CITY PARKS, RECREATION & CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Meeting held Tuesday, May 1, 2018
PROCEEDINGS BY AUTHORITY
State of New York, City of Jamestown
The regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Conservation Commission of the City of Jamestown, New York, was held on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 5:00 in Jamestown New York.
Those present representing the Commission were:
Commissioner Dave Anderson
Commissioner John Bauer
Commissioner Russ Diethrick
Commissioner Cindy DiNapoli
Commissioner Kim Ecklund
Commissioner Chris Prinzi
Commissioner Aubrey Russell
Commissioner Jim Walsh
Commissioner Vanessa Weinert
Others Present:
Julia Ciesla-Hanley, Recreation Coordinator
Absent:
Commissioner Dave Reinhardt
Commissioner Jason Stronz
Commissioner James Ventura
The meeting was called to order by Cindy DiNapoli.
Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting.
A motion was made by Commissioner Bauer and seconded by Commissioner Anderson to approve the minutes of the April 3, 2018 meeting. Carried.
Opportunity for Persons to Address Commission.
None.
Reports of Committees and Projects.
Report from the Riverfront Management Council/Riverwalk Project Update: Julia said that RTPI Executive Director Twan Leenders has permits into the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for approval after getting approval from the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities. Once the DEC approves, work can begin immediately on the shoreline rehabilitation project.
Arbor Day: The City’s Arbor Day celebration will take place on May 30th at Roseland Park.
June Field Trip Discussion: The PRC June meeting will be held at the large pavilion at Chadakoin Park.
Kaboom! Application: Julia said the City has applied to Kaboom! for a grant to rebuild the playground at Chadakoin Park. If this grant is approved, it would cover the remaining cost of that build. A resolution will go before City Council on May 21st that authorizes the Mayor to sign a letter of intent regarding this grant, if it’s awarded to the City.
Willard Street/Tower Park: Commissioner Weinert asked if we knew the status of the Willard Street Park project. Julia said she wasn’t aware of any updates. She said that Parks Manager John Williams, herself, and Mayor’s Executive Assistant Matt Hanley had met with Shannon Bassette and another project representative a little while ago but hadn’t heard from them since. Vanessa said she’d have that group get in contact with Parks staff.
Public Market: Commissioner Weinert said she and Julia are on the Public Market Steering Committee. She said they’re working on a mobile unit to go into the food desert area of Jamestown this summer. Vanessa said she was aware that the unit couldn’t set up on City Park property and was wondering if there was a way to adjust this. Commissioner Anderson said there were only 3 vendors at last year’s public market which was disappointing. Vanessa said we could fill in the PRC Commission on what’s happening with this year’s market after the steering committee meeting in June. Commissioner DiNapoli said the issue is if we let Jamestown Renaissance Corporation set up a business on park land then others will want to too. Vanessa said the language would have to be written to make sure it worked. She said selling fresh produce to the underserved populations is the goal here. Commissioner Ecklund suggested reaching out to the schools in the area or utilizing vacant lots near-by. Vanessa said the schools might not cover all the areas but JRC is looking at private properties too. She’s not sure it will happen this year. Cindy mentioned we do sell items in Bergman Park for the Labor Day Fest. Julia said that all vendors pay a fee for that one-day event. She said there is a fee structure in place that people or organizations can pay in order to sell items in the park, but it’s prohibitive in terms of trying to sell items on a multi-day basis. Commissioner Bauer asked about food trucks in neighborhoods. Julia said they are required to obtain a peddler’s license through the Clerk’s Office to do that.
Fields: Dave Anderson asked how sport fields were doing. Julia said they were all open today but the weather is making it hard to keep them all open consistently.
Babe Ruth World Series Fee Discussion: Julia said there is a meeting between City staff and Babe Ruth World Series committee representatives on Thursday regarding the fee structure, so she recommended tabling the discussion until the next meeting. Commissioner Prinzi motioned to continue to table the discussion. Commissioner Weinert seconded.
Good of the Order:
Adjournment
The next meeting is Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Julia Ciesla-Hanley
