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Home My WebLink About06-17-2020 Parks & Recreation Agenda Packet-Revised Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, June 17, 2020 5 p.m. Electronic Meeting – 5 p.m. ZOOM MEETING PLATFORM Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can participate in the meeting and can comment on an agenda item by going to https://zoom.us/j/91155284292?pwd=TEJ4S3RpNEpJckNyVjZTejRadkp0UT09 via the internet to visit the Zoom meeting’s registration page and submit the required information. Once approved, you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting or webinar ID, enter the ID number found in the email. A meeting password may also be included in the email. Enter the password when prompted. If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you may call in by telephone by dialing (312) 626-6799. When prompted, enter the meeting or webinar ID. The ID number for this meeting is: [911 5528 4292]. Once connected, you may dial *9 to “raise your hand,” letting the meeting host know you would like to speak. Providing comments in person is not an option. Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, June 17, 2020 5 p.m. Electronic Meeting – 5 p.m. ZOOM MEETING PLATFORM AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF MARCH 11, 2020 MEETING MINUTES ITEM 3 PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA ITEM 4 COVID-19 DEPARTMENT RESPONSE UPDATE – JULI SEYDELL JOHNSON ITEM 5 REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF a) Parks & Recreation Director – Juli Seydell Johnson b) Recreation Division Superintendent – Brad Barker c) Parks Division Superintendent – Tyler Baird d) Department Communications Updates – Morgan Gerdes e) Farmers Market Updates – Tammy Neumann f) Building Project and COVID-19 Operating Updates (Parks & Recreation Facilities) – Kumi ITEM 6 CHAIRS REPORT ITEM 7 COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ITEM 8 ADJOURN If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Tammy Neumann, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department at 319/356-5210 or tammy-neumann@iowa- city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MARCH 11, 2020 ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER – MTG ROOM B Members Present: Stephen Bird, Alex Hachtman, Boniface Penandjo Lemoupa, Ben Russell, Melissa Serenda, Angie Smith, Jamie Venzon, Brianna Wills, Blake Winter, Members Absent: None Staff Present: Brad Barker, Morgan Gerdes, Zac Hall, Juli Seydell Johnson Others Present: None CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Bird called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): None OTHER FORMAL ACTION: Moved by Smith, seconded by Hachtman, to approve the February 12, 2020 meeting minutes as written. Motion passed 9-0. PUBLIC DISCUSSION None CENSUS 2020 INFORMATION – ASHLEY MONROE, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER Ashley Monroe, Assistant City Manager, presented information to the Commission regarding the 2020 Census. She directed commission members to the information that was included in their agenda packets. She explained that the United States Census is a count of everyone who lives in the US and its territories and is completed every 10 years. It helps shape determine hour federal funds are distributed within a county. She noted that all households will receive a mailing with information in March. This will include the invite to participate in the census and will provide a census ID code that will be necessary when responding. This is the first time that an online option is available. Options to respond by mail or telephone are also available. She asked Commission to assist in spreading the word and to help explain to community members the importance of their response. She suggested that members share with them that there are billions of dollars at stake within the state of Iowa and each year these funds are allocated to various programs including funds for education, housing and food assistance, infrastructure and more. Reiterate to them that all the amenities in the community depend on census information. She pointed out that the City uses this information daily when requesting funding. This is espec ially important for Iowa City with the large amount of growth in recent years. Monroe shared that there is a large committee of volunteers who have been working together for over a year gathering information and sharing it with elected officials, nonprofit organizations, churches, and many other entities that depend on census information for their funding. The committee developed a packet of information so that a consistent message is shared. The committee worked with partners to provide the information in different languages. She noted that one of the challenges is getting information to apartment tenants. The bureau is reaching out to property owners and landlords. The committee is attempting to employ individuals to assist in the process, although this has been a challenge. Applications PRELIMINARY are still being accepted. She noted that these positions pay $21 per hour. Venzon asked if a student who is from Illinois but living here while going to the University of Iowa would count themselves as part of the Iowa census. Monroe said that they would and that their out of town parents have been instructed not to count them as part of their household. Venzon then asked if getting students to complete the forms has been difficult in the past. Monroe said there are plans to reach out to both on-campus and off-campus students as well as sending communications to the parents. Hall asked if the gathering of info will subside at the end of April. Monroe said she believes reminders will be sent throughout the summer. She suggested that when talking to members of the public, let them know that if they fill out the form and return right away, they eliminate the need for someone coming to their door. Monroe offered commission members posters and handouts that they may share with their networks. Wills asked if information has been included in Peachjar, the school districts electronic communication tool. Monroe said that they have recently done so. Wills said she has not seen any information on the electronic format yet. Bird thanked Monroe on behalf of the Commission for her presentation. DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION & MARKETING UPDATE – MORGAN GERDES Seydell Johnson introduced Gerdes to the Commission reminding them that she was present at their January meeting during an all-staff report. Gerdes reintroduced herself to the Commission and shared some of her past work experience. She has experience in project management, brand development, graphic design, database management and large-scale event planning. She also has experience in multi-media marketing and promotion management. Gerdes reports directly to Brad Barker and Juli Seydell Johnson while also working closely with the City Management team and the Communications Department. She also works with all the department supervisors in youth and adult sports, social and cultural programs, aquatics and the departments inclusive programs as well as par ks, forestry and the cemetery. Gerdes said one of her goals is to establish a voice for the department through the City and department websites as well as social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Next-door. She explained how each can be used in a different way to provide information to the community. She said that the Instagram platform is a great place to add photos. For example, a photo of maintenance staff preparing City Park Pool for the summer, maintenance during the season and then closing of the pool at the end of the summer. Photos such as these will help followers understand the time and energy staff put in to provide that service from the start to the end of the season. She went on to explain that Instagram followers are a bit different than Facebook in that Instagram followers are organic, meaning that they must find you and like you. It doesn’t offer the same tools as Facebook, i.e., the ability to invite individuals to like specific posts. On Instagram you create ways for people to easily find content, engage and so on. Facebook is a place where people can go to find information about parks, recreation programs, and events, as well as cancellations. She explained that followers include those who have chosen to receive updates when a post is published; likes are a person who has chosen to attach their name to a page as a fan. Nextdoor and Twitter are shared accounts with the City’s Communications Department. These are specifically used to get urgent messaging out when there is a call to action. She said that getting to know who your followers are will assist in meeting their needs. She will work to improve the main and subpages of the department websites by reviewing layouts, updating photos and videos and reviewing content for accuracy and relevance, while keeping ADA guidelines in place. She will look at making the layout of the department website like the activity guide, thus giving the department a brand. Gerdes is currently working with staff on the summer activity guide. She said that there will be changes in things like program titles, layout and style. She will be using a similar graphics on both Facebook and in the activity guides, thereby branding them. Commission thanked Gerdes for a great presentation and commended her on her enthusiasm. REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF: Parks & Recreation – Juli Seydell Johnson: Farmers Market: Seydell Johnson announced that Tammy Neumann, Department Secretary who coordinates the Farmers Market, was recognized during a State meeting regarding the markets Double Up Food Bucks Program. Iowa City Farmers Market is the top distributor of these food bucks. Double Up Food Bucks is a program created by the Healthiest State Initiative that allows recipients of SNAP to double their money up to $10 at each market. This program connects low-income families with healthy food grown by Iowa farmers. Deer Management: Seydell Johnson reported that 140 deer were eliminated in the second round of the deer management program and 292 during the first round. The deer management company will continue for approximately another week or until they see the deer numbers decline. COVID-19: Seydell Johnson is a member of the COVID-19 command team. The team meets every morning. At this point, all City departments remain open and operating as normal. Operationally the custodians are spending much of their time ensuring that City facilities are clean and safe. The Senior Center has cancelled their classes. The Recreation Center is not cancelling any of its programs yet; however, it has been noted that the Spring Break Program has approximately half of the usual participants registered. She encouraged Commission to watch social media and the City websites, as well as the Johnson County Department of Health sites for updates. She noted that the department has contingency plans in place. Creekside Park: Seydell Johnson reminded Commission of a public meeting on Thursday, March 12 at the park. She noted that the park is near completion with the orchard going in soon. There are funds that will allow for a small public art piece. She will share concepts at the meeting on Thursday. Recreation Division Superintendent – Brad Barker: Staff: Barker reported that Recreation Staff are diligently working on the summer activity guide. Staff is focusing on adding more special events that will encourage patrons to get out into the parks. One such program includes pop-up events in neighborhood parks, similar to the Thursday evening Party in the Park program. Staff will fill the department event trailer with equipment that will include activities for families to participate in. Equipment includes strider -bikes for younger kids and pedal cars. The Iowa City Bike Library will bring some bicycles for participants to ride while offering one-on-one attention helping individuals get comfortable on the bicycles as well as assist in improving their riding skills. There will be events offered at the three splash pads where staff will promote the swim scholarship program offered through the Parks and Recreation Foundation. There will be programs focusing on conservation, sustainability and the environment. The department is planning a fire hydrant party in the Pheasant Ridge neighborhood. Other plans include a sunrise to sundown swimathon event to raise awareness of the swim scholarship program. The Big Splash: This event is to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the University of Iowa’s IIHR-Hydro science and Engineering program. It will include an outdoor celebration with music, dance, circus arts and other activities and will take place on the banks of the Iowa River. During the summer, the Iowa City Parks & Recreation Department will be offering promotional programming at the pools, splash pads, Party in the Park events and other programs throughout the season. Community Gardens: The Community Garden leasing program will begin on April 1. Those who have rented in past years will have the opportunity to re-enroll prior to this date. Parks Division Superintendent – Zac Hall: Garden Plots: Hall is working with Fred Meyer of Backyard Abundance, as well as Public Works staff, to redesign the gardens. This was an initiative for which the City Council expressed interest. Chadek Green has been prepped and is ready for fencing and design configuration. Tilling and staking of the Chadek Green garden plots has been complete. Hall also announced that an additional ten garden plots are being added to the Kiwanis Park garden site. Weather: With the increase in nice weather, staff have also seen an increase in inquiries regarding parks and forestry operations. Staff is gearing up for summer by preparing equipment as well as hiring its seasonal staff. Staff Conference: Parks, Forestry, and Horticulture staff attended the annual Iowa State Shade Tree Conference in Ames. Hall attended the Iowa River Tree Council meeting in Des Moines where tree planting initiatives were discussed for the coming year. CHAIRS REPORT No Report COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Smith asked about the construction status of Benton Hill Park. Seydell Jonson noted that there will be one more layer of playground surfacing laid soon and then plantings put in. City Park construction will also be underway soon including the playground installation. Smith noted that her son is really enjoying playing basketball at Creekside Park and wondered if there were any plans for lighting. Seydell Johnson said that due to the parks proximity to the neighborhood, lighting will not be added. Lemoupa inquired about what activities are offered through the Parks and Recreation Department for college aged patrons. Seydell Johnson noted that many the activities that Barker previously mentioned are free and open to the public and are appropriate for all ages. Gerdes also mentioned events being hosted by the Downtown District including the Pedestrian Mall Party on May 2 to celebrate the grand reopening of the area. There will also be the annual Block Party and other Summer of the Arts events throughout the season. ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Russell, seconded by Hachtman, to adjourn the meeting at 6 p.m. Motion passed 9-0. P & R 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 now NAME TERM EXPIRES 4/10/19 5/12/19 6/12/19 7/10/19 8/7/19 9/11/19 10/9/19 11/20/19 12/12/19 1/8/2020 2/12/20 3/11/20 Suzanne Bentler 12/31/20 O/E X LQ X X LQ X X O/E * * * Steve Bird 12/31/21 X X LQ O/E X LQ O/E X X X X X Lucas Foelsch 12/31/22 X O/E LQ X * * * * * * * * Alex Hachtman 12/31/20 * * * * * * * * * * X X Cara Hamann 12/31/19 X X LQ X X LQ X O/E X * * * Boniface Penandjo Lemoupa 12/31/23 * * * * * * * * * X O/E X Ben Russell 12/31/21 X X LQ X X LQ X X X O/E X X Melissa Serenda 12/31/23 * * * * * * * * * X X X Angie Smith 12/31/21 X X LQ X O/E LQ X X X X X X Jamie Venzon 12/31/20 O/E O/E LQ X O/E LQ X X X X X X Brianna Wills 12/31/22 X X LQ X O/E LQ X X X O/E X X Blake Winter 12/31/22 * * * * * * X X X X X X Joe Younker 12/31/19 X X LQ X X LQ X X X * * * Iowa City Parks & Recreation Commission Packet June 2020 Upcoming Events • Small-group programming will begin in late June • Party in the Park begins June 18 • Lap Swim at Mercer expected to begin June 15 Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff Parks: • Superintendent of Parks Zachary Hall has accepted a fulltime teaching position at Kirkwood Community College in the Parks and Natural Resources program. Serving the city for 6 years his last day will be June 5th. • Fulltime staff are back on a regular schedule and seasonal part-time staff are now fully scheduled. • Horticulture staff installed 3,000 plants in the Iowa Ave median at Gilbert St and Iowa Ave. • Forestry staff have been responding to tree damage calls due to seasonal storms. • Athletic Facilities staff have been prepping ballfields and repairing broken irrigation from this winter. Recreation: • Full-time staff are back on a regular schedule; most hourly staff are now on furloughed status • Full-time and several hourly Recreation Division staff continue to operate emergency day camp at Mercer Park Aquatic Center for employees of the City, Johnson County, health clinics, hospitals and long-term care centers. This camp will continue in its current format through June 12. • Summer Camp in a more traditional format will begin on June 15. There will be two five-week sessions. Field trips will not be a part of this camp and social distancing/small groups/frequent handwashing will continue to be the standard. • ICPRD youth sports programs in modified small-group formats will begin in late June. • Small group youth enrichment/STEAM programs, and outdoor education/adventure programs for youth/teens will begin in July. • City Park Pool will be closed for the summer. Lap Swim is expected to be available at Mercer Park Aquatic Center starting June 15. • Farmers Market is currently in a virtual format and has been very successful. There have been 2,226 orders placed in the first five weeks • Dog parks are open and staff is in regular rotation. • All 273 garden plots were sold by May 1. There were 60 new plots available this year. Cemetery: • City Channel 4 took some drone footage of the cemetery over Memorial weekend. Photo can be found on S:\Communications&Special Events\Oakland Cemetery-Russ\2020\Memorial Day Drone Photos • Total Tree Care is scheduled to remove 3 large trees this month. • The work on the prairie grass addition at the cemetery should start soon. Facilities: • All Government Buildings staff have returned to work, including those previously on COVID-19 leave. • The Senior Center and Robert A. Lee Recreation Center continue to be closed. • The Government Buildings teams from SC and RALRC are still at City Hall and Mercer to help with sanitizing, deep cleaning, and maintenance during this time. Starting June 1st, City Hall staff will begin returning to the building. • Mercer Aquatic Center Pool LED Lighting Project- Gerard Electric will be complete the week of June 1st. Staff are working on cleaning tanks and prepping to fill and reopen. Mercer Maintenance painted the Natatorium walls. • Celtic Painting completed painting the concrete and steel T roof overhang structure at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center. • The consultants for the Senior Center Building ADA Assessment and Master Plan Project, have started their site visits to field verify the existing building plans. The project will involve an ADA audit and the creation of a Master Plan to guide facility improvement for the Center. • Bids were accepted for the City Hall Police Front Office Remodel. RoCon Construction was awarded the project, a pre-bid meeting was held on June 1st. • Maintenance Staff are working on spring startup of HVAC systems throughout our facilities. At City Hall they have been working with the contractor on the challenges of integrating the new BAS system to all the air handling units. Top Staff Issues Parks • Playing catch-up with maintaining turf areas due to the season, rain and the delay of staff starts. • The Prairie Establishment project has been adjusted due to public outcry and concerns. Recreation • Many summer recreational activities, facilities amenities and associated staffing have been modified to fit current restrictions. Planning and staffing for activities will continue to adjust as circumstances change. • Planning for fall activities with many unknowns. Staff is designing programming for varied contingencies. Cemetery • Mowing and trimming is top priority for staff at this moment. • Staff has also been filling low spots and seeding. Facilities • Staff are prepping buildings for the reopening. Acrylic shields have been installed in customer service areas throughout City Hall, RALRC, Mercer, Senior Center and other facilities. Social distancing signage and hand sanitizer stations have been added throughout the buildings. • Staff are continuing to procure the sanitizing and cleaning materials that are needed to keep our facilities operational and safe. We have been finding shortages on wipes and particular equipment. Government Buildings have also continued to help provide requested cleaning and sanitation materials, and staff to various organizations in City Hall, including Police and Fire. • City Hall maintenance staff are continuing to work with the contractor on wiring for the new BAS systems in City Hall. The City received a MidAmerican Rebate incentive for the project, in the amount of $11,905.00 Oakland Cemetery FY 19 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 $3,810.00 $6,120.00 7 8.0 $3,380.00 $4,121.00 $7,190.00 $10,241.00 August $1,652.50 $6182.50 4 8.8 $2,970.00 $4,732.50 $4,622.50 $10,915.00 Sept $11,340.00 $7,193.75 6 8.0 $3,711.25 $4,665.50 $15,051.25 $11,859.25 Oct $7,320.00 $8,535.00 5 6.2 $2,355.00 $3,543.00 $9,675.00 $12,078.00 Nov $5,775.00 $4,320.00 3 6.4 $1,315.00 $3,033.00 $7,090.00 $7,353.00 Dec $2,475.00 $3,061.00 5 6.8 $3,755.00 $3,563.00 $6,230.00 $6,624.00 Jan $6,390.00 $4,175.00 4 3.4 $3,290.00 $2,243.00 $9,680.00 $6,418.00 Feb $4,950.00 $3,665.00 2 3.2 $1,135.00 $1,890.69 $6,085.00 $5,555.69 March $5,362.50 $6,341.00 5 6.0 $3,907.50 $4,342.00 $9,270.00 $10,683.00 April $3,300.00 $5,240.00 2 7.0 $1,955.00 $4,466.50 $5,255.00 $9,706.50 May $310.00 $5,565.50 4 5.4 $1,525.00 $2,995.71 $1,835.00 $8,561.21 June Totals $52,685.00 $59,398.75 44 69.2 $29,298.75 $39,595.90 $81,983.75 $99,994.65