05-17-22-PTRC - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes April 19, 2022 Page 6 Chair Hinton wondered if they should tell the Council that they things they recommend are the things in their workplan. Public Works Directory/City Engineer Swearingen noted the Council had talked about shade and some kind of a shelter at the dog park. Committee Member Kelliher said he’d like to see some of the money applied toward events that celebrate everybody in the community, like the Raptor Center coming, so they don’t have to generate participation fees and be concerned about being budget neutral. He suggested having community engagement, education and entertainment events that don’t have participation fees. Chair Hinton said she didn’t think they should worry so much about what the cost of things are, as the council will make the decisions, but they should give them some ideas as priorities. She noted the ideas so far as: no fee engagement activities, a swinging bench, Chatham trail improvements, and sledding hills. Committee Member Kelliher suggested free music in the park. Committee Member Beggin said they had talked about that in the past. Discussion ensued regarding the costs associated with sledding hills. It was decided to leave sledding hills off the list. A motion was made by Committee Member Kelliher and seconded by Committee Member Poelzer to bring the list of pickleball, no fee engagement activities, a swinging bench, Chatham trail improvements, and Lindey’s Park improvements such as volleyball, exercise stations and a back stop forward to the City Council. Motion passed unanimously. C.Corrections Workers Update Assistant Public Works Director Miller explained that the City has an annual contract with the Institution Community Work Crews (ICWC). Crews of six to ten people in some type of institution do work for the City along with a supervisor and an officer present. They work Fridays and Saturdays and someone from the Public Works staff has to be available to supply equipment. The City pays just under $100/hour for the crew which includes work like removing organic debris from rain gardens, installing garden mulch, and buckthorn removal. They try to schedule one day jobs, more examples would be fence removal and installation, brush removal, and ditch cleaning. Committee Member Kelliher said they have been very productive with buckthorn removal. He felt the cost was a great bargain for the work that is done. Public Works Directory/City Engineer Swearingen added that they have a full schedule this year, through October. They can let the committee know where the crews are working once they know the actual activities being done, usually a couple of weeks in advance. Committee Member Beggin discussed another program through Tree Trust where kids do work under other city’s public works departments as a training program.