Antrim County Parks and Recreation Commission
April 22, 2004
Minutes
Members Present:		Al Luurtsema, Russ Blasdell, Mark Stone, Jerome Dobrzelewski, Al Pecar, Mike Meriwether, Stan Moore and Jerry Basch
Members Absent:		Mike Crawford
Staff Present:		Howard Yamaguchi, Eileen Wallick
Others Present:		Kent Reynolds
I.          Call to Order
	Al Luurtsema called the meeting of the Parks & Recreation Commission (Parks & Rec) to order at 9:10 a.m.
II.         Approval of the Minutes of the March 25, 2004 Meeting
	Motion by Jerome Dobrzelewski, seconded by Jerry Basch, to approve the minutes of the March 25, 2004, meeting.  Motion passed - unanimous.
III.        Comprehensive Rec Plan Update and Public Access Sites
	Stan Moore reported that Howard has completed Section A per suggestions by Parks & Rec, and will complete Section B soon.  This leaves the hard part of the report yet to be completed.  A meeting date of the Plan subcommittee will be set for May 11 at 9 a.m.
	Stan further reported on the GPS joint field trip performed by Stan, Allen Pecar, Howard, and two members of the Helena Parks & Rec.  He reported that there were two township access sites not recorded on the County Lands book.  The two handheld units demonstrated very good agreement in lat-long readings.
	At this point, extensive discussion ensued on the pros and cons of the Parks & Rec Commission’s involvement in cataloguing and GPS-ing the access points and road endings.  Al Pecar recounted the history of his efforts, and the previous prosecutor’s in keeping the access points public.  Jerry Dobrzelewski noted the Road Commission’s efforts to document public improvements on the access points to avoid abandonment charges.  Mike Meriwether noted the Conservation District’s efforts to have the townships prioritize the access points to eliminate unfeasible ones.  Jerry Dobrzelewski noted that the Road Commission does not want to give up any access points.  Jerry Basch suggested further discussion and a recommendation from Parks & Rec in the coming months.  Howard noted that Mike Crawford may donate his GPS unit to Parks & Rec for use in such projects.
IV.        Elk Rapids Day Park
	Eileen Wallick presented signage concepts from two vendors, Alan Hubbard and Pleasant Valley Designs.  The Hubbard concept cost $2,862.  The Pleasant Valley concepts each cost about $800 for high-density foam and $750 for wood.
	The Parks & Rec members favored the “green” Pleasant Valley Design over the “brown” one by a vote of 6 – 2.  The designs will be shown to the Parks Committee and the Elk Rapids Parks subcommittee.  The subcommittee will make the final choice, subject to approval by the Parks Committee.
	Jerry Basch also briefed Parks & Rec on the possible projects for Tim Cooper, Eagle Scout candidate from Elk Rapids.  Tim wishes to do a service project at the park.  After some discussion, several options may be available to Tim:  a water-quality/environmental project under Dr. Tim Hannert’s supervision, a trail maintenance and development project under Eileen Wallick’s supervision, a tree/plant survey/marking project under Mike Meriwether’s supervision, and possibly a camp host-type project dealing with park visitors.  In any case, we need info on Tim’s availability over the next several months.  Howard will contact the Coopers.
	Howard informed Parks & Rec that Warren Studley will be present at the next Elk Rapids Day Park subcommittee meeting to talk about the history of the park.  Howard also noted that the ER Day Park website could possibly be prepared by Elk Rapids School students, much as Antrim Creek’s was done by Ellsworth High students, and Wetzel Lake may be done by Mancelona HS students.
VI.        Barnes Park Grant Update
	No progress on the grant.
VII.       Wetzel Lake Update
	A Wetzel Lake subcommittee meeting was held on April 7.  Numerous fund-raising proposals were considered.  An ice-cream social for Bass Festival and an electronic flea market (selling recycled electronics) are under consideration.
	Allen Pecar reported that Mancelona School District is interested in working with the County and Township for Wetzel Lake Park, including web site design and video production.
VIII.      Elk Rapids Trail Update
	Kent Reynolds of the Elk Rapids Rotary Club briefed Parks & Rec on the progress of the proposed trail studies.  The Elk Rapids Rotary has approved the retention of a consulting firm to perform the study, and RFPs have been sent to four firms experienced in the design of trail systems.  Interviews will be this week.  The scope will be to select a route from Elk Rapids to Williamsburg and Acme, and prepare cost tables in the formats required by funding agencies.  The Rotary Club is also interested in working with Parks & Rec to develop a county trails master plan.
IX.        Member Comment
	Al Luurtsema instructed Howard to put a Parks & Rec millage on the agenda for next month.  Jerry Dobrzelewski requested county taxable values for next meeting.
	Howard and Al Luurtsema briefed Parks & Rec about possible highway safety grants from MDOT, involving Antrim County as a potential pilot site.
	Meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
	Next Meeting Thursday, May 27, 2004, at 9:00 a.m.