The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM with Commissioner Schwarzlose presiding.

ROLL CALL: Dooley (Absent), Goyal (Absent), Policicchio (Absent), Radcliffe (Present), Schwarzlose (Present), Staab (Absent), Wingfield (Absent), Zyczynski (Present).

No official approval due to the lack of a quorum.

AUDIENCE COMMENTS- None.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Approval of April 10, 2008 meeting minutes.

This item was tabled to the next meeting, due to the lack of a quorum.

A. ADMINISTRATION – Randy Auler, CPRP, Director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry

1. 2008/2009 Budget Update – Director Auler announced that at the April 19, 2008 City Council Budget Workshop that council voted to approve the proposed 2008-2009 budget. The preliminary approval allows the document to move forward for final adoption. He noted that a public hearing is scheduled for May 12^th and later on in the agenda is the Council’s consideration for a resolution to adopt the budget; which would take effect July 1st. Director Auler explained that some of the key items which impact the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department include:

2. Fuerst Property Improvements

3. 2009-2013 Community Recreation Plan Process – Director Auler stated there was a memo in the packet that provides a brief overview of that process. Essentially the Community Recreation Plan is a 5 year comprehensive plan that enables the department to look at what our long term capital improvement needs and land use needs are and how we can incorporate those into a land use planning with Community Development Department and the Planning Commission. The plan also lends itself toward the strategic plan phase which then is really the action strategies that have to be implemented. We have to have a new 5 year plan on file with the State of Michigan which enables us to be able to go for State and Federal grant funds and in the past several years we have been very successful with our grant program and really that comes back to the success of our 2003-2008 Community Recreation Plan. In that plan we had 10 objectives and have accomplished 9 of those 10 objectives, so it is not a plan that sits on the shelf, it is used on a daily basis and the Commission certainly uses that on their decision making process. The only item that is not completed is the acquisition of 80-100 acres of land for active recreation space and certainly that need is going to be addressed through the signature park concept. The plan has laid the foundation for the success we have had over the last 3-5 years and we look for this plan to do the same. Nancy Cowan will talk about those successes when we touch base on the scoreboard here in terms of measuring our progress for this year.

Director Auler stated some dates to have on your calendar are June 7^th we are going to have a dedication ceremony for the ITC Community Sports Park. That ceremony is going to be an event the community is invited to attend and there will be a lot of publicity going out and Tracie Ringle will be coordinating that effort and getting the word out. There will be an event at the ITC Community Sports Park from 10am-12noon that day with a dedication ceremony taking place at 10:30am with the unveiling of the sign that will be installed prior to that date out at the park. The event is really focused on community and having a number of children and families out there and enjoying the park and activities we will have for that day. It is a celebration of ITC’s commitment to giving back to the community and with their significant donation to the Park Foundation that they made last fall.

Director Auler stated that all day today and this evening Max and Erma’s at 12 Oaks Mall is inviting the community to come out and have dinner and 20% of the proceeds from today’s sales go as a donation toward the Novi Park Foundation. Commissioner Dooley is at that event this evening greeting people and thanking them for coming and participating. Director Auler appreciates his dedication towards this project and steering that effort.

B. RECREATION SERVICES – Nancy Cowan, Superintendent of Recreation

1. Update on Theatre Online Ticketing Program – Superintendent Cowan reported that we went on-line and live with our on-line ticketing process April 15^th. Since that time over 72% of our sales have been done on-line through E ticket and our on-line process and the remainder of that percentage has been done at our front box office. A large portion that has been done at our front box office is comp tickets for some of the people who help out with the show. The majority of our tickets are being done on-line and customers are really enjoying that process and we are getting a lot of great feedback, so it is definitely catching on. Also, if you are interested in utilizing that service and catching Kokonut Kapers the opening night of that show is this evening and will be running for 8 shows this weekend and both next weekends. The kids have put a great deal of time into it and it is looking fantastic and they are having a great time with it. She hopes everyone will come out and enjoy the show.

2. ITC Community Sports Park Event – June 7, 2008 – Superintendent Cowan stated that Director Auler already touched on that event and we are definitely working on making it a great community event and something that families and kids and parents will come out and enjoy together. There are a lot of great things planned for the event; the Detroit Ignition is coming out to be part of the event and there are crafts and other programs planned.

Superintendent Cowan reported that we have Memorial Day coming upon us in just a few weeks and we have been in the process for many weeks of recruiting parade entries. She is looking at having the same kind of quality parade and even stronger than last year, always building on what we are doing each year. We are definitely excited about that event and encourage everyone to come and attend and be part of that event and would like the Commissioners to be part of the parade. There will also be a veteran’s ceremony after the parade to honor our Memorial Day veterans, a bouncer, food and festivities at the Civic Center.

Superintendent Cowan reported on the Scoreboard for the third quarter. She said there is a lot of green, which means we are in really good shape. Our sponsorship and advertisement, both in-kind and through monitory sponsorships has been outstanding this year and very significant and continuing to grow each day. We have a lot of people who are very proud and happy to be a part of all the great things going on at Novi Parks and that shows. Naming rights is obviously significant and already has reached target for the year. Volunteer’s hours and customer satisfaction are on target and she specifically would like to point out Pick and Click on-line registration, once again we are at 51% and that is an average throughout the year and we have definitely had months where we have hit 71%. We do have a lot of softball teams and other items that tend to still like to come to our front desk to find about rules, etc., but we are definitely seeing a significant portion of our registrations being done on-line and the customers are really enjoying that service. Participation and programs are fantastic and up from last year and continues to grow in that area and our expectation is that it will continue to be that way in the coming months and coming year. Recreational Services has exceeded our target at this point as far as where we would want to be at 9 months for revenue, we are a little over in expenses, but we are much higher in revenue, so there is a little bit of an offset that is occurring with those numbers. Also, our rental balance is looking great, definitely an outcry for use of space at the Civic Center and at our great parks. We are already booking the pavilions and rentals at the parks are through the roof already for this summer.

Commissioner Schwarzlose asked if residents can use the Pick and Click to rent the facilities as well.

Superintendent Cowan replied that not at this point, which is one of the services that is not on line simply because we have to juggle a lot of different activities and programs within those facilities. We are continually always looking to update that service and continually looking at ways potentially to make that happen in the future.

C. PARK OPERATIONS – Matt Wiktorowski, Superintendent of Parks

1. Capital Improvement Project Update

a. Power Park Softball Complex Sports Field Lighting

b. Civic Center Parking Lot and Pedestrian Lighting - Superintendent Wiktorowski reported we are 80% on our Capital Improvement Projects, specifically our Power Park softball complex sports field lighting. That plan as well as the Civic Center parking lot and pedestrian lighting plan are in the hands of the plan review department. We expect that set to be stamped tomorrow, given a couple of minor changes, some identification of some utilities and then it will be passed over to our Building Department and then put out to bid. We are still hopeful we can have this project all under way, if not all completed by the end of the fiscal year.

c. ITC Sports Park Facility Service Center - Superintendent Wiktorowski reported that the ITC Sports Park Facility Service Center plans are very close to being stamped and hopeful that it will be done tomorrow as well and can be moved over to our Building Department for permitting and we can complete that project by the end of the fiscal year as well.

Director Auler apologizes for this surprise, but he just received notification late this afternoon and wanted to make the Commission aware and even the team that through our naming rights agreement with Holzer Ford Field we have an opportunity to raffle off prizes and generate additional revenue. It is through the Park Foundation and as you recall we did that last year and raffled off a 2008 Ford Escape, a suite to the Red Wings game, Nintendo Wii and a color TV. We sold those tickets for $20 and we sold up to 750 tickets. The foundation applied for a license again to do that and wanted to get started on that earlier this year. As of late this afternoon we just received our license from the State and the tickets are being printed tomorrow, so we are going to be distributing and selling tickets and we ask that the Commission support us in that effort and help make that happen. The 1^st place prize this year is a 2009 Ford Escape, 2^nd place is a suite at a Red Wings game and he believes a 3^rd and 4^th place could be I Phones with a one year contract, but don’t quote him on that. Tickets will be available for sale for $20 and this is where we may need some help. We have a major event in town this weekend and partnership with our department and that is the annual Mother’s Day Soccer Tournament with the Novi Jaguars Soccer Association. There are roughly 400-450 teams in town and they will be participating in a tournament Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is an excellent opportunity for us to sell those tickets at that event and so tomorrow we will be coordinating and pulling together last minute a booth or a roving booth and try to sell as many tickets as we can, because as you recall you don’t need to be present to win the award. It is a significant fundraiser for the Park Foundation and all the revenue from the Park Foundation is set aside either through an endowment for the departments operations long term or investment/reinvestment into the park systems capital improvement program. He will be getting you tickets and asking you to encourage people to purchase those tickets and if anyone is available this weekend that can help with that tournament section it would be appreciated and an e-mail will be sent out tomorrow.

Director Auler said it is the 5^th or 6^th year for the Jaguar Tournament and it has grown from 30 teams the first year to 400+ teams this year. That is a tribute, not only to the Jaguars Association, but also to our team. Matt and his crew with the quality of fields and what they are able to pull together, the communication between our recreation side and marketing side and sports division in particular with the Jaguars and being able to cultivate that relationship from what it was to where we are today has a significant economic impact upon the community and he would venture to say in the past every hotel room has been sold out. He would venture to say that again this year as well as the gas stations, restaurants, etc., and everything else that those visitors will purchase within Novi for a 3 day tournament. He would guesstimate that economic impact being in the neighborhood of $550,000-$800,000 for a 3 day tournament of that magnitude. It is a tribute to our team, partnership and the organization being able to bring this together.

D. COMMUNICATIONS – Tracie Ringle, Communications and Resource

Development Supervisor

AUDIENCE COMMENTS- None

Commissioner Radcliffe stated that last month we talked about acquiring sponsors for the golf outing and just wondered how that was coming along.

Director Auler responded that it is going very well, we haven’t hit our total goal, but we are way ahead of where we were last year. To date he believes we are in the $25,000 range and our target is $40,000. He wants to be at that target by the end of May so that then we can focus June and July on the details of the tournament and getting the actual golfers signed up. He challenged the Commissioners all to get 3 foursomes involved and if the Commission and the Park Foundation do that and with our usual numbers the golf outing will grow to approximately 208 golfers, which would be capacity. That will take all 27 holes of the course that day and would net $55,000-$75,000 for the golf outing in a one day event, the previous 3 years total we generated $45,000 net.

Commissioner Zyczynski

Commissioner Zyczynski stated she attended the Arbor Day event and felt like there wasn’t as many people as last year. The day started out kind of gloomy, but she worked really hard and went home achy, but it seemed it went well. She was very impressed with all the use that Lakeshore Park was getting that day, there was a walk for the cure group practicing, soccer going on and then Arbor Day.

Commissioner Schwarzlose wanted to invite everyone and remind them of all the events that we have going on especially before our next meeting; Kokonut Kapers, Choralaires Concert, Jaguar Tournament, Perennial Exchange, Memorial Day Parade, River Day, Fuerst Farm Family Day and the ITC Grand Opening. He appreciates all Randy and his staff does and they continue to do a great job.

The meeting was adjourned by Chairperson Schwarzlose at 8:07 PM.

APPROVED: June 12, 2008

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Signed, Reagan Schwarzlose, Chairperson

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Signed, Karen Zyczynski, Vice Chairperson