View the PDF version Google Docs PDF Viewer
Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee
Wednesday, October 16th, 2024 at 5:30 pm
City of Muskegon, City Hall - Room 204
MINUTES
Present: Aaron Bodbyl-Mast, Roberta King, Evelyn Hough, David Ruck, Sidney Long, Hillery Ross,
Lynnette Marks, Mayor Johnson
Absent: Leann Heywood, Sarah De La Rosa, Yancy Weaver
I. Meeting called to order at 5:38 pm.
II. Action Items
a. Approval of 8/21/24 & 9/25/24 Minutes
1.Motion by Marks, second by Ross to approve minutes from August &
September with name spelling & absence corrections from both months.
Unanimously approved.
a. August - John Burt was an excused absence, Lynnette Marks was
spelled incorrectly
b. September - Roberta King was an excused absence,
c. Sidney Long was spelled incorrectly
Motion Passes
b. PRAC Bylaws
1. Motion by King, second by Burt to approve the second draft of the Parks &
Recreation Committee Bylaws
Roll Vote: Ayes: King, Burt, Hough, Bodbyl-Mast, Ruck, Long, Ross, Marks
Nayes: None
A. Park Rules - second draft
1. Ruck wants clarification on allowing camping in parks and compares the rule
to other municipalities. Director Karczewski mentions that we don’t have
any enforcement or park rangers, and Mayor Johnson explains that there is
currently only overnight camping allowed in parks with city commission
approval.
2.The board wishes to add a rule stating fireworks are prohibited in the parks
and mentions that they’d like to keep the “follow event rules” as the final
rule in the list.
3.Mayor Johnson suggests amended the trails rule to say established vs
marked
4.Multiple board members suggested amending the rule surrounding
“respecting wildlife” to add respecting the park areas, habitats and
environment in addition to the just animals.
5.Motion by Marks, second by Bodbyl-Mast to approve the Park Rules with the
mentioned amendments.
Roll Vote: Ayes: King, Burt, Hough, Bodbyl-Mast, Ruck, Long, Ross, Marks
Nayes: None
Motion Passes
III. Discussion Items
A. Hartshorn Marina Policies - Staff will seek guidance on public access ahead of drafting new
rules and policies at Hartshorn Marina.
1. Director Karczewski brings up that public access needs more clarity at Hartshorn
Marina and there are several large gatherings after hours that have concerned staff.
a. It is more of a “marina policy” than a “parks policy” as reiterated by
Karczewski and Mayor Johnson
b. Bodbyl-Mast compared the marina to Hoffmaster in which the public can
only access when they walk in, but they can’t drive in. We could mimic that
with a locked gate after hours, it could be public access during
business hours and guest access only after hours.
c. Ruck wanted to clarify that we were looking for general marina policies,
expanding that when there are conflicts leading to slip owner removal, these
incidents need to be documented.
d. Marks mentions that it is fairly standard that marinas have a normal set of
rules stating no swimming, fishing, wake, or establishing specific parking
areas for members compared to guests. Alcohol expectations could be listed
in these as well and the rules could be posted on a sign.
e. Karczewski’s summary of topics for his draft: operating hours when we are
open to the public, expand on the fishing topic later, & staffing
B. Beach Safety Master Planning - Staff will seek insight on the specific scope of Beach Safety
Master Planning.
1. Aquatic Safety Research Group - Karczewski met with them about what services
they offer a) King & Marks request that the board gets sent the link to the ASRG’s
website
2. The liaison from the organization said they would be interested in first doing an
audit and on site evaluation with the board included
3. Karczewski is looking for what the board wants to do moving forward and what the
scope of our plan is moving forward
4. Marks asks if the auditing group works with a separate group to provide the
resources for the work recommended
a. He is an independent, neutral party per Karczewski and wouldn’t be directly
having us work with anyone in particular for the suggested improvements.
5. Karczewski is questioning what property itself is included - does it included all
property that is touching a lake or just beach
a. Harbour Towne Beach, Pere Marquette Lake Michigan, Kruse
6. To be clear - we (the board) are asking them for an on-site audit where they come
here in person
IV. Public Comment - none
V. Adjournment
A. Motion by Marks, second by Ruck to adjourn; approved unanimously
Motion Passes
Meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM
Sign up for City of Muskegon Emails