HomeMy WebLinkAboutFBMINUTES120507Friends of West University Place Parks Fund, Inc.
Board Meeting Minutes
December 5, 2007
Friends of West University Place Parks Board met on Wednesday, December 5, 2007, at 11:30 a.m. at the West
University Place Recreation Center, 4210 Bellaire Blvd.
The following were in attendance:
Board Members
Joni Fichter
Leah Ragiel
Judy Bouillion
Lynne Goddard
Sue Hanna
Kim Wilson
Executive Director
Donna LaMond
Parks & Rec Staff
Tim O'Connor
Advisorv Board Members
Kim Wilson
Others
Dorothy Kaldis
Diane Cain
Joni Fichter called the meeting to order at 11:40 a.m.
President's Report -Joni Fichter
• Happy Holidays! Please find the little gift as a thank you from Donna and me for your dedication to Friends!
• Guild meeting at my house went well and the next one is at Diane's December 14 at 9:30! Thanks to Leah
and the hostesses of each.
• Friends Park looks awesome and the dedication is coming along and will be Dec 11 at 5:30 pm. Please
come! We'll have dinner for all, as well, and will honor our donors throughout the years. Thanks to Tim,
Donna, Susan, and the PARD staff for all of their hard work! A paver will be placed in memory of Grayson
Cuenod who died in August at age 14 and a bench will be placed in honor of the Sacchis' who helped push
the park along by their 3700 block of Rice neighbors. Brennan Riley is heading up this donation. There will
be a party favor for all, as well.
• Donna, Daryl, Jennifer, and I met for a photo opportunity at WUE with John Threet (principal) and Bob
McLamb (Pres Tri-sports) as we presented checks on behalf of F&F. Leah, Diane, Dorothy, Donna, Kim, and
I also met for photo opportunities for PLB. Great press on F&F and PLB. Guild info was submitted, as well.
• PLB chairs are hard at work and close to invite print deadline so please make your commitments today if you
have not. Remember, as a board member, responsibilities include buying or getting a table for the ball
together and soliciting auction items.
• Community survey - you should have gotten this (although I still have not) so please take the time to
complete it to help with future park planning.
• The new tree logo that was developed for PLB and that is on your cups seems to really encompass what we
are about. Donna and I talked and think this might be nice to use on everything... stationary, web site, Guild
stuff, all things ...what do you all think?
Approval of the Minutes and Sign-In Sheet - Judy Bouillion
A motion was made by Sue Hanna seconded by Lynne Goddard to approve the November 6, 2007 Minutes as
sent. The motion carried.
Executive Director's Report - Donna LaMond
• Phil Lewis called and came by my office since our last board meeting. He presented me with his check for
$314,336.00. This was the remaining match amount outstanding. The Lewis's have been invited to the
dedication next week and we will certainly mention their significant contribution to Friends. Sue Hanna and I
have been discussing the best use of the money until the city needs it for the Rec Center.... i.e. a CD, or
some other money growing vehicle. She will address that more in her report.
Joni Fichter, Jennifer Gatto, Daryl Hoover, and I presented checks to John Threet and Bob McLamb on
November 19. Each check was for $1000 and was presented on behalf of the Fathers & Flashlight event.
Photos were taken and submitted to local newspapers and magazines. The books are about closed out on
this event now. The City has requested a reimbursement check in the amount of $4,122.72 to cover
expenses for the event. Everything except for this amount was covered through registration fees for the
event. The final net total for the event came to around $26,000. Thank you notes and t-shirts were delivered
or mailed to the underwriters and sponsors for the event. Susan White and I met with Jennifer and Daryl on
Nov. 20th to over the event and be sure we captured useful information for improvements for next year's
event. Fathers and Flashlights for 2008 is set for October 18-19, contingent upon no conflicts with WUE's
annual carnival. We are still waiting to hear back from WUE on that. Spooky Parry III will take place on
November 1, 2008, so that will not be an issue.
• PLB08 - Working closely with Dorothy Kaldis and Diane Cain on all aspects of the ball. Custom underwriter
letters and auction solicitation letters are still going out with more forthcoming. Follow up on the letters is
underway with phone calls, emails, etc. Please remember that as Friends board members you are
responsible for bringing in underwriters and putting together tables as well as helping bring in
auction items for the ball. The information is available on the Friends website, www.westuparks.org, so you
can easily download and print out the underwriter and auction letters and forms. As underwriting money
comes in, tax receipts/thank you notes are being sent out immediately.
• Attended the Friends Guild meeting at Joni's house on November 9. Again, it was well attended and Russ
Schulze did a great job presenting information on what the Parks and Rec board does, then Joni Fichter
provided a good overview of the role that Friends plays. Thanks to Joni for hosting the coffee. Please
remember to promote the Guild whenever you are emailing with friends and neighbors. So far, the Guild
seems to be developing along the lines we had planned and is serving its purpose well.
• Spooky Party III is set for November 1, 2008 as stated earlier. Still closing out the books and collecting from
the host committee for expenses for the party. The host group for next year's parry is coming together nicely.
If anyone wants to be a host for this fabulous party/fundraiser, let us know. It will be a featured sociable at
PLB08 and we need to promote it well ahead of time.
• We have established a price of $500 per paver for pavers going in the new Friends Park. These pavers are
larger, 12" x 12", and more prominently located, thus the increased price. One of the first ones to be placed
will be the one in memory of Grayson Cuenod. There is also another interested resident who is considering
purchasing a paver in this park. Brennan Reilly is heading up an effort to make a neighborhood donation for
this park in honor of the Sacchis'. You will hear more about this at the dedication ceremony next week.
• The date is set for Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m. for the dedication ceremony for the new Friends Park. We, the
Friends, will also use this event to also honor some of our higher-level underwriters over the years. I
contributed names and addresses to the invitation list and they were all mailed invitations to the event. The
Parks and Rec Department is handling the press for the event. You have all received invitations to the
ceremony. It will be a fun evening. Please try to attend if you can.
• Photos with Santa took place Monday evening following the WU tree lighting ceremony. I was not able to
attend, but I understand that all went well and that Friends raised $265. Thanks to guild member Mary
Enerson for coordinating the scheduling of volunteers and being sure the photo session went well.
• 1 have scheduled a meeting next week with a prospective new board member who would be great at handling
PR for Friends. Her name is Elizabeth Karkowsky and she worked with Danielle Kernell on the PR for the
Fathers and Flashlights event. She even put together a complete PR notebook for use next year for the
event. She is interested and we are meeting to talk more about it. If she wants to submit an application to be
on the board, I will arrange for Joni to meet her as well.
• As a reminder, keep in mind that the Mission Impossible sociable from PLB07 has been rescheduled from
September 29, 2007 to January 26, 2008.
• No new progress has been made on the Membership Newsletter. Margaret, Judy, and I will be getting
together to move it forward soon.
Board Reports
Park Lovers Ball - February 9, 2008 - Diane Cain & Dorothy Kaldis
Throughout this past month, we have been concentrating our efforts in several areas:
• Publicity: Photos were taken and we hope to have coverage throughout December in local papers (Village
News already ran one photo). City Currents for December will contain an article about the Ball.
• We have placed yard signs in the yards of early contributors and some board members.
• Auction items are coming in. To date, we will feature a puppy, Hannah Montana Tickets, a stay at a new,
exclusive resort in Galveston, and collectible signed jerseys from local heroes.
• Underwriting - We are continuing to get commitments on a daily basis. Donna will have the latest numbers,
but we are at $70,000 at this point (conservatively)
• Invitation - The deadline for submitting text is this Friday (Dec. 7). We need all commitments in by this point
in order to be included in the invitation. Invitations are to be mailed on January 2"d.
• Need auction items, especially from Board members. Deadline is first week in January so that we can print
and mail out catalog in advance.
PR/Marketing & Development Committee/Garage Sale Event - Susan Sample - no report.
Wish List/Giving Tree and Special Events & Projects - Vicki Grams and Maria Elena Herbst - no report.
Business Partners and Stork Project- Lynne Goddard - no report.
Friends Guild - Leah Ragiel - December's coffee to be held at Diane Cain's on Friday, December 14, 2007.
We will discuss the Park Lovers Ball and auction highlights. The November Guild meeting at Joni Fichter's went
very well. Russ Schulze discussed the Park Survey.
Parks & Rec Report - Tim O'Connor
Park Planning Project:
• The Citizen Survey was delivered by U.S. Mail to all West University Place residents, beginning November 7,
2007.
• 1,100 surveys have been returned as of 12/3/07 - represents a 20% return.
• A public presentation of the Citizen Survey results will be presented publicly to the City Council at the January
14, 2008 Council Meeting.
• Staff is preparing a preliminary Business Plan, in anticipation of the redevelopment of the Colonial Park
Recreation Center & Swimming Pool and the West University Recreation Center & Swimming Pool.
Friends Park:
• The construction of Friends Park is complete.
• A formal Park Dedication Ceremony and ribbon cutting will be conducted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007,
beginning at 5:30pm.
ON Wide Tree Maintenance Proiect:
• Bid awarded to Texas Services, LTD.
• Work is 100% complete.
• Work included comprehensive tree care in parks and identified trees on municipal property.
• Cost: $8,935.00, funded through the WUP Tree Trust.
Parkland Acquisition Sub-Committee:
• City has purchased the property at 3501 Corondo Court.
• No immediate plans for development as a neighborhood park have been discussed or authorized.
• 2 million in funding was approved in the November 2006 Bond Election, specifically for the purchase of
parkland.
Records Retention and Management Proiect:
• Staff is developing a policy and procedures for records retention relative to the Parks and Recreation
Department.
• Entry of ALL Parks Board, Friend's Board and Senior Board (approved ) Meeting Minutes, Entry of ALL
Patron Incident Report Forms. (accidents & injuries involving patrons of our programs and facilities - signed
documents only), Entry of various special report documents. (Bond Packages, Park Planning, Task Force
Recommendations, Citizen Surveys, etc.) and Entry of Park and Facility Construction Documents.
• Completion date targeted for first quarter of 2008.
Colonial Park Drainage Proiect:
• Project involves re-grading the east end of the park, to terminate the ponding that currently exists.
• Project Cost: $5,800.00 Friends of West University Place Parks Inc. approved fully funding the expense and
City Council authorized the expenditure.
• Involves grubbing and re-grading approximately 9,000 square feet, with new turf being rolled in place.
• Involves approximately three (3) days work, requiring the east end of the park being closed. The new turf will
require being undisturbed, no foot traffic, for approximately thirty days.
• Work has been scheduled to begin the week of December 10, 2007.
There is some concern that children will not be able to utilize the park over the holidays with the current work
schedule (must stay off grass for 30 days). Tim will mention this tonight at the Parks board meeting.
Eagle Scout Proiect @ Whitt Johnson Park:
• Renovate the Gazebo - inclusive of power-washing, staining and resealing the structure.
• Plant a "butterfly garden" at the entrance of the park, to the immediate of the inside of the front gate.
• Re-Plant the large cast-iron planter at the entrance to the park.
• Enhance the plantings on the landscape island at the corner of Carnegie and Wakeforest, around the utility
boxes.
• Facilitate a general park clean-up, inclusive of power-washing the sport courts.
• Waiting on Eagle Candidate to finalize his plans and funding. Project could possibly be delayed until the
Spring of 2008
Parks & Recreation Operations:
Colonial Pool Operations, post pool enclosure removal, Update:
• Pool re-opened promptly and as scheduled at 5:30am on November 12th. Pool had been closed due to
enclosure set-up procedure and facility was on abbreviated hours. Normal operating hours resumed as well
on November 12, 2007.
• The pool heater has been operational since re-opening on the 12th. We have had some minor issues of the
heating the water to where the thermostat is set. In addition, the staff has tried to stay "ahead of the weather"
by increasing the thermostat in preparations for cold fronts, rain, etc. The water temperature has been
fluctuating between 83 and 88 degrees. Currently, it is 84.5 degrees.
• We have experienced minimal complaints. In fact, the overall general remarks from patrons have been more
in favor of the removal of the enclosure. Even a few of those who originally complained have come to now
say they actually prefer it without having the enclosure.
• All classes, swim lessons, programs commenced on November 12th week as scheduled. Below are the
statistics related to the enclosure not being utilized and the classes that were directly impacted due to
participation and/or withdrawals, as of November 26, 2007:
• Two out of 12 swim lesson classes were cancelled this session due to low enrollment. Eight students (out of
48) have requested a credit/refund due to the enclosure not going up this year. Registrations are on going.
• Water Pump was cancelled, due to zero participants registering.
• Water Running classes has four participants registered. (September there were 11 registered & October there
were 5 registered). This class was moved to 2pm (instead of 9am) to try and have the class during the
warmer part of the day. In addition, there have been 9 drop-ins for this class since it started on November
12th. Registration is on going for this class.
• Tri-Swim has 8 participants registered. (Last session had 13 registered). Registration is on going for this
class.
• Contract Instructors (Cindy Wolf & Lisa Womac) have mostly taken their lessons to an alternate location.
Cindy is still teaching here approximately 1 day per week. Lisa Womac is not currently teaching here but
plans on returning when weather permits. I have requested them both to provide an estimation of the number
of clients they lost and the impacted revenues associated with these. I am awaiting these reports.
• The "Living Christmas Tree" has been planted at City Hall. The tree is an eighteen-foot Eastern Red Cedar.
It has been decorated for the Christmas Season and was incorporated into the Annual Christmas Christmas
Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 3rd.
• New Fee Schedule will be implemented beginning January 1, 2008. Fee increases are estimated to generate
an additional $50K in revenue for the 2008 Fiscal Year.
• Rental Caretaker Program is scheduled to begin January 1, 2008. We are experiencing some difficulty in
securing interested/qualified applicants for these positions and may be delayed in implementing the program
until the positions are filled.
• Parks Board Member Aggerton asked that I investigate the possibility of the City making the right-of-way
corridors, at the identified locations, available for public recreational use. Specifically at three locations along
Community, between Holcomb and Bissonnet. The Public Works Department confirmed that the City has
provided variances that have been allowed to the neighbors at the Marquette and Byron locations. With the
consensus of the Parks Board, I will ask the City Manager for direction in further exploring the possibility of
allowing public access to at least the Community @ Amherst location, for recreational purposes, and report
back to the full Board.
• The deforestation of Poor Farm Ditch, specifically between Bissonnet and Holcomb, has been substantially
completed. This project was a joint venture between Harris County and the City of West University Place.
We are currently in the process of pruning the Oleander shrub line along Edloe, beginning at JMH and
running north to Sunset. We are also 75% complete with removing all of the "volunteer growth" along that
same stretch.
• Senior Volunteer Luncheon was held on November 27th. We recognized over fifty volunteers and provided a
catered lunch and entertainment. We recorded over 2,500 volunteer service hours during the 2007 Calendar
year.
• The Janitorial Service Contact RFQ will be distributed to qualified vendors in the first quarter of 2008, with a
new contract being awarded within three weeks of opening the RFQ's.
• Staff began preparing a DRAFT of a Parks Naming Rights Policy for review by the Parks Board, which will go
before City Council for approval in the Spring of 2008.
• Winter/Spring Leisure Guide has been mailed and should be arriving at WUP residences between December
5th and 8t.
Tim suggested that Friends designate the PLB towards "development of Weir Park Playground and elements of
other parks the West U Parks system". Tim will develop a plan with pieces that can be purchased at the PLB.
Treasurer's Report - Sue Hanna
Bank of River Oaks offers a program for deposits over $100,000. The program is CDARS, please go to website to
review. Bank of River Oaks would give a 6-month rate of 4.15% without penalty. We will have over $400K in
Bank of River Oaks if we deposit the Lewis $314K check only at the Bank of River Oaks.
A motion was made by Leah Ragiel and seconded by Sue Hanna to immediately deposit the Lewis check into the
Compass Bank checking account. Checks will then be written in the appropriate amounts and deposited into
CD's in the IBC, Compass, Encore and/or Bank of River Oaks banks, up to the insured limit.
Contracts, Nominations, and Bylaws BU - No report.
New Business
The Board needs to discuss whether Friends should raise funds at events like Photos with Santa and the Easter
Bunny. It has been suggested that Friends sponsor such events in the future. .
Next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 7, 2008 at 11:30 at the West U Rec Center unless otherwise
posted.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:25 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Bouillion
Secretary
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