Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted May, 2016

AL MOLL~ Executive Director May Board Meeting: Park Riverfront Property Update-Fun times

Foellinger Theatre 2016 Summer Concert opens May 13 with Heart sold out

Department implemented a plan to dedicating additional resources to the food service- will now be able to provide breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack at all sites

Franklin School Park on schedule for opening Phase 1 on July 23

Indiana Archive and Records Administration (IARA), as part of the 2016 State bicentennial, will conduct a series of events around the state to memorialize each 1816 State Constitutional Delegate with a public ceremony at the burial sites. McCullough Park, once the site of the Broadway Cemetery, will be visited to honor delegate William Polke on June 27.

Great Park Cleanup on April 23, 2016 had over 150 volunteers who focused on Lions, Lakeside, McMillen and Shoaff Parks along with the Community Center

Upcoming Events: Mother’s Day Flower Sale May 6-8( McMillen Community Center)- Salomon Farm Fiber Arts Festival May 13-14

Franke Day Camp will celebrate its 70th year with special events honoring the it existence and success

Received $100,000 from the McMillen Foundation to be matched by Park Department to upgrade flooring on halls and entrance at McMillen Park Community Center.

The Settlers hosted the Park Foundation meeting at Swinney Homestead on April 25

Department has been part of City Team at Annexation meetings held at various North sites

Ball State students presented an exhibit on April 28 that provided results of their work regarding future exhibits for our Butterfly show at the Conservatory. Students discussed models and renderings that could be integrated into our annual showcase

Mayor and Director attended Arbor Day celebration at Towles addressing students with partners of Comcast and Trees Indiana.

Former President Clinton held a rally at McMillen Park Community Center which included Gov Bayh, Senator Donnelly and Mayor Henry. National media, secret service and celebrities were in attendance. Staff at McMillen handled event exceptional.

Director on Community team to review finalist of RFP’s for Arts United expansion and upgrade -Architects and Engineers proposals

Director part of Legacy Joint Funding Committee that will review Parks and Recreation proposal for Botanical Conservatory “Connector”

Senior Games begin June 6

CHUCK REDDINGER~ Deputy Director, Recreation Services

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted May, 2016

Deputy Director - Attended the President Clinton appearance on April 30th at the McMillen Park Community Center. There were nearly 1,500 people in attendance. The staff had about three days to coordinate with media, city and county agencies, secret service and campaign staff. Attended Park and Recreation Summit in Dallas Texas April 13-15 and met with several parks and

recreation directors from across the country as well as several vendors. All travel expenses and accommodations were covered by the Parks and Recreation Summit organization.

Attended the City’s annexation Meeting on April 18th and 19th to help answer any questions as they related to the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation System.

Attended “The Black Community and Law Enforcement” seminar at IPFW. Toured Community Harvest Food Bank April 28th. Attended Amazing Race event April 30. Attended Community Center Volunteer Luncheon May 6, 2016. Worked with McMillen staff and ATOS to develop an electronic enrollment form for their summer program.

We will ask parents to fill out an electronic form on site or on our website in an effort to have participant information more readily available to staff, save staff time, and have more accurate information. The will still accept paper forms as needed.

Youth Athletics - Started Spring Adult Tennis Lessons. We have 16 enrolled in the beginner class which is full. Started Spring Youth Tennis Lessons. We have 31 enrolled in the three classes which are full.

Rick Hemsoth and Jason Smith did a taped radio question and answer with Ted about the Lifetime Sports Academy.

Outdoor Recreation - On April 15th, Carroll High School F.F.A.’s (Future Farmers of America) held their “Day on the Farm”. There were 670 in attendance.

Johnny Appleseed Campground opened on 4/15 and there has been a new entrance sign installed. Solar lights were installed at the Salomon Learning Center parking lot. HVAC has been installed at the Franke Day Camp nature lodge. This will provide a place to cool down

for overheated campers during the summer.

Community Center (Downtown) - Taxes concluded on April 18th. There were a total of 978 people that completed their taxes at the Community Center.

The Volunteer Luncheon was held on May 6th with over 100 in attendance. Several recognitions were given for hours of service and years of service. Special recognition was given to Butch Walthmath as Volunteer of the Year and Jacqui Carrol as “Living the Mission” Volunteer.

A new sound and multimedia system was installed in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Golf Operations - It has been a very cold and rainy April this year and because of that our green fee revenue is down for the period of March 28 thru April 27.

McMillen was up about $75 but the other 2 were down (Shoaff $1,800) and (Foster $5,000). For the year the 3 courses are just about even as compared to last year.

Overall, golf memberships are up about $14,000 which helps explains why walk in play is down. The Pee Wee and Junior Tour has a new sponsor, and is now called the Fort Wayne Parks-Parkview

Sports Medicine Junior and Pee Wee Tour. This is a 3 year commitment to the program.

Food Service - Kids Café: served 3,253 meals for the month of March. (Cooper 437, Jennings 346, Weisser 990, McMillen 1,480)

Food Service assisted with about a dozen special events and programs

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted May, 2016

McMillen Park Community Center - Staff received training from Meridian Health on how to better assist youth who present with psychological or behavioral issues.

Through a collaboration with Ivy Tech College a Thomas Jefferson impersonator came April 11 th to speak to 60 youth in the after school program about life in that part of American history.

Hosted the Northeast Indiana Tech Fest on April 22nd for the second year in a row. Spring Break included several fun activities and field trips that included a trip to Bells Skating Rink,

Wacky Wednesday’s and a trip to the movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda III The After School Awards Ceremony was held April 14, 2016. It included performances from dance,

piano, voice and Drums Not Guns. Over 100 awards were given out to participants and special awards were given to those that exemplified excellence throughout the entire year.

The Botanical Conservatory’s Mother’s Day Plant Sale was held at the facility May 6 th-8th.

MITCH SHEPPARD ~Deputy Director, Botanical Conservator/Foellinger Theatre Operations/Community Outreach

Community Outreach: Youth Center Metrics - Youth Center Attendance Increased in March: Sign In- 2037/21= 97 kids signed in daily Kids Café- 1512/21=72 kids ate a meal per day Snack- 816/21= 38 average daily kids had a healthy snack when they came into the building after school. Homework 417/21 = 19.8 average daily kids have come in and wanted/needed help for homework.

April Highlights Spring Recognition: Weisser Center conducted their spring recognition ceremony on the April

21st. There were presentations by staff, awards given for outstanding community volunteers and the youth recognition. Youth received certificates and trophies and were celebrated for their accomplishments in each of the major programming areas. In addition to the awards each student received a drawstring book bag, water bottle and wristband with the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Logo on it to help remind them to stay healthy, hydrated, and happy throughout the summer. Graduating high school seniors received special recognition. The evening was rounded out by a stunning performance by the Center’s Acoma dance troupe and a community meal prepared by the staff and children. Recognition for youth at Cooper and Jennings Centers will take place in May.

Fitness for Adults Too: The new fitness room at Jennings Center is being enthusiastically utilized daily by children and adults alike for workouts, use of the exercise machines, tumbling, dance, and other active pursuits. The area plays host to a growing adult fitness class averaging attendance of approximately 18 per session. In the month of March the class had their first 30 day challenge- “March Away the Inches.” There were 14 participants and as a total they loss approximately 56 inches! Mid- April the group started a 2nd 30 day challenge, “Spring into Summer.” It is going very well. In addition to working out the group discusses healthy eating and has incorporated walks at Foster Park. The class is also a wonderful way to involve adults in the community with the work being done by, with, and for the youth at the Center.

Foellinger Theatre: Programming for the 2016 season includes the following:

o 8 Free family friendly movieso 7 Free community concerts (including 2 military bands)o 6 Ticketed touring concerts programmed by the Parks and Recreation Department

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted May, 2016

o 13 Major touring concerts provided by outside promoters with a high probability of two more shows to be confirmed.

Volunteer training sessions were conducted for the 2016 usher crew – this has become a very successful component of our customer service and public safety strategy.

New for 2016, the Theatre will be contracting with Fort Wayne firefighters to provide medic services at the more highly attended shows.

Botanical Conservatory: Horticulture - In addition to all of the many routine spring tasks undertaken to prepare the outdoor

gardens for human visitors, we also covered storm drains with mesh so that baby rabbits and ducks don’t fall in -- remaining mindful of our animal friends.

Facility - Maintenance Repairs: The new bollards and electrical service has been installed in the Exploration Gardens creating a safe and inviting space for our guests. House Keeping: The new Butterfly tent was installed for the 14th annual live butterfly exhibit. There were several last minute updates and remakes made as the unit was fit. Also the new doors were installed in the vestibules of the tent. After adjustments the tent is sealed extremely well. Empyrean (our café partner) will start their construction phase May 2nd. Demolition will be the first priority.

Business Development - Submitted a $5,000 grant for the Japanese Garden exhibit to the M. E. Raker Foundation. Submitted a $5,000 grant for the Japanese Garden exhibit to the Harold and Rachel McMillen Foundation/Wells Fargo. Submitted a $4,500 grant for the 12 Days of Christmas exhibit to the Eric A. and Mary C. Baade Foundation/Wells Faro Sent the thank you letter to the Auer Foundation for the $25,000 grant for the Botanical Connections project over the Director’s signature. Submitted the final grant report to the PNC Foundation for the 2015 Butterflies exhibit. Researched the potential application to the Regional Cities Initiative for Botanical Connections April was a great month in the gift shop. Gross revenue totaled $10,730! Our slightly used plant sale totaled $1,148, 3 times our 2015 total of $363 and the best since 2012. Shop sales of $9,958 topped April 2015 by $2,000 and were the highest on our 17 year history report. The butterfly kit total sales increased by 262 in April for a seasonal total of 675.

Education - Family Garden Close-Up: Beautiful Butterflies brought 26 people for hands-on activities on butterfly eyesight and mouthparts. Participants made a butterfly life cycle chart out of pasta. Take-home activities included a butterfly word scramble and a butterfly life cycle wheel. The snack for the program included butterfly shaped crackers and cheese. We had 28 on-site youth field trips in April, totaling 926 students

Events: We held a well-attended Butterfly Release on March 12 when customers were able to “set free” the painted lady butterflies that hatched from the kits sold in our gift shop. Easter in the Garden, March 25, brought about 2150 people out on a cool spring day to enjoy taking a picture with the Easter Bunny, hunting for eggs, petting baby lambs and bunnies, and trying a variety of crafts and games. Attendance was up about 50 over last year.

Exhibits - The 14th annual live butterfly exhibit was installed this month. We created an interpretive experience for the “Metamorphosis” exhibit with active play egg-larva-pupa-adult stations as well as

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted May, 2016

Monarch life cycle building tiles and six model sets for animals with metamorphic life cycles. We expect attendance in excess of 21,000 for this exhibit.

The Ball State University students working on The Butterfly Project made their midterm and final presentations this month. Local media covered the final presentation. We look forward to implementing several elements from their design for the 2016 exhibit.

GARRY MORR ~ Deputy Director, Finance & Support ServicesAwarded grants from the following: Auer Foundation $25,000 for the Botanical Conservatory; $100,000 from

the McMillen Foundation for McMillen Community Center flooring; $800 from two Psi Iota Chapters.

The Parks & Recreation Department (city) was recognized for the sixth straight year as a Playful City USA. This

announcement will take place May 18th.

Marketing staff assisted in the Great Park Pick-up which was held on April 23rd.

Attended the Park Foundation meeting April 25th and discussed the possibility of a Park Bond issue later this

year.

Working with Precision Retirement Group on a concept of exempting our seasonal employees from FICA. This

should save the department significant amounts of budget funds for the future. Completion date for this

project will be in May.

Hiring sessions begin in earnest in May for department summer employees.

Total hits to the Parks & Recreation Department website for the month of April were 98,497.

Marketing staff attended several of the annexation open houses representing the Parks Department.

The Summer Fun Times was completed in April and sent to the printer for printing and distribution in May.

STEVE MCDANIEL~ Deputy Director, Asset Management The Great Park Pick Up occurred this month. Great turn out from volunteers at the 4 parks. Playgrounds were mulched as well as painting at some pavilions.The Google Trekker program is being finalized with May 9-16th as our week of having the equipment.Salomon Homestead Improvements: Working on plans to remove the addition and remodel to the 1930’s era. Working on scope of work and estimate. Project will be out to bid late summer and start construction fall 2016.Buckner Drainage Improvements - Waiting on final IDEM permit approval. Drainage board approval for discharge into Flaugh ditch. Pending approval June. Interior metering approval granted.Johnny Appleseed Campground Drainage Improvements: Complete.Bass Park Playground Improvements: Set dinosaur (climber) play piece. Material on order for new climber, slide and swings. Install middle of August pending weather. Klug Pathway Improvements: Working on plans and arch design.Court House Green Concrete Improvements: 98% complete. Final seal coat May 10 th.Franklin Park Pavilion Solar Power Improvements: Complete.Indian Village Sidewalk Improvements: Working in plans. Out to bid next month.Salomon Park Learning Center Parking Lot Lighting Improvements: Complete.Foellinger Concrete Ramp Improvements: 98% complete.Foellinger Loading Dock Improvements: 95% complete. Lift delivery and set May 11 and 12. Franke BMX Ramp Improvements: In progress. Complete end of May.Coordinate with Lowes for purchase of new volunteer trailer and new tools for volunteer events.

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted May, 2016

Coordinate delivery of all materials to various park sites for the Great Park Pick-Up event. Event proceeded with great success. Many playgrounds were mulched, four pavilions were painted, and much trash was picked up by volunteers during this event. Thanks to Lowes and everyone that participated.In the month of April the forestry crews were doing tree removals.Forestry completed a cost/benefit analysis which proved in-house staff was more efficient and cost effective than contractors. As a result forestry will be transferring funding from the contractual line to hire 2 more in-house Hi-Ranger operators.The Forestry division along with Mayor Henry partnered with Towels Montessori School, Trees Indiana and Comcast to celebrate Arbor Day on Friday April 29th.Riverfront Development Phase One – continuing to represent Parks, reviewing and advising on public park design. Schematic drawings scheduled to be complete on July 1.Franklin Park Site and Landscape Phase One construction is underway and on schedule. Currently working on Phase Two design and cost estimates with Earthsource, Inc..Coordinating with ATOS GIS department on development of a Parks app and interactive map for our website and for mobile devices.Coordinated Iron Pour art installation with Fort Wayne Museum of Art at Guildin Park.SCFVA plants were delivered to each of the elementary schools in the city. 18,300 plants were delivered to 65 schools.There were three general safety training classes and one first aid class this month.

Dawn Ritchie ~ Greenway ManagerThe weekly Trek the Trails bike rides began May 3rd on the Towpath Trail. We had 65 participants. The weekly rides will continue thru the first Tuesday of October every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The City will have the Google Trekker the week of May 9th. We will utilize the Trekker to capture images of the Rivergreenway, Towpath Trail, Pufferbelly Trail and the Salomon Farm Loop. The Parks Department will also use the Trekker to pick up images in some of our most popular parks. The Covington Road Trail construction from Sycamore Hills Golf Club to West Hamilton Road will begin in June. We have the pre-construction meeting with INDOT and Primco on May 16th.The City opened bids today for the Illinois Road Trail and Sidewalk Project: Lagro Drive to Magnavox Way. We had three bidders. The low bid was 51% higher than the engineer’s estimate (low bid $2,066,822 and engineer’s estimate was $1,371,582)! We are analyzing the bids to determine if this is even awardable. The City will be bidding out the Liberty Mills Road Trail: Homestead Rd to Middle Grove in May.The Renaissance Pointe Trail Extension to the YMCA is 90% complete. We have turned in the final plans to INDOT for the Six Mile Creek Trail, Phase 1 for the August bidding.May is Bike Month (called “Kickstart”). There are many events planned, and they can be found at www.kickstartfortwayne.com. The City, Leadership Fort Wayne and Zagster, Inc. started a bike share program in downtown Fort Wayne with five different stations where you can rent bikes. The City recently had six open houses for the annexation area. We had a trails table. The feedback we received for trail expansion was positive.We have been given the go ahead to apply for Regional Cities funding. The City would like to apply for funding in June.