OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Columbus, Indiana/Meeting Portal
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Columbus Parks Board Meeting - April 9, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, April 9, 2026
BodyColumbus, Indiana
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, April 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:06:17

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:09

I've never heard that either growing up.

0:13

I never literally had never heard that you don't take five hours.

0:22

I'm gonna ask Claude.

0:36

I don't have a mark.

0:38

My gosh.

0:41

Because it was just like the otherwise.

1:01

I'll get one now.

1:07

Either one.

1:09

Okay.

1:10

So the sixth of the 19th, let me look real quick.

1:12

So I moved to our least district.

1:20

And Chief, I think it's flexible.

1:22

Okay.

1:22

That one's kind of firm.

1:25

Okay, so either six day or nineteenth.

1:29

And the sixth is a Wednesday because of Oh, that's what I wanted.

1:34

I want six.

1:35

Yeah, because I don't have to miss Ellie's gymnastics.

1:38

Yeah.

1:38

Because hers are on Tuesdays.

1:40

So that's perfect.

1:41

Yeah.

1:41

Because that one moves.

1:42

Yeah.

1:43

Moves because of the elections.

1:44

Yep, that's perfect.

1:45

So if I'm on the sixth, can you put me on the sixth?

1:48

I can switch it to the tell them, yeah.

1:50

Ask him, tell him my daughter would appreciate it.

1:54

Yeah, if I could get on the sixth, I think that's what Eric had talked to me about.

1:59

Okay.

2:00

Thanks, Frank.

2:03

Like a minute ago, sayers.

2:50

We had a study done on that actually.

2:52

Or we could laid it out.

2:58

But I think it's got the parking lot.

3:04

You already kind of looked at it.

3:06

He's kind of quasi priced it without getting a quote.

3:18

And the angle parking facing the street, not done.

3:22

Don't want people we'd have to put all the bumpers in.

3:26

We don't want damage to the building.

3:28

But forty more spaces.

3:33

We could run that through the city.

3:43

And some sign each that we can have Brian do.

3:50

That's a great one.

3:54

He should start a conversation maybe.

3:59

I have Jefferson.

4:07

There's a lot of there's a lot of indie people up there that I know because you think we should you can't call it to order without a quorum, can you?

4:22

Or can you call it to order and then do staff reports?

4:42

Let's do it.

4:44

Seth Rice.

4:50

Okay.

4:51

Uh so for rec sports.

4:53

So our soccer league started in the month of March.

4:57

We have a hundred and two total teams and over a thousand players.

5:02

Both weeks have gone really well out at Blackwell Park.

5:06

Also, our youth baseball program uh started practicing this week.

5:10

Games will begin next month.

5:12

We have about 350 kids in our youth baseball league.

5:16

I think I touched on this a little bit last month, but we have partnered with BCSC for the first ever uh soccer league for our BCSE kids.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████████████████25%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Community Engagement███████7%
Human Resources███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Capital Projects█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Columbus Parks Board Meeting - April 9, 2026

The Columbus Parks Board met on April 9, 2026, to receive staff reports on recreation programs, financial updates, and operational matters. Staff reported on spring sports leagues, the Lincoln Park turf project, farmer's market applications, and recruitment for key positions. The board approved minutes and claims, and discussed departmental priorities.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes from the previous meeting.
  • Approved claims and payrolls for the park department.
  • Noted no donations were received for acceptance.

Discussion Items

Recreation Programs & Facilities

  • Seth Rice reported the soccer league started in March with 102 teams and over 1,000 players at Blackwell Park. Youth baseball began practice with about 350 kids. A new soccer partnership with BCSC involves 10 of 11 elementary schools (grades 4-6); Parkside did not participate. Games are at Blackwell and Clifty Creek.
  • Lincoln Park turf construction: the fourplex will be finished by April 20, but the complex will not be playable until May 29 due to concrete, fencing, and irrigation work. The first tournament is scheduled for May 29.
  • Hamilton Center updates: hosted seven Indiana Sentinels games, the Columbus Invitational figure skating competition, and nine public skating sessions during spring break. Broomball and youth hockey seasons ended.
  • Marketing: Fun Guide released for April-October. Internal staff newsletter launched.
  • Gymnastics: winter session ended; spring sessions are full. Gym equipment updates completed.
  • Recreation: farmer's market received 160 applications; 71 full-time and 43 part-time vendors can be accommodated at City Hall. The market starts May 9. Two full-time vacancies (fitness manager and recreation manager) are being filled: 60 applicants for fitness manager, 40 for recreation manager. Second-round interviews are underway; offers expected by end of April.
  • Aquatics: lifeguard and staff hiring ongoing; pool prep started. Opening day May 23.
  • Maintenance: winter work wrapping up; mowing started. Playground repairs, facility painting, and basketball goal repairs completed.

Financial Update

  • A new financial reporting format was presented for four funds: general, non-reverting, field house, and commons.
  • General fund: revenue slightly down due to fewer Life earned certifications; expenses lower than 2024. Cash balance healthy, trending toward 50% of annual expenses target.
  • Non-reverting fund: revenues up from golf, gymnastics, teams/leagues, and Hamilton. Expenses up partly due to three payrolls in January. Cash balance strong.
  • Field house fund: revenues up from rentals and ticket sales; no subsidy requested yet. Cash balance performing well; goal to break even within 3-5 years.
  • Commons fund: received first quarterly city subsidy of $1,500. Missing rent/utility payments (about $2,600) will appear in April. Expenditures include elevator repair; playground work upcoming.
  • Bond fund: complete financials will be presented next month.

Director's Report

  • Master plan staff kick-off April 27. Seeking redevelopment commission approval for project manager funds and Mill Race Park funds.
  • Ignite event raised record donations for Chuck Wilt Youth Scholarship Fund, funding 4.5 kids for a year.
  • Offline meetings to be scheduled with board members to discuss 2027 staffing requests and salary ordinance.
  • Board members invited to attend Park Foundation meeting for introductions.
  • Admin assistant role filled (Leilani Baker); she is leading OpenGov work order system implementation.
  • Ribbon cutting for Mill Race Park playground planned for week of April 27.
  • Lincoln Park turf project overage of $250,000 likely to be covered by additional funding; first tournament May 29.

Board Discussion

  • Board members asked about farmer's market vendor selection and potential expansion. Staff explained that 50 applicants were turned away, most being hobbyists, and current customer base (2,500-3,000 visitors per Saturday) supports the current size. Expansion could be considered in the future at other locations like Mill Race Park.
  • Regarding recruitment for fitness and recreation managers, staff noted candidates are from a national search; some are local, others from out of state. Board emphasized retention concerns.
  • Board members inquired about Blackwell field conditions. Staff reported improvements over last year; a turf manager has a full crew and a maintenance plan for the year. Fields are early in season and expected to improve. IUC games were relocated to the field house, reducing wear.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to approve minutes from the last meeting passed unanimously.
  • Motion to approve claims and payrolls passed unanimously.
  • Bond fund financials will be presented at the next meeting.
  • Offline meetings will be scheduled for budget discussion.
  • The board received updates on upcoming ribbon cutting and foundation meeting.

Meeting Transcript

I've never heard that either growing up. I never literally had never heard that you don't take five hours. I'm gonna ask Claude. I don't have a mark. My gosh. Because it was just like the otherwise. I'll get one now. Either one. Okay. So the sixth of the 19th, let me look real quick. So I moved to our least district. And Chief, I think it's flexible. Okay. That one's kind of firm. Okay, so either six day or nineteenth. And the sixth is a Wednesday because of Oh, that's what I wanted. I want six. Yeah, because I don't have to miss Ellie's gymnastics. Yeah. Because hers are on Tuesdays. So that's perfect. Yeah. Because that one moves. Yeah. Moves because of the elections. Yep, that's perfect. So if I'm on the sixth, can you put me on the sixth? I can switch it to the tell them, yeah. Ask him, tell him my daughter would appreciate it. Yeah, if I could get on the sixth, I think that's what Eric had talked to me about. Okay. Thanks, Frank. Like a minute ago, sayers. We had a study done on that actually. Or we could laid it out. But I think it's got the parking lot. You already kind of looked at it. He's kind of quasi priced it without getting a quote. And the angle parking facing the street, not done. Don't want people we'd have to put all the bumpers in. We don't want damage to the building. But forty more spaces. We could run that through the city. And some sign each that we can have Brian do. That's a great one. He should start a conversation maybe. I have Jefferson. There's a lot of there's a lot of indie people up there that I know because you think we should you can't call it to order without a quorum, can you? Or can you call it to order and then do staff reports? Let's do it.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com