Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Rochester Park Board Meeting - August 25, 2026

Boards and Commissions — Tuesday, August 25, 2026

BodyRochester, Minnesota

SessionBoards and Commissions

DateTuesday, August 25, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:52:53

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

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█████████████████████████████████████████████47%

Procedural███████████████16%

Public Engagement███████████12%

Public Works█████████9%

Budget Equity Analysis█████5%

Trail Development████4%

Environmental Protection██2%

Public Safety██2%

Public Comment█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Rochester Park Board Meeting - August 25, 2026

The Rochester Park Board met on August 25, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. in the Government Center, Conference Room 1. The board approved the consent agenda, discussed several new business items including a concession agreement for Soldiers Field Golf Course and funding for the Rochester Outdoor Tennis Center court reconstruction, and held a joint meeting with the Olmsted County Parks and Trails Commission. Board member April Sutor was welcomed as the new Ward 4 representative, and Mark Bilderback was thanked for his service. All votes were unanimous except the tennis center funding, which passed 5-1.

Consent Calendar

Agreement with Rochester Active Sports Community: Authorized the agreement for the Rochester Active Sports Community to provide financial assistance for construction of mountain biking amenities at Gamehaven Regional Park. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Tim Nela, General Manager of Townies Philly Kitchen & Bar: Expressed the desire to remain at the Soldiers Field Golf Course concession location, noting the five-year history with the community and positive feedback. He acknowledged that the lease ends this year and that there is a possibility of other proposals (RFPs). He stated hope that the board would consider extending their tenure.

Discussion Items

Soldiers Field Golf Course Concession Agreement – Financial Overview and Recommendation for 2027 Operations: Parks and Recreation Director Paul Widman recommended initiating an informal request for proposals (RFP) for concession services at the clubhouse, citing the need for a transparent process given the below-market rental rate and increased park activity. Discussion included the history of the current vendor (Townies), the informal RFP process, potential involvement of board members in proposal review, and the importance of market value assessment. Commissioner Rebekah Kunz expressed preference for negotiating with Townies first before soliciting other proposals. Commissioner Martin Cormack emphasized the need for transparency since the space is publicly subsidized. Director Widman noted Townies would be invited to participate. The motion to authorize the informal RFP passed unanimously.
Rochester Outdoor Tennis Center Court Reconstruction Project: Recreation and Sports Facilities Division Head Ben Boldt presented the plan to reconstruct Courts 9–14 at Kutzky Park. He reviewed prior work (Courts 1–8 rebuilt in 2019, ADA upgrades in2023). The project is estimated at $630,000, with $250,000 from the Raise the Net fundraising group, up to $200,000 from a pending U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) grant, and $180,000 remaining. The city has $175,000 in a court resurfacing fund (from voter-approved tax levy), leaving a gap of $5,000–$8,000 to be covered by Parks and Recreation Reserves or Park Board Community Funds. Discussion included concerns about cost overruns (bids came in higher than estimate), the condition of courts (Commissioner Paul Marino described courts 12–14 as an embarrassment), comparisons to pickleball renovations at Cook Park, and the risk of neglecting other projects if funds are diverted. Commissioner April Sutor voted against, citing discomfort with pulling money from other needs. The motion to approve use of reserves and community funds passed 5–1 (Sutor opposed, Ramaker absent).
City of Rochester Park Board and Olmsted County Parks and Trails Commission Joint Meeting: The two bodies shared updates on projects and priorities. City staff highlighted the CAPRA reaccreditation, the upcoming Park System Plan update, and status of major capital projects (Soldiers Field, Silver Lake, MLK Park, etc.). County staff presented on Oxbow, ChesterWoods, Lake Zumbro, and Root River park master plans, along with a county-wide trail master plan in development. Discussions covered connectivity of trails, collaboration to avoid duplication, volunteer groups (Friends of Oxbow, Friends of Chester Woods), and public engagement methods. No formal action taken.

Key Outcomes

Approved Minutes: Minutes from June 2, 2026 approved unanimously.
Approved Monthly Bills: For June and July 2026, approved unanimously.
Received Reports: Parks and Recreation monthly reports for June and July2026, received and filed.
Financial Performance: Year-to-date financials through July2026, received and filed.
Agreement with Rochester Active Sports Community: Authorized unanimously.
Soldiers Field Concession RFP: Authorized the Parks team to initiate an informal request for proposals for concession services, with a return to the board for consideration. Approved unanimously.
Tennis Center Funding: Approved use of Parks and Recreation Reserves and Park Board Community Funds to cover the funding gap for reconstruction of Courts9–14. Passed 5–1 (Commissioner Sutor voting no). .- Joint Meeting: Held with Olmsted County Parks and Trails Commission; no action taken.
Adjournment: Motion passed unanimously.

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.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com