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Home My WebLink About02-14-2024 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 5 p.m. on Monday, February 12, 2024, will be distributed to the Commission in advance of the meeting. AGENDA ITEM 1 CALL TO ORDER ITEM 2 APPROVAL OF JANUARY 10, 2024, 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 INTRODUCTION OF NEW STAFF – Parks and Rec Director Juli Seydell Johnson ITEM 5 CITY PARK POOL UPDATE: PHASE 2 PUBLIC INPUT – Dir. Juli Seydell Johnson ITEM 6 REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF a) Parks and Recreation Director – Juli Seydell Johnson b) Recreation Superintendent – Brad Barker c) Parks & Forestry Superintendent – Tyler Baird ITEM 7 CHAIRS REPORT ITEM 8 COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ITEM 9 ADJOURN Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, February 14, 2024 5:00 p.m. Mercer Park Aquatic Center – Procter & Gamble Room 220 S Gilbert Street, Iowa City, IA 52240 IOWA CITY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION PRELIMINARY MINUTES OF JANUARY 10, 2024 ROBERT A. LEE RECREATION CENTER – MEETING ROOM B Members Present: Aaron Broege, Missie Forbes, Alex Hachtman, Virginia Hayes, Rachel McPherson, Connie Moore, Brian Morelli, Alex Stanton Members Absent: Caleb Recker Staff Present: Tyler Baird, Brad Barker, Gabe Gotera Others Present: Mitzi Read CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Hachtman called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (to become effective only after separate Council action): None OTHER FORMAL ACTION: Moved by Stanton, seconded by Forbes, to approve both the October 27, 2023, minutes & the December 13, 2023, minutes. Motion passed 5-0 (Recker, Hayes, McPherson, and Broege absent). Moved by Morelli, seconded by Forbes to elect Alex Hachtman as Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Recker absent). Moved by Morelli, seconded by Forbes to elect Connie Moore as Vice-Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Recker absent). Moved by Broege, seconded by Hayes to recommend sending out two emails, one with the agenda packet including related correspondence, and the other with correspondence not related to the agenda. Motion Passed 7-0 (Recker and McPherson absent). PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None Commissioner Hayes and Commissioner Broege arrive at 5:01 p.m. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2024 Page 2 of 8 COMMISSION BUSINESS – Chairman Alex Hachtman: Introduction of New Commission Member Chairman Hachtman welcomes new Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Virginia Hayes. Commissioner Hayes introduces herself as an Arborist working at Sustainable Landscape Solutions. Election of Officers Commissioner Morelli nominates Alex Hachtman as Chairman and Connie Moore as Vice- Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission for 2024. Moved by Morelli, seconded by Forbes to elect Alex Hachtman as Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Recker absent). Moved by Morelli, seconded by Forbes to elect Connie Moore as Vice-Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion Passed 7-0 (McPherson and Recker absent). Distribution of Correspondence Supt. Barker says that the Commission will be deciding on its preference for receiving correspondence from the public on items not pertaining to the agenda. Barker explains that past practices saw non-agenda public correspondence not included in the agenda packet but that towards the start of 2023, it was more commonplace for all public correspondence received to be included in the agenda packet. If it was received in time, the correspondence would be included in the packet, but if it was received after the packet has been released, it would be printed and distributed to the commission at the meeting. Barker adds that a lot of the items received in the time frame near the start of 2023 were pertaining to the Recreation Masterplan and facility operations. Staff recommends that this practice of agenda packet distribution revert to something more akin to the process City Council follows, in which case, the Council received agenda related correspondence in the packet but that any items non-agenda related are received separately. Supt. Barker says for full-disclosure and in case of any concern, that all items received, whether through email or provided as a handout are compiled after the meeting and sent to the City Clerk’s office. The City Clerk publishes everything received that the Commission sees, and that even if it is not in the agenda packet sent out, all information is accessible by the public. Barker describes the exact location that these documents can be found. 1. Start at the City website, icgov.org 2. Click on the Government tab followed by clicking the Public Documents link. 3. Follow the folder path; City Clerk’s Office  Board, Commission, & Committees Meeting Packet  Parks and Recreation Commission Barker explains that this specific Parks and Recreation Commission folder contains all the agenda and addition items that were received for each meeting that the Commission has seen. Barker clarifies that even if any items are not in the released agenda packet, the public and the Commission can still access all the information after the meeting. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2024 Page 3 of 8 Supt. Barker lists several options for the Commission to consider. The first option would be for an email to the Commission, bundling all non-agenda public correspondence received since the last meeting and sent out as a separate email aside from the agenda packet, resulting in two emails received in a close time frame. The second option would be for each correspondence received to be forwarded to the Commission right away, resulting in multiple emails within the course of the month depending on how much public correspondence is received. The third option is to continue the current process of printing out all non-agenda correspondence received and distributing at the meeting. Commissioner Broege asks for clarification regarding the first option on when public correspondence would be received by the Commission. Supt. Barker explains that the agenda packet email and the non-agenda public correspondence email would be sent at the same time. Vice-Chairman Moore says that the first option sounds nice, so that the Commission can read through them and if there is something that a commission member wants to discuss it can be fresh on their minds. Moore says that the two separate emails seem sufficient. Chairman Hachtman state that the Commission values public comment and worries that if the emails are forwarded one-by-one in individual emails they have a higher chance of getting lost in inboxes. Moved by Broege, seconded by Hayes to recommend sending out two emails, one with the agenda packet including related correspondence, and the other with correspondence not related to the agenda. Motion Passed 7-0 (Recker and McPherson absent). Requests for 2024 Agenda Items Chairman Hachtman asks for any requests for future agenda items for 2024. Commissioner Forbes would be interested in a tour of the Parks. Forbes says that when she started her term, it had been said to happen in the past but that the Commission has been caught up in public issue for a parks tour to take place. Commissioner McPherson arrives at 5:12 p.m. Vice-Chairman Moore has several future items from speaking with residents. Moore would like to look at the difference in water quality between the CRWC pool and the RAL pool, specifically the formula for chlorine, as some residents have spoken to her about the difference in water quality, specifically that the CRWC pool has high quality water. Moore would want to look at the project for redoing College Green Park, speaking about a request heard for a full-court basketball court instead of a half-court. Moore has heard requests for another sand volleyball pit at City Park as there is often people waiting in line to use the current pit during the summer. Moore wants to look at the possibility of a splash pad added to the north-east part of Iowa City. Moore says that North Market Square could be an option for a splash pad or some other aquatics related amenity. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2024 Page 4 of 8 Commissioner Broege knows that there has been issue with the deposit boxes at the dog parks being broken into and wonders about the potential for moving the deposits fully online, making it not only more convenient but more secure for dog park attendees and the city. Vice-Chairman Moore says that the dog park patrons can pay their attendance fee via the parking app QR codes. Broege responds that his question would more towards the protentional of moving fully online and getting rid of the deposit boxes altogether. Broege acknowledges that the deposit boxes may need to say for patrons that are technologically inclined/limited. Commissioner McPherson is interested to look at the possibility of increase staffing at both recreation center facilities. McPherson says that she has heard that there was a problem with throw-up remaining in the women’s locker room for hours due to a staffing issue. McPherson says that she has heard that the hours were inconsistent when she could swim due to the amount of swim meets, some happening at the last minute and that were not on the posted schedule. McPherson is also interested in the discussing the consideration of a women’s swim at the rec centers, saying that she has been approached by several women in the Muslim community who are asked and have said they would be more inclined to learn swim safety in that setting. McPherson says that if one of the department’s focuses is to get people of color, specifically of African descent, it seems to align in our interests to focus on that, which could also benefit from the staffing element. Commissioner Stanton would be interested at the discussion of adding porta potties to the smaller parks in the city. Stanton says that the parks he goes to the most are Reno Street Park and North Market Square Park which are both small parks. Stanton explains that everyday when the daycare next to Reno Street Park lets out at the end of the day, kids will run over and play for several hours. Inevitably, one of the kids will need to use the restroom and will either sprint back to the daycare before it closes or just run over to a tree. Stanton adds that there are many families that reserve the shelters in the smaller parks for birthday parties but that not all have restroom facilities. Chairman Hachtman is interested in a tour of the parks and a tour of the city buildings/facilities, especially when considering how many new members of the Commission there are. Hachtman is also interested taking a deep dive into accessibility and looking at how the facilities and parks from an accessibility standpoint. Hachtman adds that while accessibility has been discussed individually, the commission could benefit from looking at it from a broader view and a long- term standpoint. Hachtman wants to look at the current sustainability efforts the department is striving for. Hachtman would be interested in looking at the different grants and awards that the department and City has strived for. Hachtman wants to understand the process more and would love to learn about ways that the Commission could encourage the Community to help or build support for these efforts. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2024 Page 5 of 8 REPORT ON ITEMS FROM CITY STAFF: Recreation Superintendent – Brad Barker Snowstorm: Supt. Barker explains that on Tuesday, Jan. 9 the rec centers closed early at 4 p.m. to allow staff to get home before dark as well as cancelling programs on for that day and the day prior. Barker says that it’s hard to say how the department and programming will react to weather for the upcoming weekend. Staffing: Supt. Barker says that the Recreation Division has been in full hiring mode. Barker recalls the introduction of Aquatics Program Supervisor, Caylea House, and explains that there have been interviews earlier in the week to fill her prior position, Recreation Assistant. Barker says that an offer had gone the prior week and was accepted regarding the Special Events and Communications Program Supervisor. Barker adds that the new hire is expected to start at the beginning of February. City Park Pool: Supt. Barker says that since the first round of public input was completed last Fall, the consultants have been busy at work creating concept designs expected to be shown to staff the following week. Barker says that the consultants are also finalizing the statistically valid survey that will be going out to the public. Barker explains that the public at large will have an opportunity to chime in, but that initially I will be sent out with the concept designs to the public. Barker adds that by the next month’s meeting, the commission will be looking over the concepts and what the process is look like from there. Parks & Forestry Superintendent – Tyler Baird Park Projects: Supt. Baird announces that as part of the MLK Jr Day event at Mercer Park Aquatic Center, there will be an open house for the Terrell Mill Park Skatepark and Pump Track design process. Baird encourages the commission members to attend one of two open houses from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. or from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. Baird is hopefully that there will be a large cross section of the public in attendance. Baird says that this is not like other open houses that can communicated through a postcard to the neighbor surrounding the park, drawing people from a single part of the city. Baird explains that to draw people from all parts of the city there has been targeted outreach to the skating communities and bike shops in the area to gather the desired crowd. Baird adds that the design process is this year while installation would be in 2025. Hiring: Supt. Baird says that within the Parks Division, Ryan Kratoska will move from Parks Maintenance Worker I to Athletic Fields Maintenance Worker I. Baird adds that applications are being accepted for Kratoska’s prior position. Baird announces that the Assistant Superintendent position has been filled by Alex Lorack. Baird says that Lorack will be starting in 2 weeks and is currently working in the Neighborhood Development Services department but that he has worked in Iowa City Forestry in the past. Baird announces that at the end of the prior week, seasonal positions for Parks and Forestry went live and that applications are being accepted. Baird says that he will be going to Kirkwood to speak with the Parks & Rec and Horticulture programs for a job fair of sorts. Baird expects to hire 60 some seasonal employees throughout the season. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2024 Page 6 of 8 Snowstorm: Supt. Baird says that there has been a lot of snow but that most of the division’s areas have been taken care of, but that one piece of equipment has gone done since. Baird states that roughly half of the crews have been pulled to work just on trees today alone. Baird explains that the Commission might hear about areas on the east side of town that have not been plowed yet due to the downed equipment, but that staff will be reaching them in the morning. Baird says that the downed trees will be around for a while due to the sheer quantity. Baird explains that any trees that still had leaves or fruits, such as Crab Apples, Oaks, or Evergreens were effected by the weight of the snow and the extreme winds. Baird says that in his 9 years’ experience with the city, this is the 2nd worse storm for trees, the 1st being the derecho. Baird says that that he has been notified of 100+ trees, but that there are more to be found. Baird state that there are contractors helping with the trees, particularly Mid-American helping with any that are power- line related. Baird adds that streets has pushed the smaller branches off the roads but that there are still sidewalk obstructions to be taken care of. Commissioner Stanton asks if there will be any pickup of branches and tree limbs from yards. Supt. Baird says that there has not been any coordination with resource management in this time frame since they are a different department. Baird explains that with derecho, it was a quick storm, and that people were more willing to get out and move branches after being cooped in from quarantines. Baird continues, that while a lot of branches have been moved out of the way, they will be under even more snow very quickly, making pickup in the immediate time difficult. Baird says that his crews were pulled at sundown for their own safety, which resulted in some streets have obstructions overnight. Baird says that is a balance of safety for the crews along with everything else, but that there will be some cleanup of branches moving forward. Commissioner Morelli asks if there will be any communication from the city about residents should do with their downed limbs. Supt. Baird says that he can talk with the communications department to regarding that. Baird adds that come messaging did go out midafternoon the day prior about using the GovExpress service request system to get the effected addresses which has been extremely helpful for staff. Baird explains that if there is a private tree across a sidewalk or into a street, his staff will try to fix that, but that City trees will be the priority, especially when considering the large number of trees effected. Baird says that if a tree is on their property, it is their responsibility, but that staff will try to get it out of the sidewalks. Commissioner Broege says that he knows there is a 24-hour rule regarding people’s sidewalks but that with more snow coming, asks if there is a roll-over like that on time. Supt. Baird acknowledges a press release earlier in the day from Housing Inspection that said to clear the sidewalks. Baird says that when a press release is out it usually means that the storm is done, and you should have it done by 24 hours. Baird adds that if there is a limb precariously over your sidewalk, there can be exceptions due to obstructions. Commissioner McPherson asks if Supt. Baird had mentioned a website to report precarious city trees and branches. Baird says that he referred to the GovExpress website with has a spot on the main homepage of the city website, which can be used to report a concern. Baird adds that it does not necessarily need to be related to trees and can be about almost anything. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2024 Page 7 of 8 CHAIRS REPORT: None COMMISSION TIME/SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Commissioner McPherson asks about what Freeze Fest entails. Supt. Barker explains that it will be on Sunday Feb. 4 at Terry Trueblood Recreational Area and will have lots of indoor activities but also some outdoor activities such as hiking if the weather is good. Barker says that this free annual event is organized by Program Supervisor Joyce Carroll. ADJOURNMENT: Chairman Hachtman adjourns the meeting at 5:35 p.m. PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION January 10, 2024 Page 8 of 8 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 02 / 0 8 / 2 3 03 / 0 8 / 2 3 04 / 1 2 / 2 3 05 / 1 0 / 2 3 06 / 1 4 / 2 3 07 / 1 2 / 2 3 08 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 3 09 / 1 3 / 2 0 2 3 10 / 2 7 / 2 0 2 3 11 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 3 12 / 1 3 / 2 0 2 3 01 / 1 0 / 2 0 2 4 Aaron Broege 12/31/24 * * * X NM X X X X X X X Missie Forbes 12/31/25 O/E LQ X X NM O/E X X X O/E X X Alex Hachtman 12/31/24 X LQ X X NM X X X X X X X Virginia Hayes 12/31/27 * * * * * * * * * * * X Rachel McPherson 12/31/26 X LQ X X NM X X X X X X X Connie Moore 12/31/25 X LQ X X NM O/E X X X X X X Brian Morelli 12/31/25 X LQ X X NM X X X O/E O/E X X Caleb Recker 12/31/26 * * * * * * * * X X X O/E Melissa Serenda 12/31/23 X LQ X X NM X X X X X X * Alex Stanton 12/31/23 * * * * * * X X X O/E X X 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 December 01, 2023 - December 31, 2023 Beginning Balance:$45,572.15 Total Fund Income:$160.00 Total Fund Expenses:$5.24 Ending Balance:$45,726.91 Statement Activity Ending Balance:$204,190.98 December 01, 2023 - December 31, 2023 Beginning Balance:$194,370.76 Total Fund Income:$9,867.61 Total Fund Expenses:$47.39 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 Monday 1-Jan Tuesday 2-Jan 3 4 5 5 8 7 5 37 7 7 Water Mindfulness Wednesday 3-Jan 3 4 5 2 8 9 3 34 7 Thursday 4-Jan 6 5 7 6 8 9 2 43 Friday 5-Jan 7 4 7 2 12 8 2 42 5 5 $2 Swim Saturday 6-Jan 6 2 3 6 3 9 3 1 3 36 10 25 Pool Party Rental Sunday 7-Jan 0 7 $2 Swim Monday 8-Jan 7 4 5 7 7 14 4 48 8 Tuesday 9-Jan 3 2 2 1 2 5 1 16 0 0 Water Fitness Classes and Water Mindfulness Class Cancelled Wednesday 10-Jan 2 0 7 1 10 0 Water Fitness Class Cancelled Thursday 11-Jan 8 4 5 4 9 8 1 39 Friday 12-Jan 5 1 4 1 11 1 $2 Swim Saturday 13-Jan 3 3 2 0 4 1 13 25 Pool Party Rental Sunday 14-Jan 0 3 $2 Swim Monday 15-Jan 5 3 2 3 5 6 4 28 4 Tuesday 16-Jan 6 5 7 6 6 8 4 42 0 Water Mindfulness Class Cancelled Wednesday 17-Jan 6 3 2 4 9 4 4 32 6 Thursday 18-Jan 6 2 5 8 4 8 5 38 Friday 19-Jan 6 2 3 7 6 4 2 30 7 3 $2 Swim Saturday 20-Jan 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 Sunday 21-Jan 0 2 $2 Swim Monday 22-Jan 6 6 4 2 7 8 7 40 14 Tuesday 23-Jan 3 1 5 1 7 8 5 30 0 Water Mindfulness Class Cancelled Wednesday 24-Jan 6 6 5 5 8 10 7 47 7 Thursday 25-Jan 3 4 11 4 5 12 2 41 Friday 26-Jan 8 2 6 3 8 8 4 39 4 1 $2 Swim Saturday 27-Jan 6 2 10 4 8 1 4 2 0 37 8 25 Pool Party Rental Sunday 28-Jan 0 14 $2 Swim Monday 29-Jan 2 6 6 0 10 11 6 41 12 Tuesday 30-Jan 5 3 5 4 8 9 1 35 7 6 Water Mindfulness Wednesday 31-Jan 5 3 3 2 8 8 3 32 7 Grand Total 823 845 113 0 124 1082 27.3 3.6 0.0 4.0 34.9 Text for print. Robert A Lee Recreation Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals Averages: Totals:Total Scans: 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 Monday 1-Jan Tuesday 2-Jan 4 14 7 8 13 18 7 10 6 11 6 2 106 3 36 $2 Swim / Lifeguard Class Wednesday 3-Jan 4 6 14 12 8 4 7 22 12 5 9 12 11 0 126 4 Lifeguard Class Thursday 4-Jan 8 4 9 6 6 9 7 1 6 11 3 0 70 11 24 $2 Swim / Lifeguard Class Friday 5-Jan 2 8 15 17 12 9 12 20 11 6 7 6 12 1 138 Saturday 6-Jan 6 2 9 8 9 6 14 23 10 5 4 7 2 2 107 Sunday 7-Jan 19 14 17 6 9 13 0 4 0 82 3 Monday 8-Jan 10 12 15 16 11 8 5 10 8 7 9 8 5 0 124 4 134 Tuesday 9-Jan 4 2 0 0 0 6 3 $2 Swim Wednesday 10-Jan 4 4 2 6 14 6 5 4 4 8 2 59 134 Thursday 11-Jan 6 3 6 7 2 6 6 4 9 11 6 0 66 10 134 17 $2 Swim Friday 12-Jan 3 1 1 0 2 2 1 10 Saturday 13-Jan 5 7 8 4 4 7 8 6 1 1 2 53 134 Sunday 14-Jan 6 5 6 10 5 0 3 1 0 36 Monday 15-Jan 0 1 7 11 5 3 4 9 3 13 4 9 3 0 72 3 134 Tuesday 16-Jan 2 6 6 4 4 9 5 3 0 0 0 0 39 Swim Meet 13 $2 Swim Wednesday 17-Jan 4 6 4 8 9 8 3 5 3 10 8 7 6 3 84 134 Thursday 18-Jan 4 5 6 3 5 7 3 2 11 2 2 1 51 16 134 12 $2 Swim Friday 19-Jan 0 7 1 7 6 11 6 6 10 6 5 7 2 0 74 134 Saturday 20-Jan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 134 Sunday 21-Jan 31 5 25 8 14 4 5 0 0 92 Monday 22-Jan 5 6 11 16 7 8 4 9 6 1 3 5 5 0 86 5 134 Tuesday 23-Jan 3 10 3 6 8 9 14 4 10 20 9 1 97 134 13 $2 Swim Wednesday 24-Jan 7 6 8 14 10 6 9 13 16 14 8 11 10 0 132 134 Thursday 25-Jan 7 7 6 7 6 4 6 1 7 4 2 0 57 6 134 21 $2 Swim Friday 26-Jan 7 8 12 17 10 7 8 12 9 2 5 9 6 0 112 134 5 Lifeguard Class Saturday 27-Jan 2 0 3 15 11 9 13 8 6 7 4 2 1 1 82 134 5 Lifeguard Class Sunday 28-Jan 18 8 13 20 11 9 5 9 0 93 3 5 Lifeguard Class Monday 29-Jan 10 6 18 12 10 7 9 5 6 3 4 2 2 0 94 5 134 Tuesday 30-Jan 7 7 8 8 1 10 2 7 5 13 12 2 82 134 19 $2 Swim Wednesday 31-Jan 10 5 11 11 11 9 7 3 11 0 15 2 7 0 102 134 Grand Total 2012 2333 69 2412 177 4991 75.3 2.2 77.8 5.7 161.0 1098 ICE = 104 (includes masters)35.4 Mercer Park Aquatic Center - Indoor Swimming Pool Totals Totals: Averages: Total using Robert A. Lee Pool Open Hours Average using Robert A. Lee Pool Open Hours Total Scans: 1 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet | City of Iowa City Iowa City Parks & Recreation Commission Packet February 2024 Upcoming Events • She Speaks: Iowa City (Celebration of Women’s History Month) - March 2; 1-4 pm, RAL • Inspiration Station: STEAM Expo – March 9; 10 am – Noon; RAL • Dog Sweater Party – March 9; 2-3:30 pm; Thornberry Dog Park Notable from Parks & Recreation Staff Parks: • Despite the cold weather, both public open house opportunities for the skatepark and pump track design process were attended by multiple community members and the online survey input included 133 participants. Input from the open houses and survey are now being used to draft initial designs. • Kickoff for design of 3 other park projects has occurred and public input will be held in coming months. Projects will include playgrounds, shelters, and other possible amenities in College Green, Brookland, and a new park located along Shannon Dr. • The snowstorm on January 9th resulted in hundreds of tree damage reports. Staff continues to clean up the damage in parks and along rights-of-way throughout the city. • Staff were also busy cleaning up the snow from the series of storms that brought total snowfall amounts not seen over the course of a week for decades. • Pickleball and tennis court construction continues as construction has begun again with warmer temperatures. • Tree planting plans for 2024 are well underway. We will be planting 500 trees in the fall as part of our CIP planting. We will also be planting over 150 trees this spring with the help of volunteers. Additional trees will be planted by staff and in conjunction with Public Works projects to surpass our goal of 750 trees planted annually. • There will be a volunteer tree planting opportunity on Saturday, April 27th at 9:00 am. The planting will occur at Oakland Cemetery and will be possible due to funds from the Heritage Tree Program. This planting will be our Arbor Day celebration as well and all are welcome to join in the planting efforts. • Seasonal staff positions in Parks and Forestry are posted and everyone can help spread the word. We will hire approximately 60 seasonal staff throughout the year and are currently conducting interviews. • We will soon have our open Parks Maintenance Worker I position filled as we extend an offer. Recreation: • The ‘Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service’ event on January 15 was cancelled due to sub-zero temperatures. 2 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet | City of Iowa City • Applications to the 2024 Farmers Market season opened to the public in early February. • Freeze Fest took place at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area on Sunday, February 4. Approximately 400- 500 were in attendance throughout the event. Despite warmer than usual temperatures, there were many indoor and outdoor activities to participate in. • Garden Plot renewals begin on February 26; new rentals begin March 26. Facilities: • Snowstorms have caused us significant roof leak issues in third floor of City Hall. Engineering specifically, we are working to have the leaks addressed but a long-term solution is needed. • Facilities staff have been navigating thru a significant sewage back up issue in City Hall over the past few weeks. This has resulted in repair of a sewage line that was install in 1959 that has severe rot issues. • Riverside Festival Stage Construction has started and has run into some with rot and mold issues. We are evaluating some costs and options for repair and are hoping to get started again shortly. • Senior Center construction is under way the nice weather has construction crews ahead of schedule. Completion should be sometime in June. • Terry Trueblood H2O roof is finished and looks great. • Scanlon gym roof, sky lighting & Entry/Foyer skylight Replacement is still in planning but hope to have it out to bid soon with start time in mid-summer and be complete by late August early September. There will be some impacts with entry and usage of the gym over the summer. • Robert A lee recenter is in the middle of ceiling tile and LED lighting upgrade. Project should last proximately a week. But has been done so far looks great and will be a nice upgrade. Cemetery: • The changes to the Cemetery rules and regulations and price sheet have been approved by the City Council and will start immediately. Top Staff Issues Parks • Equipment repairs have impacted our ability to clean up storm damage as efficiently as we would have hoped. The main challenge has been operating without our main chipper for approximately 2 weeks. Recreation • Positions for the ‘Recreation Assistant’ and ‘Recreation Program Supervisor – Special Events and Communications’ have been filled and started in February. Onboarding and training will be complete in advance of the major pre-summer rush for hourly staff hiring and program/event planning. Facilities 3 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet | City of Iowa City • Staff has had roller coaster of facility issues over the last few months that have stretched our staff thin but we are prevailing and making permanent needed fixes. Cemetery: • Staff has been working for the last 3 weeks cleaning up the considerable tree damage from the January snow events. Once the large limbs are collected, staff will need to haul the large pile of debris away. Staff will also need to rent a lift to remove the limbs that are broken/damaged and still hanging in the trees. • Staff will have plenty of raking and clean up of tree debris before the mowing season arrives. 4 Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission Packet | City of Iowa City Oakland Cemetery FY 24 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 $6,750.00 $4,550.00 3 6.6 $2,642.50 $3,504.00 $9,392.50 $8,054.00 August $7,875.00 $7,039.00 7 7.0 $2,672.50 $4,321.50 $10,547.50 $11,360.50 Sept $7,860.00 $7,624.25 7 7.8 $3,085.00 $4,741.25 $10,945.00 $12,365.50 Oct $6,750.00 $11,157.00 9 7.0 $4,410.00 $3,899.50 $11,160.00 $15,056.50 Nov $4,270.00 $5,257.50 4 6.8 $3,065.00 $4,070.50 $7,335.00 $9,328.00 Dec $6,280.00 $2,390.50 2 5.8 $1,085.00 $3,511.00 $7,365.00 $5,901.50 Jan $5,295.00 $4,225.50 4 4.4 $2,500.00 $2,405.00 $7,795.00 $6,630.50 Feb March April May June Totals $45,080.00 $42,243.75 36 45.4 $19,460.00 $26,452.75 $64,540.00 $68,696.50