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6. PRSR 03-14-2012Item: 6 MEMORANDUM ver TO: Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: Michael Hecker, Parks and Recreation Director DATE: March 9, 2012 SUBJECT: Director's Report This report is a highlight of out Department's activities to inform the Commission on items related to strategic planning, staff development, pazk operations and collaborations during the past month. Bailey Point We axe getting very close to agreeing with the language in the Minnesota Land Trust conservation agreement fox Bailey Point. A Ciry Council work session to review the agreement and the purchase of Baily Point is planned fox Monday, March 12. Handke Pit Rink The last day of operations for the rink was Tuesday, February 28 due to the warm weather conditions. Unfortunately, we were never able to build a strong base this year due to the unusually warm winter season. Pinewood Golf Course Weather pemvtting, it is possible that Pinewood Golf Couse could be open the end of this month. We decided to cancel the annual Mayor/Council Pinewood Open this yeaz due to declining interest. This event is usually held in June. Only 28 people participated in the event in 2011 compazed to 40 in 2010. Woodland Trails Paxk I attended the Woodland Trails Park Biathlon on Sunday, Mazch 4. I was impressed by the number of skiers in the park. The Biathlon had 14 participants in the "Experienced" race, including Nick Proell -who returned from the Youth Olympics in Innsbruck and over 60 participants in the novice races. Hillside Park Volunteers I continue to meet with the volunteers at Hillside Paxk xegazding their concerns of the tree clearing that occurred by GRE this past fall. The Pazk Steward, Rich Omdahl, presented a restoration plan on March 8 that I have some concerns regarding the size, cost and overall effectiveness. I will review this with staff and GRE, and then plan to bring this up as an agenda item for the April Commission Meeting. ror EREO Ir ~aruRE Public Works/Park Maintenance Facility The construction for the project was approved by City Council. Rodney will continue to represent the Department during upcoming construction meetings. Construction of this new maintenance facility will begin on April 2. The Ciry completed a sale of $7 million worth of 20-yeaz AA+ bonds to fund this project. Investors bought the bonds at an interest cost of 2.19 percent, producing a lifetime savings of $1.1 million. Staff Leadership Development We aze continuing with the training/teambuilding for staff as an opportunity to grow and raise their level of leadership and organizational effectiveness. The weekly one hour sessions will continue through April. The main source of training materials comes from the "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" program by John Maxwell. Parks and Recreation Computer System Software City Council will review at the Mazch 12 work session the purchase of new computer softwaze for the Department. The system recommended, Rec Trac from Vermont Systems, offers several computer tools including point of sale with touch screens, membership management, facility booking management, league scheduling and class registrations. Department Policies and Ordinances One of the policy issues presented to me during my interview for this position was recreation facility usage. I have reviewed the background and current policy (last updated January 2003) and started to discuss this with staff and youth sports organizations. This is a process, if done effectively, will take some time to complete. I have also reviewed our current pazk ordinances and have found them inadequate or missing. This has been brought up with recent issues in the pazks. Some of the recent issues include the feeding of wildlife in the pazks, alcohol consumption, and the use of remote control airplanes. Completing a comprehensive review of our ordinances is also a process and will take some time to complete effectively with staff and the Pazk and Recreation Commission. Ridges of Rice Lake Homeowners Association Steve Benoit and I met with the Ridges of Rice Lake Homeowners Association Boazd Members on Febmary 28 to discuss trails and a future pazk. The Members include the new President Tim Lewis. We will continue dialogue with this group including the possibly of obtaining grants for trail connectors to the Great Northern Trail. Bta_nding. Core Values and Mission As a follow up to the Pazks and Recreation Commission February 8 work session regarding branding, core values and mission, all of our depamnent staff met again Mazch 8 to review this strategic planning process. We will continue to engage staff in this process until we have a framework within which Department actions and strategies can be formulated. Playgtotmd Design Workshop Pazks and Recreation Commission Members and staff will attend a playground design workshop and factory tour on March 21 at Landscape Structures Inc. in Delano, MN. This will assist in the design process fox a future destination playground at Orono Pazk.