11. 6.2024 Park Board

um I call this meeting of the uh Park Board into order November 6th 2024 pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium attendees are therefore advised that such recordings and Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by the present and are deemed acknowledge and permissible H roll call of

Commissioners uh Nick cilio present Victor farias Amber Burns um on record BJ and Helen are absent um any citizens input no ma'am all righty can I get acceptance for the uh minutes from the October 2nd regular Park board meeting make a motion to accept the minutes from October 2nd I second uh all in favor I I okay new business item a king Hall of Jehovah's request parking at britland Park um on Mell

Street um this church is has uh some construction going on they had made a request to use our britland Park parking lot for a few months um spoke to Nancy about it I don't I don't think that we can put this through just because of the fact that if we do it for one we're going to have to do it for all this is the public park we cannot take up

parking spaces for um businesses or or uh churches or organizations um 50 V questions Ian 50 Vehicles is a lot lot of carsh I don't even know how many parking spots there are at 50 cars you're going to be pretty near capacity over there and from E A the britland park that's just a heck of a walk I'm I'm sorry it just doesn't make any sense all right so do we have a motion on this

matter uh make a motion to uh deny using our uh parking lot at this time and we can send a potentially send him a letter back letting him know that this isn't something that we can can provide for them yes I as I stated I originally said I didn't think it was feasible but we put it before the board so I will send them the email saying it did go before the board and the board

doesn't think that this is something that we can accommodate um can I have that motion y was farious and I'll second the motion uh Victor the motion second by Nick all in favor I I Item B pyrot technical fireworks July 4th contract renewal this is the last year of the contract um that we need to approve and then also we need to solicit bids out for the next contract so essentially we need a motion just to

approve the one year and then have a discussion on what we do for future okay so I'll make the motion to approve the the final year of the contract second it approve uh motion made by Nick second by Victor um and then on the discussion for the new bid I say we just send something to the administration and have them see what they want to do because we don't know

what our budget's going to look like to be able to just um go out and solicit bids okay so just let the administration know that we've exhausted our three-year contract and how would they like to proceed m okay again like you said we don't know funding and I I really think that the funding needs to be increased because borks that you bought in 2021 I'm not going to buy you the same fireworks

2026 we barely making it in 2025 okay so yes so I just need a motion in a second and I just notifying the administration that the contract is up um all right so motion made by uh commissioner Nick or Cecilio second by commissioner faras uh then we will send a notice to the administration all in favor I um item C removal uh tree removal requests at 85 Albany Street seems like

we're all on the same page when it comes to that if if anyone has any questions um I saw the pictures it looks like it does need to be taken down um anybody got any questions no no I'll make a motion to uh remove the tree I'll second the motion motion made by commissioner F seconded by commissioner cilio all in favor all right item e request for removal of four trees on 39 Allen

Street 68 Bush oh I'm sorry oops item D um update board on tree workk at 68 Bush Street so Chris that's that's that thing that came in last time went over there and um trimmed that up and as far as I know she was satisfied with that I haven't heard anything else about it so I think that's all good okay so that y just motion to accept and place on file that it's been

make a motion to place on file for the tree at Bush Street accept the updated information and I accept the updated information I'll second that motion motion made by commissioner farious second by commissioner Cecilio all in favor I item e request for removal of four trees at 39 Allen Street um same thing I saw the pictures yeah so the whole problem with that is it's the sidewalks AR ADA

Compliant and to even be able to make them ADA Compliant the trees have to be removed the trees are not in good health um we've trimmed them in the past and we week kind of knew at some point they would have to be removed regardless and now with the sidewalk repairs that are going to be done there's no way of repairing them properly with with the trees there so all righty um can I get a

motion I'll make a motion to uh remove the tree four trees I mean onland four trees onland four trees four trees onland street I'll second that motion commissioner um yeah motion made by commissioner farious seconded by commissioner Cecilio all in favor I okay thank you item F request from the girls girls softball use of Ruggles Park um so I went through I saw this earlier so essentially they're needing

three separate um there's three separate requests in this one request they want permission to use Ruggles field for practices um so and games for daily access currently for their fall season they need some assistance in clearing and dragging the um infield and then there is one light bulb that's burnt out that needs to be replaced so they're asking for um help with right so if you look at this request date it's dated

October 2nd so um I did assist them in clearing and dragging the infield they have been using the field um for their fall games um with the lights and they they told they can't use lights for practices just like everyone else so um items one and two have been taken care of okay um items three that would be something we would address in the spring and I think it's very fortunate that

only one of those buls say I haven't been changed since I played there because we have quite a few Fields with some so just just a question is this the same league that runs at Dumont field yes okay so they're so they're going to by D field and so yeah I think that's what they want to do right now they just wanted to you know permit for the fall I

think what we need to do afterwards is like as we do with every other leag these these permits are yearly so they will have to come in again and request these fields again both the complex at Duma and this um and then they could make that request about the lighting as well we haven't really done much with lighting um be honest with you with the repairs to the lighting um but I I see

their point um if they give me the funding I have no problem with doing lighting but right now that's not something they gave me in this budget which would be here I I'm not saying we can't do it um and I think their main purpose was to be like they don't want to put a lot of money into rles park if we're not going to let them have the

sole use of it like they have at yeah Duma at Dum cuz Duma they have three Fields but the Ruggles is just the one right Ruggles is just the one but it has lights oh okay that's the that's the key compl that one but um I guess there was some Talk of the palal revitalizing their so U soccer sorry softball program so they were like if that's going to happen you know we're not going to be

the ones to put a ton of money into it but I haven't heard anything with that and I guess we'd have to wait until spring to see if anything like that was going to happen but pretty much this has been taken um care of because it was something that I had to um address because it was going to be a month before we even had a meeting so it

wasn't a big deal to let them use the field there okay um so maybe make a motion to accept that we have already given permission and have drag the field and then send a letter to them or contact them and I had a conversation with them when they sent this in saying you know that's not something we they like no we don't need to address now we're just wondering but I think what

we'll say is um just submit that with your spring request and because we always say what improvements are needed at your field what what material is your field you know we ask them to send in their requests we send that information too so they can send anything that they need or want us to consider participating in when it comes to Spring okay so the motion would be to accept items

one and two and the motion would we've done it like you know we we are willing to work with them because right now we don't have any idea of any other league using Ruggles Park but I guess it would be this is something we would have to address in the spring because we have no concept so we're going to accept this place it on file and we can address them

you you know being the sole users of that pop come the spring because I don't know what other softball leagues come until Springtime we could have five four different leagues happen to put themselves together do I think that no no could it happen yes so we would never give them permission now for for spring yeah okay so it would be submit submit the the will accept and place on file

and submit the lighting concerned with your spring request I guess that would be a motion so I'll make a motion to accept the items and that we've already done for this request for one and two and then submit the lighting request or the the request to replace lighting when they submit their spring requests to use the field right second that uh motion made by commissioner Cecilio second by commissioner FAS all

in favor hi hi item G request from Diamond to use britland park for their senior night they just did this last week no it's the M again no I'm saying they did it last week but I know they have another one um but so we know what we need to like we know the G they've done this before they' had had to go there at night to just got to make sure

the lights are on they're on at 4:15 now for them tomorrow tomorrow I mean Friday didn't we already approve so earlier they have two they had two different senior nights I think one was boys got you okay so I'll make a motion to uh accept accept uh approv approved approved approve and I'll second the motion uh motion made by Commission fa seconded by commissioner Cecilio all in favor hi hi updates on the complaints

for pky and Warren py parkw Warren Street um we spoke with Mr L mer we have um decided to put up a gate um around the area in question where the volleyball had been being played in which ensued all of the illegal activity around it um we also met with the city council the Board of Health we met with the police station everyone is aware of the situation it obviously is no more um

at py the group has since moved to Kennedy Park and they now they have been instructed they cannot sell things they can't consume alcohol all of the things you're not allowed to do they now know um so I feel like we should be good to go on that front um and then the other side of this conversation is um that area is now just kind of like sitting there so um any thoughts

or of what we could do with that space um I think we should just make it grass so that's an open space because there's not really any other open space in that part um just kind of rip up um the asphalt and take the fence down just like let it be like the nice little place for kids to run or yeah bring a blanket have a picnic um I don't know if

that's something that we can on tonight I think that needs to be its own separate agenda item maybe next month but um and also it is too late to plant grass correct yes okay yeah I would not touch that probably right now I mean if you take it down you're going to have a big mud pit over the wood yeah so I mean I would definitely think that perhaps we address it with the Community

Development or I mean I it may be able to be done inh housee by Public Works taking it down and then we'd have to contract out for the I would definitely contract out for the grading and overseeding and I would have it um Hydro seeded so that it grows back a lot faster than if we were to plant regular grass okay um so is that something we need to put like we should put that or I

don't even know if that's like a table item but some we revisit this come the spring yeah you could revisit or you can wait till you have a full board so you get the whole board's idea of what they does it have to be an agenda item for us to put that is that could that come up in like commissioner inquiries or is that well if you right now you

have it um to update on the complaints yep so um we're updating them and we're saying we are going to look into alternative uses for that I would think that on your next agenda if you wanted to put that you can vote on it and vote you can vote and that's what you want to do with it so it's on record that that's what you want to do with it and something doesn't come out of the

woodwork that this board doesn't know about so I would say you as a board member at the next meeting could propose something and we include it in the agenda okay um and then the board could vote on that um in the meantime you know it can your your request can even say can we ask the DPW if this is something they would be able to do this way it would alleviate some

costs from this whole renovation and we may be able to find it in a present budget Hydro Seating an area like that if they can take it all out and they're going to pay to you know in house to take it out then it's really not an expense our expense is simply to grade and overseed and that's far less an expense than that so I would just say I would submit something at the next in

your next agenda agenda mhm stating that that's what the board would like to see happen there I I agree I don't think you can put any kind of courts or whatever you're going to have the same thing it's going to be noise it's going there's not really parking there I think the open area for that Park is a is a good idea okay um all right so that was the update

on the complaints do we have to file a motion on that or is it just no that's just an update okay um item I information ordinance unauthorized camping on public property

I have not read through the full ordinance I'm not I won't sit here and act like I did um yeah no basically that's just information from the city um clerk's office that that's the council's the new yeah um so you can just accept it and on file but I guess it addresses Parks so that's why they sent the board a copy considered open space can I get a motion I'll make a motion to

accept the the new ordinance on unauthorized camping place on file and place on file I second that motion made by commissioner Cecilio seconded by commissioner FAS all in favor I item J lift from table CPC application submitted for Kennedy Park restrooms project South Main Street and support letter can I get a motion to lift from table I'll make a motion to lift from table I'll second the motion

commissioner made by um motion made by commissioner very second by commissioner Cecilia all in favor hi um so last meeting we tabled this because we had some questions on this CPC application um it's essentially an application to get CPC funding to update the bathrooms at um Kennedy Park you were concerned with the phasing of the funding first phase is to get CPC funding to uh restore the

outside um the second phase is to do the inside I was I'm concerned that we won't have the funding or they won't approve the full funding and where is the rest of it going to come from um there we don't have anyone here to answer for this but I know that this letter is due before I believe it's December 2nd so we would have to vote on it today

um I don't know how do you you can write a letter if you want to approve it but then they'll turn around they'll do whatever you know whatever comes up what the CPC yeah I mean if you want to the letter is just stating that we are you know backing them that they can do H the project v i gu I mean I don't know maybe you're let can state that you

support the project but are concerned where the funding full and being fully funded yeah I guess you I mean um I guess rather than not send a letter of support right because obviously who wouldn't want bathrooms at a park like that there's they're changing all these things there's a lot of big um events that happen in that Park that would be the best case scenarios to have bathrooms in that Park it's more of I

don't want to get halfway through the job and then no funding there's no funding and or where we have to come up with something and it's not I don't even know if that's how that works but um I mean I we could do a letter support because obviously we are all on board with having bathrooms in the park and maybe that's what you could say well while the board fully supports having restrooms in the Parks

M the concern is that the the amount of funding um will only provide for the exterior M and I mean I it it shows that you're supporting it but I'm sure and I'm going to tell you I think the CPC speak I'm going to have the same concern yeah right exactly I don't know no they will um so I I mean I don't want to go against anybody and say don't send a

letter of the support but I mean I know you guys want wanted to explained a little bit more um and I don't know that they can do that by phone yeah it's all right um so let's do let's make a motion to send the letter for support and then just say we are in support of putting bathrooms at Kennedy Park we would somewhere some right well yeah I guess um while you believe there would be an

they would be an added asset you're concerned about the comp the project okay I guess motion I'm GNA I can draft or you guys can draft Yeah I just feel like that sounds so negative and I'm not trying I just wish we like knew um well then you can just say we should just say we we are on board with bathrooms being support bathrooms being in the in Kennedy Park okay and just

that's it okay and then leave it up to God God okay and when it go when it goes to when they they're going to go to the they're going to have a conversation they'll where where you somebody else be the bad guys what you're say but at least with the letter there with the letter there they can at least push it yes it can be considered with the letter right so you just wanted to say you

don't want to say you support we're in support of the project done right full sentence period at the end so I'll make a motion that we send the letter of uh for mhm for the bathrooms and Candy part and I will second it um motion made by commissioner F second by commissioner Cecilio all in favor I um do you still want um an explanation even after the fact uh it's not going to matter no

trying to put milk back in the bottle yeah it's fine they'll they'll tell us okay just asking because you asked for both so item k update Sol solicitation of bids for walkways in North Park with funding that representative fola brought forward for Park improvements at North Park president AB I cannot tell you anything about it we're in the same position that's something oh tou so I make a motion to table

this for our next meeting I'll second the motion uh motion made by commissioner FIA second by commissioner cilio all in favor hi item L use of Kennedy Park for Veterans Day parade and events 1111 this is an annual thing yes they're just up top they set up for the parade they have a um an event at the monument we've cut and cleaned and REM mulched and whatever everything and we I will

have guys go in on Monday morning because what we leave on Friday we don't know it's going to be there on Monday so I will have some probably two guys we PO on Monday they will go go in Spruce that up make sure all the trash is picked up all right so I'll make a motion to uh approve the use of Kennedy Park on Veterans Day 1111 I I'm on a committee oh how does

that work oh I uh second the motion um motion made by commissioner Cecilio seconded by commissioner Burns I abstained and let the record show that commissioner fairies has abstained from this vote I hate to tell you that what you voted happiness um item M use of Kennedy Park for the children's holiday parade on December 7th I'll make a motion that we accept that and I will second the motion

motion made by commissioner F seconded by commissioner Cecilio all in favor hi hi also I may be on a golf cart handing out candy so if anyone wants to see me and just um just in um case that that motion for the Veterans Day doesn't work um because that wouldn't be a quorum if he abstains um way to go just kid sorry um I'm trying to to do this just maybe um since you don't have a

quum put it in my hands uh okay and I would be able to determine revisiting um item L for the use of Kennedy Park for Veterans Day Parade seeing as just in case just in case um our original motion doesn't just in case the motion yeah just in cas in case the original motion does not pass because we only had two votes um we will leave it up to Nancy to

work with yes we will not hold up the Veterans Day event we will have it move forward one way or the other with or without permission of the board I will make sure everything is taken and prepared up top all righty um any commissioner inquiries I drove I've been driving by uh the football field up in uh so father father po no Father Kelly they're doing a uh they got all the plls up and uh

guy's doing a good job on it I don't know who's doing it but that's the same guy that did Maplewood the lighting is not done um and that brings me to another uh point I had a call from Mr Hackett today he's like go do you think I could go on the field the field looks I'm I'm a I told him I'm not comfortable with that no no we told him that he

can't that already okay I just want to make sure because I said until the city fully accepts that job and those people are completely out of that premises there's still a lot of I mean I'm they've done a lot there's machines there it's just is he saying the the field looks crappy like what is no he's saying that he can use that field he's probably paying for a field right now to conduct his tournaments so

if he can go back there probably better for him but I I don't I said I said no but I would actually like um to bring that back for the board's discussion so I have the support of the board in saying so but as you said we did we already voted on that we sent him a letter saying that I mean letter just re forward the same email and he also

asked if now he could put his stuff out of the Pod back into the building I said no nothing is going back in that building and and this I need the support of the board as well that building houses now hundreds of thousands of dollars of electrical equipment I am not having bases and balls and score I really just people in and out nothing it should be no one besides the person putting the

lights on and shutting the lights off that is not a storage building anymore and I would like to relay that fact because that's what we did with every other building that houses that new electricity Maplewood does not use theirs pickle ball does not use theirs and this one should not be used as well so does like Maplewood do they have access to theirs they have access to it

they can put it on and off but they do not and and he's going to have access to it put it on and off I just feel like with I have no problem with that but I just feel like he's going to end up putting stuff in so like I have a key to it I will make sure that I have a key to it and I will temporarily make visits to it and that's

the case then we take change the locks and we automatically put the lights on and off through our timers mhm and then are there timers on those so why do we just not do that well because if we put the lights on timers and he only plays two days a week the lights are burning five days a week with gotcha for nothing you know what I mean but yes those

lights can be programmed that way and if that if if it comes to a point that we're finding things are being stored in there that's exactly what we can do we don't limit him to not having the lights but you now have the lights on Monday Wednesdays and Fridays from this time to this time that's it and that's it so is this something that we could like request you send him a letter or no not

at this point we can do this again on you know as when the when the project is completed and we bring It Forward the board can make a motion that this is how this is going to move forward I understand that the past is the past and people have had a lot of conveniences that they got but when these improvements are made they have to know that we need to take precautions to

protect our investments I think but at the same time and this might be just going down Rabbit Hole pickleball has timers yes correct Maplewood does not but Maplewood I feel like Maplewood has been there since any of us were even on this they all have timers I can put everybody on a timer cuz when they submit their but pickle ball is not a lead pickle ball is one and all come

come one come all so it's on every night cuz we don't know when the people are going to come gotta these leagues these sports leagues say I have they give us a schedule we play this game this game this game now if we do that and the game gets cancelled and then you get it whatever so I have one person at Maplewood that has is responsible for their closet their electrical and Mr

hacket is going to be responsible for his I'm sure he has other boards of Director people I'm sure he's not there every night you need to let your people know he said something to me about oh we need to to run our scoreboard from inside there I go no no more cuz there was a window that was in that building I think we're going to block that window you know was a window that you

saw through the and he's like oh the people keep score from in there I don't know about you my kid played Little League for a number of years you take a table you sit outside and you got the thing one ball one strike one ball one strike I've been there I've done it I've volunteered to do it you don't need to be in a building to do it so but is it

wired through there so they would have to like somehow wire I'm going to have the guy put an electrical plug on the outside of that building there has to be changes there I understand that this is what you had and this is we already said you can't use that building for storage anymore can I use the Caged in area on the side of it yeah it's a fenced in caged in area yeah you can use

that unfortunately we it you know he can come here and say can he construct another little building on the side of that to house his stuff that's up to the board if they want to give him permission to do that but that building needs to be off yeah well there's going to be a lot of electrical wires in there well then also it's just too expensive going to replace all of a computer

that's how you run those those lights by your phone whatever it's a computer thing so you tell me just like the new vehicles you know oh your computer shot yeah that's about whatever on a car I can't even tell you what it's going to be on a field with $300,000 of Lights there has to be some kind of yeah it listen they don't pay for the fields they don't have many rules and

regulations the board can do whatever they want to do but I really think that some things have to be yeah I know cuz like realistically if if something does happen we are the ones who are going to be as it is they have a key to that building what happens if someone doesn't lock the building at night now that that's susceptible to whatever that's why I'll be honest with you I would

prefer to put the lights and keep the leaves out of out of all those buildings but it's kind of a catch 22 because you know okay the lights are going to go off at 10:00 and they got one more inning to to play to complete that game so that's why we kind of work with them but we kind of have to have some rules and regulations but I just want the board to

know I did tell Mr Hackett that he cannot go back on that field so if going to say yeah I mean if the board disagrees no that's fine like I said we we 100 like and I'll say that on the record we 100% already had this conversation and we sent him a letter or email letting him know hey you can do the the the what is it P that's not peep

pod that's groceries what's the thing pe oh the pot the the you know the little storage thing we approved that at the same exact time because we told him he couldn't be in there so it's like I said if you could just like you said we're not saying you can't have a pod there to store whatever you used to store in that building I believe it's the Pod has a

cost the building does not that yeah or you can put it like in a cage right but how much room do you need what do we what do we Furniture Store what do we like bases RS they might have like a little like mower thing maybe there's a there's a decent area on the side of that no like uh you know what I mean like to drag the fields easier they do yeah but

you don't put that in the building the this building is like a closet it's not a building it's a closet yeah if you and I if here's the control panel you stand here and I stand behind you we filled the building how dare you that's how small it is small it's a small that's how tiny it CIA would need to duck is that oh yes 100% 100% any other inquiries

no um can I get a motion to adjourn I'll make a motion to adjourn I'll second it uh motion to adjourn made by commissioner farious second by commissioner Cecilio all in favor I