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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-09-21 PACKET 04.A.iv.REQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION COUNCIL AGENDA MEETING ITEM # A tie DATE 9/21/11 • PREPARED BY Community Development John M. Burbank ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT STAFF AUTHOR COUNCIL ACTION REQUEST Receive and place on file the approved minutes for the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission's meeting on August 8, 2011. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Receive and place on file the approved minutes for the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission's meeting on August 8, 2011. BUDGET IMPLICATION $N /A $N /A N/A BUDGETED AMOUNT ACTUAL AMOUNT FUNDING SOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION ACTION DATE REVIEWED ❑ PLANNING ❑ ❑ PUBLIC SAFETY ❑ ❑ PUBLIC WORKS ❑ ® PARKS AND RECREATION 9/12/11 ❑ • HUMAN SERVICES /RIGHTS ❑ • ECONOMIC DEV. AUTHORITY ❑ ❑ ❑ SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ❑ MEMO /LETTER: ❑ RESOLUTION: ❑ ORDINANCE: ❑ ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATION: APPROVED DENIED ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ® ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ LEGAL RECOMMENDATION: ® OTHER: Approved minutes of Parks Commission meeting on 818/11 ADMINISTRATORS COMMENTS City Administrator ate COUNCIL ACTION TAKEN: ❑ APPROVED ❑ DENIED ❑ OTHER City of Cottage Grove Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission August 8, 2011 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission was duly held on the 8th day of August, 2011. Meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Douglas Butler, Keith Kleinsasser, Mark Nelson, Paul Poncin, Maureen Ventura Members Absent: Chelsea Butler, Krystal McCalvy, William Schumal, Ryan Simmers Others Present: John Burbank, Senior Planner Zac Dockter, Parks and Recreation Manager David Thiede, City Council Liaison A motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried. A motion was made and seconded to approve the Parks Commission minutes from June 13, 2011. Motion passed unanimously. A motion was made and seconded to approve the Parks Commission minutes from September 13, 2010. Motion passed unanimously. None PRESENTATIONS A. WAG Farms Dog Park Association Dick Swanson, Vice President of the WAG Farms Dog Park Association, provided a progress re- port on the newly opened dog park. The grand opening was July 9. He reported that the people utilizing the dog park are very complimentary and happy that the City was able to help facilitate creation of this park. The Commission offered thanks to Swanson and the dog park committee on all their hard work putting this together. Burbank reported that the dog park is located on Glendenning Road, just north of the compost site and is open every day from sunrise to sunset. Poncin asked if there have been any discussions about having programming at the dog park, such as hunting dog training. Swanson responded that the concept of utilizing the park for training Parks Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2011 Page 2 of 5 is on the backburner at this point, but they may consider this in the future. The education compo- nent they are visualizing would be more oriented to common dog owner issues, both inside and outside the park. He noted that they are always looking for people to donate money and services for park improvements. ACTION ITEMS A. Pinecliff Development Park Naming Dockter reported that the Parks Commission is in step five of the park naming policy, which con- sists of debating the merits of the narrowed list of potential names that the Commission came up with and providing a final recommendation to the City Council. The two names that were left on the list were Sunnyhill Park and Upland Park. He summarized the staff memorandum, which pro- vided further background information on the two proposed park names. He asked the Commis- sion for a final recommendation on the park name. Kleinsasser asked if Harold Kernkamp was on the original list of park names. He stated that he had spoken with a long -time city resident who suggested that the park be named after Mr. Kernkamp, who was the first mayor of Cottage Grove and on the City Council for many years. He does like the name Sunnyhill, although it is not in the exact location of the former school. Dockter responded that there were a few names on the list, but he does not remember if that was one of them. One of the things that had been discussed is the City has not named parks after people unless there was a significant donation of land or money that went directly to that park, such as the Peter Thompson Park. Nelson stated that he likes the name Sunnyhill and suggested that if there was a future park closer to where the actual school was located, it could be called School House Park. Ventura likes Sunnyhill as well. Burbank reported that Schumal, who could not make tonight's meeting, called him to say that his favorite was Sunnyhill Park. Poncin made a motion to name the park on Ideal Avenue in the Pinecliff development "Sunnyhill Park." Nelson seconded. Motion passed unanimously. B. Trail Link Map Dockter stated that included with the packet is a map of the trails in Cottage Grove showing the missing recreational trail links, which is revised every year. He asked if the Commission noted any other missing trails or links or if there are any missing links that should be a top priority. The trail links are funded through the Capital Improvements Plan. Burbank added that, on the map, the areas in red are the current recreation trails, and the areas in orange have been identified as missing neighborhood connections or trail loops that were completed during pavement manage- ment projects. It was asked if any of these trail links are scheduled. Dockter responded the link north of 80th Street, just past Jeffery Avenue and east of Jamaica, that connects Kingston Park and 80th Street is scheduled for next year. It was asked if the Commission could identify which years those trail links could be done. Dockter responded that staff could put together a staging map and add them to the CIP. Burbank asked residents who have any links or concerns they would like addressed to contact staff. Parks Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2011 Page 3of5 C. Facility Use Policy Revision Dockter summarized the staff memorandum regarding the Council's directive to consider revising the park facility use policy, which the Commission discussed at the last meeting. He went over the proposed changes to the policy. Nelson asked how staff would determine which organization would get Priority III status. Dockter responded that on page 2 of the policy, there is a list of crite- ria that an athletic association must meet to get that status. If two or three groups meet those criteria, the City would determine who best meets those criteria. He noted that he had extended an invitation to both the CGAA and ERAA to attend tonight's meeting, but did not receive feed- back from either organization. Thiede asked if there would be any advantage for the group that was more affluent, and therefore more able to be organized. Dockter responded of the two groups, CGAA has more residents and programs at the in -house level. He stated that this policy is addressing the in -house program. He has talked with ERAA, which has combined most of its in -house programs with Woodbury; the only division that would be impacted by this change would be softball, which has six to seven in -house teams. There was concern expressed about the Priority III association changing every year, and it was asked if there could be a longer term. Dockter responded that language could be added that the Priority III level would be for a multiple year term. Poncin stated that he likes how the policy is written now, but he is concerned that there may be problems in the future because most of the City's growth will be in the East Ridge area, so there needs to be more thought regarding field usage planning. Ventura made a motion to present the proposed Park Facility Use Policy to the City Council, noting the possibility of changing language regarding a consistent use basis if the Council chooses. Butler seconded. Motion passed unanimously. D. Red Rock Corridor Transit Station Plan Review Burbank summarized the staff memorandum, and provided background information and a de- scription of the plan. He played an animation from the Red Rock Corridor web site that shows how they envision the Langdon Village area will operate. He asked for comments from the Com- mission that will be forwarded to the City Council for their formal recommendation. Kleinsasser stated that he is strongly in favor of alternative transportation, and rail is one of the best options. Ventura agreed. There was a suggestion that a rail line should connect with the airport. Poncin believes that this would change how the bus system operates; the bus could circulate around the city and stop at the train station, and the train would go from Cottage Grove to downtown St. Paul. Butler asked how long it would take for the train to get from Cottage Grove to the cities as opposed to how long it will take the bus. Burbank responded that is in the study. There was gen- eral discussion about train schedules, frequency, and transfers from the trains to buses. There was a question regarding what the fares would be. Burbank stated that there is an analysis in the study. PRESENTATIONS Dockter reported that in June 2011 the Cottage Grove Athletic Association completed construc- tion of player bench shelters on each of the four fields at Hamlet Park. He stated that these donated shelters will provide some protection from the sun for the players. He thanked CGAA for their donation. Parks Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2011 Page 4 of 5 B. Splash Pad Project Update Dockter provided an update on the splash pad project including the upgrade to the Highlands Park Activities Building and summarized the City Council memo that was included with the Com- mission packet. He reported that Council officially accepted the plans and specifications, the work is being contracted out, and there won't be a formal bid because the price is not high enough on any specific level of service. He explained the upgrades that will be made to the park building, noting the cost for reconstruction came in under $150,000. The work should be significantly com- pleted by the end of fall 2011. Poncin asked about the current status on the splash pad. Dockter responded it is still in the design and specification phase. Once those plans are finalized by the engineering firm, they will be brought to the Parks Commission for review and then submitted to Council for final approval. Poncin asked if there has been any input from the public on the fea- tures that would be included in the splash pad. Dockter responded that input has only been soli- cited at the staff level. Poncin recommended that a couple citizens should be brought into the process to help plan the features of the splash pad. Dockter stated that when the plans come before the Commission, he will set up a forum for residents to provide input. C. SWC Bulletin Article on Dog Park Grand Opening Dockter stated that he included an article that was in the South Washington County Bulletin regarding the grand opening of the WAG Farms Dog Park. D. Camel's Hump Park Natural Resources Management Plan Burbank provided the Memorandum of Understanding between the Friends of the Mississippi River and the City that establishes a partnership to develop a Natural Resource Management Plan for the Gateway North Open Space Area. This document spells out the scope of the agree- ment and the deliverables that the City will receive for our investment in this area. He reported that the City received a $3,100 grant to help offset the cost for the planning process. The final re- port will be presented to the Commission when it is completed, prior to it going to the City Council. E. Emerald Ash Borer Plan Update Dockter summarized the staff memorandum regarding the emerald ash borer management plan. Poncin asked if the 3,000 trees that were injected in 2010 were boulevard trees. Dockter re- sponded that 90 -plus percent were, but some were at City -owned property such as City Hall. Poncin asked what an average citizen should do if they are concerned they have an infected ash tree that is not on the boulevard. Dockter responded they could contact the City Forester. Kleinsasser asked if they were not going to inject any more trees. Dockter responded correct. It was asked if residents know if their tree was treated. Dockter stated that there was pre- notifica- tion to property owners as there will be for tree removal. It was asked if the City would inject healthy trees on private property. Dockter stated that the city won't inject privately -owned trees, but there are a number of contractors that can do so. He noted that the goal for the tree removal program is not to decimate any one neighborhood. Kleinsasser asked if the feeling is that using this treatment every three years is effective. Dockter responded yes. It was asked if the property owner gets a choice on the replacement tree after the ash tree has been removed. Dockter stated that there is a list of trees in the notification and there is an option to call the forester to request a Parks Commission Meeting Minutes August 8, 2011 Page 5 of 5 specific tree. However, the Forester will use his discretion if too many of the same trees are re- quested within the same block. Ventura noted that there is a pending lawsuit with Dupont over an herbicide that is affecting coniferous trees and asked if there has been any effects from that in Cottage Grove. Dockter responded that a couple neighborhoods in Woodbury got hit by it but he does not know of any in Cottage Grove. F. Historic Ecological Detail Map Dockter explained that he and Burbank put this map together based on the Natural Resources Inventory after the discussion about park names. There was a detailed conversation of what the historic landscape in Cottage Grove looked like in pre - settlement times. He asked for any input on the map from the Commission. He noted that this map could help people understand that why the City does certain prairie, woodland, or wetland restoration projects in various areas. None PARK PLANNING /MANAGEMENT EDUCATION MATERIAL Burbank noted that included with the packet was an article, "De- Central Park" from the Parks and Recreation magazine. COMMISSION COMMENTS NOTI ! COUNCIL COMMENTS Thiede reported that the Highlands building was approved by the City Council. The Council authorized staff to proceed with replacing the damaged recreational facilities at Woodridge Park at an estimated cost of $59,000. Burbank asked what percentage of that was covered by insur- ance. Dockter stated that the deductible was $50,000, so insurance would pick up $9,000. STAFF COMMENTS all e Ventura made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Butler seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:08 p.m.