Parks and Recreation Commission

Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) Tuesday, September 5, 2024 Cornelius Town Hall 5:30 – 7 p.m. www.cornelius.org/pr MINUTES 1) Call to Order Chair Kolkhorst called the meeting to order at 5:37 p.m. 2) Determination of Quorum A quorum was reached with seven commissioners in attendance. Commissioners present: Carla Eustache, Trey Fouche, Jill Rotunda, Chair Chris Kolkhorst, Robert Reed, Andrew Heywood, Jana Ritter, and Town Commissioner Todd Sansbury Commissioners absent: Jon Show and Travis Dancy Staff present: Director Troy Fitzsimmons, Recreation Superintendent Joshua Handelsman, and Executive Assistant Karen Ulmer 3) Public Appearances – Citizen Concerns/Comments None 4) Approval of Minutes (August) a) August 2024 Draft Minutes Commissioner Heywood made a motion to approve the minutes from the August 1, 2024, meeting as written. Chair Kolkhorst seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. 5) Director’s Report a) August 2024 Director’s Report Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation highlighting items from his August 2024 report. 6) Parks & Recreation Commissioner Recommendations & Reports a) Items to be placed on record b) Commissioner Reports 1) Commissioner Carla Eustache • She attended the ribbon cutting for the new Jetton Road Extension. 2) Vice-Chair Trey Fouche • He attended the Cornelius Jazz Fest, and it was good to connect with citizens and test out the process for educating the public regarding the park bonds. • He continues to hear from people about walkability and connectivity, and how the train will promote those features. 3) Commissioner Jill Rotunda • Her daughter attended our pickleball summer camp and enjoyed it. 4) Commissioner Jon Show – Absent 5) Chair Chris Kolkhorst • He went to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) “roadshow” at Boatyard Eats. It was primarily focused on the new Atrium hospital and its impacts in that area. • He attended Jazz Fest. • He attended the Legion Park reopening ceremony. Huge shoutout to the maintenance team, which clearly put in an amazing amount of effort to have that field looking so good and back in play.  6) Commissioner Robert Reed • He has heard good things about our summer camps from other families that have attended and enjoyed our camps. He has had some businesses that have asked how they might partner in offering camps next year and was told to direct those inquiries to Josh Handelsman. • The Cornelius Jazz Fest was fun and a great opportunity to get the park bonds message out. He was surprised how many people were already aware of the bonds and are fully on board. • He has been enjoying use of Legion Park since it has opened. The grass is awesome, and the new batting cage is great. He suggested adding signage telling people where we they can park, as there are plenty of signs indicating where people cannot park. 7) Commissioner Andrew Heywood • He attended Jazz Fest. He has attended almost every year since he moved here and just loves that event. It needs to stay in Smithville. 8) Commissioner Jana Ritter • Jazz Fest was a great event. She noted that Cornelius Parks and Rec should be set up under a Cornelius Parks and Rec tent, as there was some confusion with a face painter located at their tent. Also, food lines were very long. Superintendent Handelsman said the tent issue has been addressed. As for the food lines, we had one food truck drop out, added to attendance that was higher than in the past, probably due to the great weather. Staff have talked about adding an additional vendor for next year, but it is always difficult to get that number just right. • She has been seeing more tennis at Robbins Park, which is great. • She is a big advocate for the online court rental system. It seems to be working very well. 9) Commissioner Travis Dancy – Absent c) Town Commissioner Report – Commissioner Todd Sansbury • If the one-cent sales tax increase being proposed for Mecklenburg County passes, the Town will get back half of what is collected here. Those funds would be used on transportation projects, which could possibly be used for greenway or other bike or pedestrian projects. • Board approved Cain Center’s purchase of three homes at the intersection of Catawba Avenue and School Street. They plan to tear down one and renovate the other two, one of which will become the new ceramics center. • The Town is condemning a piece of land near the Antiquity Greenway trailhead as part of the realignment of the Zion Street Extension. • Kimley-Horn completed a traffic analysis on Bailey Road and NCDOT has said we cannot widen the road or add turning lanes. The Town will have to figure out a way to stack more cars in the Bailey Middle School parking lot. CMS does not acknowledge that Bailey Road congestion is a problem that merits them spending any money towards road improvements. 7) Old Business a) 2024 Park Bonds Referendum: Educational Campaign Update Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation updating the PRC on the current state of the educational campaign for the 2024 park bonds. Commissioner Ritter suggested we need something to display or hand out that shows exactly how the question would appear on the ballot. Commissioner Eustache asked that staff share a digital “toolkit” with the PRC as well as user groups, partners, etc. b) Parks & Recreation Commission Goals & Committees • Strategic Planning and Long-Range Finance: Commissioner Fouche said this group will meet later in September to begin discussions on the FY26 Capital Improvement Plan. • Public Awareness: Commissioner Eustache said this group has been supporting staff in preparing the park bonds educational materials. She asked Director Fitzsimmons to let them know what additional support they can offer. 8) New Business a) Cornelius Youth Orchestras (CYO) Agreement Renewal Superintendent Handelsman shared a presentation including background on the CYO organization and our relationship with them. Their current agreement recently expired. Commissioner Heywood made a motion to authorize the Parks and Recreation Director to finalize the 2024 Cornelius Youth Orchestras’ Musical Education Programming Services Annual Use Agreement, based on the general terms presented, and to execute the agreement. Commissioner Fouche seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.  b) Bailey Road Park Complex: Tennis Program Operator RFP Superintendent Handelsman said that in preparation for the expanded court complex (6 tennis courts and 10 pickleball courts) being built at the park, he has been tasked with seeking ways to program the new facilities, as well as coordinate their use. He shared a presentation with information regarding the Request for Proposal being issued for Tennis Programs. Commissioner Reed made a motion to authorize the Parks & Recreation Director to finalize and release the 2024 Pickleball and Tennis Programming Operator Request for Proposal (RFP) based on the general terms presented and to initiate the public process for selecting a qualified operator. Commissioner Fouche seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. c) Bailey Road Park Complex: Pickleball Program Operator RFP Commissioner Handelsman’s presentation also included information regarding the Request for Proposal being issued for Pickleball Programs. See motion above (Section 8.b.) 9) Adjournment Chair Kolkhorst adjourned the meeting at 7:37 p.m. Next PRC Meeting – Thursday, October 4, 2024 Future PRC Meetings – Thursdays: November 7, and December 5, 2024, and January 2, 2025 Next Town Board Meetings – Mondays, September 16, and October 7 and 21, 2024