Park and Trail Maintenance: The storms in July brought minor damage to parks and trails. Tree debris cleanup and trail repairs were completed.

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1 DATE: August 16, 2016 TO: Marion Mayor & Council Park Board Activity Donation Request: The Board declined a request from Linn- Mar School District to provide an employee participation incentive for their United Way Fall Campaign. Pavilion Refund Request: The Jacobson Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship reserved the Depot pavilion to host an entrepreneurial camp on July 13 which was cancelled due to severe weather warnings. The group requested a refund or to use the paid fees for a camp in The Board approved allowing the group to use the paid fees during the 2017 season. Department Report Lowe Park Development: Weather and poor soil conditions have impacted the grading of the parking lots and roadway. The project completion time line has been adjusted from a mid-august completion to mid-september. Poor soil conditions have required the contractor to grade to a deeper depth and replace soils with a macadam aggregate base. Waldo s Rock Park: Construction of this new park is ongoing with trail, parking lot and roadway grading and subbase materials installed, temporary seeding was also completed. Frequent rains over the past month and availability of hot mix asphalt from the Marion plant has had an impact on the construction schedule for this project. The project was originally slated to be completed in the spring of 2017, however, at the present time we are looking at more of a mid to late summer completion. Pavilion construction and paving will get underway in August. The department is currently soliciting quotes from experienced pond restoration contractors to deepen the pond to allow for fish habitat and overwintering. Park and Trail Maintenance: The storms in July brought minor damage to parks and trails. Tree debris cleanup and trail repairs were completed. New No Vehicles Beyond this Point signs have been installed at park trail heads to help prevent vehicles from driving on the trails. Unauthorized vehicles on the trail are a danger to trail users and cause unnecessary wear to the trail itself. 1 P a g e

2 Seasonal employees have been staining split rail fencing in Thomas, Legion, and Donnelly Parks and along the Boyson and Parkview Trails. Sandboxes in Thomas and Hanna Parks have been topped off for the season. sandboxes continue to be very popular with young park visitors. The Ascension Park Parking Lot: In partnership with the Ascension Lutheran Church, the department is assisting with painting of parking stalls. The parking lot is used by both the church and the park. The church will be responsible for the cost of paint and the department will provide equipment and personnel to paint stalls. City Square Park: Two trees were removed in the northeast corner of City Square Park near the planter boxes to allow for repair of the sidewalk. New concrete was placed and offsets ground down to eliminate trip hazards in this pedestrian area. Fungicide Release NE Marion: Release of a fungicide over NE Marion on the evening of July 26 resulted in the need to clean and disinfect the entire footprint of the swimming pool in Willowood Park. Thirty-four members of our pool and parks staff were called in the next morning and completely washed and wiped down the pool deck, every fixture, and the fencing. The entire pool staff should be complemented for their efforts and quick response to the call for help. Recreation and Aquatics Coordinator Karlene Hummel led our response efforts and did a great job coordinating the clean-up and minimizing the impact to pool operations. Urban Forestry: Parks Operation and Urban Forestry staff completed storm damage removals, dead tree removals, and cleared up some routine right-of-way clearance and visibility concerns. The seasonal employees have been instrumental in providing the extra help needed to complete these items in a timely fashion. Priority maintenance trimmings were completed and are now caught up. One memorial tree at Lowe Park was replaced which was originally planted this spring. Tree Inventory: Staff are continuing right-of-way tree inventory. The Engineering Department assisted in combining the collected data from 2015 with past data. The information will allow Urban Forestry Staff to assess Marion s urban canopy and prioritize future right-of-way tree maintenance needs. EAB Treatments: Bids are being reviewed to purchase equipment to allow staff to administer tree injection treatments on public Ash trees to prevent the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). 2 P a g e

3 Urban Forestry Webpage: On the City s webpage, Urban Forestry will be added as a new option under the Parks and Recreation category. The content is being gathered and will be added soon. This will help answer many questions and allow the opportunity for residents to search ordinance requirements, approved/recommended tree species, pest and disease updates and other public tree information. Citizen Requests Tall Grass/Weeds: There were 34 properties reported by citizens regarding tall grass/weeds during July. Twenty-nine properties required certified letters, and five were mowed by the department. National Night Out: Recreation staff Karlene Hummel and Tony Ireland took part in National Night Out on August 2, partnering with the Police and Fire Departments by providing games and activities. This community event gives the public a chance to interact with police and fire in a friendly, fun environment. Oak Shade Cemetery: There was one burial and five spaces sold last month. Summer BINGO: A special summer BINGO night was held July 8 and was attended by around 90 people. BINGO continues to be popular attracting players of all ages; a fall date is being considered. NEW! Dueling Pianos (recap): The first Dueling Pianos performance was held on Saturday, July 16. An estimated crowd of 2,000 people came out to take in the interactive performance. The community has provided a lot of positive feedback about this event. This performance was courtesy of funding from Hotel/Motel monies. NEW! Live Band Karaoke: Another new family-friendly summer event being held at the Klopfenstein Amphitheater, will take place on August 26 from 7 to 10 p.m. Concessions and food will be available for purchase from Marion HyVee. Guests are welcome to bring food and drink, and should bring chairs or blankets for seating. This event is sponsored by the Marion Hotel/Motel Grant program. Amphitheater Movie Night: The Good Dinosaur (rated G) will be shown on August 12 at the Amphitheater. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and watch young Arlo s epic adventure of being separated and then reunited with his family. Shaved ice, cotton candy, smoothies, popcorn, and drinks will be available for purchase. This event is sponsored by the Marion Hotel/Motel Grant program. Fall Into Fitness: This second year mini-fitness series will begin September 6. Each Tuesday at the Amphitheater a volunteer instructor will lead participants in a different fitness activity; including Dance Club Cardio, Pilates, FIT Fun (Fitness Interval Training), and Aerobic Hi/Lo Intervals. Youth Recreation Programs: Happy Feet Soccer (3-year-olds) and Lil Pigskins Football (4-year-olds) wrapped up at the end of July. There were 41 kids who participated in the Happy Feet Soccer and 19 kids in Lil Pigskins Football. 3 P a g e

4 Session 2 of Youth Tennis with Westfield Tennis will wrap up August 10 with 35 participants. Youth Archery Clinic is scheduled for August 11 at Lowe Park and is offered in partnership with Wickiup Hill and Linn County Conservation. The class is currently full with 14 registrations. Baseball/Softball Programs: Peewee baseball and softball, Blastball, Marion Boys Baseball league, and Marion Girls Softball league have all concluded their seasons. The Marion Boys Baseball league is again holding their Fall Ball Clinic. They will meet two consecutive weeks, August 8 through 19. Mondays will consist of skills and drills while Tuesday through Friday will be set up as scrimmage games. The players will be mixed up on different teams each night of scrimmage. Summer tournaments and leagues at the Lowe Diamonds are done. There will be a softball tournament in late September at the diamonds. Swimming Pool: The annual inspection at the end of July went well. They recommended repainting the baby and training pools, which was already on the schedule to be completed by staff before the 2017 season. Swimming lessons concluded for the season on August 6. The Saturday date resulted from the pool being closed one morning to clean after the mystery fungicide appearance in the neighborhood. Picnic On The Prairie: The Marion Arts Council's 3rd annual summer music concert at the Klopfenstein Amphitheater will be held August 20. Carol Montag and Calis Faurot will take the stage at 7 p.m. Come be inspired by music, art, and the beautiful outdoors. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. PAVILION RESERVATIONS JULY Pavilion Free Paid TOTAL Attendance* English Thomas Park ,040 Begley #1 Thomas Park Begley #2 Thomas Park Hanna Park Depot - City Park Taube Park TOTALS , Totals ,375 *Does not include attendees to Marion Farmers Market (Taube Park), Marion Big Band (Depot), and Uptown Marion Market (Depot). 4 P a g e

5 SAFE ROOM & ARTS CENTER USAGE JULY Events with alcohol permits: 7 Some reservations use more than one room. Room Paid Free Safe Room 2 1 Amphitheater 2 9 Lobby/Gallery 3 Art Room 6 Sunburst 2 13 Hickory 12 4 White Oak 1 4 Red Oak 3 Red & White Oak 8 5 Entire Facility 2 1 Outdoor (Pond) / Greenhouse MONTHLY TOTAL MONTHLY TOTAL Activity Type Monthly Usage Number of Attendees Building Visitors Not available Not available Gallery Open / Arts Council Activities 5 49 Seniors Bingo /Dance / Cards Senior Lunch by Summit/Witwer 2 29 Parks / Recreation 4 2,171* Sunrise Yoga Tot Time 4 22 Library Story Time 4 60 Meetings / Work / School / Church Blood Drive 1 26 Family Gatherings / Showers 17 1,440 Rehearsal/Wedding/Reception MONTHLY TOTAL 74 5,291* 2015 MONTHLY TOTAL 64 2,396 *Increased attendance at the Dueling Pianos performance provided by Hotel/Motel funding. 5 P a g e