MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS OF DECATUR PARK
DISTRICT, MACON COUNTY, ILLINOIS, HELD AT
DECATUR PARK DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
620 E. RIVERSIDE AVENUE, DECATUR, ILLINOIS
AT 12:00 NOON ON THE 5th DAY OF APRIL, 2017
The Board of Park Commissioners of Decatur Park District, Macon County, Illinois, met in a regular session on Wednesday, the 5th day of April, 2017 at the hour of 12:00 Noon at the Decatur Park District Administration Office, 620 E. Riverside Avenue, Decatur, Illinois at which time and place there were present the following officers and members of said Board:
Bob Brilley, II, President
Chris Harrison, Vice President
Chris Riley, Commissioner
Stacey Young, Commissioner
Jack Kenny, Commissioner
A quorum of the members of the Board of Park Commissioners being present, President Brilley called the meeting to order and declared the Board to be in session for the transaction of business.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States was recited.
NO. 15727 A motion to approve items 1 – 8 on the Consent Agenda was made by Commissioner Kenny and seconded by Commissioner Harrison. Upon call of the roll, all voted aye.
1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting & Minutes of the Executive Session
2. Approval of Annual Agreement with Commodore Decatur Yacht Club
3. Approval of Bid Received for the Purchase & Installation of Boat Lifts
4. Approval of Bid Received for the Purchase of a New Western Train (Scovill Zoo)
5. Approval of the Purchase of a 2017 Ford F250 (Scovill Zoo)
6. Approval of the Purchase of a 2017 Ford F550 (Construction Department)
7. Approval of the Purchase of a 2017 Ford F350 (Fleet Department)
8. Bills for Approval
RECOGNITION Ralph Monts was recognized for 16 years of clean-up and beautification in Fairview Park. He was presented with a plaque and gift basket, and a Robinson Crabapple tree has been planted in Fairview Park near the skate park in his honor.
NO. 15728 President Brilley asked for a motion to remove Items of Business 2. Update of Design of the new Aquatics Center and 3. Approval of Bid Received for the Waterslide Equipment from the Agenda until a future date. Commissioner Harrison made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Young to remove items 2 and 3 from the Agenda. All voted aye upon call of the roll.
2016 READER’S CHOICE AWARDS PRESENTATION
Favorite Weekend Activity #1 Scovill Zoo, #3 Decatur Park District
Child-Friendly Place #2 Scovill Zoo
Best Sports Complex #1 DISC
Best Public Golf Course #1 Scovill, #2 Red Tail Run, #3 Hickory Point
Best Golf Pro #1 Kurt Rogers, #3 Joe Hammel
Best Place for a First Date #3 Overlook Adventure Park
Hickory Point Golf Course #3 Best Banquet Facility, #2 Best Wedding Venue,
#3 Best Event Facility
This is a nice tribute to all staff and our facilities.
NO. 15729 Every five years, the FAA requires airports to perform an open engineering selection process which is administered by the Division of Aeronautics. Engineering firms must meet certain standards and be prequalified by the FAA and the Division of Aeronautics to provide service for an airport. Hanson Professional Services Inc. was selected. This firm has been providing engineering services for Decatur Airport since the 1960’s. Commissioner Young made and Commissioner Riley seconded a motion to approve Hanson Professional Services Inc. as the consultant firm for engineering services at Decatur Airport. Upon call of the roll, all voted aye.
AIRPORT In partnership with ADM, a pilot and Airport staff have been at Baum School, teaching about aerospace history, airport careers, different types of aircraft, how aircraft fly, how weather can affect flight, instruments and navigation and the maps used in aviation. A tour of the Airport will be given to the students at a later date.
OPERATIONS Penguin in the Park was held last weekend at Fairview and had approximately 600 runners.
About 40 volunteers were in Fairview Park on Saturday for honeysuckle removal. This was a partnership between the Park District, U of I Extension, and Macon County Conservation District. Another removal will be held in the fall.
The gutters have been installed on Fairview Park pavilion #1 and they have been sealed. The contractors will start on the new roof on April 17, weather permitting. The roof project should be done in mid-May.
The monkey enclosure at the zoo is complete. Staff should be done tomorrow with the new storage facility for the train, weather permitting.
The ropes course and mini-golf had a good opening weekend with approximately 350 people attending.
GOLF All golf courses are operational.
Junior Golf Spring Training commenced at Red Tail Run last evening.
The irrigation system was turned on at Scovill Golf Course. Everything seemed to be working ok, and it is turned off now until needed.
A wing night or taco bar night may be planned to keep golfers at the course for food and beverages.
RECREATION Staff held a boys outdoor lacrosse jamboree on March 25 and a girls’ tournament on April 1.
The Adult Rotten Easter Egg Hunt is sold out as of today. The event is Friday night at Scovill Golf Course.
Overlook Adventure mini-golf and ropes course had an unbelievable opening day. Over eighty people took advantage of the adventure pass, participating in both features. Nowdecatur.com has had over 10,000 views of the ropes course video. It was a good opening weekend even with the tricky April weather.
Scovill Zoo opens Saturday, April 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The following Saturday will be the Critter Egg Hunt with free admission and 50-cent train and carousel rides to honor the Zoo’s 50th Anniversary.
Youth baseball/softball has 615 signed up, which is more than last year.
MidState Cup has close to 100 teams registered for the May 12-14 tournament.
Director Raleigh shared that the batting cages will be open in late-May or the first of June. During the construction phase, concrete will be poured for the sidewalks which will connect mini-golf, the ropes course and eventually the aquatics center. Another GSI grain bin will be added, which will be the kiosk for the batting cages and ropes course, as well as storage for the equipment.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR There is a need for an executive session for the discussion of pending litigation.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Commissioner Kenny has heard nothing but positive comments regarding the ropes course.
He recently played golf in Texas and the courses were not as nice as Decatur Park District courses. The cost was $70 for greens fees with a cart.
Commissioner Harrison took his family to the ropes course. Park District staff did a great job of checking them in and at the zip line. Service contributes to the overall experience, and it is important to recognize staff when they do a nice job.
Commissioner Riley congratulated staff for earning Readers’ Choice Awards.
President Brilley thanked everyone who worked at the ropes course all weekend.
Commissioner Young made and Commissioner Harrison seconded a motion that the Board recess to Executive Session. All voted aye and the meeting moved into closed session at approximately 12:30 p.m.
A motion to adjourn closed session and return to open session was made by Commissioner Riley and seconded by Commissioner Harrison and unanimously approved.
After returning to open session, a motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Riley and second by Commissioner Harrison and was unanimously approved.
/s/ Bob Brilley II President, Board of Park Commissioners
/s/ Amanda M. Childress
Secretary, Board of Park Commissioners