CHAMPAIGN PARK DISTRICT MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS May 8, 2013 The Champaign Park District Board of Commissioners held its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Bresnan Meeting Center, 706 Kenwood Road, Champaign, Illinois, pursuant to notice duly given. President Dodds presided over the meeting. Present: President Newton Dodds, Vice President Joseph Petry, Commissioners Barbara Kuhl, Jane Solon and Alvin Griggs, Treasurer Gary Wackerlin and Attorney Guy Hall. Staff present: Bobbie Herakovich, Executive Director/Secretary, Jan Plotner, Director of Finance, Joe DeLuce, Director of Finance, J. R. Pope, Superintendent of Planning and Operations, Laura Auteberry, Marketing and Development Director, and Cindy Harvey, Administrative Assistant. Staff and other members of the public were present. Call to Order President Dodds called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Swearing in of New Commissioners Attorney Hall administered the Oath of Office to newly elected Park Board Commissioners Alvin S. Griggs and Timothy P. McMahon. Election of Officers Election of President and Vice President Commissioner Kuhl made a motion to nominate and elect Joseph A. Petry for the office of President and Alvin S. Griggs for the office of Vice President. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Solon. There were no other nominations. The motion passed 5-0. President Petry thanked Newton Dodds for his 38 years of service. He told Mr. Dodds that he had done himself, the Champaign Park District and the community proud. Mr. Dodds thanked Mr. Petry for his comments. Ms. Herakovich unveiled the sign naming the Tennis Center in honor of Mr. Dodds. Mr. Dodds thanked the Board and staff, and welcomed Commissioner McMahon to the Board. Appointment of Officers Appointment of Secretary and Treasurer Commissioner Solon made a motion that Bobbie Herakovich be appointed as Secretary, Cindy Harvey be appointed Assistant Secretary, and Gary Wackerlin be appointed as Treasurer of the Champaign Park District. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Kuhl. There were no other nominations. The motion passed 5-0. Attorney Hall then administered the Oaths of Office to Secretary Bobbie Herakovich, Assistant Secretary Cindy Harvey, and Treasurer Gary Wackerlin. Adjourn There being no further business to come before the meeting, upon a motion duly made by Commissioner Solon, seconded by Vice President Griggs and unanimously approved, the Annual Meeting was adjourned at 7:13 p.m. Approved: Joseph A. Petry, President Bobbie Herakovich, Secretary
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING CHAMPAIGN PARK DISTRICT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MAY 8, 2013 The Champaign Park District Board of Commissioners held a Regular Board Meeting on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 immediately following the Annual Board Meeting at the Bresnan Meeting Center, 706 Kenwood Road, Champaign, Illinois, pursuant to notice duly given. President Petry presided over the meeting. Present: President Joseph Petry, Vice President Alvin Griggs, Commissioners Barbara Kuhl, Jane Solon and Timothy McMahon, Treasurer Gary Wackerlin and Attorney Guy Hall. Staff: Bobbie Herakovich, Executive Director/Secretary, Joe DeLuce, Director of Recreation, Jan Plotner, Director of Finance, J. R. Pope, Superintendent of Operations and Planning, Laura Auteberry, Marketing and Development Director, Andrew Weiss, Park Planner, and Cindy Harvey, Executive Assistant/Assistant Secretary. Other staff was present as well as members of the public. Call to Order President Petry called the meeting to order at 7:14 p.m. Comments from the Public President Petry called for comments from the public. There were none. Communications President Petry circulated the communications. Treasurer s Report Consideration of Acceptance of the Treasurer s Report for the Month of April, 2013 Treasurer Wackerlin presented the Treasurer s Report for the month of April, 2013. He stated that the Park District s finances have been reviewed and found to be in appropriate order. Commissioner Solon made a motion to accept the Treasurer s Report for the month of April, 2013. The motion was seconded by Commissioner McMahon. The motion passed 5-0. Executive Director s Report Volunteer of the Month Carol Cope was chosen as Volunteer of the Month for April. Ms. Cope was an integral part of the Virginia Theatre s first events after its reopening in April. She served as lead usher for all 12 movies and 2 short films during Ebertbest, and volunteered for every show of the C-U Ballet s Cinderella. Ms. Cope was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a bag of goodies. The Board thanked Ms. Cope for her efforts. General Announcements Ms. Herakovich reported that the new dais was built by Operations staff and included electricity for future use of laptop computers. The Board thanked the staff members for their efforts. Ms. Herakovich encouraged the Board to view the National Parks and Recreation (NRPA) website and itinerary for the Annual Congress that will be held October 8, 2013 in Houston, Texas. She stated that rooms had been reserved and asked the Commissioners to let her know if they are interested in attending the Congress. Page 2
Ms. Herakovich thanked Commissioner Kuhl for her assistance in securing a donation from Meyer Charitable Foundation for the Virginia Theatre renovations and from Geoffrey Steward with International Fine Art Conservation Studios, Inc. for the murals at the Virginia Theatre. Ms. Herakovich congratulated Mr. Weiss on completing and submitting his first grant application. She stated that the Park District has been awarded a Clean Energy Grant in the amount of $34,997, which is a third of the cost of the geothermal system for the new Leonhard Recreation Center. The Board congratulated Mr. Weiss on his efforts. Committee and Liaison Reports Champaign Parks Foundation President Petry stated that a Board liaison has not been appointed to the Foundation Board. He reported that the Foundation Board will meet on May 11, 2013 and that a report will be presented to the Board after the meeting. Report of Officers Attorney s Report None President s Report President Petry reported that Ms. Herakovich and he would be meeting with individuals of the Champaign Parks Foundation, including Dennis McMillan, John Frauenhoffer, and Craig Hays to discuss priorities. He asked the Board if there is any objection to having a joint meeting with the Foundation. There was none. President Petry stated that the joint meeting would be at later date. Ms. Herakovich stated that most park districts have an annual meeting with their Foundation Board to make sure that they are in agreement about supporting ideals of the park district. She reported that the Foundation Board is considering a park tour and the Park Board will be invited. Discussion ensued about appointment of the Board liaison to the Foundation Board. Ms. Herakovich reported that there are two vacancies: the Commissioner liaison and one additional opening. She advised that the appointment of the vacancies does not become an issue unless it has an impact on having a quorum and suggested that vacancies be filled during the summer. President Petry reported that Ms. Herakovich and he discussed using the May 22, 2013 Study Session to discuss Board priorities. He stated that he had met with Board members individually to talk about priorities. President Petry stated that the Study Session would allow a discussion in a more formal setting and with everyone in attendance. He suggested that each Commissioner come with their ideas and priorities. Each Board member would present what they think are key priorities and before the end of the evening the Board would focus on achieving a consensus. In response to a question by Commissioner Kuhl, President Petry stated that he wants to stress focusing on priorities for the next two years. Ms. Herakovich reported that the meeting on May 22, 2013 will be a Special Meeting as there are items that require Board approval. She also reported that there will be a presentation from the City of Champaign as well as presentations by staff. President Petry reported that Ms. Herakovich and he talked about discussing board functions, roles, and possibly revisiting the items discussed during the self evaluation with Peter Murphy at the June 26, 2013 Study Session. He stated that with a new commissioner this would be a great opportunity to make sure the Board members are comfortable with the way they communicate, listen to each other and function as a board. President Petry stated that he would like to proceed with the self evaluation. Page 3
Vice President Griggs questioned whether the Board would have a presenter or discuss the items on its own. President Petry stated that his preference would be to continue the self evaluation with Peter Murphy. He asked the Board to provide feedback within the next week about on how each would like to proceed. Discussion ensued. Ms. Herakovich stated that staff would need to confirm Mr. Murphy s availability. She stated that the law allows the Board to conduct a self evaluation. Ms. Herakovich stated that she will send out ideas and request feedback from the Board to communicate to Mr. Murphy. Commissioner Kuhl stated that she is not opposed to Mr. Murphy returning; however, there needs to be better direction about facilitating. She suggested Mr. Murphy be given a finite plan of what the Board wants to accomplish and the timeframe for completing it. President Petry stated that he will await additional comments from other Board Members, and he will communicate the Board s desires and comments to Mr. Murphy. President Petry reported that Ms. Herakovich and he would be meeting with the City Manager and Mayor on May 28, 2013. He asked the Board to let them know if they have any particular items that they would like to have addressed. Consent Agenda Vice President Petry stated that all items on the Consent Agenda are considered routine and shall be acted upon by one motion. If discussion is desired, that item shall be removed and discussed separately. The items are as follows: 1. Minutes of the Closed Session Meeting, March 27, 2013 2. Minutes of the Regular Board Meeting, April 10, 2013 3. Minutes of the Special Board Meeting, April 24, 2013 4. Minutes of the Closed Session Meeting, April 24, 2013 Vice President Griggs made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda items. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Solon. The motion passed 5-0. New Business Consideration of Approval of List of Bills for April 2013 President Petry reported that staff requested approval of the list of bills for April. 2013. Ms. Herakovich noted that the bills included a list from the end of FY12 and the beginning of FY13. Vice President Griggs made a motion to approve the two lists of bills as presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Solon. The motion passed 5-0. Consideration of Approval of an Agreement with The News-Gazette President Petry reported that staff recommended approval of the annual agreement between the Park District and The News-Gazette for radio and newspaper advertising for a period of two years. Commissioner Kuhl made a motion to approve the Agreement between the Park District and The News- Gazette for a period of two years. The motion was seconded by Vice President Griggs. The motion passed 5-0. Consideration of Approval of Budget Line Transfers President Petry reported that staff recommended approval of line item transfers of the FY 12-13 budget be made within funds where lines will exceed their original budget. Ms. Herakovich reported that this is a housekeeping matter and transfers do not affect the overall budget as other line items would be decreased within the same funds. This is being done to comply with the Park Code and for audit purposes. Page 4
Commissioner Kuhl made a motion to approve budget line transfers. The motion was seconded by Vice President Griggs. The motion passed 5-0. Old Business Consideration of a Bid for Kaufman Lake Roadway President Petry reported that this item is to consider a bid for Kaufman Lake roadway. Ms. Herakovich commented on the discussion that occurred at the last Board meeting on this item and history of the project. She reported that the project had been let for bid prior to the Park District securing its funding, which included anticipated but uncertain grant funds. Ms. Herakovich stated that at the time the low bidder agreed to hold their bid amount for one year. That extension expired May 1, 2012. She stated that staff recommends accepting the low, base bid from Cross Construction, Inc. in the amount of $208,103.25, and authorizing the Executive Director to enter into a contract for this work. Vice President Griggs made a motion to award a contract to the low bidder, Cross Construction, Inc., in the amount o $208,103.25 and authorize the Executive Director to execute a contract for the work. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Kuhl. The motion passed 5-0. Consideration of Approval of Refinancing the General Obligation Alternate Revenue Bond President Petry reported that staff was requesting approval to refinance the 2005 Alternate Revenue Bonds. Ms. Herakovich stated that this item was discussed at the last Board meeting and that additional information was requested. She stated that staff is recommending that the Board approve refinancing the 2005 General Obligation Alternate Revenue Bonds for a savings of approximately $20,000 per year. Discussion ensued and staff answered questions about the fees associated with refinancing the bonds. Commissioner Solon made a motion to approve refinancing the General Obligation Alternate Revenue Bonds. The motion was seconded by Commissioner McMahon. The motion passed 5-0. Discussion Items None Comments from Commissioners Vice President Griggs commended staff on a great job with the reception for former Commissioner Dodds. Ms. Herakovich stated that assistance was received from many people in planning the reception including Commissioner Solon. She thanked everyone who attended the reception. Ms. Herakovich stated that she believes that it meant a great deal to former Commissioner Dodds to have the Tennis Center named after him. Commissioner Kuhl welcomed Tim McMahon to the Board. Commissioner Solon welcomed Commissioner McMahon and congratulated him and Vice President Griggs. President Petry stated that he was looking forward to a well functioning Board. Adjourn There being no further business to come before the Board, Commissioner Solon made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Vice President Griggs. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 8:29 p.m. Approved: Joseph A. Petry, President Bobbie Herakovich, Secretary Page 5