Park Board Approves Conducting Phone Surveys
14 Dec 2006

As part of updating their five-year master plan, the Park and Recreation Department will be conducting phone surveys starting the end of this week.
Staton reported at the Dec. 11 board meeting that they plan to pull numbers from the North Manchester phone book and ask residents what they want to see happen with the parks and programs in town.
The surveys will be conducted by the Park Dept. employees and will include questions relating to household size and age groups, use of park facilities and programs, and future projects.
The surveys will likely include questions concerning a trail system and a new park area at a Park Avenue site that was recently cleaned up by the town.
Staton said that the master plan would also include plans for adding a pavilion and parking at Frantz Park.
The department choose a phone-based survey so that they can get a higher return rate than they got from written surveys five years ago, when they had only 146 responses.
The Department of Natural Resources is pushing for a 70% return rate for such surveys.
The board will be holding a public hearing for comments on the revised master plan on Jan. 4, 2007, 7 p.m., at the Seward Memorial Building.
In other news, Staton reported that they had discovered $100.73 missing from the drawer at the pool complex the morning of Dec. 8.
The drawer apparently had $200 at 10 p.m., Dec. 7, and was discovered short the next morning.
Staton said that the keys to the building were accounted for and that the door did not appear to have been tampered with.
The department filed a police report and the investigation is ongoing.
She added that they have changed procedure concerning the drawer since the incident.
The board approved the use of background checks for all employees—a matter that has been in the works since before the apparent theft.
Staton recommended using the service through the state, which has a $50 sign-up fee and costs $7 per background check for the state of Indiana. A nation-wide background check costs significantly more and will be used only for permanent staff.
She said that the main reason the department will only use a state-wide check for temporary and seasonal staff is that it takes much longer to get back full check.
All current employees will undergo the checks as well as future employees.
The board reviewed the Manchester Recreation Association financial statements, noting that the MRA will be closing for the year of 2006 with around $4,000 less than they did last year.
The MRA cashed their last certificate of deposit at the beginning of the year and has not received any United Way funds since July.
Staton reported that the department is using a new form for the use of park facilities. While the rental amounts have not changed, the procedure has.
If defined as a special event, which are events that have more than 150 people, use amplified music, or have commercial interests, then the group must pay the rental amount at the time of the reservation and must have it done in time for the park board to approve the request at a monthly meeting.
The group will also have to provide a certificate of insurance to use park facilities.
The new forms are currently in use but still require approval from the board, which is expected to vote on the matter at the next meeting.
The Park board approved the purchase of several year-end items from remaining funds, including new carpet for the pool complex lobby, a lifeguard chair, a counter for the womens’ locker room, several tools for the maintenance crew, and exhaust fans for the pool room.