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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgendas/Packets - 1971.12.10 - 395201 " PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION oakland county service center 2800 watkins lake road Pontiac, michigan 338-6196 Frances Clark Chairman December 7, 1971 Velma Austin Vice -Chairman Henry A. Schiffer Secretary • Daniel W. Barry To the Members of the ClareWillis L. Mainland PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION William L. Mainland Paul W. McGovern Oakland County, Michigan Donald W. Nick Carl W. O'Brien E. Frank Richardson Ladies and Gentlemen: Commissioners a A meeting has been called of the PARKS AND Kenneth L. Van Notta RECREATION COMMISSION as follows: Director ® TIME ............ 9:30 a.m. Gerard C. Assist ntDirey Friday, December 10, 1971 Assistant Director • PLACE ........... Parks and Recreation Office Pauline McCormick Adm. Assistant 2800 Watkins Lake Road • Pontiac, Michigan 48054 PURPOSE ......... Special Meeting The meeting is called in accordance with authori- zation of Frances Clark, Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission. Cordially, Pauline McCormick PM:mj OAKLAND COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA December 10, 1971 1. Call meeting to order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of minutes of October 22, 1971 meeting 4. Airport Property 5. Adams Woods 6. Report on E.E.A. Program 7. Recommendation for Parks Food Service Division 8. Statements of Operation - October 9. Old Business 10. New Business 11. Adjourn AIRPORT PROPERTY AGENDA ITEM #4 The County has asked that we explore the possibility of creating a Park on the east side of the Orion Airport consisting of 150 acres of rolling, wooded land. Mr. Laird has reviewed the property and concurs that the amenities and location make the property a good potential. Exact development costs have not been projected nor has all the development potential been explored. The tentative proposal is that the County lease this land to the Park system for a 25 year period at a fee of $1.00 per year. Some extension of time may be worked out. Your Director recommends you take affirmative action. If the County is willing we will meet and make all arrange- ments necessary to have an accepted arrangement made. ADAMS WOODS AGENDA ITEM #5 To organize the meeting better, this item was taken from old business and is being presented as a special item. The group representing Adams Woods has asked for another meeting - they apparently have something new. It is recommended by your Director that their request be recognized and that they be allowed to again address the Commission on the first regular meeting date which is January 28, 1972. E. E. A. PROGRAM AGENDA ITEM #6 This program has not yet been completely solidified, there has been much action, changes and no small amount of red tape. All employees are under the Merit System and must pass all the examinations and interviews. Frankly, the program is a bonanza for our operation. Although seemingly four months early --this is not the case. For the first time we have a small amount of lead time so the employee can be trained and our entire operation organized for 1972. To this date we have been allocated 13 positions, there are another four to six to be allocated, making a total of 17 to 19. From the original 13 there are eight now hired and work— ing, Five positions still remain unfilled. By the time of our meeting the additional four to six will be stabilized and possibly interviewed. This group is under Section VI of the act. I must say this entire program has been extremely timely. It came when we needed these people, but could not afford them and it came at a time that almost everyone wha_ applied had very good formal backgrounds and as of this date all of them seem to be working out well. It is my personal belief this most opportune program will help our operation tremendously and keep our costs within reason. page 2 E.E.A. PROGRAM POSITIONS SECTION V RATE FILLED 5 Assistant Park Managers $ 9,000 4 3 Park Maintenance Laborers 611930 3 1 Public Relation Man 12,500 0 1 Typist I- 5,460 1 1 Maintenance Mechanic 811190 0 1 Assistant Chef:: 6,405 0 1 Park Food Service Worker 5,985 0 SECTION VI RATE FILLED 4,-6 Park Helpers $ 4, 700 0 FOOD SERVICE DIVISION AGENDA ITEM #7 A considerable amount of time, effort and study has been devoted to this special item. We have contacted knowledgeable men in this field and many Park Directors throughout the United States. It is an item of such importance to the recreation field success that a large amount of time was devoted to the subject at the NACO Convention in Milwaukee last July. The food service operation varies greatly in all Park systems. It is apparent that there are a number of critical: areas common to all food operations and their success. To delve into these problems in any depth would be voluminous and over simplifying corrective measures as most problems in any part of the field are directly people oriented. As such each becomes a distinct problem. Some of the known and recognized problems are theft from the commissary, kitchen or cash register, purchase kick backs, kited prices, short weights, incorrect qualities or grades, and over preparation and a myriad of presently unrecognizable "angles" by experienced people. It has become common knowledge that a concessionaire operates on one principle and that is, "How much money can be extracted from each customer?" The extraction process becomes painful not to the concessionaire but to our customer Page 2 - Food Service Division and to our system. Poor food, bad service, high prices and other complaints that arise are unbelievable. Con- trols can be and are exercised, however, as more controls and corrective methods are applied owner's costs of an op- eration multiply in the same proportion. The experience, throughout the years, of this type of operation has clearly indicated to progressive Park system thinking, that the only possible way to protect people who visit and support our Parks is for the Parks to handle their own food service. This owner operated system is now being accepted as the only logical approach for a system that concerns itself with the welfare of its users. Our own experience in the food service business confirms this approach. To correctly follow through on this most important recreation facet, it is recommended to this Commission a standard or goal be set. We have two courses to follow, they are: 1. To endeavor to make as much as possible on the food operation. OR 2. To serve the best possible food at a reasonable price endeavoring to earn a 10% net on the entire food operation. The latter basis is by far the fairest approach for the benefit of our Park visitors and would best serve the interest of the County and the Park Commission. I believe it would be successful and receive much acclaim by Park users. Without qualifications, this is being recommended to the Commission as the course we should pursue. ADAMS WOODS NATURE AREA Some time ago the Parks Commission was requested to purchase a 150 acre parcel of land, known as Adams Woods, for a Nature Center. This request came from a group of people concerned with the saving of this land from developers in order that it could be used for an ecology training or nature interpretive center. At that time the request received serious consideration from our Commission. Inasmuch as the setting aside of this land for open space or the use intended contained merit, it was obvious to the Commission that the proposed acquisition did not fit into our land use plan for Parks. The cost of the land was estimated to be $1,000,000 and the setting up of an interpretive center another $500,000. Also considered was the yearly operating cost that could eventually bankrupt a system that well may be forced to be self-sustaining. This plus the knowledge that if the area was not managed in the direction recommended, that people them- selves would destroy the natural part just through use. Your director subsequently advised this group that our Commission's decision was negative to the funding of this purchase, inasmuch as we did not have available funds and that this single purpose use project was not in the realm of our endeavors. We did agree to assist in any other way possible. Page 2 (Adams Woods Nature Area) Since that time your director has met with members of this group and tried to assist them in their efforts, apparently to no avail. We have again been requested to allow this group an audience to restate their case and presumably request finan- cial assistance for this project. Actually we have been presented with one (1) petition and by hearsay I understand they have some 5,000 names on like petitions. I also understand by hearsay that they hope to pressure our Parks Commission into changing its position and acquiring this property. In addition to the pressure of the petitions, they have had a member of the group examining our financial records presumably to strengthen their case by figures. Also in support of their contention they have had pub- lished and distributed a survey report, by a Genesee County naturalist, that is critical of our Parks system and leads to what may be erroneous conclusions. The report compares the Genesee County Parks system with Oakland County's and completely disregards the gifts Genesee was recipients of as against our purchases. The types of land we purchased and our final developed intended use were not even researched, rather it was - pointed out we did not have an educational park in our County Parks and the people of Oakland County should have such a Park. The following data discount this statement: 1. The Department of Natural Resources oww 24,994 acres of land in Oakland County. Of this land 22,500 acres Page 3 (Adams Woods Nature Area) are in a state of preservation, of this 800 acres at Highland Recreation Area and 100 acres at Proud Lake Recreation Area are dedicated as natural areas, leaving only 2,500 acres of developed land. The Depart- ment presently does not have plans to develop the 22,500 acres to any extent. 2. Huron -Clinton Metropolitan Authority; Kensington Park - 450 acres dedicated to nature area. Stoney Creek Park - 400 acres dedicated to nature area, nod acquiring 450 additional acres in this park for same purpose. Plus unannounced plans for some additional 1,500 acres for this special purpose use. 3. Eastern Michigan Nature Association; 273 acres dedicated to nature area. 4. Drayton Plains Nature Association; 137 acres dedicated to nature area. This is an impressive total of 2,610 acres of land devoted to nature areas in our County. This is 430 acres more land than we have in our present County Parks system. This does not include the 21,600 acres being held in a state of preservation by the State or Huron -Clinton Metropolitan Authority's future plans. As Parks Commissioners each of you know we endeavor to maintain a close communication line with the State and the Page 4 (Adams Woods Nature Area) Huron -Clinton Metropolitan Authority. We do this mainly to avoid duplication of effort believing that a unified approach is considerably more economical for all agencies with a far greater reward for all our people. This correlated approach to all Park problems is a good policy and recognized by the State and the Federal govern- ment as a workable and efficient system. It is recommended we maintain our role in this correlated effort. Kenneth L. Van Natta