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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - July 24, 2025 1 (208) 359-3020 35 North 1st East Rexburg, ID 83440 Rexburg.org | Engage.Rexburg.org Trails, Parks & Recreation Minutes - July 24, 2025 Committee Members: Carlee Francis Eric Erickson JD Hancock Eric Isaacson Doug Stutz City Staff: Eric Erickson – City Council Rep. Bryanna Johnson – City Council Rep. Jon Lewis – Recreation Director Keith Davidson – Public Works Director 5:30 P.M. City Hall Roll Call of Council Liaison: Council Member Johnson and Council Member E. Erickson Roll Call of Committee Members: Carlee Francis (via phone) JD Hancock, Eric Erickson, Eric Isaacson, and Doug Stutz Approval of May 2, 2025, Meeting Minutes: Committee Member Stutz moved to approve the Trails, Parks, & Recreation Meeting Minutes for May 2, 2025; Committee Member Isaacson seconded the motion; Recreation Director Lewis asked for a vote: Those voting aye Those voting nay Committee Member Francis none Committee Member Hancock Committee Member Erickson Committee Member Isaacson Committee Member Stutz The motion carried. Recreation Director Lewis said the first items he wanted to go over were some of the committee member assignments that they had completed from last time they met. There were variations of assignments from committee members and some of the members had submitted lists, while others had sent him a text with a couple of different items included. He explained going forward, especially as they prepare to go into the fall, many things had happened and changes had occurred within the city parks, so he wanted all the committee members to go out and create another checklist of items he could work on. Recreation Director Lewis brought up the example of Porter Park, they had spent some time going out there and looking at various issues. Some of those issues have been fixed, while others were still being worked on. Most of the remaining items were expected to be completed in the fall. He said he plans to go through the list that the committee had given to him and provide an update on each item. 2 Council Member Johnson mentioned that she had turned in her assignment items, but she had not gone out to look at them. Recreation Director Lewis added one of the first items on the list was repainting the posts and the trim on the shelters. The shelters needed attention. He had gone out to the parks and inspected the shelters himself, and that project is scheduled for the city Parks Department to complete in the fall. They also included the cleaning of the picnic tables on the list. He thought they could pressure wash them to remove the gunk and debris. Recreation Director Lewis noted that when he looked at the pavilion, he saw that most of the graffiti had been covered up, although some of it was still visible. Much of what remained appeared to be chalk drawings made by children. At least from what he had seen, none of it was offensive, but he felt that a better job could be done in removing it. The water fountain next to the restrooms near the splash park is still not functioning. He said he spoke with Parks Director McInnes and was informed they are working on the fountain; the work should be completed next month. Council Member Johnson asked Recreation Director Lewis if he knew about the lights in the men’s bathroom at Porter Park, specifically the one on the splash park side. Recreation Director Lewis responded he was not aware of any issues. Council Member Johnson explained that she was at the park a couple of weeks ago with their 13- year-old son. When he tried to go into the restroom, he said he could not get the lights to turn on at all. Because of that, he decided not to go inside the restroom. Recreation Director Lewis asked if light timer dial did not work. Council Member Johnson replied that there was no light switch. Recreation Director Lewis explained that the lights do not have a switch they are turned on by rotating a time dial. Council Member Erickson expressed concern, noting that most people would not know the light switch is a timer dial. He asked if a motion sensor light could be installed instead of having the dial . Council Member Johnson commented that the women’s restroom lights were always on. Recreation Director Lewis said that, in his experience, all the bathrooms he had visited required manually turning the timer to activate the lights, and they had never just turned on automatically. Council Member Johnson suggested that the women’s restroom probably had more traffic, so the lights were always on. Recreation Director Lewis mentioned that he had personally turned on the timer at the Nature Park restrooms and at every park restroom, except for the skate park bathrooms when they were operational for a short while. Council Member Erickson discussed that a small instructional sign or plaque would be helpful. Recreation Director Lewis said the next item is the sign for the carousel. He said he spoke with city employee Parker Anderson who oversees the carousel and was informed a decal is being made for the door so the display would be more professional instead of just a piece of paper taped to it. Discussion regarding the walking pathway at Porter Park there are a lot of cracks in the asphalt. The pathway at Nature Park near the pickleball courts is also in rough shape. Recreation Director Lewis said he would look to see if there were any grants available for repairs and would let the committee know if he finds grants. Council Member Erickson mentioned that there is a piece of equipment that digs up the old asphalt, lays it back down, and then rolls over it, which might work for the trails. Committee Member Stutz asked if there is a set time frame for when repairs are scheduled. Recreation Director Lewis explained that there was no schedule at this time. The committee members agreed that having a set schedule would be wise for the city. Council Member Johnson noted that projects often got pushed aside when other priorities arose, which could lead to bigger issues or even accidents. Recreation Director Lewis said that as they entered the new transition period, they could develop a schedule for inspections and repairs throughout the year. This schedule would outline what they checked and when, ensuring they stay on top of recurring maintenance needs. He noted that Parks Director McInnes’ approach had been more about addressing tasks day by day, but a master schedule would help ensure they regularly checked on major items each year. 1. Report on progress of previous assignments: a. Committee Member Hancock assigned to Porter Park. 3 Recreation Director Lewis explained Committee Member Hancock had included several items for review, which was appreciated. One of the items is the door locks to the bathrooms. He determined that the timers are set to unlock at 7:00 a.m. and lock at 10:00 p.m. He noted that Committee Member Hancock had been seen at the park as early as 6:00 a.m., along with other visitors. The possibility of adjusting the timer window was discussed, with a suggestion to unlock the doors at 6:00 a.m. and keep them open until 11:00 p.m., as that was the official park closing time. He said he would work with Greg to make the necessary changes so that the bathrooms close when the park closes, rather than an hour earlier. Recreation Director Lewis reported the bathrooms at the north end of Porter Park are now functional, as all toilets and sinks have been tested and are working, but they remained locked. Although there was a code to access them, they should have been auto-unlocking but were not. He will coordinate with Parks Director McInnes to address the issue. It was speculated that the problem might have been related to the recently completed pipe work, which had been ongoing since March. Council Member Johnson recalled Park Director McInnes’s previous stance on keeping bathrooms locked except during soccer tournaments, citing concerns about vandalism. This policy had caused inconvenience for residents and was met with disagreement, as tax dollars funded the facilities. Another example was given of needing the bathroom code before the end of the school year because the doors were locked. While it was acknowledged that vandalism was a concern, it was emphasized that the bathrooms still needed to be open for public use. Committee Member Stutz asked about installing cameras to deter vandalism. Recreation Director Lewis noted that cameras were already installed but not yet operational, as the completion of the fiber connection was still pending. Progress was being made, but some areas still lacked fiber access. A past incident was recalled in which money was stolen from the quad and due to a lack of working cameras they could not determine who had stolen the money. More recently, there had been damage at Porter Park, where stall panels in the bathrooms were kicked in. It was anticipated that once the cameras were online, such incidents could be better addressed. Discussion regarding several tree stumps at Porter Park that needed to be removed. Committee Member Hancock reported that along Second and West, two weeping birch trees had died, leaving stumps about a foot high. Additionally, there were two trees near the Porter Park history display with stumps about three feet high. He expressed concern that children might try to climb them, fall, and get injured, potentially leading to liability issues for the city. The danger was considered, especially at night when college students were running around in the dark and might not see the stumps. He suggested cutting the stumps down to ground level with a chainsaw, though he acknowledged that proper authorization was needed. Recreation Director Lewis agreed that the matter should be discussed with city staff to determine when the stumps could be removed. Discussion regarding the rock base at the sign at Porter Park. No work had yet been done, and pieces were still falling off, with loose stones sitting on top. It was believed that this might be a simple repair, though not yet attempted. Recreation Director Lewis said he will discuss the repairs of that sign with Parks Director McInnes. Discussion regarding the pedestrian crossing, it has been fixed, and it is operational again, with people using it. Committee Member Hancock noted that the park needs list had been submitted over a month ago. Committee Member Hancock asked about a trench along the old football field at Porter Park. Recreation Director Lewis reported that the trench had been buried about 90%, though not completely. The work was tied to irrigation, which explained why the field was now green again. The overall condition of the park was improving, though some spots were still recovering. Council Member Erickson mentioned a social media complaint about nudity at Porter Park. Recreation Director Lewis said this is the first time he has heard of such a concern. It was suggested that the complaint likely referred to people sunbathing rather than actual nudity. The group acknowledged that there were community standards, but no one reported seeing anyone fully nude at the park. 4 b. Committee Member Erickson assigned to Hidden Valley Park, Smith Park and Dog Park, Committee Member Erickson reported he still needs to get a list of the amenities at the Dog park. He explained that he had gone out, looked around, and walked through the park. Nothing had been damaged, and everything seemed to be in good shape. Recreation Director Lewis mentioned the Dog Park used to have more dog obstacle course features, but much of that equipment had been removed. What remained was minimal, such as a fire hydrant and a few basic items for dogs. He asked whether there were bags in the dog waste pickup stations. Committee Member Erickson admitted they had not checked that, though it had been reported several times that the bags were often missing. Committee Member Erickson offered to check and said they were willing to restock the bags if told where to get them. Recreation Director Lewis suggested talking to Parks employee Bob Yeatman, since he was typically more responsive and could either provide the bags or help figure out a solution. Council Member Erickson asked if there were dog waste pick-up stations at the other city parks. Recreation Director Lewis said he did not believe so, explaining that the dog park was the only one with the stations. He recalled someone saying that bags were not placed in other parks because it might attract problems. Council Member Johnson disagreed and said she had heard the same reasoning before but thought it made no sense. She argued that if bags were available, more people would clean up after their dogs. They compared the reasoning to suggesting that bathrooms should not be opened because they might attract people. Others agreed, pointing out that putting bags in parks would encourage better upkeep. Discussion regarding adding dog waste stations to Porter Park should ideally have a bag station at every corner and that Smith Park should have several as well, given the high number of dogs there. The committee members agreed they would like to request that bags be placed in the parks to see if it made a positive difference. They believed many responsible citizens would use them and help keep the parks clean. Committee Member Erickson reported on Smith Park the old metal wagon that people could sit in had been brought up. He said Mayor Merrill had said he planned to have a committee meeting to repaint it, as it needed new boards. However, the project had not been mentioned again after that. The discussion originally took place right after the ribbon cutting for the ADA swing projects. Council Member Erickson suggested using the “Just Serve” platform to list projects like this. He explained that many people looked for service opportunities and that projects could receive a lot of volunteer support if they were planned. Council Member Johnson confirmed that she had already received calls from people looking for service projects, since her name was on the list as the city liaison on the platform. She emphasized that there was strong community interest in service opportunities and that the city should take advantage of that. Recreation Director Lewis also mentioned that Melaleuca had reached out asking for service projects, and there were items on the current list that they could help with. Other groups, including people required to complete community service hours, had also contacted the city looking for opportunities. Committee Member Erickson reported on the maintenance issues at Smith Park. The two barbecue grills needed new metal on the bottoms, and only one had been properly cleaned out after previous work. There had also been a large metal slide that often collects water at the bottom, but that issue has been resolved. Road barrier mats that had been sitting underneath had been removed, although a pit remained. He suggested that wood chips from another part of the park could be used to fill the space. Committee Member Erickson also expressed concern about dilapidated equipment storage boxes near the fields. These boxes had been damaged and were no longer heavily used, since most kids now just set their gear on the ground. He suggested that the boxes be rebuilt or removed altogether. 5 Recreation Director Lewis reported the retaining wall at Smith Park had been rebuilt. There is caution tape still surrounding the area because the planting of vegetation has not yet been completed. The wall project had been more challenging than expected, but it came out well and improved the appearance of the park. c. Council Member Johnson assigned to Park Street Park and Evergreen Park, Council Member Johnson admitted that she had not conducted a full inspection until reminded by email. She drove past Evergreen Park without stopping, noting there was little to report besides an increase in garbage at these parks this summer, possibly due to a shortage of part -time staff. She observed litter on the soccer field and reiterated that a previous concern about missing handholds on the climbing rock, which affected its usability. At Park Street Park, she reported a good turnout of visitors but did not check whether the water fountain was working. The city had received some citizen emails about equipment needing attention, which had been forwarded to Parks Director McInnes for follow-up. Recreation Director Lewis noted that every time a citizen submitted a concern, it was forwarded to the appropriate staff member to ensure awareness. Aside from the reported litter, the parks generally appeared to be in acceptable condition, and the fences were in good shape. However, there was concern about increased trash. Council Member Johnson recalled visiting Porter Park a few weeks prior and observing significant amounts of garbage on the lawn and around the trees, including latex gloves and food wrappers. This was surprising compared to past visits when the park was cleaner. Committee Member Hancock reiterated a concern from the previous meeting, stating that park workers —often college students—only collected trash within the immediate area of trash containers and did not walk into surrounding fields to retrieve litter. He suggested that collecting scattered garbage would require only a few extra minutes. Recreation Director Lewis acknowledged that finding part-time help was challenging but agreed that trash pickup could be improved. One specific worker was recognized for doing an excellent job, including being seen in the quad as early as 5:15 a.m. picking up trash, though this level of diligence was not universal. d. Committee Member Isaacson assigned to Eagle Park, Committee Member Isaacson reported he works on the trails at Eagle Park every Tuesday. The pumps have not been turned on, likely because they all leaked significantly. Committee Member Isaacson said he was informed by Parks Director McInnes that there is a break in the line, possibly caused by an internet company. This issue had reportedly been identified last fall and was supposed to be fixed, but it never happened, and the pumps did not run last spring either. The lack of water was a safety concern because people-built fires nearby, and without a functioning pump, there was no way to extinguish them quickly. Committee Member Isaacson reported several picnic tables in the park were broken, and some campsites had no tables at all. Campsites from about site 14 onward generally had better tables, but only one was entirely metal. A few others had metal frames with wooden planks. Many garbage cans were missing, and some had been discarded behind bushes or in tall grass. It was observed that parks staff seemed to do no regular maintenance there and that the park was largely ignored. Garbage collection also appeared inconsistent, with certain sites, such as 19 and 24, having large piles of trash beside the cans. Recreation Director Lewis said that they need to come up with a way to at least take care of basic maintenance of Eagle Park. He said he spoke with city employee Bob Yeatman—about placing a garbage can in the parking lot. Committee Member Erickson asked about the possibility of having a dumpster or at least a large container so people could dispose of trash when coming off the trail. Many people picked up garbage as they walked, but they often have nowhere to put it. There had been a small pile of garbage at the back end of the trail where it met the parking lot. Committee Member Isaacson said a Facebook post mentioned a woman who had gone out and picked up trash, leaving it in the corner of the parking lot. Unfortunately, no one had come to remove it, and the pile had remained there for months. This created a problem, especially because the city compliance officer is tasked with 6 ensuring residents followed ordinances, yet we were not following our own codes. She already had to deal with other issues in that area, such as people attempting to set up permanent camps, and the situation had been ignored for too long. Council Member Erickson explained recently, there has been legitimate campers at one of the sites, though it was unclear whether it was an official campsite. Someone had been removed from the area just the week before. The garbage can that Mr. Yeatman had placed in the parking lot had been a rubber one, but it had blown away in the wind and disappeared. Council Member Erickson said he has visited Eagle Park twice in the past couple of months, and both times the smell coming from the plant was so bad he could not stay. He was surprised people were camping there because the odor was overwhelming. While some days the wastewater treatment plant did not smell, other odors — such as from the nearby food processing plant—could be even worse. Committee Member Erickson mentioned the mosquitoes were also a constant problem, as was typical in most campgrounds. He was unclear whether the county had performed mosquito abatement in the past couple of years. Although fogger trucks had been seen in the area in previous years, no one was certain they had been there recently. Council Member Johnson suggested that they call the county directly and could prompt them to send out the fogger truck, as they had done in the past when notified. Committee Member Isaacson suggested making a Facebook post to encourage people to take all the wood. Committee Member Erickson responded that he had already done so. He mentioned that the fire crew was finishing up their work. They had already gone through the lawn area, though they still had a few things left to address. It appeared they were nearly done for the season and with the park. There was a discussion about what the crew was doing with the wood and brush they cut down. Recreation Director explained that, in previous years, Parks Director McInnes had arranged for leftover grant money to be used for bringing in people to chip up and remove the material. When visiting a couple of weeks earlier, they had heard that the plan was to do the same thing again to help clear out more of the debris. Committee Member Erickson expressed the hope that this time the material would be removed, since last time it had simply been spread around, leaving kindling everywhere. Council Member Erickson explained that the work was funded by a grant given to the fire department for fire mitigation. The crew needed to show results to justify the grant, but if they were not doing the work properly, the funding could be jeopardized. Committee Member Isaacson questioned whether cutting down willows and piling them up to dry was truly fire mitigation. Willows were described as one of the wettest plants and removing them only to create piles of dry fuel did not seem logical. It was also noted that the willow trees were fragile and could become widow -makers, but leaving piles behind created a potential fire hazard. Committee Member Erickson said he spoke with Richard Roberson with the Fire Department, who was leading the crew. He claimed the goal was to remove sick or hazardous vegetation. However, many in the community felt the work was unnecessary and damaging. The vegetation cut two years earlier had mostly grown back, raising the question of why it had been removed in the first place. Cutting down plants like roses and willows did not appear to have long-term benefits, it simply delayed their regrowth. e. Committee Member Stutz assigned to Nature Park, Committee Member Stutz reported on the Nature Park. He confirmed that previous concerns about asphalt damage remained unresolved. He had sent photos showing damage to the chain -link fence near the back of the park, and the damage had since doubled in extent. No repairs had been made. However, the battery in the musical play equipment had been replaced, restoring its function. Committee Member Stutz expressed surprise that staff had addressed the battery but not the visibly damaged fence. He also noted that a new black screen had been installed along the fence of the pickleball courts, which was a positive improvement for players. This installation 7 had been completed directly by staff, as Mayor Merrill had requested the screen, and when other crew members were unavailable, the work was done in-house. Committee Member Stutz reported the north corner of the park bordering the golf course had been perpetually wet and muddy. While it was still muddy at times, it was not as bad as it had been in the past, showing noticeable improvement. The screening at the pickleball courts was confirmed to be for wind protection, not for noise reduction. It was suggested that the only effective noise barrier would be to plant a row of trees along that section, although the property lines in that area were unusual and included a right -of-way for a driveway or similar use. Discussion regarding the railing on the small bridge at Nature Park. They questioned if it had been repaired after being down for some time. Council Member Johnson asked if the bolts that are sticking up in the older part of the park, left behind after a bench was removed, had been fixed. A resident had previously reported the hazard, which posed a risk of injury to children. While no one had specifically checked recently, it was believed the bolts had likely been addressed, as they had not been noticed during recent visits. Recreation Director Lewis recalled sitting on the bench in that area, suggesting it had been replaced. Council Member Johnson added a bench that had previously been facing the wrong direction had likely been corrected after being brought to staff’s attention. Committee Member Stutz noted a minor concern regarding the north end of the park. By the 6th hole, where players crossed the water, weeds had been growing out into the road and needed trimming. Some of the weeds extended about four feet into the roadway. While it was likely not a high-priority maintenance item, he noted that it would be nice to address. Similar overgrowth existed in other areas as well. In one case, disc golfers had trimmed vegetation themselves because it had grown so much that it interfered with their shots. A few weeks earlier, that section, located on the 2nd hole, had been noticeably improved after someone acted. Recreation Director Lewis mentioned that some individuals had started handling minor maintenance themselves, which was understandable, but staff needed to stay on top of such issues that do not take much time to fix or restore. f. Recreation. Director Lewis assigned to Riverside Park, Recreation Director Lewis gave an update on Riverside Park. There is an obvious eyesore on the north field of the park. He said he spoke to Public Works Director Davidson about it a week ago, and Edstrom Construction is supposed to be finished fixing the damage they caused out there so watering of the grass could begin again. He said Parks Director McInnes had been out there trying to prepare things because soccer is scheduled to start up in the next month. He thought they could have the field ready in time, but that was the report so far. Council Member Johnson asked what Edstrom Construction was doing and what they had broken. Recreation Director Lewis explained that they had broken several sprinklers and some sprinkler boxes. They had also been working on one of the pump stations. They were supposed to follow a specific driving path, but that had obviously not been followed. He expressed frustration that every time a project like this happened, other things were randomly damaged in the process. However, he added that water should be restored soon, hopefully within the week. He said he knew Parks Director McInnes had been out there looking at things, and he hoped they could get the park back to where it needed to be. He mentioned that at Porter Park, water had been turned back on quickly once the system was fixed, so there was hope for Riverside Park as well. Recreation Director Lewis also noted that new trees had been planted around the Rexburg Rapids fence to replace the dead ones. They were arborvitae trees. Some cleanup work still needed to be done around the rink area, but he believes a landscaping crew would be brought in to make improvements once the park was ready to open, which he thought would happen within the next month. He said other than that, Riverside Park is doing well. Recreation Director Lewis reported they need to figure out a way to do maintenance on the pump track. He had spoken with a few people who raised concerns that nothing was being done to keep it in good shape. Committee Member Isaacson added that they had reached out to the person overseeing the track. They told him 8 there were many people willing to help and that they had some ideas for maintenance, but he declined the offer, saying he did not want any help. Committee Member Isaacson explained that they also ran a Facebook group called Eagle Park Trail Builders. They asked for help with maintenance at Eagle Park with some people coming out to help but often losing interest once they realized they would not just be building jumps all the time. However, because Riverside Park had jumps, they thought those same people would likely remain more engaged in helping there. They concluded that these kinds of parks typically did better with volunteer maintenance since people who enjoyed the jumps were usually happy to help build and maintain them. They said they would look for more details once they had digital access again. g. Council Member Erickson assigned to Hidden Valley Park. Council Member Erickson reported on Hidden Valley Park, stating that it appeared to be in good condition overall. He noted that a couple of rollers were missing from one of the play structures, but it looked as though they had been intentionally removed, possibly due to an issue. Council Member Erickson reported while visiting the area, he also inspected another park not listed in the city’s inventory but believed by some to be city-owned. This park, located in the trailer section of the Millhollow subdivision, had a sign stating, “Playground Hours 7 to 10 – No Trespassing – Residents Only.” There was uncertainty about its ownership. Recreation Director Lewis confirmed through property records that the park was owned by Millhollow LLC and not by the city. 2. Grants and Fundraising effort Council Member Johnson asked Committee Member Frances if she wanted to be assigned to one of the city parks. Committee Member Frances said she would like an assignment and said she would be happy to talk to Melaleuca or whoever wanted service hours and be a liaison there if that was helpful. Committee Member Frances said that if they found more companies that wanted to help or bring their teams, it would be a great idea to utilize big corporations or groups. Recreation Director Lewis said since there are a couple of committee members who have two park assignments, he is going to shift the assignments around so they could spread out the park assignments. Recreation Director Lewis said he wanted to discuss grants and funding. He explained that with the current administration, grants were very interesting. He said they had already lost about $3,000,000 worth of grants so far. He continued, explaining that there were still some opportunities out there. He explained that, realistically, given the nature of their budget, he wanted to focus on finding ways to help. With so many grants going away, things would likely be more competitive, but since they lived in a rural area, they still had chances. He asked if anyone knew of grants for trails or playground equipment. He said it would be helpful to stay on top of that because anything that lessened the burden on taxpayers was his goal. He explained that the equipment cost much more than what most grants provided, but any help was useful. He wanted to focus on that in the coming year and work with city Grant Writer Flanary on grant applications. Committee Member Erickson asked if there was a priority list, since money had been lost or returned. Recreation Director Lewis responded they did not necessarily have a list but could create one. He suggested they decide whether they wanted to focus on trails or ADA-accessible playground equipment. Committee Member Erickson pointed out that in the fourth quarter of every year, large companies often had extra funds to donate, such as Melaleuca and others. Committee Member Isaacson said many parks were already sponsored by different companies, and they could improve how they utilized that support. Recreation Director Lewis asked what the best way to approach companies would be. Committee Member Erickson suggested going through the Chamber of Commerce to see if businesses wanted to donate. 9 Committee Member Isaacson added that if they had a clear sponsorship project, they could present it through the Chamber. Recreation Director Lewis explained they had a new donation platform called “See My Legacy.” He said it was affordable and designed to help with races and events. He explained it allowed them to advertise projects, recognize donors, and even create QR code plaques to link donors’ websites. Committee Member Stutz asked if the city had used the platform successfully. Recreation Director Lewis said the upcoming year would be the first year they used it, so it had no track record with them yet. However, he had looked at other cities that used it and saw donations being filled. Director Lewis said it would come down to promotion and advertising. He added that many long-time donors had been consistent, but newer ones required more outreach. The platform could also make it easier for regular individuals to donate smaller amounts, such as $200 or $300, even if the larger goal was $10,000 to $30,000. There is a city grant meeting every month. Council Member Erickson acknowledged that federal money had really dried up, but he believes there were other avenues available. He noted that there were state funds and various endowment funds that could be considered. Recreation Director Lewis added that the state also had funds that did not come from federal programs. Committee Member Erickson pointed out that the challenge was finding those opportunities. He mentioned that there were many doctors and dentists in town, and he believe s that from a tax perspective they would want to give away money. He said for example the mountain bike team had recently received a large amount of funding from doctors. He explained that doctors spoke with their CPAs about how much money they needed to give away to offset taxes. Committee Member Erickson suggested creating something like a Founders Club, like what other cities had done, where donors who gave certain amounts—such as $10,000, $5,000, or $1,000—would have their names recognized on plaques displayed publicly. Recreation Director Lewis agreed that some form of recognition for donors would be valuable. Committee Member Isaacson gave an example from Eagle Park, where the south bathroom had a sign indicating that the roof was donated by a company. He said many projects had been donated, sponsored, and publicly credited to individuals or organizations. Committee Member Erickson agreed, saying people donated many different things. He emphasized that if they got the right people involved —such as Walters, who gives away a lot of money every year, it could make a difference. He said Walters was known for being generous when asked. He added that there were many others who gave to various causes, and they simply needed to know that the city wanted funding for beautification or other improvements. 3. Eagle Park discussion Recreation Director Lewis said he wanted to talk more about Eagle Park, explaining that there had been additional discussions about how to manage the camping aspect of it. He said some ideas had been raised in meetings, such as allowing camping only from Thursday through Sunday to make it easier to monitor and police. He asked for the group’s perspective on how to address the issue, noting that it was difficult to monitor. He explained that the Police Department did not want to spend time handling it, and city Compliance Officer Powell had gone to Eagle Park multiple times to ask people to leave after overstaying the days allowed. Recreation Director Lewis suggested it might be easier to have clear rules, such as day-use only on certain days, instead of asking people to prove they were supposed to be there. He said he was open to ideas and admitted he did not know the solution, though he did not want to get rid of camping entirely. Committee Member Erickson said he would like to get rid of camping altogether at Eagle Park; however, he is not opposed to limiting camping to Thursday through Sunday. Committee Member Erickson expressed the opinion that the more legitimate users were present, the easier the area would be to police the park. He said limiting camping to fewer days could reduce the number of people using it, and currently many people camped there legitimately during the week. 10 Council Member Johnson asked where the campers came from. Committee Member Isaacson explained that many were travelers using it as a convenient stop along the highway, while Committee Member Erickson added that others came from nearby places such as Fremont and Madison Counties. Council Member Johnson pointed out concerns that needed to be addressed if camping continued, such as the lack of a water source, uncontrolled garbage, and people building fires. Committee Member Isaacson agreed that every campsite needed garbage cans that would be regularly dumped. Council Member Erickson compared the situation to RV parks in Canada, often run by groups like the Lions Club. He said those parks were well-promoted, maintained, and usually had camp hosts. He argued that Eagle Park needed to either be developed into a proper RV park or it would never remain well -maintained under the current “in-between” approach. Council Member Johnson added that it should not only be for RVs since many people camped in tents. Committee Member Isaacson said the park could be turned into a viable campground without too much work. He said if tables were built or donated by volunteer groups, and garbage cans and water were provided, it would function well. He explained that while maintenance such as weed control would improve it, even the basics would make it viable. Discussion regarding a camp host and if one was necessary. Committee Member Erickson raised concerns about vandalism, saying people had burned tables in the past. He explained that many tables were already old, weak, or built from treated lumber that broke quickly, and once they were damaged, they were often used for firewood. He noted that some of the older tables from the park’s early days were still strong. Committee Member Erickson said he did not believe policing would change much whether it was a day -use area or a campground, because enforcement would still be necessary. He explained that even if the city declared it day-use only, people would likely still camp there. Without active monitoring, rules would not matter. Council Member Johnson questioned whether the city would want to spend money on a camp host. Council Member Erickson noted that groups like the Lions Club invested significant money in their RV parks. Recreation Director Lewis said he believes the park’s condition was manageable with proper care, such as keeping garbage checked. He said there was something they could do, and they just needed to figure out the right approach. Committee Member Hancock added that he had taken care of the park for the first three years after it was developed. He said he thought it would be wise to have a camp host, or someone designated to manage the area. Adjournment: 4:30 P.M.