Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

AL MOLL~ Executive Director May Board Meeting: Riverfront Construction Contract Bid review-In Tech/Memorial Park Partnership Update- Riverfront Phase 2 & 3 Concepts

Director , Deputy Director and Park Foundation President continue to make multiple presentations to Community, Nonprofit Boards and Business seeking support/naming rights for Riverfront Project- Recent gifts/calls to be made- Ambassador Enterprises-$500,000(South dock Amphitheater), Old National Bank Fdn- $180,000( Promenade Plaza)

Fundraising efforts await decisions on Children’s Play Area( $325,000) and Superior Street Gardens ($215,000)

Application for Regional Cities funding approved by RDA on April 11 in Wabash. Riverfront Project requested $5,276,000 and received $5,170,480 or 98% of request but exceeds initial target of $5,000,000

Hagerman and Park team completed construction contract bid process and will submit for Park Board approval on May 11. Contracts will be introduced to City Council on May 9, discussed on May 16 and up for approval on May 23. Construction to begin on North Bank late June/early July and South Bank late August/early September. Target completion date is late 2018. Riverfront Advisory has recommended approval of contracts to Park Board at their meeting on May 2

Director presented Riverfront Phase 2 & 3 concepts to Riverfront Advisory Committee on May 2

Director will participate in Friends of Rivers christening of Canal Boat to be operational summer of 2017 under Friends of Rivers direction

Park Board and Department hosted Public Meeting for input on potential partnership of Park Department and Indiana Tech relating to improvements in Memorial Park funded by IIT on May 4 at Memorial Park. Additional Public Meeting to held at Citizens Square on June 1

Director, Mark Becker and Steve McDaniel updated City Council of Riverfront progress and provide timeline of process going forward

Mayor and Park Director provided op-ed to media in support of Memorial Park improvement project and partnership with Indiana Tech

Met with Turnstone to evaluate training opportunities they provide and potential of partnership within special needs

Riverfront property transitioned to Board of Park Commissioners at closing April 27

Director led Arbor Day celebration with Fairfield Elementary and Trees Indiana on April 28

Advisory Group met on May 2 to continue evaluation of Memorial Park opportunity and development of recommendation from facts for BPC

Mayor, Park Director, Design Collaborative and Hagerman teams help press conference on Wells Street Bridge May 3 outlining construction bid awards and next steps

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

Met with Headwaters leadership to begin plan for transition of Headwaters Park to Park Management as part of Riverfront Public model

Director and Mark Becker participated in check presentation to Riverfront Project from Old National Bank Fdn May 9

Director to assist Councilmen in presentations in 4 quadrants of proposed LIT increase to be dedicated to Riverfront, Alleys and Sidewalks

Future press conferences- Senior Games June 5, Riverfront website, Klug Park improvements

June Board meeting-Advisory group on Memorial Park update and/or recommendation, Salomon Farm improvements/expansion update

CHUCK REDDINGER~ Deputy Director, Recreation Services  Seasonal hiring’s of recreation positions are expected to be mostly complete in the next couple of weeks.  Attended several meetings with Indiana Tech staff to discuss the proposed improvements to Memorial Park.  Met with Turnstone to discuss partnership opportunities. Parks and Recreation staff will be going on tours at Turnstone May 15th and 23rd.  Attended the Community Center Volunteer Luncheon.

Youth Athletics  Slide renovations are underway to repair and recoat the slides at Northside and McMillen Aquatic Centers.  Hiring of lifeguards has been difficult this year in spite of an increase of base pay. Lack of staff may result in reduced hours as some locations.  10 enrolled in the Spring Instructional Lacrosse program.  32 enrolled in the Spring Instructional Basketball program.  35 enrolled in the Spring Recreational Basketball program.  18 enrolled in the Spring Recreational Volleyball program.  We met with PNC Bank to purchase portable credit card readers for Northside Aquatic Center. This will allow the facility to accept credit cards for payment, and if successful this system will be expanded to other recreational areas. Riverfront  We had a birdwatching class in partnership with Fort Wayne Trails on April 2nd that had 11 people.  Meetings and potential partnerships from the last month include: Visit Fort Wayne, Community Foundation, WPTA ABC 21, One Lucky Guitar, With a PH Digital Media, Friends of the Rivers, Northeast Indiana Water Trails, Arts United, Three Rivers Festival Foundation, and City Utilities.  Media appearances include: 5 interviews promoting general Riverfront with ABC 21 and NBC 33 on April 5th, Insight appearance promoting Dragon Boats on April 27th, and interviews with/presentation to 9 national travel writers to promote general Riverfront on April 20th. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

 In May, Historic Boat Tours will begin. There will be a marketing promotional giveaway on social media of tickets for each of the five months we have tours as well as a Riverfront photo contest.  Food Service Cooper Meals 261 Snacks250 Jennings Meals 429 Snacks 429 McMillen Meals 986 Snacks 322 Weisser Meals 909 Snacks 637 Total Meals 2,585 Total Snacks 1,638 (numbers reflect April 3rd- April 26th) Golf Operations  The Highlight for April was the Concordia Invitational on April 22 with 18 High School teams (85 players) participating. The event was won by Bishop Dwenger with a Tournament record 291.  9 outings planned for April and 7 for May.

Community Center  Attended 10 vendor events (Mostly Focus on Health events)  The Volunteer Luncheon was held on May 5th with about 100 volunteers present and the theme was “Community Center’s Got Talent”. The following individuals received special recognition: o Five Year Award -Evelyn Ladd o Ten year award -June Grames o Outstanding Commitment- Keith Herring o Gerri Jr Award-Kelley Doyle (320.25 hrs.) o Edna Berdelman Award-Gerri Cook (348.5 hrs.) o Living the Mission Award- Linda Forest  Class/Program Attendance for month:Classes-1,082; Recreation-970; Education-20; Services- 447

Outdoor Recreation  On April 1th the Johnny Appleseed Campground opened for the season  April 18th: Buzz about Bees 9:30 – 11am at Salomon Learning Center, enrollment filled and we increased enrollment from 10 to 13 to accommodate waitlisted participants (estimated revenue: $115)  The annual Fiber Arts Celebration will be held at Salomon Farm on May 12th and 13th (10:00 am-3:00 pm both days)  Freya Berntson, the naturalist at Lindenwood, began April 20th  Hurshtown Reservoir opened May 2nd

McMillen Park Community Center  Spring Break went really well and we had over a hundred kids attend.  An Easter Egg Hunt was held on April 14, 2017. The kids colored over 300 eggs on Thursday, April 13, 2017 and the staff hid them on Friday in trees, around the building and in the park.  The Mother Daughter Dinner was a great success. There were over 50 people in attendance  Dance Collective class has now grown to 30 students.  McMillen Park Community Center Facebook Page is up to 279 followers.  Choir and Guitar classes will perform Cake by the Ocean at the Recognition Ceremony on April 26th.  The Conservatory Plant Sale will be held at the McMillen Park Community Center on May 12,13,and 14 Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

 Summer Programs will start on June 5th

Travel Services

 The “Springtime Visit to Chicago” held on April 29th was sold out.  The Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan held on May 6th was sold out.  The trip scheduled to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg on May 15th – 19th was canceled due to low enrollment.

MITCH SHEPPARD ~Deputy Director, Foellinger Theatre / Neighborhood Programs / Botanical Conservatory: Metrics  Current Conservatory Attendance Stats: January-April 2017: 25,746 visitors January-April 2016: 23,056 visitors A difference of 2,690 visitors = an attendance increase of 11.6 %  Current Conservatory Membership stats: January-April 2016: $10,621 vs. January-April 2017: $14,721 An increase of $4,100 (38.6%) o New Projects/Business  Our concrete gutter replacement project is underway. Hamilton Hunter started construction in early April; the first phase (west side of facility) is set to be complete before our rental season begins in mid-May. Once complete, phase two will begin on the east side of the facility. We look forward to vastly improved drainage of stormwater away from the building/foundations.  Planning has begun for the Conservatory’s role in this summer’s Open Streets event to be held on Sunday, July 9. An ‘Activity Hub’ will be located on/along Calhoun Street for the event.

o Landscape and Horticulture  The ‘Perspectives’ Butterfly exhibit was installed the first week of April, and opened on April 8. The showcase was designed with the assistance of a Ball State University Immersive Learning studio throughout 2016, and was brought to fruition by Parks staff.  With the exception of handrail installation, the first phase of construction for our new patio (between our facility and the Embassy) is complete. This includes all demolition, concrete work, drainage work, and soil preparation. RFQs for lighting and fencing will go out in early May, with irrigation and landscape installation following.

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

The line of patrons waiting to get in to our ‘Easter in the Garden’ family event

A look at our ‘Perspectives’ Butterfly Showcase’s backyard garden Concrete being pumped to the upper level of the concrete gutter repair project

o Facility - Maintenance Repairs:  We have been working on the plan for the moisture and leak problem in the Arid linkway. Mike Gore and Steve Schuhmacher are getting bids and contractor proposals to correct the issues.  S&E contracting replaced the fallen section of concrete in front of the Terrace ponds. This relieved the trip hazard.

o Safety  Homeland Security came and completed our yearly inspection. We were informed that we needed to post occupancy for the rental spaces. New signs are installed to comply with the request. We have our permit posted for the year.

o Business Development - Conservatory Funding  $5,000 grant for 2017 Blumengarten exhibit was submitted to the M. E. Raker Foundation  $10,000 concept letter for a grant for 2017 Blumengarten exhibit was submitted to the Auer Foundation  $5,000 grant for 2017 Blumengarten exhibit was submitted to the Kuhne Foundation (Wells Fargo)  $5,000 grant for 2017 Blumengarten exhibit was submitted to the Baade Foundation (Wells Fargo)  $5,000 grant for 2017 Snow Days exhibit was submitted to the Hayner Foundation (Wells Fargo)  $5,000 grant for 2017 Snow Days exhibit was submitted to the Smyser Foundation (Wells Fargo)  Tom and Linda interviewed two candidates for the open 4th Host/Hostess position. We selected Chloe Van Rhy and have submitted the paperwork for the hiring process. We hope she can start by May 13th.  April gross revenue for the gift shop was $15,004, which is $4,381 more than April 2016 (all-time high sales month). o Programs - Events  Easter in the Garden fell on Friday, April 14 this year with good weather. Attendance for the event was excellent! We served 2,393 people, about 200 more than last year. The event overall ran smoothly with all of the usual crowd-pleasers: petting zoo, photos with the Bunny, popcorn, pot-a- plant, games and crafts.  Our pilot Tea n’ Crafts event was held the week after Easter in the Garden, coinciding with the Vera Bradley outlet sale. Attendance was a bit hard to track, but we estimate that about 100 of the day’s Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

total attendance of 550 people purchased tickets and participated in the six activities we offered. Visitors could have tea & pastries with a tea master, make a sugar scrub, decorate a cookie, concoct a seed bomb, accessorize a butterfly hatching kit, or learn about and pot up a chamomile herb plant. We saw more children, both boys and girls, than expected doing the crafts. o Education  We hosted 33 youth field trips in April, totaling 1,162 students. Attendance is up about 20% compared to last year when we had 28 groups that brought 926 students  Garden Close-Up: Butterfly vs. Moth. Of the 66 people participating, 36 were adults and 30 children. The program took concurrently with our Tea n’ Crafts event. Judy Doell and Missy A’Hearn staffed the table just west of the Butterfly tent and offered a word scramble, butterfly bracelet craft, and information on the differences between butterflies and moths.  Our delicious Botanical Cookie DNI allowed our $1 Night guests to decorate a sugar cookie with their choice of flower-shaped sprinkles, an edible sugar floral decal, or real candied violets. Three volunteers provided the oversight and clean-up for this program that attracted about 60 participants. Rebecca prepared a short handout about Edible Flowers to accompany the activity and promoted the Plant Sale and other Conservatory programs. o Volunteers  Rebecca held the final session of Butterfly Attendant training, picking up snowbirds and those who missed early dates. We have over 90 volunteers trained and covering shifts in the exhibit.  We trained Dixie Bradley as a Butterfly Wrangler and had her help three times pinning chrysalids this month.

Neighborhood Programs: Metrics • Attendance -- 48.55 Daily average per site (Weisser 95, Jennings 33, Cooper 17 daily average) Numbers have increased from last month’s daily average per site. • Homework -- 6.5 Daily average Most kids only have very little homework when they come to the center. Once home work is complete they have free play. If they do not have homework, they have to read a book, write in their journal, complete a cross word puzzle or they are in group discussion with a staff on various topics. • Snack- 22.4 Daily average per site • Kids Café- 29 Daily average per site o Staffing • We have hired a new staff at Weisser Park. She will move into the kitchen position in August. Currently she is being trained in the kitchen and the daily “life” of Weisser. The current kitchen staff will be moved out of the kitchen and into a recreational staff position with the children. • A new recreational staff for summer was hired to work the early shift at Cooper. She will possibly move to a playground during the summer and then back to Cooper for the school year • We will begin interviews for the supervisor position for Cooper Community Center in the 2nd week of May. I hope to have this position filled and the person in the building before the end of the month. We have many great candidates. o Highlights • The JC Fitness Class had some women participate in the 9th annual St. Frances Formula For Life run/walk race on April 23rd. It was a super time! Some of the women had never been in a 5k before so they were able to experience this with a group that is supportive and encouraging. One of the women came in 1st place in her age group of 50+. It is very motivating to see the growth that these women have had and the way they work together not only in the exercise class but also for the center. Ten of these women came and volunteered for the Community Unity Nights at Jennings. They helped serve the meal, participated in the outside activities and arts and crafts with the staff. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

• Neighborhood Programs was the charity for the Fort Wayne Derby Girls for April 2017. Youth from the Centers attended the game on April 29th and were honored with a $500.00 check

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• Our first two Community Unity Nights have been completed and they both went well. The community came out, we had activities for the children and a nice dinner served. There were police officers with the SWAT truck and police dogs and the children loved it. The goal of the program is to improve relations between our youth and families and the Fort Wayne Police Department. It appears that we made some progress toward that goal. Foellinger Theatre:  Hired Assistant Manager of Operations, Lead Utility Clerk, Maintenance Tech, Assistant Manager for Customer Service, and Parking Lot Lead for season  Extended offers for two other critical seasonal positions  Recruited, scheduled, and hosted volunteer usher training also participated in presenting training sessions  The season schedule currently includes:  6 Free Concerts  4 Tribute Bands  5 House-Produced Original Acts Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

 13 Rental Concerts  2 Private Events  8 Free Movies  12 Church Services

GARRY MORR ~ Deputy Director, Finance & Support Services Customer Service training has started for new seasonal hires for the department. Hurshtown and

McMillen Community Center staff were trained in April.

Total hits to the Parks & Recreation Department website for the month of April was 114,288.

Marketing staff participated in several Indiana Parks & Recreation Association meetings during April

including the upcoming 2018 conference, Professional Development and socials committee.

The Summer FunTimes was completed in April and will be released to the public on May 8th. This is

the largest book of the year which includes the many quality offerings of the department.

Marketing staff met weekly in April analyzing progress and strategizing marketing efforts for

programs and concerts that have had slower registrations and ticket sales. Plans were enacted and

results so far have been positive. We will continue monitoring in the month of May.

Met with staff from KPC Media to discuss future Fun Times printing and distribution and future

digital marketing opportunities offered by their company.

Met with representative from PNC Credit Card services and agreed to add hand held credit devices

for pools. This was a direct result of last fall’s planning session feedback. Two devices are ordered

and will not only be used at the pools but will be available for other uses throughout the department

including special events that currently only are able to accept cash payments. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

Deputy Director assisted the City Controller in the process of selecting proposals from local banks for

the overall city banking needs. Bids were opened in April with interviews to be held in May with

final selections in May.

STEVE MCDANIEL~ Deputy Director, Asset Management / Park Maintenance Conducted the Pre-Bid and Bid opening for the Riverfront Phase 1 project. Looking to take bids for approval in May. Working with IWM for environmental study of property on the south side of the river as part of Riverfront. Attended several utility coordination meetings about Harrison Street and the park. Celebrated Arbor Day with Fairfield Elementary’ s 2nd grade classes in Packard Park where we planted 3 trees. The mowing crews started with the spring mowing rotation on April 10th. Currently the crews are making it through the parks in about 7-8 days. The athletic field crew located and lined all spring sports fields. The River Greenway experienced flooding issues a few times this month. As soon as the water receded, we were able to scrape and broom the mud off and get the trails back open. As water was turned on at each park the facility crews began cleaning and opening the restrooms for the public to use. As of now all rental facilities are ready for the season, all annual cleans are complete, all public restrooms are open. The MT’s calls for April were as follows: 7 alarm repairs, 3 appliance maintenance repairs, 8 building maintenance repairs, 4 carpentry repairs, 21 electrical repairs, 2 HVAC repairs, 48 key core repairs, 36 light maintenance repairs, 16 lock repairs, 25 maintenance tech general repairs, 30 playground repair, 22 plumbing repairs, 7 sign repairs, and 4 vandalism repairs. Foellinger Lighting Improvements: Complete. Foellinger Ship ladder Improvements: 98% complete. Foellinger Drainage Improvements: Complete. Foellinger Glu-Lam Phase 2 Improvements: 98% complete. Foster Park Tennis Court Improvements: Under construction. Conservatory Gutter Engineering Services: Under construction. McMillen Park Community Center New Flooring: Family restroom pending completion in May. Northside Park Front Entrance Concrete Improvements: 98% complete. Northside Park Rear Concrete Improvements: 98% complete. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

Conservatory Plaza improvements: 98% complete. Northside Admin Office Improvement: Complete. Waynedale Beam Improvements: 95% complete. Buckner Water meter Improvements: Complete. McMillen Roof Improvements: Martin Riley shall provide plans and specifications for review in May. Franklin Phase 2: Under construction. Johnny Appleseed New RV sites: Complete. Franke Park Longhouse Ventilation Improvements: Exhaust fans 98% complete. Memorial Trench Drain Improvement: Complete. Foellinger Stage Floor Improvements: Foster Flooring shall start October 2. Wells St Beam and Railing: Complete. Crews pruned 646 trees this month. Crews removed a total of 22 street trees and 7 park trees Cleaned up 19 storm damage limbs or hangers. Gardeners helped out in the greenhouse and delivered 18,200 plants to 60 schools for the SCFVA. 600 small herbs and Polka Dot plants were supplied to the Conservatory for various programs. Final sowing for the parks and Plant Sales was completed with 5,550 seeds sown. There were 4 CPR classes and 4 general safety training classes this month. Upcoming training for May 2017: More General Safety Training and CPR classes for fulltime and seasonal employees. Mark Becker ~ Deputy Director, Riverfront Coordination of Effort  Worked with Larry Shine and Alec Johnson to coordinate development of an RFP and draft license agreement to assist with the selection and management of a vendor for rental of personal watercraft in the new riverfront park.  Along with Shan Gunawardena, met with representatives of Pepsi on 4/5 and 4/27 to discuss Harrison Street/Bridge closure and alternate truck routes/staging areas. Pepsi management was very understanding and cooperative in defining traffic solutions.  Met with the owners of Schaab Metals on 4/6 to discuss Harrison Street/Bridge closure and alternate truck routes during construction. Owners were very understanding and did not feel that the park construction would have a significant impact on them, given the relatively small number of trucks coming/going from their location. I offered to make connection with management at Pepsi to ensure communication between the two companies.  Attended Riverfront Communications Meeting on 4/18.  Participated in project coordination meetings with Parks, Utilities, Redevelopment, Construction Manager, and the design team on 4/6 and 4/27.  Attended project pre-bid meeting on 4/13, and bid review meeting with Construction Manager on 4/27. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

 Coordinated meeting with Bud and Tim Hall related to possible relocation of the Cambray Building from the proposed park site to the SE corner of Harrison and Superior. Also coordinated a meeting with the County Commissioners and County Attorney on 4/27 to discuss this option and the County’s interest in partnering with the City to accomplish. Funding  Attended the Regional Development Authority meeting in Wabash on 4/11 with Al Moll. The RDA voted unanimously to approve $5,170,480 for Riverfront Phase one. Next step is for the Board of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to approve the funding.  Along with Al Moll, provided an update on funding and project status for Mayor Henry and Deputy Mayor Bandemer on 4/12.  Met with City Controller’s Office and CD Finance to continue discussion regarding system/protocols for managing/overseeing project funding commitments through the construction phase.  Along with Al Moll and Steve McDaniel, provided an update on funding and project status for City Council on 4/25.  Coordinated meeting of fund development committee on 4/26. Several naming rights commitments are pending.

Dawn Ritchie ~ Greenway Manager We opened bids for the Bluffton Road Trail and Sidewalk project, Phase 3 from Lower Huntington Road to West Foster Park on May 3rd. We had three bidders. Low bid was Wayne Asphalt at $878,695. Engineer’s estimate was $813,617. We expect construction to begin in June with completion in early November. The Pufferbelly Trail from State to Fourth Street, the Pufferbelly from Wallen to Washington Center and the Illinois Rd Trail & Sidewalk, Phase 1 will be bid in May. The Six Mile Creek Trail, Ph 1 construction is 80% complete and the Southtown Centre Trail, Ph 2 is nearly complete. Both trails extend the Rivergreenway from Tillman Park to new destinations and neighborhoods. Dawn and Amy will attend the International Trails Symposium in Dayton from May 7 – 10. Mayor Henry will participate in an elected officials’ panel discussion about the importance of active transportation. We announced the inaugural Open Streets event at a news conference on May 2nd. The event will be held on July 9th. For more information, please go OpenStreetsfw.org. We had our first construction progress meeting for the Pufferbelly Trail: State to Fernhill and Franke Park on May 3rd. They will start putting in structures on the railroad corridor the second week of May. They will begin working along Franke Park Drive in early June. The 8th year of Trek the Trails kicked off at Salomon Farm on May 2nd. We had poor weather, but still had good media coverage with 41 bicyclists and 8 walkers. May is Kick Start Month (Bike Month) with many bike activities. You can learn more at kickstartfortwayne.com. We had a record April for trail usage. We had 57,316 trips on the trails. We have a part-time intern, Isaac Berg, who will work for us from May 15th to early October. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

IPFW Students developed a Trail Maintenance App for the City over the past 2 school years. They will be presenting the App to the Mayor on May 12th at 2 p.m.

Media Coverage:

NS, May 2, Parks Dept. making it easier to pick up after your pet http://www.news- sentinel.com/news/local/20170502/fort_wayne_parks_making_it_easier_to_pick_up_after_your_pet&profile=1008 NS, May 1, Guest column by Tom Cain on Indiana Tech/Memorial Park proposal http://news- sentinel.com/opinion/20170501/guest_column_a_different_perspective_regarding_memorial_park&profile=1049 WFFT, May 1, Concerns about Memorial Park renovation http://www.wfft.com/story/35299264/concerns-grow-over-memorial-park-renovation JG, May 1, Letter to the editor – Park wrong site to build http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/letters/20170501/letters

JG, April 30, Indiana Tech's Memorial Park athletic facility plans offer invaluable opportunity for city - Guest column by Mayor Henry and Al Moll http://journalgazette.net/opinion/columns/20170430/community-partnership JG, April 30, Expert: Indiana Tech's city park idea rare http://journalgazette.net/news/local/20170430/expert-techs-city-park-idea-rare JG, April 30, Indiana Tech would lease buildings if plan passes http://journalgazette.net/news/local/20170430/tech-would-lease-buildings-if-plan-passes JG, April 30, Letters to the editor about income tax proposal and Indiana Tech proposal for Memorial Park http://journalgazette.net/opinion/letters/20170430/letters-to-the-editor NS, April 29, ‘Birdboy’ memorial binds city to aviation heritage http://news-sentinel.com/article/20170429/ARTICLE/170429764 NS, April 29, Plan Commission hearing set for May 8 on Indiana Tech’s plans for Memorial Park http://www.news- sentinel.com/news/local/20170429/plan_commission_hearing_set_for_may_8_on_indiana_techs_memorial_park_pro posal&profile=1008 WBOI, April 28, Council members propose income tax hike to help fund riverfront, infrastructure http://wboi.org/post/fort-wayne-council-members-propose-income-tax-hike-help-fund-riverfront-infrastructure WFFT, April 28, Councilman proposes income tax increase for riverfront development http://www.wfft.com/story/35282350/city-councilman-proposes-income-tax-increase-for-riverfront-development WANE, April 28, Councilmen, Mayor call for tax hike to fund riverfront http://wane.com/2017/04/28/fort-wayne-councilmen-mayor-call-for-tax-hike-to-fund-riverfront/ NS, April 28, Fairfield Elementary students help Fort Wayne Parks celebrate Arbor Day http://www.news- sentinel.com/news/local/20170428/fairfield_elementary_students_help_fort_wayne_parks_celebrate_arbor_day&prof ile=1008 Golf Discounts to Celebrate Anniversaries Fort Wayne, Ind—The Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department invites the public to help us celebrate the anniversaries of our golf courses with discounted prices! Foster Park Golf Course is 90 years old this year. On Friday, April 28, the price to play 9 or 18 holes at Foster will be discounted to $9. Shoaff Park Golf Course will celebrate their 60th anniversary on Sunday, May 14, with prices discounted to $6 for 9 or 18 holes. And on Sunday, May 21, guests can play at McMillen Park Golf Course for only $5.50 to celebrate their 55th anniversary. Discounted rates do not include a golf cart. Tee times may be reserved on line at www.fortwayneparks.org. Consider arranging for a league or plan a golf outing for your business or organization at one of our City courses For more information, visit www.fortwayneparks.org. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017

JG, April 25, Picture perfect day at Foster Park http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20170425/Picture-perfect-day JG, April 25, Three women appointed to IEDC http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/20170425/3-women-appointed-to-iedc JG, April 25, Letter to the editor – Park is the lone tribute to many who gave all http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/letters/20170425/letters JG, April 25, Jobless rate in area drops http://www.journalgazette.net/business/20170425/jobless-rate-in-area-drops NS, April 25, Indiana Tech would have to lease back facilities it wants to build in Memorial Park http://news-sentinel.com/news/local/20170425/indiana_tech_would_have_to_lease_back_facilities_it_wants_to_build_in_memorial_park&profile=1008 JG, April 24, Naming contest boosts interest in riverfront http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/editorials/20170424/whateverfloats-your-boat JG, April 24, Letters to the editor – State’s tax structure overburdens the poorest; Memorial Park should stay a tribute to war heroes; Indiana Tech improvements will open park to others http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/letters/20170424/letters JG, April 23, Paddock seeks solution for Indiana Tech, Memorial Park http://journalgazette.net/blog/political-notebook/20170423/paddock-seeks-solution-for-tech-park JG, April 23, John Shoaff - Indiana Tech's project would create many irreversible negative effects on revered ground http://journalgazette.net/opinion/columns/20170423/a-parks-place JG, April 23, Tours boats to hit city's waterways http://journalgazette.net/news/local/20170423/tour-boats-to-hit-citys-waterways JG, April 23, Vote to name boat will also help fund outings http://journalgazette.net/news/local/20170423/vote-to-name-boat-will-also-help-fund-outings WPTA, April 21, Veterans angry about plans to uproot Memorial trees http://www.wpta21.com/story/35214279/veterans-angry-about-plans-to-uproot-memorial-trees JG, April 21, Letter to the editor - Indiana Tech will breathe new life into Memorial Park http://journalgazette.net/opinion/letters/20170421/letters

Fiber Arts Celebration at Salomon Farm Park

Friday, May 12, 10 am - 3 pm & Saturday May 13, 10 am - 5 pm

Join us at Salomon Farm for a two-day celebration of fiber arts. With a focus on education, we will have hands-on participation and demonstrations in all of the processes of making natural fiber products - wool dyeing, spinning, weaving and more. Vendors specializing in fiber arts will sell equipment and supplies such as spinning wheels, wooden knitting needles, looms and shuttles, felting needles and forms, and crochet hooks. Natural fiber including wool, alpaca, silk and cotton, as well as hand-made fiber products such as sweaters, mittens, shawls and more will be for sale. Visit with live sheep and alpaca! Food vendors will also be on the grounds. The Fiber Arts Celebration is co-sponsored by the Flax and Fleecers Spinning Guild of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department. Call Kellie at 260-427-6005 for more information. Due to the nature of this event, pets are not allowed.

Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department Staff Reports Submitted April/May 2017