Warsaw Park Board Gets 2019 Year-In-Review ReportMembers of the Warsaw Parks and Recreation Board Tuesday heard the 2019 year-end report, playground audit and about program fees.
Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer started the 2019 year-in-review by stating that part of the five-year master plan is to make all the Lucerne Park cabins ADA accessible. Cabin 3 was previously completed, and cabin 2 was completed in 2019.
Through a grant program offered by Sinclair Recreation, he said the Parks Department was able to purchase new playground equipment for Kelly Park. The Lucerne Park amphitheater also was rebuilt by “stretching” funds, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for sometime in April for it.
At Kiddieland, the tables and concrete were replaced, with the benches and trash receptacles refurbished. At Kelly Park, a parking lot was put in for the sledding hill.
“Looking back at the master plan, we accomplished a lot of what we set out to do,” Plummer said, and there’s a lot of excitement for the coming five-year master plan.
Other projects for the Parks Department included preparation for the Mary Ellen Rudisel Memorial art piece that will go up by city hall along Center Street. The Parks employees also relandscaped around the city hall plaza and put new flooring, windows, siding and countertops in at the Fireman’s Building. About 3,300 feet of splitrail fencing at Lucerne Park was finished up in 2019, Plummer said.
Through countless hours of dedication of the Parks employees, he said over 220,000 lights, 40 figurines and two new pixel trees were put up at Central Park for the Christmas wonderland. “I have not heard any negative comments about it. They’ve all been positive,” Plummer said.
Some of the Parks’ collaborators in 2019 included United Way on the Day of Caring “Dirty Hands Project”; Eisenhower Elementary School students planted flower beds at McKinley Park; and the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation and the K21 Health Foundation allowed for remodeling of the tennis courts at Kelly Park to include four pickleball courts and one tennis court. The collaboration with the city’s stormwater utility continued to stabilize the shorelines on Pike Lake.
On the Pike Lake campground, Plumer said they had another “productive year” with 37 seasonal sites and six non-seasonal sites.
“We were at 98% capacity with 7,267 total nights possible to rent and we rented 7,152 nights,” Plummer said.
After listing new equipment purchased in 2019, Plummer reminded the board that Park employees continued caring for the 80 planting beds in the downtown area and gathered over 91 tons of garbage throughout the year in the park system. They also collected 109 doggy bags on the Beyer Farm Trail and trail west of Zimmers.
Employees continue to provide delivery service of tables to Warsaw and Wayne Township residents; assisted 28 city residents through the Driveway Assistance Program; plowed all city parking lots; and performed safety inspections.
“How did you do all of this in one year?” Park Board member Michelle Boxell asked after Plummer was finished. “We commend you and your team because there’s a lot here.”
Plummer then dropped some figures on the board, saying the campground brought in $82,400, but after expenses the net revenue was $44,376. “It’s pretty good income for the city,” he said.
For table rentals, he said they were at $4,736 in income, with plaza rentals and the amphitheater bringing in $9,451, though the amphitheater wasn’t available for rental most of the year since it was being rebuilt.
Center Lake Pavilion net income was $430.19 after expenses. Income was $16,775, Plummer said. The pavilion is available for rental for the rest of 2020, but reservations will not be taken for 2021.
For the Fireman’s Building, net income was $7,259, a couple thousand above the previous year; while Nye Youth Cabin brought in $719, down by about $1,100 from the previous year due to construction on North Buffalo Street.
Pete Thorn building – after expenses – was $540.99 to the good. Plummer said next year the board might have to consider looking at that.
Maintenance Director Shaun Gardner provided a review of the playground audit conducted by the Parks employees. The playgrounds “were in pretty good shape.”
Fourteen “priority 3’s” were found in the parks, which means “may cause a minor injury, should be repaired when time permits.” Priority 1 is the worst, but Gardner said no 1’s or 2’s were found in the parks. Most priority 3’s were due to “safety servicing,” he said, with a “couple of loose bolts here and there.”
Recreation Director Sheila Wieringa reviewed program and event attendance, saying “our numbers were pretty close to where they were last year on most things.” In 2019, there were 23,921 participants in the department’s activities. Total dollars brought in for nonreverting programs and events, including vendor fees, was $16,936.75, up by almost $3,000 over 2018. Event sponsorships and donations from 20 organizations for 2019 was $35,271, up by about $4,500 from 2018. Grants was $10,818 in 2019, just down by $15.
“For total revenue, for the rec side only, $63,025.75, up $7,300 from last year,” Wieringa said.
She also presented the program fees for 2020, which were approved.
Board President Steve Haines later thanked Plummer, Gardner and Wieringa “for the great job you did last summer. I think the Parks Department had a really great summer. I want you to know we all appreciate everything you do.”
In other business, the Park Board:
• Approved for Warsaw Community Schools Food & Nutrition Services to have a summer food program at Bixler Park for the 14th year. The program provides free lunches for students 18 and younger, with adults able to buy lunches for $4.
Stacy Light, WCS Food & Nutrition Services assistant director, said in June 2019, the program served right under 2,400 free meals to kids, and another 1,800 in three weeks in July, at Bixler Park. She said about 10 adults a month buy lunches.
As for changes to the program this year, Light said Goshen Health will be there once a week with a table to provide handouts to parents and kids regarding health and nutrition.
• Approved the yearly lease for the Pete Thorn Center with the Kosciusko County Council on Aging and Aged. Plummer said the contract is the same for 2020 as 2019.
