Parks & Recreation Commission on August 3, 2023

Agenda

7:00pm, City Council Chambers, 1 Quail Creek Circle, North Liberty, Iowa

This meeting may be accessed live by the public in person or on the internet at
northlibertyiowa.org/live, on Facebook at facebook.com/northliberty or on
YouTube at youtube.com/c/northliberty. Meetings are rebroadcast on cable and
available on-demand on northlibertyiowa.org.

1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes
   1. July 6, 2023
3.  Reports
   1. Parks Report
   2. Recreation/Pool Report
   3. Questions, Concerns, Updates
4. Community Input / Ideas to Share
5. Upcoming Events
   1. Dive in Movie (Splash Night) – Aug 4
   2. Circus/Aerials at Centennial Park – Aug 6
   3. Swim Storytime – Aug 11
   4. Summer Send-off – Aug 19
6. New Business
7. Old Business
8. Next Meeting
   1. Thursday, September 7, 2023, at 7:00pm.
9. Adjourn

Minutes

Board Meeting Minutes – July 6, 2022

Call to Order

Approval of Minutes

• June 1, 2023
• Motion by Amy Chen, Second by Gwen Johnson, Unanimous approval

Reports

• Board Member Terms
• Re-appointments approved for Richard & Shannon

Parks Report

• Guy reports continued maintenance of ball field for tournaments. Mowing and trimming weeds on fields.
• Two full crews watered landscaping all month long
• Penn Meadows splash pad is cleaned daily with inspection once per month.
• City owned retention pods have been treated due to algae blooms in order to neutralize.
• West Penn St welcome sign has a new logo now.
• Getting ready for North Penn Meadows parking lot expansion by relocating shelter that is now near the ball fields. Starting on improvements in the coming week. Folks using the playground and splash pad are asked to use the south parking lot. It will continue into the Fall. Trees will be planted. Traffic flow will change in the lot.
• Memorial bench installed at Beaver Creek Park. Families are able to buy a bench for loved ones through the parks department.
• Guy has been having many meeting with Shive Hattery on the City Hall building as well as the Centennial Park building.
• Free fishing day on June 6th occurred.
• Blues and BBQ event is upcoming on Saturday.
• Jeremy Parrish asked what chemical is used on splash pad cleaning. Simply green is used along with power washing with only water.
• Richard complimented the parks staff on clean parks and new signs.
• Richard asked about the parking lot expansion’s accessibility. Guy said it will be completely accessible to the trail to the splash pad and shelter, and will be ADA accessible.
• Guy mentioned the shelter at Penn Meadows was put up in memory of Marvin Sass, previous Parks employee. Guy called the Sass family to inform them about shelter relocation.
• Jeremy asked about bench colors. Guy said any green benches will be repainted red, but any new benches are black.
• Richard urges residents to review the informational packet to view pictures of parks department projects.

Recreation/Pool Report

• Brian reports the rec center has been busy with many youth activities and swimming pool use.
• The pool had to close a day and a half due to air quality concerns from the Canadian wildfires. Area pools also closed during the same days/times. Programming was also canceled during that time air quality was deemed unhealthy.
• Mermaid swim event happened and approximately 75 people came. It was a free event. July 16th is another day Mermaid swim will be offered.
• Sensory swim will be coming up later in July.
• Concession stand is now put in and done.
• Fall registration is August 7 – 9 for recreation programs.
• Rec center stays busy with kids out of school, rec programs, and summer lunch programs.
• Staffing is full, however will change once school is back in session. Pool may have to close.
• Jeremy asked what Blast Ball is. Brian explained it is a type of baseball game for young children 3 – 5 years old.
• Brian mentioned tennis programs have been going on. Soccer is over now but will have a session in Fall.
• Jeremy asked what the process is for starting another sport. Brian said it depends what the sport is. Mentioned a 70/30 split on coaching for outside entities wanting to bring sport to parks and rec facilities. Staff also are able to start new programs on their own. Not many requests/desires for other sports by residents brought to rec staff attention.
• Temporary disc golf may make an appearance at parks soon.
• There is a desire for Quail Ridge park to get an outfield fence. It is a field folks can rent as well. The Commission discussed disc golf there. There are plans for parking lot expansion at Quail Ridge.
• Questions, Concerns, Updates

Community Input / Ideas to Share

• Guy mentioned there is no ordinance for bike paths in North Liberty and will likely default to state code. Richard read the following:

Per state law, E-bikes can go anywhere bikes can go but they may qualify as mobility vehicles. The law includes self balancing in the definition as well. Nothing is in North Liberty code for preventing e-bikes and scooters on North Liberty trails. They need to be limited to 20 mph and need to have a light when operating at night.

• Gwen asked if golf carts are able to be on the trail. Guy mentioned there is a golf cart ordinance.
• Richard asked if there would be a trail connecting underpass to a trail by Golfview. Guy said there may be plans for that. Gwen asked if the trail would also link up to the new hospital. Guy was unsure.
• Gwen asked about new equipment at Fox Run park. Guy said they are working on the layout with the trail right now. Shive Hattery did a survey already. The playground equipment hasn’t been decided. In the winter Guy will go through proposals and bring it to the Commission.
• The dog park was discussed and Gwen feels many folks using the park understand the different areas and there is a generally positive dog handling culture now. Guy mentioned there will be a lot of dirt from penn meadows and the ravine at the end of the parking lot at the dog park will be filled in.

Upcoming Events

• Friday night Ranshaw Concerts – continues
• Blues & BBQ – July 8
• Swimming with Island/Mermaid – July 16
• Swimming Storytime – July 28

New Business

• Richard selected for chair.
• Shannon selected for vice chair. Unanimous approval.
• Jamie was selected for secretary. Nominated by Gwen, Second by Amy. Unanimous approval.

Old Business

Next Meeting

• Thursday, August 3, 2023, at 7:00pm. (Shelly absent)

Adjourn

• Motion: Jeremy Parrish Second: Amy Chen Unanimous Approval

 

Videos

Attachments

Information Packet