Parks and Recreation Commission — Cornelius, NC
Date: 2024-10-09

Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC)
Tuesday, September 5, 2024 Cornelius Town Hall
5:30 – 7 p.m. www.cornelius.org/pr

 MINUTES
1) Call to Order
 Chair Kolkhorst called the meeting to order at 5:37 p.m.

2) Determination of Quorum
 A quorum was reached with seven commissioners in attendance.
 Commissioners present: Carla Eustache, Trey Fouche, Jill Rotunda, Chair Chris Kolkhorst, Robert Reed, Andrew
 Heywood, Jana Ritter, and Town Commissioner Todd Sansbury
 Commissioners absent: Jon Show and Travis Dancy
 Staff present: Director Troy Fitzsimmons, Recreation Superintendent Joshua Handelsman, and Executive Assistant
 Karen Ulmer

3) Public Appearances – Citizen Concerns/Comments
 None

4) Approval of Minutes (August)
 a) August 2024 Draft Minutes
 Commissioner Heywood made a motion to approve the minutes from the August 1, 2024, meeting as written.
 Chair Kolkhorst seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

5) Director’s Report
 a) August 2024 Director’s Report
 Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation highlighting items from his August 2024 report.

6) Parks & Recreation Commissioner Recommendations & Reports
 a) Items to be placed on record
 b) Commissioner Reports
 1) Commissioner Carla Eustache
 • She attended the ribbon cutting for the new Jetton Road Extension.
 2) Vice-Chair Trey Fouche
 • He attended the Cornelius Jazz Fest, and it was good to connect with citizens and test out the
 process for educating the public regarding the park bonds.
 • He continues to hear from people about walkability and connectivity, and how the train will promote
 those features.
 3) Commissioner Jill Rotunda
 • Her daughter attended our pickleball summer camp and enjoyed it.
 4) Commissioner Jon Show – Absent
 5) Chair Chris Kolkhorst
 • He went to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) “roadshow” at Boatyard Eats. It was primarily
 focused on the new Atrium hospital and its impacts in that area.
 • He attended Jazz Fest.
 • He attended the Legion Park reopening ceremony. Huge shoutout to the maintenance team, which
 clearly put in an amazing amount of effort to have that field looking so good and back in play.
 6) Commissioner Robert Reed
 • He has heard good things about our summer camps from other families that have attended and
 enjoyed our camps. He has had some businesses that have asked how they might partner in offering
 camps next year and was told to direct those inquiries to Josh Handelsman.
 • The Cornelius Jazz Fest was fun and a great opportunity to get the park bonds message out. He was
 surprised how many people were already aware of the bonds and are fully on board.
 • He has been enjoying use of Legion Park since it has opened. The grass is awesome, and the new
 batting cage is great. He suggested adding signage telling people where we they can park, as there
 are plenty of signs indicating where people cannot park.
 7) Commissioner Andrew Heywood
 • He attended Jazz Fest. He has attended almost every year since he moved here and just loves that
 event. It needs to stay in Smithville.
 8) Commissioner Jana Ritter
 • Jazz Fest was a great event. She noted that Cornelius Parks and Rec should be set up under a
 Cornelius Parks and Rec tent, as there was some confusion with a face painter located at their tent.
 Also, food lines were very long. Superintendent Handelsman said the tent issue has been addressed.
 As for the food lines, we had one food truck drop out, added to attendance that was higher than in
 the past, probably due to the great weather. Staff have talked about adding an additional vendor for
 next year, but it is always difficult to get that number just right.
 • She has been seeing more tennis at Robbins Park, which is great.
 • She is a big advocate for the online court rental system. It seems to be working very well.
 9) Commissioner Travis Dancy – Absent
 c) Town Commissioner Report – Commissioner Todd Sansbury
 • If the one-cent sales tax increase being proposed for Mecklenburg County passes, the Town will get back
 half of what is collected here. Those funds would be used on transportation projects, which could
 possibly be used for greenway or other bike or pedestrian projects.
 • Board approved Cain Center’s purchase of three homes at the intersection of Catawba Avenue and
 School Street. They plan to tear down one and renovate the other two, one of which will become the
 new ceramics center.
 • The Town is condemning a piece of land near the Antiquity Greenway trailhead as part of the
 realignment of the Zion Street Extension.
 • Kimley-Horn completed a traffic analysis on Bailey Road and NCDOT has said we cannot widen the road
 or add turning lanes. The Town will have to figure out a way to stack more cars in the Bailey Middle
 School parking lot. CMS does not acknowledge that Bailey Road congestion is a problem that merits them
 spending any money towards road improvements.

7) Old Business
 a) 2024 Park Bonds Referendum: Educational Campaign Update
 Director Fitzsimmons shared a presentation updating the PRC on the current state of the educational
 campaign for the 2024 park bonds. Commissioner Ritter suggested we need something to display or hand out
 that shows exactly how the question would appear on the ballot. Commissioner Eustache asked that staff
 share a digital “toolkit” with the PRC as well as user groups, partners, etc.
 b) Parks & Recreation Commission Goals & Committees
 • Strategic Planning and Long-Range Finance: Commissioner Fouche said this group will meet later in
 September to begin discussions on the FY26 Capital Improvement Plan.
 • Public Awareness: Commissioner Eustache said this group has been supporting staff in preparing the park
 bonds educational materials. She asked Director Fitzsimmons to let them know what additional support
 they can offer.

8) New Business
 a) Cornelius Youth Orchestras (CYO) Agreement Renewal
 Superintendent Handelsman shared a presentation including background on the CYO organization and our
 relationship with them. Their current agreement recently expired. Commissioner Heywood made a motion to
 authorize the Parks and Recreation Director to finalize the 2024 Cornelius Youth Orchestras’ Musical
 Education Programming Services Annual Use Agreement, based on the general terms presented, and to
 execute the agreement. Commissioner Fouche seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
 b) Bailey Road Park Complex: Tennis Program Operator RFP
 Superintendent Handelsman said that in preparation for the expanded court complex (6 tennis courts and 10
 pickleball courts) being built at the park, he has been tasked with seeking ways to program the new facilities,
 as well as coordinate their use. He shared a presentation with information regarding the Request for Proposal
 being issued for Tennis Programs. Commissioner Reed made a motion to authorize the Parks & Recreation
 Director to finalize and release the 2024 Pickleball and Tennis Programming Operator Request for Proposal
 (RFP) based on the general terms presented and to initiate the public process for selecting a qualified
 operator. Commissioner Fouche seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.
 c) Bailey Road Park Complex: Pickleball Program Operator RFP
 Commissioner Handelsman’s presentation also included information regarding the Request for Proposal
 being issued for Pickleball Programs. See motion above (Section 8.b.)

9) Adjournment
 Chair Kolkhorst adjourned the meeting at 7:37 p.m.


Next PRC Meeting – Thursday, October 4, 2024
Future PRC Meetings – Thursdays: November 7, and December 5, 2024, and January 2, 2025

Next Town Board Meetings – Mondays, September 16, and October 7 and 21, 2024