Upcoming Events & Employee Performance Hot Topics at This Month’s Crossroads Pavilion Meeting

Sheldon, Iowa – The Crossroads Pavilion Board met in regular session Wednesday, January 10th at 6:00 p.m. in the Sherwood Boardroom at the Crossroads Pavilion Event Center. Present were Brittany Behrendsen, Pete Hamill, Marv Van Riesen, Kevin Cain, Rob Roozeboom, Peter Wagner, and Tricia Meendering.

The first item on the agenda under old business was a review of the events calendar. Behrendsen reported that weekends were filling up fast for 2018, and there have been many business events scheduled for weekdays, including a Farm Show hosted by the Cooperative Farmers Elevator on January 25th and an Area Education Agency (AEA) food event on March 6th.

The Special Entertainment Committee had several items to report on from their meetings since December. The Killer Vees, a Bobby Vee tribute band started by a nephew of the late Bobby Vee was contacted and work is being done to bring that group in.  Roozeboom reported that he made contact with Stand-Aid and Wheelchair Dynamics to further pursue an Accessibility Expo for this summer, and he’s also trying to coordinate a youth event to take place at the Pavilion. In addition, the possibility of holding an Annual Craft Beer and Wine Show was suggested as an event that could generate a lot of interest.

Now that the Pavilion has been up and running for several months, the need for a “Friends of the Pavilion” structured volunteer network has become more apparent. The board will select ten individuals to serve as ambassadors, and each of the ambassadors will create a network of ten individuals under them who can serve in a physical, financial, or resource contact capacity. The need for continued financial support from the community was stressed, but there is also a great need for individuals willing to roll up their sleeves and do what needs to be done when called upon.

The final item of old business discussed was the issue of the current ice machine not being able to keep up with demand at events. Last month, the board decided to look into the cost of having ice delivered, but the figures presented this month showed that it would be much more cost effective continue with an ice machine at the Pavilion. To do this, the large double freezer will need to be replaced with a smaller freezer, and the current ice machine, which has a capacity of 80 lbs of ice, will need to be replaced with a larger, 310 lb capacity ice maker. After looking at trade in and new purchase costs, Behrendsen is going to try and sell the current ice machine outright in order to get a fairer market price to use towards the purchase of the new ice machine.

New business on the agenda started off with a great deal of discussion about the addition of a bar manager. The bar is one of the Pavilion’s biggest money makers and Behrendsen reported that one current bartender has stood out, bringing to her attention areas that could be improved upon regarding the running of the bar.  She is going to implement a six-week trial, adding the duties of inventory, ordering, and training of new bartenders to this individual’s job duties. At the end of the six weeks it will be determined if the position should continue as set forth by Behrendsen.

Behrendsen stated that she wants to implement a policy that no one person will be left at the Pavilion at the end of an event. Considering that most events run late into the night, it is safer for there to be two individuals who lock up and leave together. The board agreed and fully support this policy suggestion.

Behrendsen had previously approached City Manager Sean Hutchison and requested an informal review. A meeting time was set for this week where Behrendsen, Hutchison, and Meendering will simply check in and see how things are going at the Pavilion and this information will be relayed to the board at the next meeting. While it was determined that the entire board should be invited to Behrendsen’s annual review that as stated in her contract, that review is not due for another four months. Behrendsen made this request as a way to get thoughts and insight as to how things are running and how she is doing in her position.

Regarding feedback from past events, the vast majority of it has been positive. The Pavilion is a centrally located facility with ample room for every event that has taken place to this point. The one area of concern that was brought up involved underage drinking. Behrendsen assured the board that every single person who goes to the bar gets carded, and Hamill backed her up on this point. Behrendsen said there just isn’t the manpower to police every single person at an event to be sure drinks aren’t being given to those who aren’t of age after they are purchased. However, the few times they have caught someone underage drinking, the alcohol was immediately taken away, and every contract states the right to close the bar down at any point during an event or cut individuals off. This concern simply reinforced the need for additional help in the bar area.

The last new business item on the agenda was the need to have a Life Pak AED at the Pavilion. Walt Pruiksma, General Manager of KIWA Radio, has agreed to donate the device to the Pavilion. Pruiksma serves on Sheldon’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and said that KIWA wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the Pavilion and saw this as the perfect opportunity. The device will be compatible with SCAT equipment, which is of great importance if and when an emergency arises.

Other business discussed was the repair of an exterior frozen pipe. A temporary fix has been put in place and it will be permanently correct next Monday, with all work being covered under warranty. Lastly, Behrendsen said she’s working on where the Pavilion signage will be located and should have several design options to present to the Board at next month’s regular meeting, which is set for Wednesday, February 14th, 2018, and will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Sherwood Boardroom at the Crossroads Pavilion Event Center.

 

 

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