Parks and Recreation Board Meeting - 2026-01-13

Detailed briefing

Parks and Recreation Board — January 13, 2026 ATTENDEES: Danny Ritter, Sarah McClain, Jamie Melke, Audrey Chapman, Natalie Stackhouse, Kaylin, Rachel, and Kyle were identified as participating. The transcript contains conflicting references to some other names, so they are omitted here. • The board approved the December 9 minutes without stated opposition. It also returned Danny Ritter as chair and selected Sarah McClain as vice chair. No vote counts were stated. • Sarah and Audrey were appointed to the programming subcommittee, while Melissa and Natalie were appointed to the funding subcommittee. Programming is expected to meet at 4:30 p.m. before the February board meeting; funding is expected to meet in March. The board agreed that agendas should identify these 4:30 p.m. meetings while City Council considers whether subcommittee meetings require separate notice. • Members accepted continuing regular meetings on the second Tuesday of each month. Rachel said the bylaws currently refer to the third Tuesday and that Jim Reamer would suggest revising them. No formal vote on the meeting calendar was taken. • Rachel said her last day working part-time will be March 31. Before then, she hopes to advance Shea and Kiwanis park materials to the Planning Commission and bring proposed Zorn Beach building improvements to council. Kyle said the personnel committee has discussed how to fill or restructure her position, but no staffing decision was reported. • The board will update and score its project matrix through an online survey, then use the aggregated results as a February discussion point. Rachel requested two weeks to update the project list. Members also asked for a master-plan timeline and additions to the annual calendar, including swimming and s’mores, pickleball activities, Dino Dig, yoga, walking club and the yearly Little League agreement. • The Kiwanis building project is backed by a $500,000 private donation. The board discussed whether any money remaining after construction bids could support other work at the site, but bids are not yet known. Planning Commission review and council authorization are still needed before the project can go out to bid. Worth watching: 1. How the city staffs parks work after Rachel’s March 31 departure. 2. Whether Kiwanis and Shea park reviews reach the Planning Commission before that transition. 3. Whether council approves the proposed drone show and how any unused Kiwanis donation funds may be applied. Upcoming: Sledding and S’mores is planned for January 24 and February 28; Ice Fest is February 6-7, with parks planning free hot dogs on Saturday from approximately noon to 2 p.m. Why it matters: The board is setting project priorities and transition plans while several park improvements await planning, bidding and council action.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.