Parks and Recreation Committee Minutes for 11/06/2019         – approved 01-01-2020                                                  In attendance: Steve Dell, Jim Gurr, Jan Loveland, Bonnie Robbins, Ruth Smith, & Barry Snyder. Absent: Laura Westerman  

• Community input: None

• Minutes from the 10/02/2019 meeting were approved as presented & will be published on the HT website

• No information nor business pertinent to P&R. OLD BUSINESS

• Soil erosion at the Ball Park: 1. The soil erosion grant request made by the Antrim Conservation District was denied. 2. Heidi plans to complete the erosion control permit request for HT in Jan. or Feb. 2020.   3. The deed restriction issue remains on hold. Ruth is to bring copies of the Ball Diamond deeds for review at the Jan. meeting. It might be good to get two estimates concerning the erosion control project.

• Update on Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC)/ Helena Twp. Coy Mtn. Trail project. Signs won’t be coming until April or May. Laura is to contact GTRLC staff concerning the possibility of P&R doing a fund-raising project that might influence the plans for the signage. GTRLC is asking what amount HT can provide toward acquisition of land adjacent to the Coy Mt. Reserve. A project application request was presented and reviewed by the committee. The P&R Committee unanimously approved the project request and will recommend to the HT Board acquisition of the three lots. This will be formally presented to the HT Board during their Nov. meeting.

• Five Yr. Plan. (2018-2022) Still not approved by the DNR. We have identified our grant coordinator’s supervisor and will encourage contact with him to ask for help with approval of our Five Yr. plan.

• Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). An updated CIP assessment document was handed out to members. Park and site evaluations to be completed by: Ball Park – Westerman & Snyder, Coy Mtn. – Dell, Depot Park – Loveland, Road Endings – Robbins & Gurr, Safe Harbor & Archie Valleau Landing – Smith, Tennis Court Park – Smith, Water Trails – Dell. It was determined that there will be no independent CIP done by P&R for the Community Center as the HT Board has a five year plan in place for work to be done at the CC. The P&R Committee will be responsible to input information initially & to maintain the computer data base over the next several years. Bonnie has agreed to oversee this project. Steve will pursue the software program being designed to help us with this project.

• Coy Mt. Forest Management Policy. Jim presented the Committee with a very well written and comprehensive forest management policy. Modifications were reviewed and all were in agreement to adopt the plan as presented. This plan will be proposed to the HT Board at their Nov. meeting. It is felt that all the Coy Mt. related future agenda items will have been complete when P&R presents this proposed policy to the HT Board.

• Parking issues at Safe Harbor: This item will be moved to the January agenda.

Barry and Laura will be contacting Burt Thompson of the Antrim Co. Road Commission concerning this issue and will report back to the committee.

• Fundraising for Coy Mountain Preserve (Laura, Jan). This item will be moved to the January agenda.

•  Annual review of the Parks and Recreation Committee web site information. This has begun and Bonnie agreed to look over our P&R website information and report back in January. NEW BUSINESS:

• Tri-fold brochures and some “high-tech” chips telling about our parks and community events. This will remain as an agenda item for January.

• Paul DeLange proposal for addition of box car to train at Depot Park. Paul has picked up a blank proposal but did not present the proposal at the November meeting. This item will not remain on the agenda but we will review the project plan when it is presented to us. 

  The next monthly meeting is scheduled for: Wednesday, January 1st, 2019 at 7pm in the meeting room at the Community Bldg.  

1. Respectfully submitted by Ruth Smith 11/12/2019