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01-18-2005 City Council Study Session PacketCity of Grand Island Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Study Session Packet City Council:Mayor: Jay Vavricek City Administrator: Gary Greer City Clerk: RaNae Edwards T u 7:00:00 PM Council Chambers - City Hall 100 East First Street Carole Cornelius Peg Gilbert Joyce Haase Margaret Hornady Robert Meyer Mitchell Nickerson Don Pauly Jackie Pielstick Scott Walker Fred Whitesides City of Grand Island City Council Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call A - SUBMITTAL OF REQUESTS FOR FUTURE ITEMS Individuals who have appropriate items for City Council consideration should complete the Request for Future Agenda Items form located at the Information Booth. If the issue can be handled administratively without Council action, notification will be provided. If the item is scheduled for a meeting or study session, notification of the date will be given. B - RESERVE TIME TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS This is an opportunity for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items to reserve time to speak. Please come forward, state your name and address, and the Agenda topic on which you will be speaking. MAYOR COMMUNICATION This is an opportunity for the Mayor to comment on current events, activities, and issues of interest to the community. City of Grand Island City Council Item -1 Discussion Concerning Heartland Shooting Facility Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Steve Paustian City of Grand Island City Council Council Agenda Memo From: Steve Paustian, Parks and Recreation Director Meeting: January 18, 2005 Subject: Heartland Public Shooting Park-Staffing and Naming Item #’s: 1 Presenter(s): Steve Paustian, Parks and Recreation Director Background The Park and Recreation Department has been in the planning and developmental phase of the Heartland Public Shooting Park for over six years. Phase one of the construction plan has been completed. Phase one consisted of trap, skeet and sporting clays ranges along with support facilities including a main clubhouse and several support buildings. Phase two construction is set to start in March, weather permitting. Phase two will include the construction of all pistol and rifle ranges along with the necessary support facilities and a seven acre lake. Phase three will include the construction of a modern campground. Construction of phase two is currently planned for fiscal year 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 assuming funding is available. Discussion Currently the shotgun shooting venues are in full operation. Leagues have been started, open shooting is available four days a week and numerous special events are in the planning stages. The volunteers currently operating the facility have requested that the City consider hiring a Shooting Park Superintendent in the near future. Staff has advised Council from the initial discussions of the project that additional staffing would be required to operate the facility as it develops. The Department had planned on hiring staff as phase two neared completion. Representative of the volunteer group are interested in seeing this position filled now. The volunteers may be willing to fund the salary of a Superintendents position for the next year or until phase two is completed. Representatives of the volunteer group will be present at the study session to outline their request and lay out their proposal. An additional item of discussion includes the naming of the Skeet Range portion of the facility in honor of Virgil Eihusen. Mr. Eihusen donated $300,000.00 toward the construction of the skeet ranges. This funding was critical to the construction of this element of the new shooting facility. Once again representatives of the volunteer group will address Council to further explain this request. Conclusion This item is presented to the City Council in a Study Session to allow for any questions to be answered and to create a greater understanding of the issue at hand. It is the intent of City Administration to bring this issue to a future council meeting. Item -2 Discussion Concerning Current Policy of Swimming at L.E. Ray Lake Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Study Session City of Grand Island Staff Contact: Steve Paustian City of Grand Island City Council Council Agenda Memo From: Steve Paustian, Parks and Recreation Director Meeting: January 18, 2005 Subject: Discussion Concerning Current Policy of Swimming at L.E. Ray Lake Item #’s: 2 Presenter(s): Steve Paustian, Parks and Recreation Director Background The City of Grand Island took ownership of L.E. Ray Lake in the early 1970’s. The area was donated to the City by the Ray family for use as a park. The lake has been used for swimming since the City took ownership. During this period of ownership swimming has been allowed in a designated area only. For many years, until 1993 lifeguards were provided by the City to patrol the designated swimming area. The guards were also used to limit swimming to the designated area only. With the opening of Island Oasis, and the drop in popularity of L.E. Ray Lake as a swimming area, the policy has been to allow swimming in a designated area of the lake without lifeguards present. While some people still swim in the designated area many people have chose to swim in other areas of the lake. Unfortunately for everyone involved, four swimmers have lost their lives to drowning while swimming in areas of the lake that were not designated for swimming. Discussion For many years City Administration has suggested that swimming be eliminated at L.E. Ray Lake because of safety concerns. Many of the guards employed by the City to work at L.E. Ray Lake were never comfortable there. With the inherent dangers of swimming in a sand pit, including water clarity, drop offs, and cold water currents to name a few, many guards felt unable to insure patron safety. The present situation is unacceptable in that without controls, people are swimming everywhere in the lake and for some the results have been catastrophic. For the past several years the area has been in a severe drought. Because of the drought and the resulting low water levels at the lake, the designated swimming area has shrunk to a size that really isn’t adequate for swimming. Conclusion This item is presented to the City Council in a Study Session to allow for any questions to be answered and to create a greater understanding of the issue at hand. It is the intent of City Administration to bring this issue to a future council meeting.