Presque Isle Recreation & Parks
Advisory Board Meeting
Minutes
May 21, 2007
Present
· Meeting started at 4:05 PM with the following members present: Rick Graves, Terry Hale, Judy Perkins, Kevin Sipe, Chris Beaulieu & Tom Stevens
Financial Report:
· Financial numbers for the Indoor Pool have been solid. March, typically the best month of the year, reported the highest in ’07 in several years.
Parks Report:
· On April 23, 2007 the City Council approved to sign the letter of intent on the Honeywell “Mini Retrofit” program to perform needed improvements to the Indoor Pool. This letter now will allow the Honeywell engineers to further inspect the facility and detail a plan of action for the improvements.
· Through the Central Aroostook Soil & Water Conservation District two separate grants were awarded for the design and engineering of trail work, including a handi-cap accessible trail and upgrades for the trails south of Mantle Lake Park.
· Hooked on Fishing, a youth program put on by the Presque Isle Elks Lodge will be taking place at Mantle Lake on June 2. Earlier in the month, 300 brook trout were deposited in the lake with another 250 being put in the week of the event.
· Nick Archer from the DEP is heading up a proposal for different groups to sponsor the shelters at the park, including the large pavilion and the bathhouse.
Recreation Report:
· April Vacation activities saw strong numbers this spring after seeing low numbers in February. Contest Day had 35 participants, Bowling-33, Movies-40, Peanut Carnival-127, Rollerskating-28 and Dollar Day at the Indoor Pool-54.
· The Mother & Son Dance took place earlier in the month. 48 couples attended the event, similar numbers to most years.
· The Aquatics Special Olympics took place at the Indoor Pool with a very successful day and over 80 participants.
· Summer staffing is nearly complete with only a couple of holes to fill.
Old Business:
· No old business.
New Business:
· The summer brochures are ready and have been sent out to the schools. Children in grades 1-5 will each receive the brochure and they will also be available at the middle school to pick up in the office.
· With a little help from Mark Crowe, Patty has been working very hard on getting the department website up and now running. The website is pirec.org.
· Chris informed the board that one of Tom Steven’s goals given to him for 2007 by the city council was to look into the possibility of combining the Recreation & Parks Department with the Forum.
Other:
· As part of Tom Steven’s goals given to him by City Council, the possibility of combining the Recreation & Parks Department with the Forum, was to be looked into. This board felt that such a merger would need to see a financial gain and/or make the departments more efficient. After much discussion, neither of those factors could be met with the requirements of each department. Tom will have this board and the Forum’s board meet in the near future to discuss the possibility in more detail.
· Next Meeting: March July 9th @ Community Center
· Meeting adjourned 5:15 PM
Presque Isle Recreation & Parks
Advisory Board Meeting
Minutes
July 9, 2007
Present:
· Meeting started at 4:02 PM with the following members present: Terry Hale, Judy Perkins, Mike Patenaude and Chris Beaulieu
Minutes:
· Minutes from the May 21st meeting were not approved due to lack of a quorum.
Parks Report:
· Chris had talked with Mark Carter from North Peak Architecture concerning a multi-year plan for Indoor Pool renovations. Potential changes might include ceilings, new flooring, and addition of family changing areas. Mark has been provided with the blue prints of the building to begin initial layout ideas, etc.
· The 3 meter diving board at the Indoor Pool is in serious need of a fix or complete replacement. Chris suggested replacing the board with a slide. His concerns included the cost and the ability to have the pool entry from a slide on the deep end. The board members were very excited about the idea and thought the idea should be looked into.
· The shelters at Arnold Brook are in need of repair. Several of them are pushing out of the ground, while one is actually leaning against a tree. Chris will be looking to replace one per year.
Recreation Report:
· The Elks Club annual Hooked on Fishing event took place in June with a great turn out. The event was held this year at Mantle Lake Park and saw over 250 kids registered.
· All summer programs are in high gear. There are many new staff this summer, but they have all handled themselves very well.
· Tom Stevens completed his report of combining the Recreation Department with the Forum. His conclusion was that no financial or efficiency gains could be made with such a change, therefore such a move would not prove beneficial to the city.
Other:
Next Meeting: September 10th@ Community Center
Presque Isle Recreation & Parks
Advisory Board Meeting
Minutes
September 10, 2007
Present:
· Meeting started at 4:06 PM with the following members present: Terry Hale, Bill Casavant, Judy Perkins, Kevin Sipe, Rick Graves and Chris Beaulieu
Minutes:
· Minutes from the July 29th meeting were approved. Sipe/Graves
Parks Report:
· Chris informed the board of the work that has been done out at Arnold Brook Lake. Staff have removed several old grill and garbage can posts that where protruding from the ground due to frost. Holes were then filled and more fill was brought in for other areas that needed it.
· The roadway into Arnold is in very poor condition and needs work done to it. The roadway is under the recreation department’s umbrella, although no funds had been placed into reserve for such a project. Chris has been talking with Gerry James from the Public Works about a solution and the potential for public works to maintain the road in the future. Terry Hale suggested the possibility of taking up the pavement and having just a gravel roadway.
· The Indoor Pool parking area recently received paving done by Lane Construction and hopefully the bike path from the Houlton Road to St. John Street will also get done this year.
· At the end of last month, Chris sent out the report from Honeywell concerning the project at the Indoor Pool to all of the board members. After review of the report, the board once again unanimously agreed to approve the project.
· North Peak Architecture created a floor plan for the Indoor Pool as the first step in having various renovations completed there. Chris has decided to put any further progress of this on hold until the City Council approves the Honeywell project.
Recreation Report:
· All summer programs wrapped up last month with a successful season.
· The department recently held the PI Classic bike race and had the highest numbers in registrants since its conception 4 years ago.
· Youth soccer numbers are the highest they have been in 10 years with 279 participants on 25 different teams.
· Chris recently met with Glen Daigle who owns Uncle Buck’s Archery. Glen is interested in offering times for recreation archery shooting at the community center. The two will continue to discuss such a possibility.
Other:
· Chris recently submitted the department’s initial 2008 budget to the city manager.
· Chris was just informed that Kevin Sjoberg will be resigning from his position with the Advisory Board and in turn the Community Center Committee. Once a resignation letter is received the City will advertise to fill the opening.
Next Meeting: November 12th @ Community Center