Rock Island Today

City of Rock Island Park Board met May 21.

Here is the minutes provided by the board:

1. Call to Order

President Fred Dasso called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm.

2. Attendance

Members Present: Fred Dasso, Bill Anderson, Kate Hotle, Moses Robinson, Don Deleu

Members Absent: John McEvoy

Staff Present: John Gripp, Parks Director; Todd Winter, Assistant Director; Pete Peña, Sports Recreation Manager, Lauren Pannier, Sports Intern; Kara Schutters,

Sports Intern; Dave Morrison, City Attorney; Ryan Ballard, Fitness and Aquatics Facility Manager

Staff Absent: Kimberly Kruse, Parks Administrative Office Manger

Audience: None

3. Move to Item 11D

Mr. Anderson motioned to move to Item 11D on the agenda. Ms. Hotle seconded. All voted yes.

4. Voluntary Compliance Agreement: City Attorney

The City Attorney talked about the Voluntary Compliance Agreement and how to go about future situations. Mr. Anderson motioned to approve the Voluntary Compliance Agreement. Mr. Robinson seconded. All voted yes.

5. Introduction of Internship Program participants

Lauren Pannier and Kara Schutters attended and told a little about themselves. They are our interns for the summer under Pete Peña. The department is excited to have them on board. Pete explained how he has expanded the sports programs and enhanced the experience. It has really paid off and is reflected in our revenues.

6. Minutes of the April meeting.

Mr. Deleu moved to approve the Minutes as amended; Ms. Hotle seconded. All voted yes.

7. Correspondence

Thank you from Denkmann Elementary, Sherrard Public Library, Rock Island/Milan School District Music Directors, Moline Public Schools Foundation and Hampton PTA.

8. Monthly Report from Finance Department as of March.

So far, the department has received very little tax dollars. March will not reflect seasonal revenues yet. RIFAC

March Financials were reported to the board with a summary explanation of changes and discrepancies. There is a two month lag that will ensure that all revenues and expenditures are reported to give a more accurate look at the department financially.

9. Approval of the Bills for the Month of April: $183,686.88

Mr. Deleu moved to approve the bills for the Month of April in the amount of $183,686.88. Ms. Hotle seconded. All voted yes.

10.Director’s Report and other reports

The NFL event was a success despite the weather and ended up receiving not one but four picks. Minimum wage discussions have begun. The raise is going to impact services and how business is run. Park Plan is being put together to go through all the parks to identify areas that need repairs with the parks department and public works. Sunset Park has been highly affected from the flood. It will take a while to get the park restored. There is a potentially good chance of receiving grant funding for the bike paths there. As the parks getting restored, thinking of long term planning to cut down on repairs. There is a 400 dock in the parking lot of Sunset will be dismantled and taken away once the flood waters recede. Campbell Sports Complex parking lot and area flooded when the creek jumped its banks. It washed up debris such as trees, fish, and assorted garbage. There was quite a bit of cleanup from this area as well. Schwiebert has some damage and expenditures but presents its own challenges. Lincoln Park cleanup filled up an entire dumpster. The Director did a walking tour of The District to try and spruce up the area. The Department is providing flowers and landscaping as contribution.

Project updates are the fencing at Douglas Park and working on the parking lot. Concession stand is up and running for events there as well. Hauberg IMEG project will get underway next week to get the electrical all updated.

Assistant Director talked about finishing up the walk through of the parks. Programming potential is being identified for each park to increase revenue but also fully utilize resources. Necessary repairs have been identified. April 23rd was the open house at Saukie and was open to everyone to meet the neighbors and have a cookout and some games to make it a family event and network and hand out information on upcoming events. It is a good way to showcase the golf course. There’s been a decent start to the golf season. However, the weather presents a challenge. April numbers will look alright however May numbers will be significantly down. When there is heavy rain, the following days do not allow for golfing with standing water. Golf is going to be putting down some sand and restoration with the path damage and also addressing sand traps to reduce expenditures on maintenance.

Ryan Ballard talked about training in April for water safety instructor and lifeguard certifications. RIFAC is the only facility in the area to offer these courses. Ryan is only one of two LGIT’s in the region. One of the benefits in our area is there are several pools in the area and most pools require their managers to have these certifications. Red Cross is working on streamlining training across the region. Whitewater Junction hiring process has been completed. About half of them are new. Classes have had an excellent enrollment. Jordan Catholic is coming to RIFAC for swim lessons. Cameras have been installed and Whitewater Junction has partnered with the IT and Police department. This is a pilot facility to see how being tied into the Police system directly to see how well it works on response time. Alice training was held for the parks and recreation department.

In April, there were two egg hunts: one at RIFAC in the pool and one at Lincoln Park. It was a little chilly for the outdoor one and may look at the time so that it isn’t competing with the others. Nikki is planning some community programming to involve the community. Cleanup days were held and many of the projects were completed that have been much needed for quite a while due to reduced staff. We have received money from both Townships this year to help with youth programming.

The new water line for service has been installed at Douglas Park to allow for building a pump house. The annuals have been planted and working on finishing up the hanging plants in the downtown areas and calendar is in place. The contract mowers this year are outstanding. Josh Becker has turned in his resignation to go to Augustana College. We wish him all the best as he takes on this promotion.

11.Special Event Request: IMEG Picnic Application

Mr. Robinson motioned to approve staff recommendation for the event. Ms. Hotle seconded. All voted yes.

12.Special Event Request: Ready to Rock Application

Mr. Robinson motioned to approve staff recommendation for the event. Ms. Hotle seconded. All voted yes.

13.Special Event Request: Picard Wedding

Mr. Anderson motioned to approve staff recommendation for the event. Ms. Hotle seconded. All voted yes.

Mr. Anderson motioned to adjourn. Mr. Robinson seconded. All voted yes.

The meeting adjourned at 6:46 pm.

https://www.rigov.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05212019-377