[0:29] Good evening, everyone. I'd
[0:31] like to call to order the
[0:33] September 8th, 2026 meeting for
[0:37] found Missouri's Parks and
[0:38] Recreation Advisory Board. Can
[0:41] I have a roll call, please?
[0:42] Mr. elder here. Miss Hall Baker
[0:46] here. Mr. Hester here. Mr.
[0:49] Koester present. Mr. Trammell
[0:52] here. Miss Williams.
[0:54] Present.
[0:55] Council member Wexler present.
[0:58] Fantastic. We officially have a
[1:00] quorum. Jim, would you like to
[1:01] lead us in the pledge?
[1:05] I pledge allegiance to the flag
[1:08] of the United States of
[1:09] America. And to the republic
[1:11] for which it stands. One nation
[1:13] under God, indivisible, with
[1:16] liberty and justice for all.
[1:23] Okay. Next item on the agenda
[1:25] is approval of tonight's
[1:28] agenda. Everybody should have
[1:29] been sent that in advance of
[1:31] tonight. Are there any
[1:31] comments, questions or concerns
[1:34] in the agenda? No additions or
[1:35] corrections. If that's the
[1:36] case, can I have some make a
[1:38] motion to approve the agenda?
[1:39] Elder. Elder. Second. Williams.
[1:42] All in favor, say
[1:44] aye. Aye. Anyone opposed? Okay.
[1:47] Tonight's agenda has been
[1:48] approved. Next is approval of
[1:51] the meeting. Minutes of the
[1:54] August 11th meeting last month.
[1:57] Were there any comments,
[1:58] additions or corrections to
[1:59] those meeting? Minutes? Hearing
[2:01] none. Can I hear a motion for
[2:03] approval? Elder. Elder, have a
[2:06] second. Williams. Williams. All
[2:07] in favor for approval, say aye.
[2:08] Anyone opposed? Okay. The
[2:11] meeting minutes for the August
[2:14] 11th, 2026 meeting is
[2:17] officially on the record. Next
[2:18] item is citizen comments. Do we
[2:21] have any citizen comments
[2:22] tonight? We do not. Okay.
[2:27] Moving on. We'll go right into
[2:28] the division reports. First up
[2:31] will be the parks report.
[2:34] Good evening.
[2:35] All right, so Parks Department.
[2:38] We currently have we're down
[2:39] three full time employees. We
[2:41] have made recommendations for
[2:43] two. So we have two kind of in
[2:45] the pipeline coming down. But.
[2:47] And as long as they're
[2:48] successful, then we'll only be
[2:49] down one person. But want to
[2:51] let you all know that also on
[2:53] August 12th we experienced a
[2:54] pretty good storm that really, did the most damage in
[2:59] Westhoff Park. We had some
[3:00] damage in Zumwalt, the Little
[3:02] and civic, some up here at City
[3:03] Hall, and then the majority of
[3:05] it was in Westhoff Park. So the
[3:08] team was on the scene right
[3:09] away that evening. Um, we had
[3:12] two full time staff in kind of
[3:13] assessing so we could get a
[3:15] plan ready for the next day.
[3:17] Um, if you recall, it was a
[3:19] very hot week. Um, so staff
[3:21] really did a good job. We ended
[3:22] up renting an extra chipper.
[3:25] Uh, the park staff and the
[3:26] landscape team teamed up and
[3:29] just just knocked it out. It
[3:30] did. We got best off parking.
[3:32] Really pretty good shape that
[3:33] first day. Um, there's still
[3:35] some remnants of the the damage
[3:37] in the park. Um, but by the by
[3:39] that following week, they they
[3:41] had things looking really good.
[3:42] So there's a few pictures in
[3:43] there for you guys to look at.
[3:45] Um, but, uh, yeah, it was, it
[3:48] was quite the storm. CarShield
[3:52] field. Just want to let you all
[3:53] know that the hoots are hosting
[3:54] tacos and tequila this
[3:56] Saturday. Uh, September 12th.
[3:59] Um, also at Dames Park, we've
[4:01] completed our field
[4:02] maintenance. So, uh, fields,
[4:05] uh, one through four are all
[4:06] open back up for the, uh, the
[4:08] rest of the season. And then I
[4:11] wanted to let you know some
[4:12] exciting news up at Ozzie Smith
[4:14] Sports Complex. The O'Fallon
[4:16] Convention and Visitors Bureau
[4:18] was gracious enough to donate
[4:19] US funds for an additional
[4:20] batting cage. So we're going to
[4:22] kind of duplicate what we have
[4:24] at the fourplex. It's two
[4:25] tunnels, but it's split into
[4:26] quadrants, so four players at a
[4:28] time. And that's going to go on
[4:30] the three plex side. So um,
[4:32] we're going to be meeting out
[4:33] there this week to kind of look
[4:35] where we want to put it. Um,
[4:36] tentatively we're looking at
[4:37] putting it behind field F in
[4:39] the outfield. Uh, there's quite
[4:41] a bit of space back there. Um,
[4:43] and just kind of get it also
[4:45] away from kind of set up and
[4:46] things like that. Um, so we're
[4:49] really excited about that and
[4:50] very appreciative of, uh, that
[4:53] gesture. Also want to let you
[4:55] know, uh, summer maintenance is
[4:56] also done at Sports Park.
[4:58] However, fields two and nine
[4:59] will be closed for the fall
[5:01] maintenance. So one of those
[5:03] fields I can't remember which
[5:04] one. I think it might have been
[5:05] field two. Um, it was one of
[5:07] the ones that we kept open and
[5:09] it took a beating through the
[5:10] summer. So now we're closing
[5:11] that one down and field nine,
[5:13] uh, just needs to be
[5:14] overheated, and we're going to
[5:15] give it a good shot. So, um,
[5:17] that's pretty typical for us on
[5:18] how we handle those things. And
[5:22] let's see. All right. We also
[5:24] have two new employees. I
[5:25] wanted to let you all know
[5:27] about, uh, we have Canon
[5:29] Patterson. Uh, he started on
[5:31] August 4th, and he's working
[5:32] down at Sports Park. And then
[5:34] I'll get to that last one.
[5:35] Well, I can do it now. Uh,
[5:36] Riley Decker, she started with
[5:39] the landscape division, and
[5:41] we're happy to have her on as
[5:42] well. Um, she brings a wealth
[5:43] of knowledge to the department.
[5:46] Westhoff park. Um, I think
[5:48] we've talked about this before,
[5:50] but fields five and seven,
[5:51] we're going to be renovating
[5:52] those fields. You've probably
[5:54] seen our dirt piles in Westhoff
[5:55] Park. Uh, in that lower section
[5:58] near diamond for, um, the guys
[5:59] continue to move dirt in. Uh,
[6:01] recreation is, uh, giving us
[6:03] those lower fields, uh, five
[6:05] through seven, beginning
[6:06] October 5th. So they won't be
[6:08] using those fields anymore so
[6:09] we can really get in, tear down
[6:11] the old backstops, really do
[6:13] some grading. And our goal is
[6:15] to have that ready for, uh,
[6:17] this upcoming spring. Um, we're
[6:20] gonna have a concrete sidewalk
[6:21] that goes all the way out to
[6:22] it. Um, currently, you've
[6:24] probably seen that we've done
[6:25] some, uh, Ada parking spot
[6:27] updates near the tennis courts.
[6:29] Part of that, um, that asphalt
[6:31] path that goes up to diamond
[6:32] for concessions, that doesn't
[6:34] meet Ada. It's kind of wonky
[6:36] and not great. So all of that
[6:38] new drinking fountain and then
[6:40] a concrete sidewalk all the way
[6:42] out to these, to these three
[6:43] new, uh, fields, uh, is our
[6:46] goal. Um, and we'll get rid of
[6:47] that chat. That is just a
[6:49] barrier to keep maintaining. So
[6:51] we're super excited about that.
[6:53] Um, a lot of exciting things
[6:54] going on. West Park. And then,
[6:57] of course, the Chamber of
[6:58] Commerce and Industries is
[7:00] hosting the Rail District
[7:01] Festival also on September
[7:02] 12th. So a lot going on in
[7:04] O'Fallon this Saturday. And
[7:07] then two of our staff, uh,
[7:09] attended Missouri Department of
[7:11] Conservation, uh, seminar on
[7:13] lake maintenance. We have a lot
[7:14] of new staff, and we're trying
[7:15] to get them caught up to speed
[7:16] on proper techniques and
[7:18] maintaining a variety of things
[7:19] in our parks. And then for
[7:21] those of you that walk over at
[7:23] Fort Zumwalt Park or have been
[7:24] through the park, I kind of
[7:26] debated on talking about this
[7:27] right now because I really
[7:28] wanted to do just a really good
[7:29] before and good after shot, but
[7:31] I also figured there'd be
[7:32] questions. So, um, right by the
[7:34] coal shed, there's going to be
[7:36] some shipping containers that
[7:37] are going to be put there. Uh,
[7:38] they're 20 foot long shipping
[7:41] containers, two of them. Um,
[7:42] and we rebuilt the landscape
[7:44] while we also took out the old
[7:45] footing of the old shed. For
[7:47] those of you that might
[7:48] remember that that shed that
[7:49] was there. And then landscape
[7:51] is going to come in and put
[7:52] some, uh, some, some kind of
[7:54] arbor ID type tree in there to
[7:56] kind of my goal is for so long
[7:59] you've been you come up that
[8:00] hill by the Heald home and you
[8:01] look at the side of the coal
[8:02] shed and it's overgrown with
[8:03] weeds and just doesn't look
[8:05] good. So I can't promise the
[8:06] trees will be at full growth by
[8:08] any means. It's going to take
[8:09] some time. Uh, but the goal is
[8:11] to properly, uh, protect that
[8:14] area. So you're not looking at
[8:15] those. Uh, we also added a
[8:17] sidewalk there so we could load
[8:19] people onto the hayride, wagon.
[8:21] The sleigh rides during college
[8:23] a little safer. Um, so we're
[8:26] making some changes over there
[8:28] that we're pretty excited
[8:28] about. So there's a few
[8:29] pictures in there for you to
[8:30] look at, but they're pretty
[8:31] much done with that project,
[8:33] except for landscaping needs to
[8:34] come in and do their thing, but
[8:35] we're waiting for it to cool
[8:36] off a little bit. Uh, facility
[8:40] maintenance, uh, was over at
[8:41] the, uh, over at the fort, and
[8:43] they sealed the exterior of it.
[8:46] So, again, you can look at the
[8:47] pictures, but if you go there
[8:48] and see it in person, it does
[8:49] look quite a bit different. Uh,
[8:51] when Bill first saw the
[8:52] pictures, he's like, that looks
[8:53] like AI. He thought we had done
[8:55] something funny with it, but,
[8:57] uh, it did change it a little
[8:58] bit. But it looks. It looks
[8:59] really good. Uh, facilities
[9:01] also touched up the train
[9:03] building, uh, repainted all the
[9:04] red on that. We are going to
[9:06] look, uh, next fall to doing a
[9:07] more extensive paint job on the
[9:09] exterior of that building. Um,
[9:12] so just a FYI on that. And
[9:16] then, yeah, like I said, Riley
[9:17] Decker, she started with the
[9:18] landscape department on August
[9:19] 10th with landscape. Um, and I
[9:22] think, uh, Theresa, I was
[9:24] reading the report that staff
[9:26] sent to me, and I noticed that
[9:27] they had, uh, done something
[9:29] with the flower bed over by the
[9:30] fort, and I had said something
[9:31] to Bill. I'm like, oh, my gosh,
[9:33] how does it look? Because I,
[9:34] they they took it upon
[9:35] themselves to do that. And I
[9:36] think you and Bill might have
[9:37] talked about it. Um, but sounds
[9:39] like it turned out pretty good
[9:40] for what they did. All right.
[9:42] Good deal. I was glad to hear
[9:44] that. Um, that's all I have for
[9:45] my report.
[9:47] Oh, could you. Oh, sorry. Um,
[9:51] you said you were going to put
[9:52] Arbor over at the shed. Are you
[9:53] going to, like, cover up the.
[9:54] So you can't see the shed along
[9:56] the side of the shed, or is it
[9:57] going to be towards the street?
[9:58] It'll be towards the street.
[10:01] Yeah, it'll be in that
[10:01] landscape bed that they just.
[10:03] carried over. Um,
[10:05] it'll. Yeah, it won't be
[10:06] against the shed because the
[10:07] shipping containers are going
[10:09] to go against the shed and lo.
[10:10] Oh, okay.
[10:11] Yep.
[10:12] Also, um, I don't know if you
[10:15] what you have to do with the
[10:16] log cabin, but in the small, piece of the log
[10:21] cabin, the little the little
[10:22] cabin, there's some kind of
[10:23] critter living in there. Have
[10:25] you guys?
[10:26] We'll check it out.
[10:27] Okay.
[10:27] Because every. time we went
[10:28] there. Definitely checked it
[10:29] out before. And that doesn't
[10:31] surprise me. So we'll get over
[10:32] and take a look.
[10:33] I'm pretty sure it's a raccoon,
[10:34] but, yeah, it's, uh, wreaking
[10:36] havoc on everything. That's
[10:37] okay. Every time we go in
[10:38] there, everything's all over
[10:38] the place.
[10:39] Okay. Yeah. Thank you for. Let
[10:40] me know. We'll get on that
[10:41] right away.
[10:43] Go ahead..
[10:44] On the, um, containers. That'll
[10:46] be there. Are those going to be
[10:47] owned by the city or rented?
[10:49] Could you could we be able to
[10:50] paint those somehow, maybe to
[10:51] kind of hide them.
[10:52] Or they're going to be one time
[10:53] use containers. So they're not
[10:54] going to be like the rusty
[10:56] containers that you might think
[10:58] of a shipping container. Uh,
[11:00] Jennifer is ordering those. I'm
[11:02] not sure what color she went
[11:03] with. Um, but the plan is, is
[11:06] to hopefully get the landscape
[11:08] in in such a way that
[11:09] eventually you won't see them.
[11:11] Okay, great. Thanks.
[11:15] Uh. Just curious. Jeremy, the
[11:18] storm on the 12th. Was there
[11:19] any structural damage to any
[11:21] thing other than just
[11:23] landscape?
[11:24] No. There wasn't, uh, some of
[11:25] the shade structures at diamond
[11:27] for for pickleball were laying
[11:29] down, and I was worried they
[11:30] were damaged, but they weren't.
[11:31] We were able to put them back
[11:32] up. Um, no. So no, no
[11:34] structural damage on our side.
[11:36] I know a lot of the trees were
[11:37] laying on power lines. Yeah.
[11:39] Um, so we had to deal with
[11:40] that, actually, you know,
[11:42] Ameren took care of us pretty
[11:43] good before we even got there
[11:44] the next day on some of those.
[11:45] But no, everything was okay.
[11:47] Good. Well, I'm glad it wasn't
[11:50] worse than it was.
[11:50] So I had one question I saw
[11:53] when I reread the, uh, advanced
[11:55] copy of this agenda you
[11:57] mentioned and damage to these
[11:58] various parks, but you also
[11:59] mentioned the Veterans Museum
[12:01] for my own education here. What
[12:03] does the city do for the
[12:04] Veterans Museum regarding
[12:05] maintenance?
[12:06] Yeah. So, um, we have a lease
[12:09] in agreement with them. Um, so
[12:11] there's certain things they do
[12:12] and certain things that the
[12:14] city does. I don't know all of
[12:16] them verbatim, but we maintain,
[12:18] like, the parking lot. Uh, we
[12:20] do help with the larger tree
[12:22] projects. They have a great
[12:23] volunteer base that that helps
[12:25] out there. And they've done a
[12:27] lot of, a lot of trimming the
[12:28] last year. Um, we actually
[12:30] walked the site about two weeks
[12:32] ago with them. And so, for
[12:35] example, Monday, we're striping
[12:36] the parking lot. Um, getting
[12:38] the Purple Heart spots painted,
[12:40] the Ada spots repainted, and
[12:42] then landscape is going to be
[12:44] going over there to assist or
[12:46] to help kind of get some weed
[12:47] control down to get get just a
[12:50] better stand of grass. So. And
[12:51] also our facility maintenance
[12:53] department will work on the air
[12:55] conditioners. I mean, it is a
[12:56] city I believe it's a city
[12:59] owned property. Um, don't quote
[13:01] me on that, but I can find out
[13:02] for sure on you. I know it was
[13:03] at one time what?
[13:04] storm damage did they
[13:06] sustain there at the Veterans
[13:07] Museum? Do you know?
[13:08] There was it was mainly just
[13:10] trees. Just downed trees, a
[13:12] couple of branches. Yeah. And
[13:14] then we're going back because
[13:15] there's some more that that
[13:16] everyone's worried about.
[13:20] How is everybody in your
[13:23] department dealing with the
[13:25] heat that we had recently? Did
[13:26] everybody fare okay through all
[13:28] that?
[13:28] Because I know it's been.
[13:29] Rough working.
[13:30] Yeah, it's been rough. Um, you
[13:32] know, we haven't had any
[13:33] illnesses. I'm sure the guys go
[13:34] home and don't feel the best at
[13:37] times. Uh, we encourage them to
[13:38] take extra breaks and, uh, do
[13:41] different things like that. Uh,
[13:42] a lot of the staff are on ten,
[13:43] so I was really glad that they.
[13:45] This week they switched to
[13:46] eight because of the holiday.
[13:47] So that a lot of them got to go
[13:49] home at normal or earlier time,
[13:51] uh, today and tomorrow. So I'm
[13:52] excited about that. Um, but
[13:54] yeah, it's it's been really
[13:55] hot. We've tried to adjust and,
[13:58] um, do the best that we can,
[14:00] uh, to, to be safe and to keep
[14:02] the parks to some kind of
[14:04] standard.
[14:07] Any other questions? That was
[14:09] very thorough, Jeremy. Thank
[14:10] you. I appreciate being so
[14:12] comprehensive.
[14:12] Yeah. No problem.
[14:13] Okay. Uh, we'll move on into
[14:15] the recreation report and.
[14:25] So our athletics team hired
[14:27] four umpires for the fall
[14:28] baseball season and softball
[14:29] leagues. Um, they're
[14:31] transitioning away from
[14:32] previous contracts with
[14:33] external umpire organizations.
[14:35] So we're bringing everybody
[14:36] in-house. Currently, we have
[14:38] 563 kiddos signed up for fall
[14:41] soccer, and they kick things
[14:43] off with their coaches meeting.
[14:44] That was on August 22nd. Um,
[14:47] they also are that the
[14:48] athletics team also are rolling
[14:50] out with a new scheduling
[14:51] platform and is now being used
[14:53] in most of the leagues. Right
[14:55] now for volleyball in the fall
[14:58] season, we have 24 teams with
[15:01] nine playing on Wednesdays and
[15:02] 15 on Thursdays. Birthdays
[15:04] brought in over $11,000 in
[15:07] August, and they're up to 283
[15:09] parties for the year so far.
[15:11] They're projecting to surpass
[15:12] last year's goal of 308.
[15:15] Sometime next month or this
[15:17] month, um, we are looking to
[15:20] add another dance instructor,
[15:21] as well as a tumbling
[15:22] instructor.
[15:25] Let's.
[15:26] Fall session of Civic Dance
[15:28] begins September 14th.
[15:29] Registration is open and the
[15:31] schedule is posted online. Find
[15:34] your fit returns Monday,
[15:36] September 22nd. Featuring free
[15:39] programs like Family Yoga,
[15:41] Puzzle Night Live, plus 10% off
[15:43] New Granada Center memberships.
[15:46] Uh, we are currently launching
[15:48] a proposal for community
[15:50] members to present us with new
[15:54] class ideas. Um, so we're
[15:57] trying to encourage residents
[15:58] and business or or business
[16:00] owners to submit these programs
[16:02] and help streamline instructor
[16:04] onboarding and broaden future
[16:06] programs. The aquatics team has
[16:10] revamped our swim lesson
[16:12] programs. We've reduced the
[16:14] number from 12 to 8 levels to
[16:16] improve scheduling and reduce
[16:17] cancellations. In September,
[16:20] September's enrollment saw
[16:21] gains with 72% increases on
[16:24] Saturdays and a 52% increase on
[16:26] Tuesdays. Thursdays. We also
[16:28] hired a new aquatics
[16:30] instructor, Janet Rice, who
[16:31] will be who will start teaching
[16:33] Tuesday Thursday morning
[16:35] classes. And she's already
[16:37] starting new things and
[16:39] introducing to class a new
[16:40] program, new activities.
[16:47] I have a question. Is it about
[16:49] the umpires? What drove the
[16:52] change from external to
[16:53] internal umpires?
[16:56] I believe it was just a rising
[16:58] cost. Um, by and also
[17:01] scheduling, by taking them in
[17:03] house, we're able to cover our
[17:06] fees a little bit better.
[17:08] Okay.
[17:09] And does that mean you've also
[17:11] established a training program
[17:12] and a performance review
[17:13] program for the umpires or.
[17:16] That one I'm not aware of? I do
[17:19] know they get a league handbook
[17:21] for them to refer to. And I do
[17:23] know there is a training. But
[17:25] beyond those two things, I
[17:26] don't know.
[17:30] This is more a comment from
[17:32] last month. Um, I noticed that
[17:36] the, uh, attendance for the,
[17:38] um, the tournaments, the
[17:40] baseball tournaments was, I
[17:42] think you reported 80% was
[17:44] outside of Saint Charles
[17:46] County. I think I saw what I
[17:47] read in here. Um, 20% coming
[17:49] out of state. Um, I think
[17:51] that's fantastic that we're
[17:53] able to draw people from that
[17:55] far away. So. And I assume we
[17:57] have tournaments still
[17:58] scheduled all the way to
[18:00] October, I would assume end of
[18:01] October.
[18:02] That is correct.
[18:04] Yeah, I would think so. So
[18:05] that's fine. Did we lose any
[18:07] weekends so far at all to to
[18:09] weather there?
[18:10] Uh, we haven't lost any to
[18:11] whether we had a, we had a lull
[18:13] that was scheduled that way or
[18:14] I believe the tournament
[18:15] director in August, there was a
[18:17] couple that didn't go because
[18:18] they didn't have enough.
[18:19] Teams.
[18:20] Which is pretty typical in
[18:22] August. We have experienced
[18:23] that. Um, but I think I, I
[18:25] would imagine we're going to be
[18:26] looking at that to see what we
[18:27] can do.
[18:27] Okay. That's exciting. I'd
[18:30] anxious to get an end of year
[18:31] report on, you know, just the
[18:33] overall attendance and revenue
[18:35] stream from that, since there
[18:37] was obviously a big investment
[18:38] with the turf. So, um.
[18:41] Okay, building on that, for
[18:43] those who hadn't read it.
[18:45] excuse me, in the Mid Rivers
[18:46] News magazine, there was an
[18:48] article, I think last week or
[18:49] week before about sports
[18:51] tourism and the importance of
[18:52] that to the local economy and
[18:54] how big it's gotten. And it
[18:56] mentions Ozzie Smith and things
[18:57] like that. So if you haven't
[18:59] read the article, you can go
[19:00] online and look up Mid Rivers
[19:01] News magazine. You can find it,
[19:02] look up sports tourism. It's a
[19:04] really good article. It's
[19:05] pretty long, but it also shows
[19:07] that it's a good thing O'Fallon
[19:09] got into that early because now
[19:10] everyone's trying to catch up.
[19:11] So it's nice to be a little bit
[19:12] ahead of the curve for a
[19:13] change.
[19:14] Right.
[19:14] And that's kind of goes with
[19:16] how the O'Fallon Visitor
[19:17] Bureau's helping us get this
[19:19] batting cage. They had heard
[19:20] from tournament directors. Hey,
[19:21] you really need another one.
[19:22] And, uh, they know it's
[19:24] important too, so it's been
[19:25] great.
[19:26] Yeah, it was probably a little
[19:28] difficult, actually. Not having
[19:29] those additional cages. Yep.
[19:31] Only having the ones that are
[19:33] there.
[19:33] Yeah, we had it in our five
[19:34] year CIP, but they definitely
[19:35] helped speed up sped up the
[19:37] process.
[19:37] Yeah. Yeah. Well that's good
[19:39] for us. That's fantastic. Um.
[19:41] Could I jump in real quick?
[19:42] Yeah. Uh, off of John's
[19:44] comment, um, O'Fallon actually
[19:46] received a an award from the
[19:48] Economic Development of Saint
[19:49] Charles County, um, for sports
[19:51] tourism. Um, so just a big
[19:53] shout out to economic
[19:54] development parks. Everybody
[19:55] that's involved in that.
[19:56] Congratulations, everyone.
[19:57] Yeah. It's fantastic. Um, okay.
[19:59] Any other questions or comments
[20:01] for for an. All right. Thank
[20:03] you. Appreciate it. We'll move
[20:05] on to the tourism and Festivals
[20:08] report.
[20:12] Um, there are currently working
[20:13] on freight and film. Um,
[20:15] they're working on a task list
[20:17] and they have confirmed screens
[20:19] for movies or col. They started
[20:22] an introduction of Col for new
[20:24] staff. Lights are being
[20:26] delivered. Staffs are having
[20:27] meetings, and they're posting
[20:29] part time positions. Um,
[20:31] they're contacting groups for
[20:33] gate nights and scenes. Uh, for
[20:35] the stroll. They're starting to
[20:37] work on their task lists, and
[20:38] they've reached out to parks,
[20:40] PD and volunteer services
[20:42] regarding staffing. Uh, Jasmine
[20:45] closed, um, on eight four with
[20:48] vote for Pedro, and the last
[20:50] concert was 11 for Johnny
[20:53] Rocket. For final. Voices were
[20:55] being paid. Um, they recapping
[20:59] with the county council having
[21:01] additional staff recap
[21:02] meetings, and they're sending
[21:04] out surveys for the vendors for
[21:07] Heald Home. And Fort. The third
[21:10] homestead days. And they're
[21:12] having they had interactive
[21:14] chores which had approximately
[21:16] ten per ten participants. Um,
[21:19] they attended a educators expo
[21:22] to promote, um, field trips for
[21:25] those locations fall into the
[21:27] arts. They have 24 audit
[21:29] artists, vendors, and all
[21:31] vendor fees have been collected
[21:33] and load in instructions have
[21:35] been sent to those vendors.
[21:41] Holidays and shop. Um, they
[21:44] created an application. They're
[21:46] sending an initial email out to
[21:47] past vendors, and they're
[21:48] setting up payments and rec
[21:49] track for the theater. They're
[21:52] meeting with contractors for
[21:53] renovations, and the troupe
[21:55] performed at Shakespeare, in the Park on
[21:59] August 26th. The city
[22:01] galleries, the artist reception
[22:03] on August 14th had low
[22:06] attendance. Um, and other
[22:08] things they've been working on
[22:09] are budget meetings, budget
[22:10] entries, staff meetings, AR,
[22:13] AI, software discussions, and a
[22:16] productive relationship
[22:18] training, as well as the
[22:19] Shakespeare in the Park
[22:20] performance at O'Day.
[22:24] Thank you. Any questions?
[22:27] Comments regarding the tourism
[22:28] and Festivals report? Okay.
[22:32] Thank you all for standing in
[22:34] tonight and giving us those
[22:36] reports. Moving on. Uh, next
[22:38] item on the agenda is old
[22:40] business, and it does not look
[22:41] like we have anything under old
[22:42] business. So with that being
[22:44] said, we'll move on to the new
[22:45] business. And we have two
[22:46] items. The first one is the
[22:48] aquatics presentation. By Wren
[22:54] Meeks and an..
[22:57] Hi everybody. My name is Wren
[23:00] Meeks. I'm the aquatics
[23:00] specialist for programming and
[23:02] events. Um, so just to get
[23:04] started here, um, I just have
[23:07] kind of my beginnings. I've
[23:08] been in aquatics since I was
[23:09] 15, so in 2020, I started as a
[23:12] lifeguard. Um, I've just kind
[23:13] of moved up from there. So I've
[23:15] gone to head guard. Last year
[23:16] in March, I went up to pool
[23:18] supervisor in full time
[23:19] position, and then October in
[23:21] 25, I moved up to specialist.
[23:23] Um, so you can kind of see some
[23:24] pictures here of our staff. And
[23:26] I've been very involved in
[23:27] events. Even just growing up.
[23:29] I've always lived in O'Fallon.
[23:30] Um, always been five minutes
[23:31] down the road. So I've just
[23:33] grown up going to school, going
[23:35] to events, and then then being
[23:37] a lifeguard and having a great
[23:38] staff. So kind of what I'm
[23:42] over. I have our group swim
[23:43] lesson program with our private
[23:45] lessons as well, and then our
[23:47] torpedo swim team, aqua
[23:49] aerobics, special events, any
[23:51] promo days we have. Um, and
[23:53] then collaboration with our
[23:54] other aquatic specialists as
[23:55] well. So we're sort of
[23:56] cross-trained so that I can
[23:58] help out with the lifeguard
[23:59] staff too. So my staff does
[24:01] include our swim coaches, which
[24:02] is two head coaches. And then
[24:04] we have three assistants as
[24:05] well. All of our swim
[24:06] instructors, including our
[24:07] private swim instructors, our
[24:10] orca aerobics instructors. I
[24:11] have some records that we kind
[24:12] of take and cherry pick from
[24:14] our aquatic staff as well. Um,
[24:15] and then I help out with the
[24:17] lifeguards, head lifeguards,
[24:18] pool supervisors and managing
[24:20] them as well. Um, so you can
[24:21] see I have some pictures there.
[24:22] I have one with our instructor
[24:24] of the summer this past season.
[24:25] I have some of our special
[24:26] events, um, kind of helping out
[24:28] in the Pump Room as well with
[24:29] our previous aquatic specialist.
[24:32] So programming this year for
[24:34] 2026 at Acac, we brought a lot
[24:36] of things back and we brought
[24:38] new programs in as well. So you
[24:39] can see I have river walking on
[24:41] that left side. So that's on
[24:42] our lazy river, uh, with our
[24:43] jets. That was very highly
[24:45] requested. So we were able to
[24:46] bring that into AKC this year.
[24:49] We offered that on Wednesday
[24:50] and Thursday evenings, and we
[24:52] pre-sold our passes that way.
[24:53] We were sure that we were
[24:54] covering our costs as far as
[24:56] staffing and everything. So we
[24:58] ordered punch passes. We were
[24:59] able to do six, 12 or 18, so
[25:02] that kind of allowed people to
[25:04] buy smaller if they wanted to
[25:05] try it out or buy longer if
[25:06] they wanted to just do the
[25:07] whole summer. And then next
[25:09] year we're looking to add
[25:10] additional times and a drop in
[25:11] fee option. Since it was so
[25:13] popular this year, we typically
[25:15] had 25 participants. I know our
[25:17] first night we had about 36, so
[25:19] it was kind of give or take on
[25:20] the weather, but we typically
[25:21] had a pretty large crowd, which
[25:23] gave us a total revenue of
[25:24] about $8,000. So that was
[25:27] awesome. And then our taught
[25:29] time just below that kind of
[25:30] allows for a quieter time for
[25:31] younger kids, just so that they
[25:32] can kind of get in the pool and
[25:34] have that time where they're
[25:35] not having older kids kind of
[25:37] over them. Uh, so we typically
[25:39] had about 25 participants in
[25:41] that. And we're looking to add
[25:43] drop ins to that as well,
[25:44] because we did have some people
[25:45] kind of show up and call up to
[25:46] Renard last minute to get
[25:47] registered for that. Our
[25:49] special events there in the
[25:51] middle, we had mermaids and
[25:53] mates, so that included a
[25:54] treasure hunt with our pirate.
[25:56] And then at the end of the
[25:58] treasure hunt, led them to an
[25:59] ice cream bar. And then they
[26:00] got to go swimming with their
[26:01] mermaid. Um, so we had 13
[26:03] participants for that, which
[26:04] gave us $265. Our cardboard
[26:08] boat races, um, we had 12 teams
[26:11] to sign up, and they made boats
[26:13] out of strictly cardboard and
[26:15] duct tape. Uh, they had a blast,
[26:17] and we made $573 from that. And
[26:21] then finally, we also brought
[26:23] group swim lessons back. So we
[26:24] used to have groups over at
[26:26] Acac, but we got to bring it
[26:28] back this year. We offered
[26:29] levels turtle and above. So now
[26:31] that would be guppies and
[26:32] above, which would kind of be
[26:34] like our base. So we just
[26:36] wouldn't have like infants and
[26:37] toddlers in there just because
[26:38] it can be kind of chilly. So
[26:39] finding the right time to bring
[26:40] those levels in hopefully for
[26:42] next year. But we had 23
[26:45] participants total, which
[26:46] brought us in $771. And then on
[26:52] that bottom corner you can see
[26:53] our cardboard boat races,
[26:54] pictures and our mermaids and
[26:56] mates as well. We had a great
[26:59] swim team season. All of our
[27:00] coaches came back this year and
[27:02] that just created a very strong
[27:03] environment. Our team loves our
[27:05] head coaches. They've been with
[27:06] us a long time and our
[27:07] assistant coaches are growing.
[27:09] They're doing really great to
[27:10] kind of follow in head coach's
[27:11] footsteps and learn more each
[27:13] season. We had a total of 187
[27:17] swimmers this season, which is
[27:19] higher than last year. We're
[27:20] hoping to keep going up from
[27:21] there to. That brought in a
[27:22] total revenue of 32,000 and
[27:25] 953. Uh, so that was an awesome
[27:29] season. They had a great time.
[27:30] We were able to accommodate a
[27:31] lot of kiddos too, especially
[27:33] with our new inclusion
[27:33] specialist, Evan Simpkins. So
[27:35] he was able to help us and kind
[27:37] of communicate with our one on
[27:38] one coaches as well. We were
[27:39] able to have a private lesson
[27:41] instructor step in as a one on
[27:42] one coach and great create very
[27:44] strong bonds to where now they
[27:45] can even teach private lessons
[27:47] with them in the off season. So
[27:49] that's been really awesome. Uh,
[27:51] next season we're hoping to add
[27:52] Friday morning practices
[27:54] instead of the dive clinics
[27:55] we've been having. That way.
[27:56] It's included in the
[27:57] registration fee as well, so
[27:59] that swimmers are getting more
[28:00] small group practice without
[28:02] having to pay like an extra
[28:03] cost or anything. Uh, then
[28:04] we're looking to increase the
[28:06] registration fee as well, just
[28:07] to kind of keep up as yours. Go
[28:09] on, make sure that we're
[28:10] staying in line. And then our
[28:14] revamp. So as Anne said in her
[28:17] report, we have cut down the
[28:19] number of levels that we are
[28:20] offering students that we don't
[28:22] really have starfish or turtle
[28:24] or seahorse anymore, kind of
[28:25] the in-between levels. We've
[28:26] kind of condensed it a little
[28:28] bit, but those age levels stay
[28:30] roughly the same as they were
[28:31] before. Um, so this kind of
[28:34] helps with how many options
[28:37] we're giving. So that way we
[28:38] are having less cancellations
[28:40] and families are able to sign
[28:41] up for the level that they
[28:43] need, not just the time,
[28:45] because that was something we
[28:45] ran into a lot. We want to be
[28:47] able to accommodate everybody's
[28:48] schedules. While we do offer
[28:50] different days of the week, we
[28:51] want to offer varying times as
[28:53] well. Um, and this also allows
[28:55] for a stronger team
[28:56] environment. So we're actually
[28:57] getting full classes and making
[28:59] sure that all kids can learn
[29:00] from each other and make the
[29:03] registration process smoother
[29:05] as well, so that it's more
[29:06] straightforward. And this also
[29:08] gives us kind of a new
[29:09] beginning to give high
[29:10] expectations and more clear
[29:11] goals to our participants. So
[29:14] this is a flow chart that we
[29:16] give to our participants as
[29:17] well. And this kind of allows
[29:19] us to place by skill. Because I
[29:20] know sometimes registration can
[29:22] be a little tricky because
[29:24] families may try to place by
[29:25] age. So this kind of allows to
[29:27] break down like the core skills
[29:30] that we are doing in each
[29:31] level. Um, and we also added
[29:34] our swim team prep onto there
[29:35] as well, because this year we
[29:36] are including swim team prep at
[29:38] the end of our group swim
[29:39] lesson program so that students
[29:41] are kind of getting placed in
[29:43] the higher level, where they
[29:44] can start to learn strokes off
[29:45] instead of being thrown
[29:46] straight into swim team prep
[29:48] and not knowing what's
[29:48] happening. So that way they
[29:49] kind of have a base layer to go
[29:51] off of. But of course there are
[29:53] exceptions and there will be
[29:55] case by case basis. But for the
[29:57] most part, this kind of helps
[29:58] with placement. So so far we
[30:02] just ran our first session with
[30:04] this revamp and it's going
[30:06] really well. Uh, Tuesday
[30:07] Thursdays we were able to
[30:09] cancel no classes that had
[30:11] people enrolled, so we were
[30:13] able to keep everybody in the
[30:14] original class that they signed
[30:15] up for. And then on Saturdays,
[30:17] we only had seven participants
[30:19] total. And a couple of those
[30:20] were the same families as well.
[30:22] So any of those levels that we
[30:24] did combine had at least two
[30:26] people in them, which is closer
[30:28] to reaching minimum enrollment
[30:29] for all of the classes that we
[30:31] offer, which is huge. Um, so
[30:33] we're getting closer to running
[30:34] more and more sections of
[30:36] classes and meeting our minimum
[30:39] enrollments as well. Um, and
[30:40] then those 72% of Saturday
[30:44] classes had 50% or more max
[30:46] enrollment, and then 56% of
[30:49] Tuesday Thursdays had 50% or
[30:50] more. So we're getting closer
[30:51] and closer to even those max
[30:53] enrollments, not just meeting
[30:54] minimums anymore. The front
[30:55] desk has said that assisting in
[30:58] level placement whenever
[30:59] they're getting calls up has
[31:00] been much easier. There are way
[31:02] more resources, and they're
[31:04] able to kind of answer
[31:04] questions more clearly as well,
[31:06] since it is more outlined. And
[31:08] then participants have said
[31:09] that registration has been way
[31:11] easier as well, since those
[31:12] goals are more outlined and
[31:14] that lesson times are more
[31:15] feasible. Uh, I am president on
[31:17] first day of lessons every
[31:19] session, so I'm able to connect
[31:20] with parents and kind of get
[31:21] them moved into levels. If they
[31:23] do end up signing up for
[31:24] something that may not be the
[31:25] right fit, I'm able to get them
[31:27] in another class because we
[31:28] have so many options for times
[31:30] available. Now. So if you have
[31:33] any questions, I am ready this
[31:35] time. But thank you so much.
[31:36] I have a couple. If I could
[31:39] just again to educate myself on
[31:41] this, this the swim team and so
[31:42] on. I'm trying to learn where
[31:44] the O'Fallon city programs fit
[31:47] versus the YMCA versus private
[31:50] swim school. So is this
[31:51] intended to be more accessible
[31:54] to people? What what's
[31:56] different about the city of
[31:57] O'Fallon programs compared to
[32:00] the YMCA or say, the swim
[32:01] schools? There's one in the
[32:02] streets of Caledonia, one up
[32:04] there next to Total Wine. Those
[32:06] are private. So how does this
[32:07] fit in those different
[32:09] categories? How do how do not
[32:11] compete? But what's the
[32:13] intended audience compared to
[32:15] the other school.
[32:16] Yeah of course. So swim schools
[32:18] are typically more for a
[32:19] private one on one setting.
[32:21] Kind of like our private swim
[32:22] lesson program is. Our swim
[32:24] team kind of offers more of a
[32:26] closer team environment, very
[32:28] strong, a lot of support. The
[32:31] swimmers on this team have been
[32:32] here for a long time, and we
[32:34] get new swimmers every year. So
[32:35] that just creates a stronger
[32:36] and stronger team environment
[32:37] with that as well. And we have
[32:39] a pretty large team. Uh, we're
[32:41] not the largest in the league,
[32:42] so it's still allows for a
[32:43] smaller group and still allows
[32:45] for that close connection. But
[32:46] it also gives a bigger team
[32:47] environment for everybody to
[32:49] learn from each other as well.
[32:50] And if I'm not mistaken, there
[32:51] are no equivalent programs in
[32:53] the school systems around here,
[32:54] right? This is it. There's no
[32:55] other place they can go.
[32:57] Correct? Yeah, there are, um,
[32:58] swim lesson programs within
[32:59] some schools, but swim team is
[33:02] typically strictly
[33:03] recreational. Although there's
[33:04] high school.
[33:05] Yeah. So this.
[33:06] Is but in the summer league we
[33:07] would be the.
[33:08] Grade school. Middle school.
[33:09] That's what. That's the
[33:10] audience that you're handling,
[33:11] right.
[33:11] Yes. Yeah.
[33:12] So the.
[33:13] Yeah the goal is also to catch
[33:14] them in the summer whenever
[33:16] they're done with their school
[33:17] swim season.
[33:17] Well, the swim team is all the
[33:19] way up to 18. Uh, 18. Right.
[33:21] Senior in high school. So you
[33:23] can compete all the way up to
[33:25] your graduating senior year in
[33:27] the summer on the swim team.
[33:29] That's why offer a swim team.
[33:30] Or is it just the swimming
[33:32] lessons that the guy offers?
[33:33] Yeah.
[33:34] I believe the I don't.
[33:36] I'm sorry. I'm gonna
[33:37] answer the questions for you
[33:38] because I've had kids go
[33:39] through the program. And so I
[33:41] don't think the I don't think
[33:42] the O'Fallon way has a swim
[33:44] team. They used to, but that
[33:45] would have been a, uh,
[33:47] typically that was a, uh,
[33:50] winter program. Winter, late
[33:53] fall, winter early spring
[33:54] program. Whereas this is
[33:56] summer, roughly, you know.
[33:59] I'm just trying to figure out
[34:00] why my grandkids went all the
[34:01] way through the Fort Zumwalt
[34:02] School system. I never heard of
[34:04] this when they had no interest
[34:06] in swimming whatsoever. I'm
[34:08] trying to figure out why they
[34:09] didn't. I never heard of it.
[34:10] So yeah, yeah, a lot of.
[34:11] swimmers do get
[34:12] caught, um, from the school
[34:14] year. And then in the summer
[34:15] they discover us and we're able
[34:16] to give that summer training
[34:17] and fun as well. Um, so, yeah,
[34:19] we do have that age group from
[34:20] six all the way up to 18, and
[34:22] we even have senior nights
[34:23] where we get to celebrate the
[34:24] seniors in their.
[34:24] Last year as we get planning
[34:26] for great grandkids.
[34:28] It's a ready form.
[34:30] Year and a half. You have them.
[34:31] Up there.
[34:32] Yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's
[34:33] whether it's what, six teams in
[34:35] the league, I think I think
[34:36] something like.
[34:37] That division.
[34:38] Yeah. So it's a lot of fun.
[34:39] Some of us learn how to swim in
[34:41] Lake Erie, getting thrown out
[34:42] of a boat by your father,
[34:43] that's why.
[34:43] Yes, that.
[34:44] Is a little better.
[34:46] So. Are the the swim lessons
[34:49] that you're talking about. Are
[34:51] they only for swim teams, or is
[34:55] there just lessons? Or a kid
[34:56] can go and learn how to swim?
[34:58] Yes. Yeah. Those group lessons
[34:59] are just open, general public
[35:01] to kind of help learn how to
[35:03] swim in that safety aspect are
[35:05] lower level. So that shrimp
[35:07] level is going to be infant
[35:08] kind of parents in the water
[35:09] and getting used to being in
[35:10] the water. And then we
[35:11] transition up from there to our
[35:13] puffer fish where they start
[35:14] getting independence from their
[35:15] parents and going one on one
[35:16] with an instructor, so that
[35:17] from there, in future classes,
[35:19] they can be one on one with
[35:20] that instructor and learn
[35:21] safety. And we talk about water
[35:22] safety and what is a lifeguard
[35:24] and how do we be safe in a pool
[35:26] area? The goal is to be able to
[35:28] help participants be able to
[35:30] get themselves to safety if
[35:31] need be, and then from there,
[35:33] if they would like, they can
[35:34] continue on skills to work up
[35:35] to swim team or swim strokes.
[35:37] So swim team and swim lessons
[35:39] are two different things. In
[35:40] the swim lessons are available
[35:41] for all ages.
[35:42] Yes, yeah, that swim team prep
[35:44] class is just at the end of the
[35:45] group swim lesson program for
[35:46] those that are interested in
[35:48] eventually joining a swim team,
[35:49] that kind of helps transition
[35:51] their skills from a swim,
[35:52] stroke and technique to a
[35:53] competitive environment, and
[35:55] looking at what our DCS and how
[35:57] would that work in a swim meet?
[35:58] Thank you.
[36:01] I was.
[36:02] Wondering about your special
[36:03] events and they're relatively
[36:05] small. I guess you have, what,
[36:07] like 12 to 25 participants. You
[36:10] do parent surveys of them and
[36:11] you provide emails that they
[36:13] can utilize to invite other
[36:14] people to it and that they
[36:16] think might be interesting.
[36:19] Yeah. Um, we do typically have
[36:21] about 12 to 25 in the off
[36:24] season when we have things like
[36:25] egg hunt and pumpkin plunge, we
[36:26] tend to have about 50
[36:27] participants, especially our
[36:28] Nerf wars are very popular at
[36:30] the Reynolds Center. Um, I am
[36:32] wanting to instill some program
[36:33] feedback. I noticed that was
[36:34] something that we hadn't had,
[36:35] and we actually just talked
[36:36] about that the other day.
[36:37] Instilling that and having
[36:39] email chain kind of from there,
[36:40] our promos a big way that we
[36:42] kind of help families share.
[36:43] Facebook is a big winner with
[36:45] that, because one family will
[36:47] see it and be able to tag their
[36:48] friends as well. But I do want
[36:49] to instill that feedback as
[36:51] well.
[36:54] Yes, please.
[36:56] Thank you. Scott, quick
[36:57] question. At the beginning of
[36:58] your presentation, you had on
[36:59] there tot time. Yes. Um, what
[37:01] time is does that fall on
[37:03] Fridays and what ages does that
[37:04] cover?
[37:05] Yeah.
[37:05] That is 930 to 1030 and that is
[37:09] ages 0 to 5. Of course, there
[37:11] are going to be exceptions
[37:12] made. Of course there's like
[37:13] five and a half. So, um, that exception can be made.
[37:16] Cool.
[37:17] Thank you. Um, want to see what.
[37:21] Any other questions or are
[37:24] there more questions? Thank you
[37:26] for the report. It's very
[37:27] thorough. I'm a little partial
[37:28] to swimming, obviously, so I
[37:29] always like to see this
[37:31] information into the summer
[37:32] season. So, um, Thank you..
[37:37] All right. We have one other
[37:39] item on for new business. And
[37:42] that is the election of the
[37:45] secretary position, an officer
[37:46] position here on the Parks and
[37:48] Recreation, parks and
[37:50] Recreation Advisory Board. We
[37:52] all know Kathy Wilson stepped
[37:53] down from her, uh, time on the
[37:57] parks board. Spent. I don't
[37:58] know anybody know exactly how
[38:00] many years. It's a long time.
[38:01] 20. 20. Yeah. Was it 25? I know
[38:04] it was over 20. So she
[38:06] certainly put her time in,
[38:08] that's for sure. So, um, we
[38:10] obviously wish her the best. So
[38:11] with that said, um, do I have
[38:14] any nominations for the
[38:16] secretary position tonight?
[38:19] I nominate Mr. Elder.
[38:21] Okay. Are there any
[38:23] other nominations? No other
[38:27] nominations. Okay. Well, with
[38:29] that said, I guess we'll take a
[38:30] vote. Do we need to take a
[38:31] vote? Is it can we do it
[38:32] together? Does that an
[38:33] individual.
[38:34] Anybody have to say.
[38:35] Okay. So all in favor of, uh,
[38:38] Jim Elder taking the position
[38:39] of secretary and the Parks
[38:40] Board, please say aye.
[38:41] aye.
[38:42] Is there anyone opposed?
[38:45] Congratulations, Jim. You are
[38:46] now the secretary of the
[38:47] Missouri Parks and Recreation
[38:49] Advisory Board. So thank you, I
[38:51] appreciate that. Okay. Um, we
[38:54] are nearing the end here. Uh,
[38:56] all it's left is for the good
[38:57] of the order. So I'll open mic
[38:59] here for anyone who'd like to
[39:00] comment. Yeah, please.
[39:01] I have three things here. Uh,
[39:03] all parks related. Uh, I still
[39:06] do my walks five days a week,
[39:07] and I try to hit different
[39:08] parks I was in, uh, I want to
[39:11] pass along. Kudos. And a thank
[39:12] you to the parks staff. The
[39:14] supervisors and managers,
[39:16] because of what they did in all
[39:17] the heat and everything else.
[39:19] In spite of that, it was in
[39:20] James Park. I forget what day
[39:22] it was, uh, I guess was
[39:23] Saturday. It was amazing. You
[39:25] can't even tell that it was
[39:26] flooded unless you look really, close and nowhere to
[39:29] look at the base of some of the
[39:30] trees. And even they're hard to
[39:32] tell. So what a great job the
[39:33] staff did cleaning that up. I
[39:35] suspect people who had never
[39:36] been there before would walk in
[39:37] there and never, never realize
[39:39] it floods. So way to go there.
[39:41] The second one was Sports Park,
[39:42] which is where I spend most of
[39:44] my time. That has recovered
[39:46] incredibly well from not having
[39:48] water for 6 or 7 weeks. And
[39:50] amazingly, I didn't see any
[39:52] dead sod that was put down in
[39:54] front of all of the soccer
[39:55] goals. That all seems to have
[39:57] come through. So way to go on
[39:58] that one. Um, and last but not
[40:00] least, Fort Zumwalt Park. I was
[40:02] there Monday, Labor Day. I
[40:04] couldn't believe how many
[40:05] people were in that park. I had
[40:06] a hard time finding a place to
[40:07] park on the street. Uh, which
[40:10] is a good sign. People were
[40:11] hiking, walking to disc golf
[40:13] all over the place, kids
[40:15] fishing, adults fishing. Some
[40:17] little girl out there trying to
[40:18] find fish to feed. She she was
[40:19] having a lot of fun out there.
[40:21] Uh, and I looked at the, the,
[40:23] uh, the fort itself that were
[40:24] the, I guess it was record or
[40:27] whatever it was. The chinks of
[40:28] the logs. And I looked at the
[40:30] trim on the terrain building.
[40:32] Those things looked brand new.
[40:34] So again, kudos for that. And
[40:36] it was all done when it was
[40:37] nice and cool. 60 degrees.
[40:38] Right. So thank.
[40:40] You for doing that.
[40:40] Everybody. Way to go.
[40:43] Thank you.
[40:44] And by the way, those buildings
[40:46] look even better in person than
[40:47] they do in the photographs.
[40:49] Thank you. We appreciate.
[40:50] That.
[40:51] Yeah I don't hear nearly that
[40:53] much. I just had gone over to
[40:55] Fort Zumwalt Park too, and was
[40:56] amazed that it's in great
[40:58] shape. Despite all this heat.
[41:00] It looked terrific. As I was
[41:01] walking around.
[41:02] So yeah, the crew over there,
[41:04] uh, and all the crew does, but
[41:06] the crew at Zumwalt, there are
[41:08] newer crew to the park, but
[41:09] they are there on it, and they
[41:11] take a lot of pride in it. So
[41:12] we appreciate that.
[41:16] Just comment on kind of, uh,
[41:18] what was mentioned earlier is
[41:19] the the plantings and the
[41:21] watering. I'm just amazed at
[41:22] how consistently it's done and
[41:23] how good things look. I always
[41:25] see, uh, the modern in my
[41:28] neighborhood. I live in
[41:29] Avondale. And so the, the
[41:30] planters there along the
[41:32] median, you know, I can over if
[41:33] I don't see them, I always see
[41:34] the water kind of where and
[41:36] it's clockwork, you know, and they look fantastic. And
[41:39] it's been 100 degrees and it
[41:41] still looks good.
[41:42] So yeah, it definitely has had
[41:43] us worried where we know some
[41:44] of the areas we're struggling
[41:45] in, but they're uh, it's kind
[41:47] of kind of expected. But yeah,
[41:49] they've, they've had to do
[41:50] extra watering uh, for sure
[41:52] with these, uh, with the way
[41:53] the heat's been.
[41:54] Yeah. So I just I really
[41:56] appreciate that. But like
[41:57] everything else, everything
[41:58] else is kept up to. That's the
[42:00] one thing I can say is you
[42:03] rarely, if ever, go anywhere in
[42:04] the park and see something that
[42:06] just looks, uh, like it needs
[42:08] significant attention. That
[42:09] alone derelict, which you
[42:11] unfortunately will see in a lot
[42:12] of public parks, unfortunately.
[42:14] So thank you.
[42:17] Yeah. Just piggyback along
[42:19] that. And and what was said
[42:21] earlier about James Park being
[42:23] flooded in then the recovery
[42:24] was so quick. But I've noticed
[42:25] that it always it always floods
[42:27] down there. And the crews for
[42:30] the parks have always been
[42:31] right on top of it, just like
[42:33] they were on top of Westhoff
[42:34] Park after the storm. And I'm
[42:37] amazed how quickly everybody
[42:39] gets on things and how well
[42:41] they do. And and with very
[42:43] little interruption to the
[42:44] public being able to enjoy
[42:45] these parks. So I really
[42:46] appreciate all of those that
[42:48] effort from the staff that does
[42:50] all that. And I know it's hard
[42:51] work and I know that they do a
[42:52] really good job, and I know
[42:53] that they're very dedicated to
[42:55] making sure our parks are kept
[42:57] really good. And that's one of
[42:58] the great things about our
[42:59] parks in O'Fallon. So thank
[43:01] you.
[43:01] Appreciate that.
[43:02] Thank you for the comments.
[43:07] Okay, so.
[43:09] I'd just like to say I
[43:11] appreciate all the hard work
[43:13] and all the heat this summer
[43:15] because it has been awful.
[43:17] Yes.
[43:17] Thank you.
[43:20] Okay. Any other last comments
[43:22] before we make a motion to
[43:24] adjourn? All right. Hearing
[43:26] none. Do I have a motion to
[43:27] adjourn the meeting tonight?
[43:30] Elder O do I.
[43:31] Have a second? Williams.
[43:32] All right, all in favor, please
[43:33] say aye.
[43:33] aye.
[43:35] Opposed? Meeting adjourned.