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Minutes of a Meeting of the North Olmsted Parks and Recreation Commission November 6, 2006 Page Twelve NEW BUSINESS Article in the Plain Dealer Ms. Jones asked about the article concerning the shut down of the rink. Mr. Dailey replied that the headline was the only place that mentioned that the rink was going to be shut down. Everything else in the article is on the table, including tennis and hockey. Realistically, if the Rec goes to Council in January of 2007, the Rec would not be on the ballot until May or November 2007 at the latest. There is nothing that is being kept for certain and nothing that is going for certain. Ms. Jones said there were comments about Westlake building their rink. Mr. Dailey said the City realizes this and will keep this in the decision-making process. Some of the numbers that the City has seen with the hockey clubs and skating clubs using our rinks will provide for a package that best suits the needs of the City’s residents. Ms. Jones asked Mr. DiSalvo how many calls he got. He replied he had none, but over the weekend, people thought the Rec was going to close tomorrow, which is not true – we are open and operating. The question is not so much what is going on in the Rec but what is going on with the new Rec Plan. Now that this Rec Master Plan is concluding, and this year everything was put on hold, the physical appraisal being done, the Rec will see what happens with the Rec Master Plan in 2007. It will have to be the administration’s call. Mr. Lasko asked where the overall process of the Recreation Department’s Master Plan stood right now because we had a public meeting for comment with a presentation, and then the members of the administration were then engaged in due diligence in discussing matters with the surrounding communities. Mr. Dailey said that the next step would be before the end of the year or the end of January for the final recommendation. Mr. Baxter said that one of the things that might happen at the Rec should be an Adult Fitness Center. We discussed that. Gold’s Gym is going to be building a big fitness center in Westlake in Crocker Park. It was in the paper and, in fact, Mr. Baxter received something in the mail to join. For whatever that’s worth, that is something to think about: whether or not this will have an impact on what North Olmsted might do. Certainly a large, high-quality fitness center that has state of the art equipment, a pool, and bikes, etc. – for those who could afford it, this could impact North Olmsted. Mr. DiSalvo said that he lives in Middleburg Heights where Omni Fitness is located, and it does not impact the Middleburg Heights Rec, which was built later. If anything, it provides an outlet so that the Rec is not overcrowded. That would be a good balance. Mr. Dailey said there is also Curves in Westlake, Bally’s on Columbia Road, and the YMCA as well. Fitness appeals to the greatest amount of people these days, so the North Olmsted Rec Center should not be diluted. Page 12