OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Rochester Park Board Meeting - August 4, 2026

Boards and Commissions — Tuesday, August 4, 2026
BodyRochester, Minnesota
SessionBoards and Commissions
DateTuesday, August 4, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:52:53
Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

That's just from all right.

0:08

Before we do roll follow the new board member until sooner.

0:14

Uh Mark Viltenbeck's uh four-year term was up.

0:18

And uh but we thank Mark Lewis service he was here for years and 12 years on the city council.

0:23

So he's had a lot of public involvement.

0:25

So thanks to Mark.

0:28

All right.

0:30

Uh tour and our role.

0:34

Marty, we'll start with you, please.

0:36

Marty Cormac Ward One.

0:38

Cindy Morgan.

0:41

People sooner order board.

0:43

Hallmarino Ward Two.

0:46

All right.

0:47

Thank you very much.

0:48

Who are you again?

0:49

Uh Gary Newman.

0:50

I'm the uh the at-large representative.

0:54

So all right.

0:55

First I the second item on the agenda of the minutes of the meeting.

1:03

Does anybody have any questions or issues on that?

1:07

I'm not seeing anybody raise.

1:09

So can all second April.

1:15

All favor say aye.

1:16

Aye.

1:19

And is the order of the agenda.

1:21

I think we're gonna make one change.

1:23

Um it's listed on the agenda 9b is meeting with uh the old step county parts forward another item relating to the Rochester outdoor tennis project.

1:38

Also listed as I think it's better if we move the uh make that the new 9B and the uh meeting with the county board.

1:49

C is that acceptable.

1:52

I take a multi-dose.

1:54

Oh Marty, there's a second, Becky.

1:56

All in favor say aye.

1:57

Aye, okay.

1:58

Thank you.

2:01

Okay, the next uh item on our agenda is the open comments period and our open time.

2:09

This will take me just a second to go through this.

2:12

Uh each speaker gets two minutes until we don't want to have one today up this can be used with 10 speakers, two minutes.

2:21

Um so um the other thing is people should know that uh we usually don't respond to comments made at the open comment that will be taken under advisement or looked at uh later.

2:32

Uh some items are not items for discussion at the open comment period, and that's any matters under negotiation, litigation or related to personnel will not be discussed during open comment, and that's consistent with the mayor cow procedures as well.

2:50

Uh we have one uh person to speak at the open comment, and that's Tim Neela from Nella.

2:58

Okay, you can stand up and put someplace where I could see you if you'd like.

3:03

All right, so you said it's just me two minutes.

3:05

Two minutes.

3:06

Okay, okay, all right.

3:07

So thanks to Nola, I'm general manager over at townies, and so I actually have two minutes.

3:14

A lot of it is just Brian Becker and I are here because we are we're townies and we just want to have a little conversation.

3:24

Us staying in the location that we're at right now for concession board.

3:28

We've been there now for five years, and we're at a we're in a position right now where we feel as if we're doing a lot for the community, we're getting a lot of positive feedback, whether it's the golfers, people that are using the quite extra and conversation in regards to just extending our location.

3:47

We're in a position right now where at that five-year mark, especially in a an industry like a restaurant.

3:53

This is that time right now.

3:54

We start seeing those changes, we start seeing making those strides to essentially become like a big staple in the community knock, and we feel like with us being in that location initially getting started was a little bit tough.

4:07

We had to do a lot of things in regards to like we were doing 50 second beers, we're doing crazy ways to get people to come to our establishment, come to our location, and now we're in a position where after five years, we feel as if we're if we remain in that area, do a lot more with the space that we have now just based on the fact that we can establish a relationship with the community.

4:30

People know us, we have a lot of people here that definitely see a place that they go to.

4:36

And uh we know that our lease is up at the end of this year.

4:41

We are hearing that there's an opportunity for other people to submit proposals, RFPs.

4:47

We're in this right now.

4:49

We're saying we want to stay in that space, we'd like to remain in that space.

4:52

And that with that being said, that's the reason why uh myself and Brian are here.

5:00

And hopefully, when we uh get to that, get to that part of the agenda and discuss that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████37%
Parks And Recreation████████████████16%
Procedural███████████████15%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Trail Development██████████10%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Public Comment██2%
Public Safety██2%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Rochester Park Board Meeting - August 4, 2026

The Park Board convened on August 4, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. at the Government Center. The meeting covered consent items, public comment, and several new business items including golf course concessions, tennis court reconstruction, and a joint presentation with Olmsted County. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the minutes of the June 2, 2026 meeting.
  • Approved monthly bills (July 2026) as presented.
  • Authorized an agreement with the Rochester Active Sports Community to provide financial assistance for mountain biking amenities at Gamehaven Regional Park.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tim Neela, General Manager of Townies, requested that the city negotiate an extension of the current concession agreement at Soldiers Field Golf Course clubhouse rather than issuing a new RFP. He cited five years of community service and expressed a desire to remain at that location.

Discussion Items

Soldiers Field Golf Course Concession Agreement (Item 9A)

  • Staff (Paul) recommended initiating an informal Request for Proposals (RFP) for concession services at the Soldiers Field clubhouse, citing changed conditions since 2021 and a need to assess market value. Staff had begun discussions with the current vendor (Townies) in June but did not reach a conclusion.
  • Board Member Becky moved to first try negotiating an extension with Townies and, if that failed, then issue an RFP. After discussion, the board voted on the original motion to authorize the informal RFP.
  • Board Member Gary argued for a fully open and transparent process given the subsidized (below‑market) nature of the concession.
  • Outcome: The board unanimously approved authorizing staff to initiate an informal RFP for concession services and to return with a recommendation. The board also noted that Townies would be invited to participate.

Rochester Outdoor Tennis Center Court Reconstruction (Item 9B – reordered as new 9B)

  • Staff presented the project to reconstruct courts 9–14 at Kutzky Park. Total project cost is $630,000. Funding sources: $250,000 from the community group Raise the Net, up to $200,000 pending from a USTA grant, and $180,000 from the city’s court resurfacing fund (part of the voter‑approved tax levy). A gap of $55,000–$80,000 remained after bids exceeded estimates.
  • Staff proposed covering the gap from the Park Board reserve fund (discretionary funds) and/or Park Board community funds.
  • Several board members expressed concerns about cost overruns and impacts on other park needs, but others noted the poor condition of courts 12‑14 and the strong community fundraising effort.
  • Outcome: The board unanimously approved the use of Parks and Recreation Reserves and Park Board Community Funds to cover the funding gap for the court reconstruction project. Staff will return in September with a formal bid acceptance pending the USTA grant decision.

Joint Meeting with Olmsted County Parks and Trails Commission (Item 9C – reordered)

  • City Parks and Recreation Director Paul and County Parks Director Carlin presented overviews of their respective departments and capital projects.
  • City highlights: Soldiers Field, Silver Lake improvements, MLK Park construction, new maintenance facility, CAPRA reaccreditation, and upcoming park system plan update.
  • County highlights: Oxbow Park campground relocation and camper cabins, Chester Woods amphitheater and playground, boat launch improvements at Lake Zumbro, and development of a countywide trails master plan.
  • Both emphasized collaboration and non‑duplication of services. No action was taken; the meeting was informational.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimously approved all consent items and monthly bills.
  • Unanimously approved (8A) the agreement with Rochester Active Sports Community for mountain biking amenities.
  • Unanimously approved (9A) authorizing an informal RFP for Soldiers Field Golf Course concession services.
  • Unanimously approved (9B) using Parks and Recreation Reserves and Park Board Community Funds for the tennis court reconstruction project.
  • No action on the joint meeting (9C); board directed staff to schedule future joint meetings.

Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

That's just from all right. Before we do roll follow the new board member until sooner. Uh Mark Viltenbeck's uh four-year term was up. And uh but we thank Mark Lewis service he was here for years and 12 years on the city council. So he's had a lot of public involvement. So thanks to Mark. All right. Uh tour and our role. Marty, we'll start with you, please. Marty Cormac Ward One. Cindy Morgan. People sooner order board. Hallmarino Ward Two. All right. Thank you very much. Who are you again? Uh Gary Newman. I'm the uh the at-large representative. So all right. First I the second item on the agenda of the minutes of the meeting. Does anybody have any questions or issues on that? I'm not seeing anybody raise. So can all second April. All favor say aye. Aye. And is the order of the agenda. I think we're gonna make one change. Um it's listed on the agenda 9b is meeting with uh the old step county parts forward another item relating to the Rochester outdoor tennis project. Also listed as I think it's better if we move the uh make that the new 9B and the uh meeting with the county board. C is that acceptable. I take a multi-dose. Oh Marty, there's a second, Becky. All in favor say aye. Aye, okay. Thank you. Okay, the next uh item on our agenda is the open comments period and our open time. This will take me just a second to go through this. Uh each speaker gets two minutes until we don't want to have one today up this can be used with 10 speakers, two minutes. Um so um the other thing is people should know that uh we usually don't respond to comments made at the open comment that will be taken under advisement or looked at uh later. Uh some items are not items for discussion at the open comment period, and that's any matters under negotiation, litigation or related to personnel will not be discussed during open comment, and that's consistent with the mayor cow procedures as well. Uh we have one uh person to speak at the open comment, and that's Tim Neela from Nella. Okay, you can stand up and put someplace where I could see you if you'd like. All right, so you said it's just me two minutes. Two minutes. Okay, okay, all right. So thanks to Nola, I'm general manager over at townies, and so I actually have two minutes. A lot of it is just Brian Becker and I are here because we are we're townies and we just want to have a little conversation. Us staying in the location that we're at right now for concession board. We've been there now for five years, and we're at a we're in a position right now where we feel as if we're doing a lot for the community, we're getting a lot of positive feedback, whether it's the golfers, people that are using the quite extra and conversation in regards to just extending our location. We're in a position right now where at that five-year mark, especially in a an industry like a restaurant.

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