Call Meeting to Order

Chairman Woody Woodburn called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Members Present

Woody Woodburn, John Flynn, Jennifer Young, John Dupont, Charty Oliver, Bryan Sykora, Hans Larson, Council Liaison John Wheaton, Administrator Dana Young

Members Absent

Lucy Hicks, Jean Midthun

August 3, 2005 Minutes

The Committee approved the August 3, 2005 minutes on a motion by Charty Oliver, seconded by John Dupont. Motion carried 7-0.

Jan Seeger’s Offer to Donate a Bench

Woody Woodburn introduced Jan Seeger to the Committee and asked Ms. Seeger to talk to the Committee about her interest in donating a bench in the memory of her friend Gary Penke. Jan Seeger stated that before Gary Penke died last March, he was a huge fan of Thorpe Park and would often walk his dog or work on his art projects in the pavilion. She stated that after Gary died, she started to think about purchasing a natural stone bench to be installed at Thorpe Park in Gary’s memory. She stated that she would like to install the bench on top of the sliding hill overlooking the pavilion and asked if this would be a viable option. She added that she plans to install a concrete slab for the stone bench and would have the bench delivered at her own cost.

Woody Woodburn stated that the prior Park Committee had established standards for donated benches, a standard that does not include the natural stone bench proposed by Jan Seeger, and asked if the Committee would like to approve this exception. He stated that he felt it would be a nice addition to the park. Hans Larson stated that he felt that the purpose of establishing a standard was to ensure that the donation was of a certain quality. He added that he felt that the stone bench was beautiful.

John Dupont stated that the Committee has to decide whether to either follow the uniform standards that have been adopted or to abandon the standards and accept a donation if it looks nice.

Motion by Woody Woodburn to accept Jan Seeger’s offer to provide a stone bench at Thorpe Park at an agreeable location and that the Committee will develop a policy on standards for donated gifts. Seconded by John Flynn. Motion declared carried 7-0.

Deephaven Days

John Wheaton stated that he had the opportunity at the August 15^th Council meeting to officially thank all the volunteers for all their efforts during Deephaven Days. Paul Skrede stated that he had a copy of a 12-minute DVD produced by the LMCC that highlighted Deephaven Days for the Committee to review.

Woody Woodburn stated that he had a couple of thoughts regarding Deephaven Days. First, he felt that the planning for the 2006 Deephaven Days should start much sooner. And second, he would like to find a couple of people from the community who would be interested in organizing the event for next year. John Wheaton suggested placing an ad in the newspaper thanking everyone for his or her help. Paul Skrede stated that he was planning to frame a letter that he had received from an anonymous resident, which spoke eloquently on the success of Deephaven Days. Jennifer Young stated that she felt the key to the success of Deephaven Days was to keep it simple.

Report on Tennis Court Backboards

John Wheaton provided a brief report on tennis court backboards. He stated that backboards can be constructed of such varying material such as wood or concrete but the standard backboard is typically of fiberglass design. He stated that a 10’ x 12’ fiberglass backboard, with an approximate life of 10-20 years, is about $2,500. He added that almost every backboard is noisy, although some have dampening elements that try to muffle the sound. Discussion was held on whether to install the backboard at Thorpe Park tennis courts or the Village Hall tennis courts. It was the consensus of the Committee to purchase a backboard of at least 10’ x 16’ in size and to install it at the Village Hall tennis courts. John Wheaton asked Dana Young to obtain cost estimates from Ray Finley of Tennis West.

Tennis Court Maintenance Recommendations

The Committee reviewed the recommendations from Ray Finley of Tennis West on the City’s tennis courts. The recommendations are as follows:

Platform Tennis Court: Remove deficient boards, replace with primed & painted boards, and touch up striping as needed ($2,960)

Shuck Park Tennis Courts: Resurfacing would include pressure wash, bleach treat, patch “bird baths”, patch cracks, apply black filler course, apply red/green texture court, apply red/green finish coat, and stripe 2’ white per USTA rules ($6,763)

Village Hall Tennis Courts: Resurfacing as described above ($13,500), although he recommends an artificial sand-filled turf as the best remedy to repair the courts ($60,000)

Thorpe Park Tennis Courts: Resurfacing as described above ($10,500)

Motion by John Flynn to recommend contracting with Tennis West to repair the Platform Tennis Court in the amount of $2,960 and the resurfacing of the Shuck Park Tennis Courts in the amount of $6,763. Seconded by Hans Larson. Motion carried 7-0.

The Committee asked Dana Young to obtain additional information from Ray Finley on how long resurfacing would last at Thorpe Tennis Courts and Village Hall Tennis Courts.

Standards for Benches, Picnic Tables & Donated Benches

The Committee tabled discussion on this agenda item until next month.

Ice Rink Weekend Maintenance & Open House

Dana Young stated that he would obtain bids from contractors on the cost of clearing snow from the ice rinks over the weekend when the public works crew is not on duty. John Wheaton suggested enlisting volunteers to clear the snow rather than hiring a contractor. He stated that he was concerned that contractors would not get to the rinks until too late in the afternoon after they had taken care of their regular customers. John Flynn stated that the contractors should be told that the rinks need to be cleared by 12:00 p.m.

Discussion was held on holding an Open House at Village Hall ice rink in order to generate interest in the rinks for the 2005-2006 season. The Committee decided to hold the Open House on Saturday, December 17^th at 11:00 p.m.

John Flynn suggested the following list of improvements at the ice rinks for this year:

· Filling in the ditch area at the Village Hall ice rink

· Replace the existing hockey goals

· Move the entrance to the Thorpe hockey rink to the east

· Level the ground in the Thorpe hockey rink

2006 Park Improvement Fund Budget

The Committee listed the following items for consideration in the 2006 Park Improvement Fund Budget:

· Repair Lake Louise Trail - $ 1,000

· Thorpe / Village Hall Tennis Courts - $26,000

· Swimming Docks at Sandy/Robinson’s - $ 5,000

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn by Hans Larson, seconded by Woody Woodburn. Motion declared carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:17 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Park Committee will be held on Wednesday, October 5, 2005.