Parks and Recreation Commission

Parks & Recreation Commission Thursday, March 7, 2024 Cornelius Town Hall 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. www.cornelius.org/pr MINUTES 1) Call to Order Commissioner Kolkhorst called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. 2) Determination of Quorum A quorum was reached with eight commissioners in attendance. Commissioners present: Carla Eustache, Trey Fouche, Jill Rotunda, Chair Chris Kolkhorst, Robert Reed, Andrew Heywood, Jana Ritter, Travis Dancy, and Town Commissioners Todd Sansbury and Michael Osborne Commissioner absent: Jon Show Staff present: Director Troy Fitzsimmons, Recreation Superintendent Josh Handelsman, and Administrative Assistant Karen Ulmer 3) Public Appearances – Citizen Concerns/Comments None 4) Approval of Minutes (February) Commissioner Dancy made a motion to approve the minutes from the February 8, 2024, meeting as presented. Commissioner Rotunda seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. 5) Presentations a) Park Bonds Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation that Town Manager Andrew Grant had presented to the Town Board on March 4 regarding the potential for placing park bonds on the general ballot in November 2024. The Town Board and Town Staff are in the beginning stages of planning and consideration for this undertaking, and the presentation included a timeline of next steps between now and November. b) North Carolina Directed Grant Director Fitzsimmons shared a portion of the presentation that Town Manager Grant had given to the Town Board on February 19 with plans to use $3 million in funds recently made available to the Town by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The funds need to be spent by October 2025, and proposed projects include $1.2 million for Phase I of the Bailey Road Park Court Complex and $400,000 for the Legion Park Playground Replacement project. The funds supplant other funds and do not add to the current capital budgets for either project. 6) Director’s Report Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation highlighting items from his February 2024 report, as well as updates on summer camps registration, which opened on March 1. 7) Parks & Recreation Commissioner Recommendations & Reports a) Items to be placed on record – None b) Commissioner Reports 1) Commissioner Carla Eustache • She attended the Black History Month program, which was well done. • She attended a Strategic Planning committee meeting and this week’s Town Board pre-meeting. 2) Vice-Chair Trey Fouche • The basketball season ended well.  • He registered his children for some Camp Cornelius camps and found registration to be easy. • He attended the Town’s Coffee Chat on Monday. These are great opportunities; it is disappointing that most of the people who attend are people already engaged with the Town. 3) Commissioner Jill Rotunda • She registered her children for summer camps, and it was nice and easy. • Her daughter attended her first Lake Norman Teen Council meeting, though it was a bit awkward; no one greeted her, and she was unsure of what to do. They could do a better job welcoming and steering new members. 4) Commissioner Jon Show – Absent 5) Chair Chris Kolkhorst • He attended a Strategic Planning committee meeting and this week’s Town Board pre-meeting. 6) Commissioner Robert Reed • He attended a Town Board meeting to support the budget for Parks and Rec and once he saw the agenda, he ended up speaking about regulations around signs and banners. You never know what you’re going to hear at a Town Board meeting. 7) Commissioner Andrew Heywood • He saw some kids on motorized scooters on the greenways and there was a discussion between him, the kids, and other walkers there about whether they are allowed. He suggested that there be additional signage on the greenways to make the rules clear to all. 8) Commissioner Jana Ritter • She did not attend the official Black History Month event but did attend the Sons of Mystro concert afterwards, which was enjoyable. • She attended the Coffee Chat. It was especially interesting to meet and hear from the newer Town Board Commissioners, Robert Carney and Susan Johnson. • There are 53 tennis teams running out of Jetton Park this spring, reflecting a definite demand and need for tennis courts. The tennis community is planning to support a park bond. 9) Commissioner Travis Dancy • He is looking forward to the spring season of Lake Norman Little League, which starts next week. • The Babe Ruth 15s Regional Tournament is coming to Huntersville Athletic Park in July. c) Town Commissioner Report 1) Town Commissioner Todd Sansbury • There was nice recognition for Parks and Rec at the Black History Month event. • He heard a presentation last night from Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists (LNWC) and they spoke about their collaboration with CPRD. He had not realized all that they did and the many ways they had collaborated with us. He suggested LNWC could be a good advocate for the park bond. 2) Town Commissioner Michael Osborne • He attended the Black History Month event, which was nice. • He went to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) meeting earlier this week and there is a lot of crossover with CPRD, such as the bike and pedestrian plans. • It looks like the Town may get involved regionally with the Lake Norman Transportation Commission, which could get us more points on grant applications. 8) Old Business a) 2024 Comprehensive Parks and Greenways Master Plan: Recommendation for Approval by Town Board Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation summarizing the process used to develop the draft master plan, the goals for minimum park acres (18), greenway/multi-use trail miles (0.9) per 1,000 population, recreation facility standards, and the remaining steps to adopt the plan. Commissioner Fouche made a motion that the PRC recommend the 2024 Town of Cornelius Comprehensive Parks and Greenways Master Plan for approval, authorize the Director to make final edits and request for the Town Board to consider approval at their March 18, 2024, meeting. Commissioner Heywood seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. b) Parks & Recreation Commission Goals & Committees No reports 9) New Business a) Lake Norman Outlaws Partnership Agreement Superintendent Handelsman shared a presentation regarding our lacrosse partner, Lake Norman Outlaws, including the history of our partnership, what the organization offers, and the general terms of our annual  agreement, which is up for renewal. Commissioner Heywood made a motion authorizing the Parks & Recreation Director to finalize the 2024 Outlaw Lacrosse Partnership Agreement based on the general terms presented and execute the agreement. Commissioner Ritter seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. b) Open Gym Fees Superintendent Handelsman shared a presentation regarding the history of our open gym programming, its current state, and a proposal to charge non-residents a small fee starting with the new fiscal year in July 2024. Commissioner Eustache made a motion to recommend to the Town Board the implementation of charging non-residents $5 at Open Gyms beginning July 1, 2024 (start of the next fiscal year). Commissioner Rotunda seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. 10) Adjournment Chair Kolkhorst adjourned the meeting at 7:38 p.m. Next PRC Meeting – Thursday, April 4, 2024 Future PRC Meetings – Thursdays: May 2, June 6, and July 4 (??), 2024 Next Town Board Meetings – Mondays, March 18 and April 1 and 15, 2024