Starke County Park Board Minutes – 061615

Board Attendance: Marcia Bedrock, Roger Chaffins, Skyler Ellinger, Debbie Mix, Rosemary Rose.

Call to Order at 6:05pm at the County Annex Building Pledge of Allegiance

The minutes from the May meeting were read by Ms. Mix. A correction needs to be made on the last line and change the anem from Ms. Bedrock to Ms. Rose. The Mr. Chaffins made a motion to accept the minutes as corrected and the motion was seconded by Ms. Bedrock. A vote was taken and the motioned was carried.

Bass Lake Beach and Campground Progress:

Mr. Wallsmith apologized for not attending the last meeting and stated he had attempted to contact each of the board members individually to apologize.

Mr. Wallsmith noted that there was agreement at the campground inspection in April that each grlgup would make a list. He noted the list from the Park Board by letter was received after Mr. Callahan had made a list. Mr. Wallsmith noted that some issues have already been corrected.

Mr. Callahan came up and talked of the list he had created and the corrections that have b en made as well as some issues he would like the Park Board to work with them.

reported that he North Beach Bathroom, when it was built, had no venting. He thought the wall

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had been destroyed by termites, but found instead it was decay from water damage. He showed

an example of the wood that had been taken from the area and he showed some photos. He stated he would like to amend the sequence of some of the corrections that the board had given.

He noted the installation of an ADA water fountain should be under capital funding and as

per the lease, an estimate be given to the Park Board and then to the Commissioners for approval

to. take the cost off the rent.

:·          Ms. Bedrock asked the age of the buildings and the consensus was they were built prior to 1953, more likely in the mid-1940’s.

Mr. Callahan noted that due to the extreme condition of the building, the north beach bclthroom is being worked on. He has torn down walls and is rebuilding a big part of the building. Concrete is expected to be poured tomorrow, weather permitting. The work is being done by Larry’s Maintenance at a cost of about $5000. He would like approval from this board to deduct

this cost from the rent. He was asked to provide an estimate with the cost and the extent of the

work. A motion was made by Ms. Bedrock to approve the work and once the estimate has been provided and for, to approve the deduction off the rent. Mr. Callahan is to continue with the work towards completion. The motion was seconded, voted upon and it carried.

• Mr. Callahan went through the issues the Park Bard sent in their letter. The 30-day calendar fixes were addressed and he announced that the faucets in the bathrooms have all been repaired or rebuilt and they are all in working condition. The GFI protection in the bathrooms have now been completed. Regarding the north beach bathroom, covering the electrical outlets that are exposed to the weather was discussed. For the sake of safety, the outlets have been disconnected.

Mr. Callahan noted if safety is the issue, he would like to keep the electric disconnected in that area and leave it to another time to address. That electric was initially placed there for use by th                                              Bass lake Festival for a carnival.                                                     It hasn’t been used since he’s taken possession of the beach. The Park Board would like the wires to be covered and dealt with in an appropriate rn:anner.

As for the “end of the year” issues, Mr. Callahan addressed each;

Fence around the garbage area. He had some concerns about locking it away from usage and the board stated they weren’t asking for it to be locked up. Disguising the garbage area is all that we are asking and to conceal it the best he can.

– Concrete pad around the fountains. Mr. Callahan noted that when the new fountains go in. thev will be done correctly.

• Picnic tables. He is in the process of pressure washing and painting the picnic tables. 3 have been junked and 53 need minor repairs. He hasn’t replaced 15 yet and was asking for direction to acquire new ones from the State parks. They offer the tables for $1O each, but they can only purchased by a government agency. He was asking that the park board please defer the replacement provision since the ones they have are being repaired. The board agreed to the upgrade of the current tables and they would like to see the replacement of the 3 that were discarded. There are 60 sites and when asked how many picnic tables are “enough”, Mr. Callahan noted about 70- 80 tables should be enough.  He is working towards that number. The board agreed to allow him to defer replacing 15 tables. We would like to learn more about the state program of purchasing tables for $10.
  • Hook-ups.    7 have been upgraded to 50 amps, and 8 are in the process of upgrades.

Mr. Callahan then addressed issues that were on his list for repairs that he presented this evening. He gave a Status Report handout and explained some of it.

1. sand – 1O loads have been delivered with most being graded into the beach and another 1O loads have been ordered, not purchased.
2. Upgrade handicap accessibility – fixtures have been ordered. They will be installed upon arrival and the concrete slab required will be a part of the upgrade.
3. Fence – 80% progress
4. Abandoned Diving Board- this is a safety hazard and the DNR is declining their removal of it. It has been marked with a buoy. The Park Board has agreed to write a letter to the DNR requesting its removal. The diving board was placed there by the State and hasn’t been used in many years. It sunk and remains as a hazard.
5. 50 amp service – already addressed above.
6. Exterminate termites in north beach house- addressed above. Upon further inspection

,there are no termites. The damage is water damage only.

• New exhaust fans for beachside bath and wiring brought up to code They are ordered & the work will commence when received.
• Bath GFI- completed.
• Boat Slips – completed. 1 pier is in the water. There remains a problem when people tie up to the pier and don’t use the augers.
• South side pavilion roof – it is currently safe per a contractor but it needs replacement. He is asking this item be deferred.
• Grade road in beach parking lot and in campground. Weekly maintenance is being done and currently awaiting more material. This is continuous work and the road will eventually need replacement, which will be a capital improvement.
• Painting. – Painting is scheduled to be done. There was a contest by campers for color schemes.
• Campground bath- renovations have been completed with the gutting and removal of rotted wood, and installation of tile from the floor to the ceiling.
• Weed eradication – Partial removal of vegetation on the beach. He is waiting for the weed control program of the Bass Lake Conservancy District (BLCD) that is approved by the DNR. A BLCD board member was present and explained that the weeds they removed are limited to the Eurasian Milfoil, not native weeds (although last year they were given special permission to treat a limited amount of native plants). He is aware that about 625 square feet may be removed yearly by each property owner. He suggested that they inquire from the BLCD for a book that’s free of charge that identifies all weeds and explains how to removed them.
• Picnic table – explained above.
• Replacement of fencing around the property.    A claim for the damaged fence was attempted by Mr. Callahan but was denied. They had obtained a quote. There are no funds

Starke County Park Board Minutes – 061615

to pay for this. The board discussed this issue and agreed we need to look further into this at a later time. There are ways to make the fencing safe and it may be possible to stretch the fencing to straightening out.

A discussion about the ditches was had with the question of who’s responsible for maintaining them? This is a State Road and when the State trucks go by the campground, they lift their machines and go by without mowing them. Since County roads are maintained by the County and the State maintains their roads, it would seem that the State would need to maintain the part of the State roads that aren’t being maintained by individuals. Much

: discussion was going on and several groups had small conversations going on. This discussion needs to be tabled to another time.

Mr. Wallsmith again brought up that capital improvements are the responsibility of the landlord, while maintenance are that of the tenant. He made several suggestions of how the Park Board could be of assistance to the Bass Lake Beach and Campground. He would like to have an entity created that can receive funds for capital improvements through contributions and fundraisers. The park board can also apply to the Council and Commissioners for a budget item to obtain appropriations. The park board can partner with the Bass lake Property Owners Association to divert/pay for funds for the beach/campground. And example given was to charge a fee of slip rentals and picnic sites or temporary slip rentals for guests. Many of the property owners aren’t on the water side, and require water/boat access. The park board can explore these ideas to help offset some of the costs for capital improvements.

!:         A consistent objective is to provide recreational facilities to the public and the more we can give that, the objective is fulfilled.

Discussion about using inmates or community service workers for maintenance on the ground brought new questions. He suggested we look at the scope of what can be done by them since this is a county property. Another question was if the campground can utilize the highway dept.’s equipment, paying only for materials and labor?                                                                                                   Mr. Wallsmith would like the Park Board to apply to the Council and Commissioners for funds to address the extensive capital improvement costs.

Mr. Callahan will have a status report to the board prior to the next meeting. Forest Report•                                                               .

Ms. Mix went on a walking tour of the forest and reported on it. She talked about the need for the boardwalk needed for the hikers as it isn’t just a small wet area. In addition, it’s right at the sightseeing tower that is used more than many of the areas. Many of the tree areas were used as experiments to figure out the best way to grow them next to which other trees.

Chestnuts and mushrooms are available to the public for free picking. Ms. Mix suggested the rest of the board arrange for a tour with Mr. Wakeland.

Other Properties- This was tabled for next meeting.

It was agreed that Deb Mix will send the past minutes to Kay Chaffins, Auditor so they can post them on the County website.

!              A motion to adjourn was made by Ms. Bedrock and seconded by Ms. Rose. Motion carried. Mieeting adjourned at 7:35 pm. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, July 21 at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by D. Mix, secretary.