City Council - Regular Meeting

Honorable city council members to the mayor, clerk, treasurer, our city attorney, chief of staff, administrative staff, and our audience here in the council chambers. Today is Monday, December 8, 2025. This is city of Ramulus city council special meeting study se session. This meeting is to review the draft plan of the 2025 2030 parks and recreation master plan. Madame chair, roll call was conducted at a previous uh special meeting and we still have a quorum for this meeting. Thank you.

So tonight's special meeting agenda is as follows. Number one, roll call. Two, agenda. Three, discussion. The draft plan of the 2025 to 2030 parks and recreation master plan. Number four is public comment. And number five is adjournment. A motion will be in order to accept tonight's special meeting agenda as presented. So move support. It's been motioned by Mr. Jones, supported by Miss Abdo for the approval of this agenda for the special meeting. Mr. Jones, yes. Miss Abdo, yes. Mr. Bullock, yes. Mr. Wilhyde, yes. Mr. Wsworth, yes. Miss Rosco, yes. Chair votes, yes. Motion approved.

Thank you, city council. We're now in discussion. And to lead our discussion, we have our parks and recreation director, Colleen Dumis, and the director of communications and community service, Michael Lascassi.

All right. Good evening, city council mayor, chief of staff, clerk, treasur, and the county. and the public was here tonight. Um, first off, I'm going to be presenting the 20 26 2030 draft for the next five years. Um, I can applaud to say the draft from the previous years. We have completed those action items for the parks. Uh, also I would like to thank council for their continued support to move our community and city forward and thank you mayor for making our parks a priority.

Amen.

Um, so the benefits for the master plan uh it allows us to apply for grants. We will be submitting this master plan to the state for review. But first I would like for you to get your eyes on it. We have had our uh public survey, got a lot of feedback. So, um we just want to be able to provide our community with viable parks, safe, um enjoyable and state ofthe-art park. So, and safe and 88 accessible for wheelchair. Um we have young residents that wheelchair. Someone came to my office to talk about, you know, we know about ADA ADA um apply uh compliance. So, uh let's go over to page.

Let's move to the cards. Like Caroline said, we this is a extensive document. We've 82 pages here, so we obviously don't expect you to make it through here tonight. Um but we just wanted to get this in your hand so you can start getting some eyes on it. Um, we have a 30-day process once this draft is distributed to open up for um, public. So, it'll be made available on our website to the public for to review as well. Um, we're still making a few tweaks here and there and plugging in some information. So, this is not a definitive document yet. This is the draft portion, but this is the part where we're starting to review and have council review and reach out to us with any questions or concerns they have with it.

Um, like Mike said, this is definitely our draft. Um we're proud that we were able to uh successfully get things done for Mary and Banks Park. Our next park on the agenda will be St. John Park and we will be doing um some renovations over there in the upcoming year. So as you can see we go back to that last slide some of the things that taking place at uh uh the raspberry and banks. Um, so we want to continue to find those findings and we definitely have to make sure this master plan is um up to date and submitted to the state in time.

Good question. Why y'all didn't put these in our mailbox so we can really dive into it over the weekend? So we have 30 days. So we want to give you first first um hand part of the requirement of of the process of getting the master plan approval is getting this to city council with enough time before final adoption. Okay. Okay. So we got a lot of time. Okay. So this will we will be looking to bring this back to council. Gotcha. Okay. So this is like a pre kind. Got it. Prep.

Okay. Thanks. Um it you you can also see the feedback from the public as well from the survey what uh the community wants in the park as well. So and from that we will compile all the information and we'll put our action plan together so we can present to the mayor city council so we can u make sure you can um definitely get those act taken care of. hope to look through the slides and um your packet. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and um ask any questions about how we bring parks forward. We have opportunity park on the screen right now and we just recently completed a fitness court over there and now we're exploring the avenue of some um new buddy games for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey. Um the information is changing so rapidly that a lot of these aren't even up to date yet. We have to make changes on what we're planning to do with some of these parks.

Anybody from coun Oh, Mr. Was I got a question? I got a question for you. At this point, we only have one uh ice skating rink at Maryanne Banks Park. Is that correct? Correct. That's correct. You know, people that live up off of Beverly and Middle Belt, a couple people have approaching want to know why they couldn't have an ice rink up in their end of town. Have we looked into that or I mean, I'm sure it's feasible. I mean it doesn't make So we putting together a a committee of people from that end and we're going to sit down and talk about some possibilities over at Menali uh a lot of feedback from that. It's not that difficult to make a rink. I mean you know that's Yeah.

Well, I'm not saying it's simple either. I mean but the people up there want to know why only this part of town gets a skating ring and they don't get one. Again, we're making our assessments and then our goal is to meet the needs of all our residents in all areas, right? We're we're divided in four quadrants. So, we want to one park at a time.

There there used to be a time when there was a rink behind every fireh hall in in in the winter. I mean, that's not feasible anymore, but uh that's one comment I have. One of the goals that we're trying to accomplish with uh project car parks is is to make each park unique in their own way. Um so that every park has its its unique feature or key um attraction that that the other parks don't have so that we can try to entice people to travel to different parks and utilize them throughout the city for different activities. That's a good

um through the chair um when you had your meeting opened up to the public and everything for their input and everything. I I think you had a broad range of of people there from all over the city that really had a lot of good input. So I I think um we're doing the best we can with trying to make sure we hit all the areas. So I agree. And I think I think um by the u attendance you had a lot of variations, not just one side of town that was there. So, I think that was really good to through to the chair. Yes.

Ju just a quick comment kind of on what uh Councilman Was alluding to. A lot of times we hear from our residents and this lead council to help out.

Um they they think that their corner of the city was forgotten. Nobody ever comes over here. Nobody ever does our roads over here. Um we are looking at all of the parks and we passed Mike and his team up with reinvision a park every year. It's too much of a lift to do them all at the same time. Um, so Opportunity Park, Marian Banks Park, and now they're off to the next journey. So, they're going to hit all of the parks, and it's gonna be more than just a uh, you know, painting a swing set and throw some new swings on there and a new teeter totter. You even know how to have teeter totters anymore? I don't think you can, but anyhow, we want to reinvision them. And that's part of that the process is hearing from the residents and and Mike set up two meetings already with residents over by Menali Park. So, when we redo that, what do they want to see? It's their neighborhood. What do they want to see over there? So, we're going to be making sure we get feedback, but we are going to touch every park in this community. We're also looking at the possibilities of acquiring additional properties uh to grow a park because over on your side of town, uh Councilman W, there's no park other than the dog park and that's relatively new. So, um but the mission is to look at a holistic look at all of our parks, improve them all so we they're all uh places we can all feel proud to go and to attend and enjoy um and grow them. But we're going to hit every park in this city. It's not just going to be one done in one area. So everybody can say, "Well, how come they never come to my side of town?"

And you know, mayor, the point that was the point that was brought up to me, I was told, "Well, we got seven or eight kids that we got to put them in a car. If they want to skate, we got to drive them over here. It was in a neighborhood. These kids could walk to it." That was a point that was brought up to me. And I think the focus also just bringing everyone back together because again when parks went down for so long a lot of our residents go outside of Romulus. So we want to make sure we build our parks up that um we want to stay and enjoy our parks here in Romulus.

So let me ask you this, Colleen, because I think it's great. I thank you mayor for even um just having making the parks a priority. My concern with the work that's being done to the parks, I remember I think it was few years ago we did this big deal in Fernandez Park. Remember they did the redid the basketball court. They put new stuff up and what that park look like now. And I'm just saying what can we do to make sure that this stuff is maintained because that's a lot of work. You do a lot of work, Colleen. So we yeah definitely looking at avenues for security cameras and monitor adopt someone brought up adopt a park you know you you you know you put a lot of pressure on residents

to be the eyes and the ears sometimes you have to consider the resident the age and how long they've been there and just um have the buy in with the with the young people make them be a part of that uh the improvement let them come and be a part of that and then they'll take ownership. Yes, you're going to have vandalism. That's in any park in any community. But yes, we have to put things in place that uh the buy in respect our parks, have some sense of monitoring and security. So, yes. Okay. I got a question um through the chair. Yes, through the chair. Oh, okay. Yeah, you do. Yes, ma'am.

More rules of order. Yes. We were talking about the um Councilman Wadssworth was talking about the behind the fire stations. Is the burm and everything still back there behind station two on middle belt road? I'm not I I don't have the answer to that. Okay. I I didn't know it because I noticed that they put the BMS up and they made it and I didn't know if it was just overgrown or but thank you. You might still need that 100% sure. But there are also still options for St. John. You know, our parks closed every one of the time. I mean, even though they're,

you know, there the only park that's locked is EJ's. Um, but have special events at Maryanne Banks or St. John's Lodge freeze up that basketball court. Kids want to ice skate there. That's closer to Okay. Uh, that neighborhood down Beverly Road less than less than a mile away. I mean, that's an option as well in the future. some things to consider.

Okay, Dr. J. Uh, Colleen, have you when you went to your survey and stuff far as Okay, he speaking of said the ice rinks, have you checked and see like if they in certain neighborhoods that that ice rink would going to work, what's going to work in that neighborhood because it wouldn't make no to put something there we know that it's not going to work. And then too far as the security due to the fact because especially far as Fernandez uh Fernandez apartment was right across the street from my house and the way it had got to a point I had said I never live I would never live across street from another park but you have to some we got to figure out some kind of way to get the people involved as you were saying

far as putting something on them to make them want to be involved because the people is that's the only thing that's the only thing that's going to happen. I mean, we have to make the parks look healthy, you know, you know, we're utilizing them so people will say, "Yes, I want to stop at that park and take my son or daughter or family because uh I I want to be able to I want to feel safe and it's it's nice. People go to things that look good for and they have amenities there that they can utilize."

Yeah, Mr. chair. And another thing too, as you said, the people um like you said, you making the parks look good because a lot of people say, "Well, the park don't look like anything." So the city's not doing this even though we know this we have to take care of our parks. But I believe do fixing them up like that is a good thing because now they will some of them will take a little pride into that whereas and we know like you said, you're going to have those things happen. things that happen at all our parks.

And that's the hope is that the the further we improve our parks and invest in them, the more pride that we create and sense of community um to want to take care of it and make sure our parks stay well maintained and reflect positively on the city through the chair. Yeah, and I think that's working because you know I'm by Maryanne Banks Park and I've had people call me and say these kids were tearing it up and I went over and said something to them. They took ownership. People in the community stopped and they saw something. They said, "Hey, we don't do that here." And that's what we need that they weren't looking for a fight. They were just trying to promote. You know, that's what we're relying on the res. That's what we need to do.

I I actually was passing by Marian Banks early or late last week and noticed that one of the new trees that we planted in there, somebody had decorated it for Christmas. And I thought, I don't know, it wasn't Wow. I don't know who it was. Just somebody who out of the kindness of their heart decorated the tree and was um really nice. Yeah, and that's what we need to promote that. Just one other little note, something that Mike started doing at all the parks too is just little subliminal signs. This is your park. You know, leave it as you found it and try to get invest in that that culture of ownership. Um and hopefully that works, you know, and the kids have gone out there and done some minor vandalism, but we go out there the next day, we fix it and put new stuff up. Okay.

Um you know, we're not going to let them tear our parks up, so then it just breeds that blight. So, it'll be a work in progress. It's a different uh culture now. Um, and understandably some of the residents when they see the shenanigans at Fernandez, they don't want to call cuz they don't want the backlash. So, uh, like I said, as Mike goes through these parks, he's going to install security, um, and lighting. You know, people want to do, you know, act up in the dark. So, uh, whatever we can to to make sure it's secure and kept nice. Tina, yes, Mr. W, what's the, uh, what's the policy with the bathroom in Maryanne Banks Park? So, open certain hours or dur we winterize it. It has to be winterized. So, it closes November 1 to April 1st.

So, and then we put a port of John over at that park. Okay. What about the when it when it doesn't have to be winterized? Is it open all the time? Uh, not No, it lock it closes at at 1000 p.m. We got someone that goes during park hours. We have a person that goes at 10:00 and locks it. We have a person to go over and learn it. Thank you through the chair. Yeah, Stacy. Um, regarding the um pickle ball

and the cornhole, what is the uh policy or the process right now if um I see I see that being used a lot. And are the bags staying there? Are they disappearing? What about the paddle balls? And how does that whole process work? So, we have the honor system going on right now. So we were coming up with a system. So I we're coming up with a system. We want to give residents opportunity to enjoy the park, but we if we're destroying and taking things, we might move to people coming to reserve it,

uh put a deposit down, take equipment, you know, we we might have to move to that that direction, but right now we have the honor system going on out there. I will add though that since we've had the cornhole bags and pickle ball equipment out there, we haven't had any real issues. We've had one broken paddle and that was probably somebody that lost the game and was frustrated on the ground, but other than that, it's been well taken care of. It's being utilized. The corn bags and everything. We had we moved them for the winter, but we we haven't had any issues with them. That's good. Anybody else? One more question. Mr. Is the mayor going to have his tournament during January

17th. You referring to the curling royale, the largest outdoor curling tournament in Michigan. Absolutely. January 17th. Well, looks like the weather's going to hold out for us. Yeah, we have in the winter. Last thing I'll mention before we wrap up is we do have um our capital improvement plan, which we're still plugging in some of the information in. Um but that would kind of sets a blueprint of sorts for accomplishing the next five years with this and before we will get a final version to you before you have before we bring the council for approval. Thank you.

I have one more question. Are we getting any money from Wayne County and that park tax that we do pay and over the years we never got a dime? Yeah, we do get an allocation each year from Wayne County. Um, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't accomplish a whole lot, but we stretch every penny we can to um improve some aspect of the park each year. Thank you. Uh, this previous year, we had three new uh sets of swings installed in three different parks. So, we made sure that we hit a couple of different parks with that money. Okay. Fine. To to the chair. Yes.

Just on that note, too, and council will probably see it. Well, they will see it um in this year's budget when it comes to before council. Um the recreation team has done a great job, but we try to find grants and like, hey, we can do this now, we can do that. I told them to be more proactive so we can create a bigger investment. So we want to have a larger investment in recreation instead of having those waiting to say like, hey, I got a a grant to do a swing set or a play set. You know, we're going to go after and do some investment. We're still going to try for those grants where we can.

Um but I don't want to just wait and just say I want to invest in our park. So you're going to see a increased amount uh this year when we go through budget. Well, thank you, mayor, for your commitment to our parks. And Colleen and Mike, yeah, great job. This look, you've been talking about this forever. I know it's been a labor of love because, um, you've been working on this for a long time and I see the fruits of your work. So, thank you for the work you put in it, Mike, your support to Colleen and y'all working together as a team. Thank you for this. Um, I appreciate that. And your council, I just want to give council or Colleen a huge compliment. She put probably hundreds of hours into this plan. She still was making changes right up until this meeting and we're still continuing to update, but she's done a phenomenal job with her and her recreation team. Thank you. Totally.

All right. Thank you. All right. Great. Are there any more discussions from council? All right. Hearing none. Uh that brings us to number four, public comment. Of course, this is the portion of the agenda for those in the audience who would like to address the city council regarding tonight's special meeting agenda. If you'd like to address the city council, please raise your hand. And after being acknowledged by the chairperson, approach the podium and state your name. You will have three minutes to speak. Any additional time will be upon the consent of the chair. Do we have anyone that would like to address uh city council regarding tonight's special meeting agenda which is on the 2025 to 2030 parks and recreation master plan? Dice.

Good afternoon, council mayor. Darice Green, 6065 Essex. I'm here tonight about the uh alley abatement. Oh, that's next meeting. That's at 6:30. I got a notice tonight. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We still got a few more minutes. Yep. After this one. After this. Yep. Yep. Thank you. Close out public comment. Close it out. All righty. That brings us to number five. Ajournment. The time is 6:23. So move to adjurnn. Four. Uh the motion by Miss Rosco supported by Mr. Wsworth to adjourn this special meeting. Miss Rosco, yes. Mr. Wsworth, yes. Miss Abdo, yes. Mr. Bullock, yes. Mr. Jones, yes. Mr. Will High, yes.

Chair votes yes. Motion approved. We are journed on this meeting. You know, one one quick thing I want to let council know and and uh you journed it too fast for us to let you know is is Colleen is set up to with the recreation to get additional funding. You know, we have a public safety foundation. She set up a recreation foundation. So now we have if Amazon or Sheets or they have a nonprofit they can donate to to help build her coffers up and have additional Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't mean to close that out. That's very important. Yeah. Good luck. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Colleen. Good job, Colleen. Yeah. What's up?