The Ellettsville Parks and Recreation Board met on Monday, April 7th, 2003 at the Ellettsville Town Hall. Members present were Darlyne Sowder - President, Edwin Macatangay - Vice
President, L.D. Axsom, Denise Knell and Jeff Frownfelter - Secretary.
Other people present during the meeting
included Dave Sorokoty, Town Council President and Rob Hunter.
Darlyne Sowder called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM , Edwin Macatangay seconded the start of the
meeting.
Minutes
Edwin Macatangay motioned to accept the minutes
from the March 2003 Meeting, LD Axsom seconded the motion to accept. Motion
carried 5 - 0.
Floor
Open for Public Comment No
Public comment.
Old
Business
5-Year Master Plan;
A brief discussion of the Charrette that was
held by the Ball State group. Denise, Jeff and Darlyne attended and
provided some input to the staff of Ball State students. Darlyne presented a synopsis of the process and results. There
was not a focus on the 5-year master plan of the park systems but rather a
general approach to the town planning, especially Main Street and the downtown area. Of particular interest,
there was no mention of the Wishing Well Nature Park. All who attended expressed some concern over the upcoming questionnaire
to be presented to the town. The Parks Board members want to make sure that
there is a fair and unbiased assessment of the needs of the town concerning the
parks facilities and general areas of recreation. Survey questions need to be
non-leading and non-suggestive in tone and content.
Skate Park
Rest room plans have not been presented as of the meeting on April 7th. Without plans or a cost estimate,
the Parks Board can not move to make a decision. The board is expecting plans
and costs in the near future from Jim Ragle.
Other discussion of the Skate Park centered around two points--insurance and safety. The insurance for the Skate Park is due to expire at the end of the month.
ISU/The May Agency is requesting a waiver be signed by all users of the Skate Park. This waiver will be a requirement and insurance would be pending on these
waivers according to the insurance company. There was some discussion of
whether the waivers were actually needed and how those could even be
distributed among the users.
The second issue is the state of safety concerning
the equipment of the Skate Park. There were some concerns of the durability
and general state of disrepair of the ramps and other pieces of equipment in
the Skate park. Denise Knell made a motion to close the Skate Park until the safety and insurance issues could be resolved. No schedule or
deadlines to resolve the issues accompanied the closure proposal. The status of
the equipment could not be provided during the meeting in any documented
format.
Edwin Macatangay seconded the motion to
temporarily close the Skate Park and the motion was approved 4 to 1 with Jeff
Frownfelter voting no. Skate Park was closed officially until the safety and
insurance matters could be resolved.
Other issues involved who is policing and
enforcing the posted rules of the Skate Park. Several members of the board have witnessed users not wearing safety
equipment. Officers have been called concerning minor disturbances. Bicycles
have been noted in the Skate Park, which is specificallly against the rules. The
Skate Park cannot remain closed when there is a plan in place to use grant money to
build nearby bathrooms.
Wishing Well Nature Park
Mulch and Parking were the main topics for the Wishing Well Nature Park. The school program is in need of more mulch for the path from the school
to the Wishing Well Nature Park. Several loads have been dumped for the path and at this time no more can
be dumped because of the grass seeding that has taken place. Edwin has been in
touch with Jim Rubush and Jim Ragle concerning the mulch.
The easement for access to the Wishing Well Nature Park path is in the works and all but complete. The
legal issues are being worked out and should be resolved very soon. There will
be parking just off of Sycamore Street for the Wishing Well Nature Park.
Parking can occur in the grass until further improvements can be
attained. The Parks Board will look to the town, and specifically the Street
Department, for the improvements.
Monroe County Parks Department is still working
on obtaining the grant to create the two mile trail linking the Wishing Well Nature Park to Monroe County's Flatwoods Park.
Memorial Park
The Boy Scouts have begun working on the park
beautification. Money in the amount of $500.00 was received from the VFW of the
community with another $200.00 funded through a township fund. The Town Street
Department will provide a truck to haul away the debris left over from the
cleanup. The Boy Scouts are expected to finish by early- to mid-May, certainly
in time for the Memorial Day service.
Budget
Town Council President Dave Sorokoty answered a
few questions concerning the budget in relation to the handout from Sandy Hash,
Clerk-Treasurer of Ellettsville. There is still some question concerning the
amount in the account for the Parks Board. Dave Sorokoty confirmed that the
Parks Board does control the money assigned to the Parks Board. Other questions concerned the meaning and
amount of encumbered funds and what happens to monies not spent during the year.
On a side note, the monies set aside and used for the five-year master plan did
not show up on the budget sheet handed out April 7th. Sandy Hash has been asked
to attend the next meeting of the Parks Board.
New
Business
There was no new business this month.
The meeting was moved to adjourn by Edwin
Macatangay and seconded by Jeff Frownfelter. All members voted to adjourn;
meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM.
______________________________ ___________________________
Darlyne Sowder - President Edwin
Macatangay - Vice President
______________________________ _____________________________
L.D. Axsom - Member Jeff Frownfelter - Secretary
______________________________
Denise Knell - Member
Addendum to Meeting minutes;
Additional meeting concerning the Skate Park and all facilities concerning the park.
The meeting was held April 14th
2003.
Meeting was called to order at 6:11 PM by Darlyne Sowder. Members present were
Darlyne Sowder - President, Edwin Macatangay - Vice President, L.D. Axsom,
Denise Knell and Jeff Frownfelter - Secretary.
Other people present during the meeting
included Jim Ragle, Street Commissioner of the Ellettsville Street Department.
Topics under discussion were the new Bathroom facility, Insurance for the park,
and safety of the Skate Park equipment.
New bathrooms
The location of the new bathroom facility is to
be south of the Skate Park approximately 50 ft and generally centered to
the west of the current gravel parking lot. All materials for the walls and
floor will be concrete and block. Wood framing of the roof and a corregated
roofing material will finish the main building materials. The storage area of
the facility will be secured with limited access. Power and sewage had already
been discussed by Jim Ragle and the Robertsons will probably be used for the
main construction. There will be two stools and a sink on each side. With
plumbing included, the entire cost should amount to about $15,000. A motion to
build the Skate Park bathroms facility was presented by L.D. Axsom
and seconded by Jeff Frownfelter. The motion carried 5 to 0 in favor.
Safety of the Skate Park equipment.
Jim Ragle volunteered the Street Department to
make repairs to the facility. The repairs are to include some angle iron to the
edge of the ramps and, if necessary, new boards. Denise Knell motioned to
approve the repairs and Edwin Macatangay seconded the motion. The motion carried 5 to 0 in favor of the
repairs.
Insurance
The insurance company confirmed that it was not
necessary to obtain a waiver from the users of the Skate Park. A payment of $2025.00 per year was required to continue insurance. Jeff
Frownfelter motioned to approve the funds and that motion was seconded by
Denise Knell. The motion to approve the
funds was carried 5 to 0 in favor.
Edwin Macatangay motioned to adjourn the
meeting since all outstanding issues concerning the Skate Park and bathroom facilities was concluded. Denise Knell seconded the motion
and the meeting was adjourned with a vote of 5 to 0 in favor.
______________________________ ___________________________
Darlyne Sowder - President Edwin Macatangay -
Vice President
______________________________ _____________________________
L.D. Axsom - Member Jeff Frownfelter - Secretary
______________________________
Denise Knell - Member