10 3 40 16 33
Thursday 13-Mar 5 3 4 2 6 7 3 30 59
Friday 14-Mar 5 4 1 8 4 9 4 5 0 0 35 7 5 $2 Swim
Saturday 15-Mar 4 2 7 2 0 4 4 3 1 27 3
Sunday 16-Mar 8 7 0 0 15 $2 Swim
Monday 17-Mar 5 0 9 5 4 8 2 33 22
Tuesday 18-Mar 1 4 7 0 10 5 2 29 17 Water Mindfullness
Wednesday 19-Mar 4 1 2 5 8 11 3 34 16
Thursday 20-Mar 2 2 7 7 13 3 3 37
Friday 21-Mar 4 3 3 7 6 8 1 6 9 0 32 20 15 $2 Swim
Saturday 22-Mar 5 1 8 5 7 6 0 13 1 46 3
Sunday 23-Mar 1 2 0 0 3 $2 Swim
Monday 24-Mar 5 2 3 10 7 7 4 38 23
Tuesday 25-Mar 3 5 6 0 10 7 4 35 14 Water Mindfullness
Wednesday 26-Mar 6 3 0 8 6 9 3 35 17
Thursday 27-Mar 4 6 5 4 8 7 0 34
Friday 28-Mar 7 2 3 5 6 5 4 8 0 0 32 21 8 $2 Swim
Saturday 29-Mar 5 3 3 5 2 5 0 3 2 28 3
Sunday 30-Mar 13 1 0 0 14 $2 Swim
Monday 31-Mar 5 7 5 6 10 8 5 46 27
Grand Total
840 886 251 447 174 1758
28.6 8.1 14.4 5.6 56.7
text
Facility closed for events/maintenance/holiday
$2 Swim. This quantity is not included in Daily Rec Totals
Robert A Lee Recreation Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - March 2025
Total Scans:
Averages:
Totals:
Day Date 6-7a 7-8a 8-9a 9-10a 10-11a 11-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p 3-4p 4-5p 5-6 p 6-7p 7-8p Daily Rec Totals Water Fitness Swim Team Event # Count Event Name
Saturday 1-Mar 3 3 6 8 9 5 7 15 8 11 9 8 3 1 96 100
Sunday 2-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 23 5 10 6 11 7 6 7 0 75
Monday 3-Mar 7 10 6 9 9 7 6 8 2 6 3 10 5 1 89 4 100
Tuesday 4-Mar 5 12 9 10 7 9 8 7 3 3 3 5 7 0 71 2 100 17 $2 Swim
Wednesday 5-Mar 2 5 2 2 2 0 2 4 4 2 3 9 1 1 39 100
Thursday 6-Mar 9 9 5 12 13 7 7 10 10 10 1 10 6 2 86 2 100 25 $2 Swim
Friday 7-Mar 5 7 8 9 12 6 3 11 6 2 4 3 9 3 88 100
Saturday 8-Mar 5 4 3 20 9 5 9 7 9 6 3 3 4 1 88 100
Sunday 9-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 8 14 7 14 14 8 6 2 7 80
Monday 10-Mar 7 14 13 12 6 8 6 13 6 5 4 7 5 3 109 3 100
Tuesday 11-Mar 6 11 9 17 16 10 0 2 6 1 4 12 12 3 76 4 100 33 $2 Swim
Wednesday 12-Mar 7 12 8 7 13 10 1 11 2 9 6 8 7 2 103 100
Thursday 13-Mar 7 12 13 11 6 10 10 8 2 1 10 5 17 2 97 3 100 17 $2 Swim
Friday 14-Mar 11 14 5 11 11 7 9 5 14 13 7 0 1 0 108 2 100
Saturday 15-Mar 7 2 6 17 11 10 9 19 11 13 13 6 8 3 135 100
Sunday 16-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 19 11 6 9 26 6 0 5 5 87
Monday 17-Mar 7 7 4 30 6 9 8 13 16 17 10 4 10 5 146
Tuesday 18-Mar 4 14 6 29 24 10 5 28 30 14 9 20 6 1 147 2 53 $2 Swim
Wednesday 19-Mar 7 10 12 9 12 13 3 4 16 14 7 19 5 3 134
Thursday 20-Mar 4 5 7 20 14 11 13 27 9 9 14 4 9 4 116 3 34 $2 Swim
Friday 21-Mar 8 9 12 9 13 15 21 35 13 9 8 4 0 1 157 3
Saturday 22-Mar 4 5 5 10 10 5 12 13 6 17 7 9 7 1 111
Sunday 23-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 31 9 14 25 12 6 22 5 3 127
Monday 24-Mar 9 17 7 11 12 11 10 9 5 2 6 2 9 3 113 5 100
Tuesday 25-Mar 6 13 6 17 16 7 10 5 6 8 8 7 3 3 82 2 100 33 $2 Swim
Wednesday 26-Mar 11 8 7 17 11 5 8 3 2 3 8 8 8 1 100 100
Thursday 27-Mar 9 11 5 9 20 9 4 7 4 7 9 2 5 3 75 100 29 $2 Swim
Friday 28-Mar 7 10 7 9 12 4 8 9 5 4 6 7 10 2 100 3 100
Saturday 29-Mar 3 0 6 11 5 12 3 5 11 22 5 3 7 3 96 100
Sunday 30-Mar 0 0 0 0 0 22 21 8 8 14 19 7 3 2 104
Monday 31-Mar 11 13 11 23 16 9 4 27 15 3 9 4 6 2 153 3 100
Grand Total
2578 3188 41 2000 241 5470
102.8 1.3 64.5 7.8 176.5
ICE = 92 (includes masters)
$2 Swim. This quantity is not included in Daily Rec Totals
Facility closed for events/maintenance/holiday
Mercer Park Aquatic Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals - March 2025
Totals:
Averages:
Total Scans:
Community Foundation of Johnson County
City of Iowa City Parks and Recreation Accounts
Iowa City Parks and Rec Endowment Fund
Statement Activity
Iowa City Parks and Rec Charitable Giving Fund
February 01, 2025 - Feburary 28, 2025
Beginning Balance:$39,287.59
Total Fund Income:$4,500.03
Total Fund Expenses:$132.61
Ending Balance:$43,655.01
Statement Activity
Ending Balance:$256,138.37
February 01, 2025 - Feburary 28, 2025
Beginning Balance:$241,817.87
Total Fund Income:$14,381.11
Total Fund Expenses:$60.61
1 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report | City of Iowa City
Iowa City Parks & Recreation Staff Report
April 2025
Upcoming Events
• Tot Time Season – M-F, January 6 – April 25, 9:30-11:30 am, MPAC
• Rollerskating – Saturdays, January 11 – May 17; 3-5 pm, 5:30-7:30 pm; RAL
• Earth Expo – Saturday, April 5, 1-4 pm, RAL
• Disability Expo – Saturday, May 3, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm; RAL
• UI Day of Play – Saturday, May 3, 9 am – 1 pm; RAL
• Farmers Market – Saturdays, May – October; 7:30 am – Noon; Chauncey Swan Ramp
• Pedal Power – Sunday, May 18; 1-3 pm; TTRA Parking Lot
Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff
Parks:
• We have trees ordered for spring planting and are finalizing the fall tree order with vendors.
• The REAP grant funded project for the Sycamore Greenway is currently out for bids.
• The park improvement projects at Adelaide Joy Rogers, Brookland, Calder, and College Green have
begun and are making regular progress.
• The trail replacement project on the section of the Court Hill Trail between Beech St and Scott Blvd has
begun.
• Seasonal hiring is close to complete with just a couple open positions remaining for the summer season.
• Prescribed burn season is coming to an end with a good number of successful burns this year.
• We had a workday with partners from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removing undesirable trees from a
portion of Sand Prairie Park.
• Big Grove volunteers assisted with work and funding for improvements at the playground at Riverfront
Crossings Park. Parks staff worked on multiple improvements with materials we had on hand or
repurposed and the volunteers helped finish off the project with mulch and river rock.
• Staff attended the Tree City USA Awards Presentation where we received our annual Tree City USA
award.
• We are busy turning on water and opening restrooms for the season.
2 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report | City of Iowa City
Recreation:
• Recreation division staff have been assisting with STEAM/Arts/Nature program development and
implementation and summer camp planning while the Program Supervisor position remains vacant.
• Recreation division full-time staff attended the Iowa Parks and Recreation Conference in late March in
Coralville for continuing education.
• Aquatic staff is inventorying assets at City Park Pool to identify items to transfer to the new pool or
move along through GovDeals or disposal.
• Recreation staff have been working with affiliate groups and ballfield user groups as their baseball and
softball seasons begin.
• Summer activity guide is available. Registration begins April 15 for Iowa City residents, April 16 for
everyone.
Facilities:
• Ashton House roof-
o Roof project has job trailer is on site and weather depended work will start anytime.
o Should take approx. a week.
• Robert A Lee/ Mercer -
o Staff has started to prepare building HVAC for the spring and summer season.
• New Pools II employee-
o Kevin Washington has been promoted to POOLS II.
o Kevin is not a new face to our division as he has worked as a custodian I for approximately 10
years and has held his CPO “Certified Pool Operators” license for 8 of those years. Kevin is a
familiar face with our pools team. Kevin normally covered a lot of holidays, sick, and vacations
days for other staff. Kevin is a great asset, and we are happy to have him over in his new role.
• Splashpads-
o Staff have started to clean, evaluate and re-assemble the pump rooms in preparation for the
summer season.
Cemetery:
• Bids for the ADA improvements in the bathroom and the wheelchair ramp/guard rails have been
approved. Bathroom scheduled for July and ramp work soon.
• Staff will be working on aerating and overseeding several sections next week.
Top Staff Issues
Parks
• We are busy onboarding new seasonal staff and getting parks ready for the busy warm seasons.
Recreation
• Staff have been busy prepping for summer programming and hiring sufficient levels of staffing.
3 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report | City of Iowa City
Cemetery:
• Staff has been busy with repairing ruts along the roads in the cemetery due to the wet soggy conditions.
• Staff has been busy with ground clean up. Lots of sticks and raking.
4 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Staff Report | City of Iowa City
Oakland
Cemetery
FY 25 Revenue Report
** shaded areas represent previous 5yr average
Revenue from Lot Sales Lot Sale 5yr
Average
# of
Interments
Interments
5yr avg.
Revenue
from
Interments
5-year Avg.
on
Interments
Total
Revenue
5yr Avg. on
total
revenue
July $2,700.00 $3,690.00 8 5.4 $4,885.00 $3,106.50 $7,585.00 $6,796.50
August $4,950.00 $7,871.50 7 7.2 $3,520.00 $4,106.50 $8,470.00 $11,978.00
Sept $900.00 $8,082.50 7 7.0 $3,027.50 $3,919.75 $3,927.50 $12,002.25
Oct $10,350.00 $12,342.00 7 7.6 $3,427.50 $4,103.50 $13,777.50 $16,445.50
Nov $1,800.00 $6,111.50 14 6.2 $7,287.50 $3,958.00 $9,087.50 $10,069.50
Dec $13,050 $2,745.50 3 5.0 $2,235.00 $3091.00 $15,285.00 $5.,836.50
Jan $1,800.00 $4,789.50 5 4.4 $2,567.50 $2,482.00 $4,367.50 $7,271.50
Feb $7,650.00 $4,940.00 2 3.6 $1,785.00 $2,623.00 $9,435.00 $7,563.00
March $13,050.00 $5,747.00 7 4.8 $4,247.50 $3,452.50 $17,297.50 $9,199.50
April
May
June
Totals $56,250.00 $56,328.50 60 51.2 $32,982.50 $30,842.75 $89,232.50 $87,162.25