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Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 5:30pm
City Hall Room 204
MINUTES
Present: Aaron Bodbyl-Mast, Lynnette Marks, Leann Heywood, John Burt, David Ruck, Sarah De La Rosa
Absent: Sidney Long, Roberta King, Hillery Ross-Furse
I. Approval of 3/20/2024 minutes
a. Motion by Burt, second by Heywood to approve the March 2024 meeting minutes;
unanimously approved.
Motion passes
II. 2024 Parks Budget & 2025 Priorities
a. Director Karczewski presents a budget summary for the Parks Department with the goal
of bringing a proposed 2024-2025 fiscal year budget to the next meeting that the PRAC
can approve which can ultimately be brought to the City Commission for final approval.
i. The Parks budget summary shows the total budget as $2.63 million this year.
b. Director Karczewski provides the group with a handout comparing Muskegon’s numbers
to the National Parks and Recreation Association standards and averages. He mentions
these are just used for benchmarking, comparing why we are so far off from national
averages and standards, looking at what areas we are lacking in, and where
opportunities for growth and improvement are.
c. Lynnette Marks notes that we should be proud that we offer more parks and more
services than the national averages while giving kudos to the City staff for being able to
manage those assets.
d. Bodbyl-Mast gives insight to how volunteers are used in Ottawa County where he
works. They are often used in admin positions (as opposed to operational positions) like
answering phones as well as helping to remove invasive species.
i. He also mentions an organizational chart would be helpful for the board to be
able to understand how the Parks department staffing is structured. He inquires
about how to go about recommending that more staff is hired within the
department. DPW Director VanderHeide explains that the decisions ultimately
comes from senior leadership but the time to ask is during the budget process.
Bodbyl-Mast says he could see a Project Manager who oversees budgets, grants,
and other things like these being helpful to the department.
III. 2024 Recreation Budget & 2025 Priorities
a. Director Karczewski first mentions a proposed fee schedule for potential programming
and was looking for board input.
i. Noteworthy fees were the cost for Youth Sports and Summer Camps.
1. Youth Sports were listed at $45 for residents and $60 for nonresidents
with the idea that nonresidents would help to fund the subsidized
resident cost. It was mentioned that, if necessary, fees could be waived
for those who don’t have finances available to participate. Questions
were raised from Ruck about how you decide who qualifies for fee
waivers or not. Bobdyl-Mast said in Ottawa County they use the SNAP
benefit guidelines for this.
a. Mayor Johnson inquired if we had a fee scheduled from the old
Leisure Services Department. Director Karczewski said he would
look into it and email it to the board for reference.
2. Summer Camps are listed at $100 a week for Residents and $145 a week
for Non-Residents. Multiple board members asked about both the
YMCA and Boys and Girls Club Summer Camps that have been taking
place. Director Karczewski explains that those organizations may or may
not be continuing into the summer of 2025, and we are just putting
these onto the Fee Schedule on the chance that we do need to offer
these in the future. Marks brings up that when her kids were young the
parks programs were mostly free and she thinks there may be that
expectation. DPW Director VanderHeide clarifies that in order to offer
programs that are free to the public, the budget will need to reflect that
with the money being moved into the Recreation Budget from
somewhere else. In regards to the $100 a week for camp, Heywood
suggests that we ensure that we provide all of our research and data as
well as comparables to assist in making the number more digestible.
a. Ultimately, the decision was made by Director Karczewski to
table the Summer Camp fees for a future date.
b. In an email to the board, Director Karczewski asked for ideas for new recreation
activities that they would like to see added to list.
i. De La Rosa informs us that she has a special needs child and there are very few
activities in the area that she is able to do with that child. She often has to take
them to Grand Haven for barrier-free activities and would like to see more of
those options available locally. Marks mentions utilizing the resources at MPS
like Wesley School and others to get the word out to families in need
c. De La Rosa thinks the Parks & Recreation Department needs their own social media.
Director Karczewski follows this up by saying that is the long-term plan as our staff and
programs grow.
IV. Swim Buoys at Harbour Towne
a. Director Karczewski applied for the DNR permit for five Swim Buoys at Harbour Towne
Beach, and it is currently being reviewed by them. The plan is to have them in place for
this summer. They will keep boats from coming too close to shore and protect
swimmers.
V. Public Comment
a. Comment from Jonci Jensen.
i. Concerns about the difference in Resident vs. Non-Resident rates was raised as
there are many rural areas outside of the City of Muskegon with families who
still may have financial struggles.
ii. Leaving space for divergent populations outside of just the physically disabled.
Motion by De La Rosa, second by Ruck to adjourn.
Motion passes.
Meeting adjourned at 7:33pm.
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