Board Minutes November 14, 2011

BOARD MINUTES

November 14, 2011 

The regular monthly Board Meeting of the Board of Commissioners was called at 7:00 p.m. on November 14, 2011 at the Cynthia Neal Center, 8047 W. 91^ST Place, Hickory Hills, Illinois. 

The following commissioners were present: Jerantowski, Michaels, Morgan, Kosnick. Absent: Potacki

Also present were: Dan Maier, Recreation Director; Jennifer Fullerton, Executive Director; Jim Murphy, Maintenance Director and resident Earl Reid.  

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Commissioner Kosnick moved, seconded by Commissioner Michaels, to approve the minutes of October 10, 2011. Ayes: Kosnick, Jerantowski, Michaels, Morgan. 

SECRETARY’S REPORT

Commissioner Kosnick received an October NRPA magazine and a survey and membership card from the National Parks Conservation Association. All commissioners received an invitation to the employee Christmas party.  

CITIZEN’S REPORT

Commissioner Jerantowski awarded the Reid family with 3^rd place in the Halloween Decorating Contest. They received two large pizzas and a $15 gift certificate to Fasaon’s Pizza. The Sindowski family received second place. They received two large pizza’s and a $25 gift certificate. The Zimmerman family received first place and they received one pizza each month for a year.  

MAINTENANCE REPORT

The police called today and said there was a skunk at Martin Park in a trap. Mr. Murphy and Peter put a towel over the cage and brought it to the forest preserve near a pond and let it go. Steve from the police department didn’t want to put it in the police car so it was put in the park’s pickup truck. It was the first one Mr. Murphy has captured from the parks. The person from animal control was out of town so she couldn’t remove the skunk. Director Fullerton said you can always call Cook County Animal Control just in case we need them next time. Commissioner Morgan said you can also call Little Red School house for advice. You can bring it to them or they will tell you where to release the animal.  

The new heat exchanger was installed last month on Krueger Park’s roof (west unit/cost $3,143.00). 

The rooftop unit which controls the fitness room has worked fine since the technician worked on it last month.  The cost to install a voltage recorder would not exceed $400.00.  It was shutting the unit down then restarting when there is a voltage spike. Mr. Murphy said he talked with Rush Mechanical and there is a memory of five and if there is a voltage spike it shuts the unit off and then resets it in three minutes. If it records one voltage spike we would have to reset the circuit breaker to put it back on. Director Fullerton said we could wait unit next May and put the recorder on when the air conditioning is running. Commissioner Michaels asked how you know if it is not working. Mr. Murphy said the sock would be deflated and it will take 3-5 minutes once you turn the circuit breaker on. Commissioner Michaels asked what happens at night. Mr. Murphy said it is on unoccupied and the air handler doesn’t run at night. It is not the air conditioner, it is the air handler but it isn’t pushing air. It is a sophisticated unit and is more delicate with voltage spikes. Commissioner Michaels said if we don’t do it right away could we jeopardize the air handler. Director Fullerton said the extension on the warranty was because we were going to wait on the voltage meter until the air conditioning was running. She asked Mr. Murphy to ask Rush about the extension on the warranty to September to October 2012. Mr. Murphy said they have been very good to work with. After the discussion, the commissioners suggested putting the recorder on it now so Mr. Murphy will order it. Director Fullerton said she would like to release their $1,000 check because they leveled out the unit and there were supposed to make sure the air conditioning wasn’t turning off.  

The skate park will be shut down for the season December 1.  A sign was posted last month to inform patrons. 

We started installing sledding signs & snow fencing throughout the parks today.  You can’t put them out when the weather is warm because people will pull them out. We like to have them all in by Thanksgiving.

The Maintenance Department is in the process of mulching leaves throughout the parks.  The schedule for fall maintenance on the grounds is as follows:

·         Broadleaf weed control          70% complete
·         Aeration                                  40 % complete
·         Perennial Plants                       100% complete
·         Shrubs                                     100% complete

Everything has been winterized:
·         Drinking fountains
·         Kasey Meadow/Prairie View irrigation systems
·         Kasey Meadow splash pad
·         Martin Park waterfall was shutdown
·         The snow guards were re-attached to Krueger Park’s roof. Those are the pyramids on the roof.
·         Mitch Huenecke completed his probation period and has done a good job.

Director Fullerton said Commissioner Kosnick and her noticed water dripping down from the canopy at Krueger Park. There are several bars that go all the way across the top of the canopy and when there is ice on the roof it drips on the sidewalk. The good news is the water is absorbed into the brick so there is not standing water. An email was sent to Mr. Emser and he sent one to the manufacture of the canopy to see if there is a gutter system we can put on it so it will divert the water into the mulch area. You don’t want to walk under it because you will get wet when snow is melting off of it. Commissioner Kosnick said the water can solidify and then there will be a slippery surface. Mr. Murphy said he also will not be able to use salt on the new concrete because it will flake and will use a type of product that is like a kiddy litter. It would be best to keep the ice off the bricks. Commissioner Michaels said he was surprised the engineer and architect didn’t think of it.  

RECREATION REPORT

The outdoor soccer program ended last Saturday at St. Lawrence. Mr. Maier said he went out there to check on things and there were a lot of parents that were kind of crazy. There were two referees for every game, the semi’s and the finals but there were still some issues. He stayed for three hours and also received calls after he left. There were issues with players getting kicked out and potential illegal players. After Saturday soccer was done and no one called today. The biggest problem is when coaches try to get around the system with illegal players and their ages. You could issue ID cards and they will still try to get around the system. It is a recreation fun league and we shouldn’t have to go to that extreme. Commissioner Michaels asked who won. Mr. Maier said the Hickory Hills team won the championship 9-1. The junior team lost the championship and one of the midget and peewee teams went undefeated. We are strong in soccer every year. We only had one senior team and two junior teams. The other junior team was in 4^th place.  

We have been having trouble with men’s open basketball on Sundays. Mr. Maier had to go in on Sunday because an employee was sick. We don’t charge for open basketball on Sundays to residents when the gym is available. There were 25 men playing basketball on Sunday. We collected $25 for five non-residents and 20 men were our residents playing for free. The players are rude, intimidating and they don’t follow rules. They were changing their shirts by the bleachers when there were people walking around the track. A couple of them were trying to dunk which they are not supposed to do and we tried to get them out by 11am but they wouldn’t leave. They were finally gone by 11:15am. Mr. Maier would like to start charging them on Sundays. The Wednesday basketball is not as bad because they pay and don’t want to loose their $3 because they got kicked out. Director Fullerton said this has been going on for years with the acting up. Mr. Maier said he will stop by on Sundays and keep checking on things. Commissioner Michaels said they are loud on Sundays when he goes to workout. Mr. Maier said the walkers are not complaining. Director Fullerton said the staff have been complaining for years.  

The Children’s Christmas Party is December 10. The staff will put the bags together in the next few weeks. The face painter and Little People are all set. Commissioner Jerantowski asked if he would like Melissa there. Mr. Maier said no because he has volunteers from Stagg coming to put our costumes on and roam around. The violin students will be performing at 12:45pm for 15-20 minutes. The Little People start at 1:15pm to 1:30pm and then Santa arrives. 

We should have the personal trainer starting by the end of the week. The display rack will have something posted about the personal trainer now available and it will be in the winter brochure. She will workout at the fitness center so she can meet members. She works at a chiropractor’s office as a personal trainer and she is very flexible with her hours. Commissioner Jerantowski asked how much will it cost. Mr. Maier said a half hour will be approximately $16 and an hour will be $35.  

Last week was the PDRMA Health IQ program that Mr. Maier coordinates. It is only for the full time employees who have health insurance. Three employees participated this year. They take your blood and give you your cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides amounts. We had it done Tuesday and Thursday and all received our report already. They have incentive programs and it is a free for employees to participate. 

The car show will be held during the Street Fair. We won’t need to serve alcohol since the Street Fair does have a beer tent. We don’t have to worry about drawing a crowd. We’ll have it on the grass as long as it is dry and has enough room for attractions too. If the weather isn’t good then we cancel the car show. Commissioner Jerantowski asked about when the car show will start and what about when they leave, what street do they exit from. Mr. Maier said it will be the same as the attractions and it would be approximately noon-4pm. They will leave off of 91^st Place not Roberts Road. Our attractions leave before the Street Fair is over and they drive off through 91^st Place too.  

We have 90 people for Four Winds and two buses. We will call everyone to arrive at 8:10am so we can leave earlier since Four Winds as seven buses coming in at once. If one bus has everyone on it, they will leave right away without the other bus. We can take last minute registrations but they will have to wait in line for their cards and coupons. Al from the Treasurer’s bus is on the manifest which we pay $3 because if the bus is late coming back he does not charge extra for it since it is a flat rate. He is also $75 less than the other bus. You could pay $60-$70 when the bus comes back an hour later with other companies. We will have a trip to Four Winds and Rivers Casino next year.  

We may have a bat show at Pumpkin Fest but Mr. Maier has to check on references first. They may need a tent or two. Commissioner Morgan asked if they are real bats. Mr. Maier said yes.  

The SPRA Showcase was wonderful. We will be booking three bands from the show so he will only have to look for two more bands.  

Director Fullerton said one of the seniors asked Mr. Maier if we could have split-the-pot. Our attorney said it was fine you just have to get a raffle license from the City. The City said the charge would be $25 every time you have a split-the-pot. Mr. Maier said usually the charge is $1 per ticket and if you only get ¾ of the people you may have $40 to the winner and $40 to the park district and then take the fee off but then it may not be worth it. Commissioner Kosnick said take the fee out first and then split the rest. Director Fullerton wasn’t sure if you can do it that way. Commissioner Kosnick said if you run it you can do it any way you want. Mr. Maier asked if they would frown on that. Commissioner Jerantowski said you can use playing cards and you can have three winners. Mr. Maier said we have plenty of them. Director Fullerton said you have to write a letter each time and get it notarized and approved by the City. Mr. Maier will ask the seniors what they think of how we would do it. Director Fullerton said we could do it in January.  

Commissioner Kosnick asked about Archery. Mr. Maier said he wants to go indoors and we want to keep it outside. He did receive a grant for $500 but used it already for rental of equipment. We would have to have eight kids and haven’t gotten that yet. The kids that were in it really liked it. We will be offering it next summer.  

TREASURER’S REPORT

Commissioner Michaels moved, second by Commissioner Kosnick to approve Claim Ordinance 676. Ayes: Jerantowski, Kosnick, Michaels, Morgan. 

Commissioner Jerantowski made note of the Investment Report for October 31, 2011.  Director Fullerton said she cashed in one CD in October but since then taxes have been coming in so she opened two new CD’s in November.  

Commissioner Morgan moved, seconded by Commissioner Michaels to approve the Operating Statement for October 31, 2011. Ayes: Jerantowski, Kosnick, Michaels, Morgan.  

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

20 Year Service Award:

Director Fullerton presented Commissioner Kosnick with a 20 year of service award from the Illinois Association of Park District and the South Suburban Parks Association. Commissioner Kosnick said we are at the top now with all that we do and everything looks perfect. He gets so many complements for the residents.  

Krueger Park Renovation and Expansion Project:

We are holding three checks for work that needs to be completed.

1)      WB Olson $6,680 - holding until we receive all warranty and operational manuals.

2)      Rush Mechanical $975 - holding until we talk to them tomorrow about the work they are doing and the warranty.  

3)      Dutch Barn – handicapped surface is chipping. This check will be held until they are replaced. They said they should be here in two weeks.

4)      We have a cracked tile in the lobby so WB Olson is having the contractor replace it. The tiles are in the threshold right where the new building starts near the front desk.

We had an appraiser from PDRMA and AssetWorks appraise the new portion of the building. PDRMA has a software program called AssetMax where we enter all of assets and this appraiser is from that software company. He will put a replacement value on the building. We will also enter all of the assets that are equipment and furniture. There are three items that increase or decrease our property and casualty rate which are; increases in operating expenses, increases in payroll and a debit/credit formula based on our loss history. If the loss history is lower than previous years with workman’s compensation issues and property damage and losses then it is based on how many debits and credits we have. We will cover our rates at the next board meeting but she knows they are going down.  

Fitness Center Membership Update:

We have 431 total fitness center memberships as of November 1. We had 328 members as of May 30 so that is an increase of 103 members from June to October. Memberships are still coming in. On Friday, three people came up to Director Fullerton to tell her that they love the facility.  Commissioner Kosnick said he has received a lot of calls from people who are coming in to register after January 1. A lot of people said they didn’t know it existed until now. We usually increase fitness center rates every fall but since we just increased in May we won’t see an increase until next fall.  

Parking for Senior Luncheons:

The parking for the October luncheon went well. Peter blocked off the section to the far east which is right when you enter the parking lot from 88^th Avenue. We had five teachers come in and drive all the way around and park so we had to tell them not to park in the lot that day and they moved their cars. Most of the teachers were subs or interns so they didn’t know to park on the street. What was interesting is there was four parking spots open at Glen Oaks so it didn’t make sense that these teachers didn’t try to park there first. Peter will do this for every luncheon from 7:45am to 9am.  

Annual Conference:

IAPD is having their annual business meeting on Saturday, January 28 at 3:30pm during the annual conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago in the Regency Ballroom. If any commissioner’s plan on attending please her know prior to the next board meeting so we can pass a resolution for those attending. If you are attending conference you will find your conference registration in your board packet.  

Health Insurance:

PDRMA sent the health insurance rates for 2012. HHPD will have an 11.6% increase which is less than last year at 14.6%. This is an additional $647.57 per month for a total of $7,770.84. There is also a requirement that may pass which would mean that every employee will have to have health insurance. We would like to have the new part time recreation assistant become full time next year which would require putting that person on health insurance. The total cost to add a full time employee is $9,012 per year. When working on the budget in the next few months Director Fullerton will see if the budget can handle the additional cost. The recreation assistant is already working 30-35 per week. In addition to health insurance we would need to add approximately $592 for FICA/Medicare and $1,045 for IMRF. Mr. Maier said the recreation assistant would also manage the before and after school program. We have had seven full time employees for a very long time and we would like to add a full time position since the expansion of Krueger and the growth of programs. We have hired part time staff in the past to help us get by with the work load.

Business Banking Meeting:

Chase presented two topics at an IAPD members meeting which were Fraud Prevention and Investment Strategies. During the presentation they said government agencies can invest in US Treasuries, Callable Agencies, Brokered CD’s, IL Tax Municipals and National Tax Municipals. Currently we only invest in CD’s. We have $75,000 to $100,000 less in the corporate budget now compared to four years ago because rates have gone down so much. CD’s and money market investments are at no risk so that is why so many park districts only invest in these two. Money market rates are even lower than CD’s right now. Shortly after this presentation, Director Fullerton had a meeting with Tom Clifford with the Standard Bank’s trust department and Mahammed Abunada Assistant Vice President, to take a look at the other four options above and look at what type of rate we could receive and what type of risk are associated with these investments. We do have other options to invest but the rate of return is the same as what we are getting on CD’s and the risk is slightly higher. For example, currently we can get an interest rate of .23 on a one year CD compared to investing in treasuries for two years. Also, treasuries can have some fees and it is a higher risk investment. Another interesting point was Standard Bank also has the Village of Evergreen Park, Village of Oak Lawn and Village of Hickory Hills. They are only investing in CD’s. Tom mentioned that the reason why you can get a higher rate on personal CD’s is because the investment amount is usually a lot less than the $100,000 which is what we invest and our investments are collateralized. Standard Bank said they would keep an eye on CD rates compared to other investments if any of them are higher.

IAPD Legal Symposium:

The Legal Symposium is an annual meeting Director Fullerton attends that covers some of the new laws that effect park districts and some clarification on previous laws. Here are some of the laws that were discussed.

1)      Civil Union Act – we have included this policy in our policy manuals.

2)      Linda Given from Chapman and Cutler spoke on private use of facilities. This was to clarify so many unanswered questions that a lot of park districts have had when issuing bonds and how it affects sponsorships. You can have private naming rights and sponsorships as long as it is 5% under the proceeds of the bond. This only includes current bonds. For example, our 2010 bond was $2,445,000 so we can generate no more than $122,250 in sponsorship dollars, naming rights, etc. The park districts that name their facilities after a private company and that have rented space with private organizations are the agencies that need to check on this.

3)      FMLA updates on the law and we have included this in our policy manual.

4)      Movable Soccer Goals – we already implemented this.

5)      Treasurer’s Report – agencies don’t have to place an ad anymore, just place the Treasurer’s report at CN in the information folder at the front desk.

6)      SB1831 – “Effective January 1, 2012, units of local government that participate in IMRF will be required to post either on their website or at their principal office the total compensation package of certain employees. The details of this bill are in her director’s report.   

 Vandalism/Incidents:

On October 24, some of the slats to the fence next to the garage were burned.  Mr. Murphy said it isn’t fixed yet. We had some palettes behind the garage which are now removed.

On October 25, there was writing on the playground equipment at Prairie View Park. There wasn’t any gang related wording or symbols.

On October 26, broken rails at Memorial Park. Mr. Murphy said the railing was put up so kids don’t run into the street from the playground.

On November 9, someone drove back behind the volleyball courts and tore up the grass. They pushed a parking block out and may have damaged their car going over a parking block. We are currently reviewing the cameras to identify the car.

Miscellaneous:

The September and October fitness center and walking track report are included in the board packet.

Mr. Maier said we have a new snack machine at Krueger Recreation Center. The company we received it from will pull the machine in three months if we don’t sell enough items. You can use cash or credit cards to purchase items. Someone had trouble with a $10 bill but the smaller dollar bills are working. Most items are $1-$2 per item.

Director Fullerton told the commissioners about her vacation days in November.

Transfer of Funds:

In the board packet was the annual ordinance for transferring of funds. This is based on what we received in the 2010 tax levy and our short fall in each fund.

Funds are transferred from the corporate and recreation funds when there is a short fall in levy dollars received for the special funds.  Last year, the transfer was $86,000 from the corporate fund. There were other previous years that the transfer was at $91,000. This year the proposed transfer of funds is for $97,000. Some of the fluctuations depend on how much fund balances we have and the short fall of taxes for the special funds. There are some tax objectors for many park districts that are looking into the surplus of each of the funds and we were notified of the objection too.

Commissioner Jerantowski moved, seconded by Commissioner Morgan, to approve ORDINANCE  2011-278 TRANSFERRING CERTAIN ANTICIPATED UNEXPENDED FUNDS BETWEEN CERTAIN ITEMS OF APPROPRIATION SET FORTH IN THE COMBINED BUDGET AND APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE OF THE HICKORY HILLS PARK DISTRICT, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING MAY 1, 2011 AND ENDING APRIL 30, 2012.

Section 2:

That certain anticipated unexpended funds in the Corporate Fund, in the total amount of $84,000.00 are hereby transferred to and appropriated for the items indicated as follows:

                                    IMRF- Employee retirement deductions                        $50,000.00

                                    FICA – FICA/Medicare employee deductions                 26,000.00

                                    AUDIT – Audit expense                                                     3,000.00

WORKER’S COMPENSATION – premium expense       5,000.00

That certain anticipated unexpended funds in the Recreation Fund, in the total amount of $13,000.00 are hereby transferred to and appropriated for the items indicated as follows:

                                    INSURANCE – General liability expense                        13,000.00

Ayes: Kosnick, Jerantowski, Michaels, Morgan.

We are transferring from both the corporate and recreation fund this year. Usually the transfer is only from the corporate fund but we only broke even last fiscal year.

Transfer of funds from recreation to capital for the construction project:

This transfer of funds is for the Krueger Park Recreation Center addition. As mentioned previously, we will be transferring $75,000-$100,000 for three years until we reach $200,000.

Commissioner Michaels moved, seconded by Commissioner Jerantowski, to approve  ORDINANCE  2011-279 TRANSFERRING CERTAIN ANTICIPATED UNEXPENDED FUNDS BETWEEN CERTAIN ITEMS OF APPROPRIATION SET FORTH IN THE COMBINED BUDGET AND APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE OF THE HICKORY HILLS PARK DISTRICT, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING MAY 1, 2011 AND ENDING APRIL 30, 2012.  The transfer is $75,000 from the Recreation fund to the Capital Improvement fund for the Krueger Park Recreation Center renovation project. Ayes: Kosnick, Jerantowski, Michaels, Morgan.

Once we do this transfer, Director Fullerton is estimating a $30,000 surplus in the capital project fund at April 30, 2012 and then we will do a transfer next year of $100,000 to the capital project fund. We will have a new bond in 2013.

Tax Levy:

The tax levy came at the same time as last year so it will follow the same approval schedule. The Truth & Taxation Law Resolution was included in the board packet for approval this month and the tax levy next month. The filing date for the tax levy is December 29.

Commissioner Morgan moved, seconded by Commissioner Jerantowski, to approve TRUTH IN TAXATION

LAW RESOLUTION 2011-1. Ayes: Jerantowski, Kosnick, Michaels, Morgan.

RESOLVED, by the Board of Park Commissioners of the Hickory Hills Park District, Cook County, Illinois (“Park District”) that, based upon the most recently ascertainable information, the following determinations are hereby made in accordance with the “Truth in Taxation Law”:

1.      The amount of real estate taxes, exclusive of election costs, public building commission leases and debt service levies, extended by the Park District, plus any amount abated by   the Park District before extension, upon the final 2010 real estate tax levy of the Park District (2011 tax bill) is $769,593.

2.      The amount of real estate taxes, exclusive of election costs, public building commission leases and debt service levies, proposed to be levied by the Park District for 2011 (2012 tax bill) is  $807,303.

3.      Based on the foregoing, the estimated percentage increase proposed for 2011 aggregate levy over the amount of real estate taxes extended upon the final 2010 aggregate levy is 4.9% and that, accordingly, no public hearing or publication is required under the Truth in Taxation Law.

Commissioner Jerantowski moved, second by Commissioner Kosnick moved to adjourn to the next regular board meeting. Ayes: Jerantowski, Kosnick, Michaels, Morgan.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

                                                                                    _____________________________

               Secretary

ATTEST:

_____________________________

President