BOARD OF UTAH STATE PARKS AND RECRATION MEETING



BOARD OF UTAH STATE PARKS AND RECREATION MEETING

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

1594 WEST NORTH TEMPLE

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

February 3, 2016

Present:

Jaren Davis Bob Murri Ryan Starks

Doug Thompson Corey Cram Kimberly Schappert

Kevin Christensen Lesha Coltharp Claudia Jarrett

Fred Hayes Jeff Rasmussen Scott Strong

Mike Styler Robyn Pearson Wendy Wack

Visitors:

Dave Harris Chris Haller Ty Hunter

Marty Bushman Nathan Turner Mat Derrick

Monica Rockwood

______________________________________________________________________________

Board Vice-Chair Jaren Davis called the meeting to order and welcomed all board members and staff. Ms. Kimberly Schappert is joining us by telephone.

Approval of Minutes

Vice-Chair Davis asked the board if they have had a chance to review the minutes from the May 6, 2015, and August 5, 2015 board meetings.

MR. COREY CRAM MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE MAY 6, 2015, AND AUGUST 5, 2015, MEETINGS. VICE-CHAIR DAVIS NOTED THERE IS NO MOTION NEEDED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES, ONLY TO NOTE CORRECTIONS. THE MINUTES STAND APPROVED.

Approval of Agenda

Vice-Chair Davis reviewed the agenda and asked for approval if there are no changes suggested.

MR. BOB MURRI MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MR. DOUG THOMPSON SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Board Member Reports

Vice-Chair Davis asked the board members for their individual reports since the last meeting and introduce themselves.

Mr. Ryan Starks said he is happy to be an ambassador for State Parks. He met with the concessionaire that has the zipline at Deer Creek State Park. This is the longest zipline over water in the United States. He did a soft launch right before the snow fell and will begin with a full operation in the Spring. There is a video on YouTube (zipline Utah) that has a helmet view of somebody riding the zipline. What is happening at State Parks shows it is continuing to grow.

Mr. Doug Thompson represents the Northern area. He really enjoys being a part of the State Parks Board.

Ms. Lesha Coltharp is the tourism director for Uintah County. She is excited to be a part of State Parks. There was an ice fishing tournament at Steinaker and there were over 200 people in attendance. Last year all of the parks in her area had record breaking numbers. Red Fleet hold the Paddlefest every year. She talked about the re-stalking of the fish at Red Fleet. She has been doing tourism her whole life and visits a lot of the state parks with her family.

Mr. Kevin Christensen introduced himself. He has visited quite a few state parks last summer. He had good experiences everywhere he went. He has been to Palisade, Yuba, Jordanelle, and Deer Creek. He camped with a scout group at Wasatch Mountain State Park. He was able to golf at Soldier Hollow. He also visited Escalante State Park.

Ms. Kimberly Schappert said she was very proud of the region manager in the Southeast Region, Tim Smith, when he received a nice DNR annual award. She works a lot with Dead Horse Point State Park. She said they are excited for the expansions going on in her area, especially the San Rafael Swell area. Goosenecks State Park has collected quite a bit of money since they began collecting fees. They are very excited that the body of Brody’s shooter was found. She took some passes to the VA office in Moab and she said it was nice to have them, but they were not utilized as she expected.

Mr. Bob Murri welcomed the new board members. He said one of the things he likes to do with his family is to take them to state parks and make traditions. He loves our state parks. He went to the Soldier Hollow Golf Course and loved it. He really likes going to East Canyon for the Klondike event.

Ms. Claudia Jarrett introduced herself. She is the county commissioner for San Pete. She has lived in San Pete for more than 30 years. She has visited almost all of the state parks. Her first experience with state parks was at Yuba. She loves state parks. She is a strong supporter of how they enhance the quality of life for our residents.

Mr. Corey Cram introduced himself. He is pleased to see the water conditions that we have this year. Southern Utah is at 150% of average this year. He serves on the Special Services District Board and the Quagga Mussel Task Force. There are some great things going on at Sand Hollow. There were two half-marathons held there this past week. Snow Canyon continues to be a gem in that area. Gunlock is expected to completely fill this year with the snow melt. Both Quail Creek and Frontier Homestead is also doing great things. Corey loves and appreciates the region manager in their area.

Vice-Chair Davis has been on the board for seven years, so he only has one year left. He believes criticism should be given with a solution. He offered a flag to Ryan Starks for their office in Heber Valley. He said over the years he has served, he has seen a tremendous change in State Parks. When we would go before the Legislature, our typical ask for general funds was $12 million. When Fred took over this organization, Jaren noticed a drastic change. It is his belief we were at about 3 million visitors. We shifted from $12 million to $4 million in general fund requests. He said those years were difficult, but worthwhile. The money will come out of the restricted fund account, not the general fund. He feels like we are lucky to have a director like Fred Hayes. We have 192 staff members. He said it is rare that we have complaints about the parks. He referred to Fred as a “fearless leader” and thanked him for his leadership. Ms. Schappert noted that during our difficult times, we didn’t have to eliminate any of our parks.

Swearing in of New Board Members

Director Mike Styler was asked to swear in our new board members. He said we have been through 8-10 years of difficult times in State Parks; general funds were very scarce for us. There are those that would like parks to be a place where you drive by and look at the customers as a nuisance. We invite the public and we want them to come and create memories. You had such a great memory that you want to come back. We are taking care of the resources and we are working with the natural landscape. The partnership between parks and wildlife has become stronger. Mike has never seen, until last year, he is not worried about our budget being cut any more. He talked about Fremont Indian State Park and the reason it is there.

He welcomed the two new board members (Lesha Coltharp and Claudia Jarrett) and asked them to stand to be sworn in. They were sworn in by Director Styler and signed the Oath of Office.

Election of Board Officers

Director Hayes was asked to conduct the election of new board officers. He asked the new board members to visit as many state parks as possible and gave the new board members annual passes. He let the Board members know that our goal is to get more people in more parks more often. If any board members would like some free day-use passes to hand out, Deputy Director Jeff Rasmussen can get those. Irene Hansen served as the Chair for four years with Jaren Davis as Vice-Chair. We need to fill both positions at this time.

MS. CLAUDIA JARRETT MADE A MOTION THAT NOMINATIONS FOR STATE PARKS BOARD CHAIR CEASE. MR. DOUG THOMPSON SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

The nominations for the new Chair included Bob Murri and Jaren Davis. After a secret ballot vote, Mr. Jaren Davis was voted in as the new board chair.

Director Hayes turned the nominations for Vice-Chair over to the new Chair Davis. Nominations were open for vice-chair. Nominations for the new Vice-Chair included Mr. Bob Murri and Kimberly Schappert.

MR. RYAN STARKS MADE A MOTION THAT NOMINATIONS FOR STATE PARKS BOARD VICE-CHAIR CEASE. MR. COREY CRAM SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

After another secret ballot vote, Mr. Bob Murri was voted in as the new vice-chair. These appointments will run until Chair Davis leaves the board.

Director’s Report

Director Hayes said this has been an amazing year. We are at the top of the game. The success goes to those that are in the field on a daily basis. The partnerships are also very critical. Former Chair Irene Hansen recommended Ms. Coltharp as a new board member. Ms. Coltharp has been a valuable partner in the Basin for a long, long time. All of the board members are great. We were at the capitol for Tourism Day on Monday and Irene Hansen was there.

In addition to the new activities, we have had an amazing year in visitation. When the legislative session started, the fiscal analyst was going through volumes of information. He reviewed State Parks’ budget with the legislators and everything was so positive. He didn’t find anything that the legislators wanted to question us about. We are shooting for a 3-year timeframe that we can be self-sufficient and possibly give up the rest of the general fund that we utilize. We are focusing on three major initiatives. The Governor has asked us to undertake an efficiency project. This is called Success framework. He reviewed how this is measured. The three initiatives we are focusing on include 1) Condition of our facilities; 2) Level of customer service given to our visitors; and 3) Building our business. You will be hearing a lot more about this. The real exciting part is that we are now on the front-end of a growing phase. When budgets were cut, our restricted fund was down to $4 million; there is now $16 million in that account. We have paid our own way, but we now have a surplus to put back into the facilities. This is contributed to Mr. Scott Strong’s efforts. This is the first time that our budget request has meshed with the legislative analyst. Mr. Thompson asked if the legislators know about the $16 million and if it was safe from them. Director Hayes said they see we are ready to use it so he feels like it is safe. We can begin to talk about new state parks. We plan to rebuild Red Fleet. We plan to go to Steinaker and do the same thing there. We are also looking at acquiring a few new state parks. Mr. Cram asked about Little Sahara. Director Hayes said because of the success of the Division, others would like us to take over Little Sahara. We think it’s worth taking a serious look at it, but we aren’t sure we could take over that area. Our fear is that will come up with a lot of parks that we can’ support. It needs to be a very careful business opportunity. We are being careful about how we grown. We are looking for some opportunities. We don’t believe in bonding and going into debt. We will try to do this on a pay-as-you-go basis. If you have suggestions, let’s look at them. In 1959, there was a list of park areas developed by the Utah Recreation Commission. They identified 118 areas as potential state parks. We feel like we need to begin a list similar to this. We know there are parks that need to be upgraded before we acquire new state park areas. Ultimately, he would like to see a state park in every county. Daggett, Wayne, Beaver, Weber, and Tooele Counties are the ones that don’t currently have a state park.

Director Hayes was asked about San Rafael Swell. That is still in the works. We can see the opportunity for a park on a Forest Service property in contract with the BLM. We will need to reconsider where we build parks.

Legislative Outlook

We talked a little bit about the budget. We feel like we are in really good shape with our building block. We feel we will get it this year and have it as ongoing. We are watching HB 52 which was proposed by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. This would create a grant program for infrastructure. We would then use some of our money as matching funds. There is HB 135 which is a fee ex emption for qualifying veterans. This would allow a qualifying disabled veteran with a 50% or greater disability to qualify for a free State Park annual pass. We are working with the Division of Veteran and Military Affairs. We will monitor this bill. We don’t feel like this will have a huge impact on us. The last one we are watching closely is HB169. This is the Little Sahara transfer bill. There are a lot of concerns from other entities. There are a couple of ATV, snowmobile, and drones bills that we are watching.

Mr. Starks asked what happens when we have a winter like we’ve had and we don’t have the visitation numbers that we’ve had in the past. Mr. Strong feels like our numbers will continue to increase. Mr. Cram mentioned that Director Hayes has listened to the legislature and taken their guidance and that he provides a vision to park employees, and empowers his park managers. He appreciates Director Hayes’ leadership.

Military Appreciation Day Report

Deputy Director Rasmussen would like to discuss the First Day Hike before his report on Military Appreciation Day. This event is geared to get people outdoors and involved in physical activity to encourage healthy lifestyles AND increase visitation to our state parks. The event is held in conjunction with the State Parks advocacy group, America's State Parks, that promotes state parks nation-wide. Despite brutally cold temperatures near zero, we had a great turnout. Antelope Island had 68 hikers, Dead Horse Point had 35 hikers, Coral Pink Sand Dunes had 12 hikers, Snow Canyon had 45 hikers, and Willard Bay had 24 hikers. The impact of this great event goes far beyond just getting the hikers out on New Year’s Day. The event drew media attention that gave great exposure for state parks and drove home the message that our state parks are open and fun to visit year-round. Those that attended had a great time and will spread the word to their friends and family who will likely come back to visit.

A few comments were received from visitors regarding this event. They are as follows:

Just a quick note to thank you and your staff for a very enjoyable hike to Beacon Knob yesterday. Thank you for the history lesson along the way. When I told my mom about the story you shared she said she remembered the beacon but never knew why it was there. She has lived in Davis County 80 years. Now she knows. :) Looking forward to next year's hike and other activities on the island before then. Keep up the great job you're doing !!!

 

I have driven past Willard Bay a number of times, but I had never realized how beautiful it is here! I didn't even know what exactly was here, but this is awesome.

Over the holidays, Board Member Bob Murri asked for an update regarding how last year’s Military Appreciation Day went and what our plans were for this year.

Deputy Director Rasmussen gave the background for this event so the new board members would understand why the event was held. Last year we were advised by Utah Division of Risk Management and the Utah Attorney General’s Office to discontinue the issuance of our free and discounted passes that were offered to disabled veterans and to visitors who had significant disabilities because the criteria we were using did not meet current ADA requirements. They also advised us not to offer passes in the future based on disability because we cannot legally ask what disability a person has nor can we exclude or privilege any disability over another. After this discussion, board member Ryan Starks asked that we find other ways to recognize veterans for their service and that led to our first annual Military Appreciation day that was held last August. We decided to offer free day use entry for all military members including veterans and active duty military. Activities included: Flag-raising ceremonies, personalized museum tours, pancake breakfasts and hamburger lunches, 5k runs, dutch oven cook-offs, interpretive presentations, disc golf tournaments, fishing tournaments, archery competitions and hot dog eating contests. All parks had military recognition displays and activities. Most parks averaged 20-30 participants; some with 100-300 people.

Deputy Director Rasmussen feels that last year’s celebration was a huge success considering what a short timeframe our staff had to get it all put together.

Mr. Murri wanted to know what comments we received as a result of Military Appreciation Day: There were a few that complained that this one-day celebration was not enough to show appreciation for the military and veterans. Deputy Director Rasmussen spoke with our public information employee who was answering phones at the time and she said she probably received about 15 calls and about 10 of those were negative comments. Director Hayes and Deputy Director Rasmussen, as well as the region managers and other administrative staff, attended many of these celebrations and sad the people that were there were very appreciative and were having a great time.

We think there is a great opportunity to turn this into an annual event for State Parks and we’d like to do it again this coming August. He said he is confident that this year’s celebration will be bigger and better than last year because we have more time to plan, we have an established relationship with Corey Pearson with the Utah Department of Military and Veteran Affairs and Corey will be able to get the word out a lot sooner and engage various veteran and military groups to encourage more participation, and we have a seasoned public affairs crew now who will work their magic with TV, newspaper, radio and social media coverage. We are tentatively planning to host another Military Appreciation Day on August 13th pending your comments today.

Mr. Murri asked if it was a possibility to have these comments on our website. Other board members agreed that would be a good thing to have on the website.

Deputy Director Rasmussen asked the board members for their comments. Ms. Coltharp said they didn’t have a big turnout, but feels like it would be bigger if it is held every year on the same day. Mr. Murri agreed with her and feels consistency is better. Board members suggested we hold it the second or third weekend in August each year. Ms. Schappert asked if it was mandatory for every park to participate. She was told that every park held some type of event without complaints. Board members asked the policy be made to hold this event the second Saturday of August as Military Appreciation Day every year. Chair Davis suggested we coordinate with the military to ensure a bigger event. Mr. Cram mentioned they have an annual fun run that is sponsored by the National Guard. He said it is a great community event. Director Hayes said our relationship with the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs has grown by leaps and bounds due to Deputy Director Rasmussen’s involvement with them. He has done a great job working with them.

Antelope Island State Park Special Mule Deer and Bighorn Sheep Hunt Rule Modifications

Deputy Director Rasmussen reviewed the background of this rule. The Utah Legislature instructed the division to offer hunting of mule deer and big horn sheep on Antelope Island State Park in 2011. These hunts have been offered annually each November in cooperation with the Division of Wildlife Resources. Each year, we asked the board to approve how many mule deer and big horn sheep permits would be issued and the dates when the hunts would occur. It came to our attention about a year ago that the way we were handling these hunts was not in compliance with state law. Our State Parks Board has the authority to grant access to Antelope Island State Park for these hunts to occur, but only the Division of Wildlife Resources Board can set the hunt dates and determine how many hunting permits will be issued.

The four rules outlined in your board packet need to be changed to get the division into compliance with state law and clean up existing rule language. Once these changes are made, season dates and other parameters for the hunts will be established by a cooperative agreement between Parks and DWR that will be presented once it is completed.

He introduced Mr. Marty Bushman from the Utah Attorney General’s Office to answer any technical questions as the information is presented. Mr. Bushman has helped with the rule changes and the content of the cooperative agreement. We greatly appreciate his help.

Deputy Director Rasmussen reviewed the changes we are requesting at this time. They include:

R651-637-1. Authorization of a Hunt:

• Eliminates wording that requires the Parks board to set hunt dates and permit numbers

• Adds that a cooperative agreement will be presented to the Wildlife and Parks boards for their approval governing bighorn sheep and mule deer hunts at Antelope Island State Park

• Adds that season dates, permit numbers and general hunting procedures and regulations will be set by the cooperative agreement.

• Adds that the cooperative agreement will outline how funding collected from the marketed hunting permits will be transferred from Wildlife to Parks

R651-637-3. Season Dates:

• Takes out wording that set the hunting dates in this rule since that will be addressed in the cooperative agreement

R651-637-7. Orientation:

• This rule originally required an annual orientation meeting prior to each hunt. Our proposed change makes this meeting optional. IE same hunter and guide each year for marketed permit

R651-637-8. Mandatory Check-in and Check-out:

• This change is simply a wording change necessitated by the change above eliminating the requirement to hold an orientation

At this time, State Parks is requesting the Board consider amending rules R651-637-1, R651-637-3, R651-637-7 and R651-637-8 as presented.

Mr. Cram asked if the Division of Wildlife Resources is managing the wildlife population. They are, in conjunction with our staff. Chair Davis asked if animals are walking onto or off of the island due to the low water levels. We expect they would, but don’t have any proof. Ms. Jarrett asked if the cooperative agreement would be done annually. Deputy Director Rasmussen replied this will be a ten-year agreement. Ms. Schappert asked if there is an option that there will not be a hunt. If the staff agrees a hunt is not appropriate, there is a possibility a hunt will not be held.

Mr. Bushman explained what the process is with DWR. This is all based on biological needs and the agreement between DWR and Parks. Ms. Jarrett asked why buffalo are not included in this hunt. The buffalo on the Island are a domestic herd owned by State Parks. We received $435,000 last year from these permits. Ms. Schappert asked how many of these trophy animals we have there and if the ones that were taken were trophy material. Mr. Bushman said it is subjective, but people are willing to pay $400,000 for a permit. Director Hayes said we have a lot of them there and we get more every year.

MR. COREY CRAM MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE RULE CHANGES AS PRESENTED. MR. KEVIN CHRISTENSEN SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED, WITH MS. KIMBERLY SCHAPPERT OPPOSING.

Division of Parks and Recreation/Division of Wildlife Resources MOU Approval

Deputy Director Rasmussen reviewed the cooperative agreement that was created as a result of the approved rule changes. He asked for any comments regarding the agreement.

MR. DOUG THOMPSON MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE SIGNING OF THE PROPOSED MOU AS PRESENTED. VICE-CHAIR BOB MURRI SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED, WITH MS. KIMBERLY SCHAPPERT OPPOSING.

Division of Parks and Recreation Financial Update

Financial Manager Scott Strong presented a financial update for State Parks. We had a great year, just as we have over the last five years. He said out of the 44 park units (golf courses included), 32 were profitable or very close to being profitable. The ones that were not profitable included 7 museums, 3 golf courses, and 2 recreation parks. He said each of these parks are moving the needle toward profitability. The museums are not expected to create income, but it is exciting to see what they are doing to increase revenue. He talked about the restricted funds account as it was discussed earlier. Our revenue is up 44% and our expenses for park staff is down 17%. Most of this is due to positions that haven’t been filled. We have asked for funding to fill these positions. Some of the positions have been filled as seasonals. Mr. Strong said we went to the Natural Resources Committee on Monday. That was an amazing thing to see. They usually scrutinize any requests made. We are asking for a lot of money and we’ve got representatives and senators arguing to give us more money because of the good job we are doing in the parks. The projections we’ve looked at show that we will be able to maintain between 12 and 16 million dollars in the restricted account. He said it’s nice to see the trust the legislature has in us. Ms. Jarrett asked which parks were not profitable. They include Jordan River OHV Park and Wasatch Mountain, and three golf courses (Soldier Hollow, Palisade, and Green River), and all 7 of our museums. Vice-Chair Murri commented that it’s neat to see how the whole mood has changed within State Parks. We can be innovative and forward thinking. A lot of this comes from the park level.

Transfer of Land to North Salt Lake

The transfer of property to North Salt Lake was discussed during the closed Executive Session held earlier today.

VICE-CHAIR BOB MURRI MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE TRANSFER OF LAND TO NORTH SALT LAKE. MS. KIMBERLY SCHAPPER SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

R651-412-2 (OHV COURSE APPROVAL PROCESS) MODIFICATION

Division of State Parks OHV Program Coordinator Chris Haller reviewed the rule change presented for modification. This is a basic language clean up. Because of our staff downsizing, that position was eliminated, so we need to make sure the rule reflects that change and is consistent with the program.

MR. DOUG THOMPSON MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE RULE CHANGES AS PRESENTED. MR. RYAN STARKS SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory and Recreational Trails Council Appointments

Mr. Chris Haller said we are seeking the approval of a new council member as the snowmobile representative, as the previous member’s term expired. It is recommended that the Board appoint Mr. Kelly Leishman, of Nibley, Utah to serve as the snowmobile representative on the Off-Highway Vehicle Advisory Council.

MR. KEVIN CHRISTENSEN MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF MR. KELLY LEISHMAN AS THE SNOWMOBILE REPRESENTATIVE ON THE OHV ADVISORY COUNCIL. MS. LESHA COLTHARP SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Mr. Haller said we are also seeking the approval of a new council member as the Utah League of Cities and Towns representative on the Recreational Trails Advisory Council. It is recommended that the Board appoint Mr. Nick Tatton, of Price, Utah to serve as the Utah League of Cities and Towns representative on the Recreational Trails Advisory Council. Ms. Jarrett asked if the Utah League of Cities and Towns has approved this recommendation. Mr. Haller replied that yes, they have, in a round-about way. We have sent certified letters and they have never said no.

VICE-CHAIR BOB MURRI MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF MR. NICK TATTON AS THE UTAH LEAGUE OF CITIES AND TOWNS REPRESENTATIVE ON THE RECREATIONAL TRAILS ADVISORY COUNCIL. MR. RYAN STARKS SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Mr. Haller said lastly, we are seeking the approval of a new council member as the Utah Association of Counties representative on the Recreational Trails Advisory Council. It is recommended that the Board appoint Mr. Scott Lyons, of Box Elder County Utah, to serve as the Utah Association of Counties representative on the Recreational Trails Advisory Council.

MS. KIMBERLY SCHAPPERT MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF MR. SCOTT LYONS AS THE UTAH ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES REPRESENTATIVE ON THE RECREATIONAL TRAILS ADVISORY COUNCIL. MR. COREY CRAM SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Ms. Jarrett made the suggestion that these two organizations be notified that these appointments have been made. Mr. Haller said he will make that notification.

Boating Advisory Council Appointments

Director Hayes mentioned that he asked Mr. Ty Hunter, Boating Program Coordinator, to handle the recommendations for advisory council appointments a little bit different this time. He asked Mr. Hunter to let the Board members know the names of the people that have been considered for appointment as Boating Advisory Council members. He asked if this is helpful and if the board members would prefer this or just receiving the recommendation for appointment. Board members said they appreciate knowing who is interested and also to see the staff recommendation.

Mr. Hunter reviewed the information that was sent to the Board regarding the vacant positions on the Boating Advisory Council. Mr. Maciej Mamon resigned as the Sailing Representative due to moving out of Utah. Ms. Betsy Risner, the Paddlecraft Users representative, failed to adhere to the By-laws of the Boating Advisory Council on tenure by not attending the council meetings and actively contribute to the work of the council, after the loss of her spouse.

The council solicited for applications and submitted their recommendations to the Division. The applicants for the Sailing Representative position included Richard Walsh and William Rusconi. Mr. Hunter reviewed these individuals’ backgrounds. The applicants for the Paddlecraft Users Representative position included Eric Bonin and Joe Arave. Mr. Hunter reviewed these individuals’ backgrounds.

It is recommended the Board vacate the Paddlecraft Users position and then appoint Mr. Eric Bonin as the new Paddlecraft Users Representative on the Boating Advisory Council.

It is also recommended that the Board appoint Mr. Richard Walsh as the Sailing Representative on the Boating Advisory Council.

MS. CLAUDIA JARRETT MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD VACATE THE PADDLECRAFT USERS POSITION ON THE BOATING ADVISORY COUNCIL. MR. RYAN STARKS SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

MR. COREY CRAM MADE A MOTION THAT THE BOARD APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF MR. ERIC BONIN AS THE PADDLECRAFTS USERS REPRESENTATIVE AND MR. RICHARD WALSH AS THE SAILING REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BOATING ADVISORY COUNCIL. MS. KIMBERLY SCHAPPERT SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Other Business and Next Meeting

Mr. Corey Cram asked what was going on with the dredging efforts. Director Hayes said that we were granted money to dredge the Great Salt Lake Marina and Utah Lake. We are currently awaiting the contracts to be issued through DFCM. We will probably wait until August to do the dredging so we have less impact on visitors.

The next meeting is scheduled for May 4 and 5, 2016. Mr. Cram asked if it would be possible to change the meetings to the second Wednesday and Thursday, or another alternative, as the scheduled meeting conflict with his schedule. Director Hayes suggested each board member host one of the board meetings in their respective areas. Mr. Starks volunteered to host the August meeting. After discussion by the Board members and staff, it was decided the next meeting will be held May 18 and 19, 2016. The other two meetings for this year will be held on August 17 and 18 and November 16 and 17, 2016. Mr. Cram asked to host the November meeting. Ms. Coltharp offered to host the May meeting.

Upcoming Board Meeting

MR. COREY CRAM MADE A MOTION THAT THE STATE PARKS BOARD CONVENE INTO A CLOSED SESSION TO START THE NEXT BOARD MEETING FOR THE PURPOSE OF DISCUSSING REAL ESTATE AND CONTRACT STRATEGY AND LITIGATION ISSUES, PURSUANT TO THE CONTRACT EXEMPTION AT UTAH CODE ANNOTATED 52-4-5 (1A). VICE-CHAIR BOB MURRI SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

VICE-CHAIR BOB MURRI MADE A MOTION THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MR. RYAN STARKS SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

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