Geauga Park District Board - April 15, 2024
Meeting: The Geauga Park District Board met on Monday, April 15, 2024 at 8:30 am at Big Creek Park Meyer Center, 9160 Robinson Rd, Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was in-person only with no virtual attendance option.
Public Comment Policy: The Park District Board does not have a formal policy and in practice never permits public comment.
Board Attendance: Commissioners Howard Bates, Jolene Carnabuci, Ray Guarino, Les LaGatta and Frank Stein were present.
Staff Attendance: John Oros, Executive Director; Dawn Sweeney, Finance Director; Matt McCue, Deputy Director, and Jessica Alpers, Administrative Assistant. Also in attendance were Paul Pira, Park Biologist, Sandy Ward, Marketing Manager and Holly Sauder, Special Events Coordinator.
Public Attendance - Members of Protect Geauga Parks and this observer.
Approval of Agenda/Addendum Items - There were no items added to the Agenda. The Agenda was approved.
Minutes: Minutes from the March 18, 2024 meeting were approved and are posted online here.
Financial Report: Dawn Sweeney, Finance Director, verbally reported these individual fund balances as of March 31, 2024:
· Beginning balance as of 3/1/24 in the General Fund: $3,947,906
· Ending balance as of 3/31/24 in the General Fund: $5,532,152
· Beginning balance as of 3/1/24 in the Land Improvement Fund: $1,844,958
· Ending balance as of 3/1/24 in the Land Improvement Fund: $1,711,135
· All Funds beginning balance on 3/1/24: $5,792,864
· All Funds ending balance on 3/31/24: $7,243,287
There were no questions and no discussion.
Presentation of Payment Report for March, 2024: There was no discussion and no questions.
Observer Note: There was no vote on this payment report as the payments have already occurred.
Old Business - Planning Update.
Planning Update: Mr. McCue reported on several items:
The final design drawings have been submitted to the EPA as a funding source. GPD has responded to the EPA’s comments after their review. A meeting on-site with EPA is scheduled for April 18. GPD is still waiting for the Army Corps permit. Restoration construction is estimated to start in July or August, 2024.
They are working on bid notices that were awarded last month to Cunningham Paving Company for $90,420.
This is a joint project with ODOT. GPD anticipates ODOT will award contracts soon with work expected to begin later this summer. Work will be paid by ODOT with a local match of $38,787.50.
There were no questions or comments on the planning updates.
New Business
On March 21, the Geauga County 9-1-1 Program Review Committee met and approved the Geauga County 9-1-1 Final Plan as required by Ohio Revised Code Section 128.06. Park Commissioners have also reviewed final plans.
Mr. Oros explained that the GPD has done this in the past and that GPD’s involvement is through the park rangers.
Several Commissioners had questions. Mr. Guarino asked how often this has been done in the past. Mr. Oros did not have an exact recollection, but estimated it had been about four or five years. Mr. Bates asked about cost. Mr. Oros said costs are currently paid through the Geauga County Sheriff’s office for shared usage of 9-1-1 services and believes they are minimal. Mr. Oros would research costs and get back to Mr. Bates.
The Board packet states the proposed agreement would establish a fleet management program that would manage the procurement and maintenance of vehicles through a lease and maintenance agreement over a period of 10 years. The Park District currently owns a fleet of 37 vehicles consisting of cars, trucks, SUVs and transit vans. The agreement would lower the age of the existing fleet, establish a routine replacement plan for vehicles, ensure a modern fleet conducive to effective and efficient day-to-day operation and is forecast to reduce overall operating costs in the areas of fuel economy and vehicle repairs.
Prior to a vote on the resolution, Mr. Oros reviewed several tables he prepared that detailed vehicle expenditures and the estimated cost savings associated with the Enterprise Fleet Management program for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Another table compared presented Enterprise vs. GPD Estimate of Savings over a 10-Year Period:
GPD 2024-2033 - $1,347,590 Estimate of Savings
Enterprise 2024-2033 - $1,653,726 Estimate of Savings
In addition, Mr. Oros spoke to the Chiefs of Operations for Summit and Cleveland Metroparks, both of whom said they were using and happy with the Enterprise Fleet Management program. The Director said additional program benefits include getting good value for trade-ins, improved cash flow, and saving on repairs. A downside would be if GPD had to buy out the equity in the fleet and a future park director chose not to use Enterprise. In this case, GPD would have to buy out the equity in the fleet without assistance. Mr. Oros also noted that, although the contract has a 10-year forecast, GPD is only committed on a yearly basis. The contract recognizes that the agreement is dependent upon GPD’s fiscal year budgets.
Mr. Bates asked if the expenditures for 2022-2024 were just for repairs and maintenance or also included purchases.
Mr. Oros provided the following breakdown:
Purchases: 2022 $209,000
2023 $89,800
Fuel: 2022 $100,000
2023 $82,000
Contract Services; 2022 $44,900
(mechanics/repairs) 2023 $65,700
Supplies 2022 $35,900
& Materials: 2023 $12,800
Mr. Guarino asked what would happen to the current program. Mr. Oros answered that they would totally move out, taking advantage of the equity. This year, they are proposing to move out about 5 vehicles. Mr. Guarino asked how they would move the vehicles out. Mr. Oros said they would transfer the titles, reimburse GPD for the equity, and use a private broker to sell them off. Ms. Carnabuci questioned if Enterprise negotiates repairs with current local mechanics. Mr. Oros said Enterprise has locations in Chardon and Middlefield and would negotiate repairs with local mechanics.
Mr. Oros said if questions remained, the resolution could be tabled. He described how GPD currently does things, saying that post-Covid, it has been difficult to find good, competitive government contracts for vehicles. Since Covid, they have gone to local dealerships and tried to negotiate the best prices. He also noted that the cost of repairs has increased.
It was suggested the resolution be tabled while they look at the question of vehicle disposal and have legal counsel take a closer look at the contracts.
Ms. Carnabuci asked for three-year amortization on the average for repairs and a breakdown of purchases and repairs.
The motion to table the resolution was approved unanimously.
Of the five inquiries on this proposal, GPD received only 2 RFP submissions. The first was from Ohio Plan Risk Management prepared by Summit Insurance, and the second was from Public Entities Pool of Ohio (PEP) prepared by Hylant Administrative Services.
A comparison of the insured values amounts is listed below
Ohio Plan Risk Management Public Entities Pool of Ohio (PEP)
$26,151,830 Buildings $31,498,256
$4,254,478 Personal Property $4,680,425
$1,379,933 Property Schedule $1,501,808
$287,271 Property Unscheduled $315,998
$254,138 Computer Equipment $279,552
$56,662 Computer Software $62,328
$32,384,312 Total Insured Value $38,338,367
Mr. Oros offered some background on public sector carriers. When he first joined GPD as Director, GPD was working with Ohio Plan Risk Management. However, they switched to PEP because he felt they provided better services and at a lower cost at the time.
He noted that, though the current Ohio Plan Risk proposal provides a lower premium, they did not provide a proper response to the RFP. He said that they inexplicably undervalued GPD assets by $5,154,000. Mr. Oros found this odd since the value was cited in the RFP.
Mr. Guarino noted that, if a proposer didn’t respond to the RFP as it was written, it should be thrown out and Mr. Oros agreed. Ms. Carnabuci asked if Ohio Plan Risk explained why they undervalued the organization. Mr. Oros said that GPD doesn’t typically enter into those conversations because the proposer wouldn’t be allowed to resubmit their proposal. Once an RFP is submitted, there is no discussion. Mr. Oros said they “...can’t do their thinking for them.”
Mr. Oros said the RFP was very general in nature. As part of that, each candidate requested all the documents associated with GPD’s current policy under the public entity’s rule. In his experience, Mr. Oros stated that PEP is a better risk manager than other public carriers he has dealt with.
Mr. Oros asked Ms. Sweeney to talk about PEP’s grant program, PEP+, that allows agencies to apply for up to $1,000 annually to help fund safety items that will aid in risk control or risk management efforts. Ms. Sweeney said that GPD has received a total $5,492 in PEP+ grants, monies that have been used for such items as signage, safety vests, cones, and safety glasses. She noted that GPD has received the full $1,000 grant amount for the past three years.
After the grant discussion, Mr. Oros noted that the timeline was tight as insurance renewal was due by the end of May. Mr. Bates made a motion for a vote that was approved unanimously.
The bid was awarded to Dunbar Mechanical, Inc, the sole proposal received, for the amount of $52,140.00. Dunbar Mechanical Inc. successfully completed the Veterans Legacy Woods - HVAC Replacement Project in 2023.
Mr. McCue noted that the biggest struggle with recent HVAC projects has been getting the actual units delivered on a normal timeline.
GPD is requesting permission to approve the donation from West Creek Conservancy to Geauga Park District of 117 acres of land northeast of GPD’s Observatory Park.
Prior to the vote on this resolution, Park Biologist Mr. Pira gave a presentation based on his two site visits and offered his evaluation of the property. He called it “...a nice piece of property for the park district,” pointing out its location adjacent to Observatory Park. Mr. Pira showed photos of younger forests and larger marsh habitat, including wetlands recently restored through West Creeks’ mitigation program. He noted the land does not have many invasive plant issues. Sandhill cranes, which are threatened in Ohio, also live on the property.
He said he used his Natural Quality Evaluation Index to evaluate the property. This Index uses 20 different metrics, such as naturalness and wildlife habitat, to arrive at a numerical value of between 0-100. He said that in general, those that rank 0-41 would be considered poor prospects for use by the Park system; 42-46 would be Average; 56-62 would be Good and over 62 would be considered Excellent. He rated this property a 52 and thinks it will keep improving.
Mr. Pira said there is a management plan developed by West Creek Conservancy that calls for controlling invasive plant species.
Mr. Guarino asked if there are any restrictions on the property. Mr. Oros said there are restrictions for the natural area, namely the invasive species mitigation and other measures that are outlined in the management plan.
Six (6) foot table with wood veneer top to be scrapped.
Commissioner’s Time
Mr. Oros gave a slide presentation about park activities for The Great Geauga Solar Eclipse on April 8. There were 3,200 “exuberant” visitors to the event held at the Geauga County Fairgrounds, where family, friends and neighbors enjoyed 360-degree visibility. A video of a very excited crowd at the moment of totality was shown.
The day offered eclipse-themed crafts and activities for kids, 11 food trucks, exclusive event merchandise and even 10 4-H chickens. Observer Note: As mentioned at the December 18, 2023 Board meeting, the Members of Geauga 4-H planned to watch their chickens to see if they in fact engaged in roosting behavior during the over three minutes of the eclipse.
Mr. Oros said the event showcased Geauga hospitality for visitors from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, New York, Kentucky, Virginia, Washington, DC, West Virginia, California, Illinois and many other areas of Ohio not in the path of totality. He praised Special Events Coordinator Ms. Sauder, Astronomy Naturalist and “Astronut” Chris Mentrek and Chief Naturalist John Kolar, thanking them for doing the heaviest lifting and “...for bringing the spectacular down to earth.” He also thanked Grounds and Facilities Manager Joe Slepko for his efforts, as well as the Ranger Department for their help with parking and security.
Mr. Oros noted that other Geauga parks hosted an additional 1,650 guests for the eclipse at other locations as follows:
500 - Frohring Meadows
400 - Observatory Park
250 - Orchard Hills Park
All 33 campsites were booked Sunday night, half from out-of-state. Sixteen facilities were reserved for Monday and 11 boating permits were issued for boating on Bass Lake.
The Director was very encouraged that Observatory Park “sold out.” In fact, he, along with other staff, helped park cars at that venue. He concluded by saying he was extremely proud of the entire staff, the food trucks were great and he was happy to hear many compliments about the kid’s crafts.
On May 5, Beartown Lakes Reservation’s lower Bear Lake received 1,200 rainbow trout stocked by the Ohio Department of Wildlife. All trout were raised in state hatcheries and measured 10-13 inches. This is the third year of stocking and was at no cost to the GPD. Rangers reported many anglers have been at the park fishing with lots of success. There are also reports of nice-sized fish caught through the ice last winter.
The Maple Sugaring Season ended after 16 public programs including three Saps-Arisin’ Sundays in February and March. Total attendance was 1,341 for the sugaring programs.
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1,558 visitors came to the West Woods Nature Center.
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There were 119 programs that were attended by 3,330 patrons.
There were no comments from the Board members.
Executive Session - Mr. Oros stated that there was no need for an Executive Session.
Public Comment - Per Geauga Park District Policy, no public comment permitted.
Next meeting – Monday, May 20 at 8:30 am
Motion to adjourn was made and approved unanimously at 9:13 am.
See the GPD Website for Additional Information and Minutes
Observers: Rooney Moy
Editor: Gail Roussey
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: April 20, 2024
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