View the PDF version Google Docs PDF Viewer
Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee
Wednesday, July 16th at 5:30 PM
City Hall - Room 204
MINUTES
Present: Sidney Long, Sarah De La Rosa, Lynnette Marks, Yancy Weaver, John Burt, Aaron Bodbyl-Mast,
Roberta King, LeAnn Heywood. Mayor Ken Johnson
Absent: David Ruck, Hillery Ross
I. Call to Order
a. Meeting called to order at 5:31 PM
II. Action Items
a. Approval of 5/21/25 Minutes
i. Motion to approve by Burt, seconded by King.
Motion Passes Unanimously
III. Updates
a. General Parks & Rec Information
i. Director Karczewski updates the committee about recent events that the
department has put on including Lakeshore Art Festival and Fourth of July
Fireworks Celebration.
ii. Fourth of July - The event was successful and the County reached out to
Karczewski on whether or not he wanted to reserve the space for the next year.
He mentioned that the costs were higher than expected, but the general
consensus from the public seemed to enjoy the event.
1. Mayor Johnson brings the discussion to the committee on if they want
to bring the event back next year. King inquired if fireworks will always
be a thing or if they will be phased out by a drone show. Karczewski
doesn’t foresee fireworks being replaced next year since it is the
country’s 250th anniversary. Weaver suggested the possibility of a
hybrid show if environmental concerns were present.
2. Mayor Johnson brought to the group that the City and City Commission
intend to have fireworks for one more year and then will open up
discussion with the departments on if we want to transition to a drone-
dominant show with the potential of a fireworks-finale. No one on the
board had any opposition to this tentative plan.
3. De La Rosa brought up the idea for more income generating
opportunities like face painters or other activities in the park.
4. The group concludes that they are all in favor of Karczewski informing
the County that they are interested in renting the grounds for 2026.
iii. Lakeshore Art Festival
1. Director Karczewski asked Recreation Specialist Holly Fredericksen to
give a brief overview of Lakeshore Art Festival.
2. Fredericksen covered that the festival saw 20,000 unique visitors,
bringing in about $127,000 in income and costing $96,000 in expenses.
She also broke down the staff time which included: September–October
is about 25% of their time, November–February about 50%, March–
April about 75%, and May–June ramps up to 90% as they finalize
logistics and execution.
3. De La Rosa questioned why the Parks & Recreation Department puts so
much staff time into the event but doesn’t profit from any of the
revenue. Karczewski said that is true but he has come up with a plan for
the current (new) fiscal year to pay staff out of the DDA who receives all
of the money it makes. The group concluded that they would all be
willing to sign a letter of support if another group were looking to take
over the festival.
iv. Summer Programming at Muskegon Middle School
1. Karczewski said the Pathfinders programs are running well and with the
City’s support they have been able to keep kids fed and send them
home with more food.
2. Heywood asked how much money we were giving to the program, and
Karczewski said it is $10,400.
v. Bid Packages for Multiple Parks
1. Director Karczewski is bringing a package next week to the City
Commission for Master Planning multiple parks. He said he feels
comfortable working with Fleis&VanderBrink as they have shown to
prioritize us.
2. Bodbyl-Mast asked if they mentioned working with EGLE permits, and
Karczewski said they have brought it up and plan to have a meeting
about it.
vi. Park Ranger Program
1. The new Park Ranger is working Tuesday-Saturday monitoring safety,
checking equipment and having a lot of conversations about dogs at
parks.
2. Mayor Johnson asked what is needed in order to let him be an enforcer.
Karczewski said he is documenting all of his conversations this year and
it will be reviewed in the off-season. He also asked how long the Park
Ranger will be staying on, and Karczewski said since we budgeted for
two and only have one, we can ideally keep him on longer.
vii. Summer Camps
1. YMCA is at McGraft this summer, and Boys & Girls club is Reese. Meet
Up & Eat Up is at Reese and Smith Ryerson.
viii. Parks & Recreation is also putting on a couple senior programs including Senior
Art Painting and Walking Club since Agewell is no longer offering their services.
1. Heywood said she has heard that the biggest loss from Agewell is their
fitness programs and facilities. It would be nice for Parks & Recreation
to offer free fitness classes.
ix. Project Updates
1. SEH is in the final steps of plans for Hartshorn & Sheldon Park restrooms
2. We are re-engaging with DLZ about Indiana Ave and repaving the
boardwalk, and they will be giving us a proposal for additional ARPA
funds. Mayor Johnson asked when this will be brought back to the City
Commission, and Karczewski said by the end of this Summer.
3. De La Rosa questioned the possibility of ARPA funds being pulled back,
and Mayor Johnson and Karczewski said as long as the money is
allocated, the money is ours.
4. Bodbyl-Mast suggested the Parks & Recreation Department revamping
its Park Improvements Connect Muskegon page with all of the small
updates.
5. Parking Lot paving projects: both parking lots at Reese, Sheldon Park
alley and Grand Trunk.
6. Grant updates: done with reimbursement for Splash Pad and bathroom
buildings.
7. Kruse Park Naturescape was awarded/approved and should be done in
the Fall
8. Park Rules Signs are installed in all parks
IV. Public Comment – none
V. Adjournment
a. Motion to adjourn by Marks, seconded by King.
Motion Passes
Meeting adjourned at 7:28 pm.
Sign up for City of Muskegon Emails