Lake County Gazette

City of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Board met June 27.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

I. Call to Order 

The Parks and Recreation Board Meeting was called to order by Chairman Marc Silver at 6:00p.m. The following were present:

Board Members: Mr. Timo Berger- arrived at 6:28pm

Mr. Kevin Carden

Mr. Mark Gorman

Ms. Kaci Spirito-arrived at 6:01pm

Staff: Ms. Sally Swarthout, Director of Parks and Recreation

Mr. Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation

Mr. Michael Thomas, Director of Public Works

Mr. Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks & Forestry

Ms. Dani Spann, Administrative Assistant

Mr. Anthony Anaszewicz, Program Manager, Athletics

Public: Ishwar Laxminarayan, Executive Director of Lake Forest Library 

Melanie Rummel

Ara Goshgarian

II. Approval of Minutes 

Meeting Minutes of the May 16, 2023 Parks & Recreation Board Meeting were presented and approved.

Board member Carden motioned for approval of the minutes and Board member Gorman seconded. The Board meeting minutes of May 16, 2023 were then unanimously approved. 

III. Opportunities for the Public to Address the Board on Items not listed on the Agenda Ishwar Laxminarayan, Executive Director of Lake Forest Library, introduced himself and gave a brief update on the dome project being almost repaired. He also wanted to invite Board members to the 125th birthday bash for the Library on July 8th from 1pm-3pm.

IV. Deerpath Park Athletic Field Improvements Update 

Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks and Forestry updated Board members on the project. Next month the truck traffic will increase. Flaggers will be out to help with traffic. Building foundations along with curbing and concrete work will start next week. Turf arrives on July 15. Approval was received from the Building Review Board for the changes to the south maintenance garage building. Late July/August the buildings will arrive. They are looking to add additional pickleball courts. Discussion followed on adding security cameras at the fields. Mr. Myers added that cameras will be installed to allow the public to watch the games live.

V. Update from Athletic Field Usage Committee 

Anthony Anaszewicz, Athletics Program Manager, talked about what the Athletic Field Usage Committee has been working on. The first phase is the data collection phase. A questionnaire is being created to gain feedback on trends of turf vs. natural fields. The next phase will be to collect financial data information. The Committee will meet at the end of next week to discuss the fee structure. They will continue to evaluate and collect data during this time. Discussion followed on making sure to communicate to the Community and ensure their ideas will be heard.

VI. Update on Festival and Fireworks Event 

Joe Mobile, Superintendent of Recreation, updated Board members on the 4th of July Festival and Fireworks event. This is a fundraiser for the Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Foundation. Mr. Mobile went over the schedule of the event, bands playing and time of fireworks. Tickets will be available online until 3pm on July 4 and available for purchase at the admission gates. Mr. Mobile talked about the general parking, VIP parking and the food vendors participating. Ticket sales are currently at 500 general admission, 40 VIP admission and 79 premier parking passes sold.

Director Comments 

Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks and Forestry, gave an update on Northcroft Park and South Park. There were over 440 responses to the survey that was given at the open house held at Northcroft Park. Mr. Myers and his team will meet in the next two weeks to go over those results. Chuck Myers is seeking a grant this summer for South Park. Phase II will be starting. A public meeting will be held on July 11th regarding the Masterplan for South Park.

Director Swarthout talked about the history of the current classroom at Waveland Park and led the Board members on a tour to discuss and share ideas for improvements and uses for the current building. Some ideas shared were using it for educational and nature classes, birthday parties, a little Lake Forest (pretend city). Great ideas were shared and discussed.

VII. Board Member Comments 

Chairman Marc Silver complimented staff on keeping the community updated with the electronic and social media notifications. He also thanked the committees for the work they’ve put in along with the extra time and effort.

VIII. Adjournment 

Board member Spirito motioned for adjournment and Board member Gorman seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 6:46p.m.

https://cms9files.revize.com/cityoflakeforestil/Document_center/Agendas%20and%20Minutes/Parks%20and%20Recreation%20Board/2023/PRB%20062723%20Minutes.pdf