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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-04-14 MINUTESCity of Cottage Grove Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission April 14, 2003 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission was duly held at City Hall 7516 — 80th Street South, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, on the 14th day of April 2003. Acting Chair Al Boche called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Al Dubois, Al Boche, Barry Hamilton, Amanda Totino, Jon Mortrud MEMBERS ABSENT: Steve Morse, Eddy Wuorenma, Tim Siarianni OTHERS PRESENT: Community Development Director Kim Lindquist Associate Planner John Burbank Council Member Mark Grossklaus Newland Homes Representative Steve Juetten I APPROVAL OF AGENDA Agenda approved as submitted. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes approved as mailed. OPEN FORUM None NEW BUSINESS A. Outdoor Accessibility Analysis Report Moved down on the agenda. B. Budget Impact Update Moved down on the agenda. Parks Commission Minutes April 14, 2003 C. Peter Thompson Family Park 2 Burbank indicated that the plans for the Peter Thompson Family Park are being finalized, and the plans are before the Commission for their review and recommendations to the City Council. He stated that this family park would be located in the Highland Hills subdivision in the West Draw and there will be a recreation shelter and other amenities typical to a neighborhood park. He explained that the city is trying to establish this park as the standard for other neighborhood parks in the city, including when existing parks are upgraded. He stated that one of the unique things about this park is that the front yards of the homes face it, rather than being surrounded by the rear yards of homes in the area. He did state that there would be additional costs for this park related to roadways, but it will be more open and inviting. Burbank listed the amenities that would be available at this park, including hockey rinks with a hard surface for skateboarding, a common youth ball field and soccer field that will be available to the CGAA, a recreation shelter, off - street parking, playground and tot lot, handicap accessible trails, picnic benches, barbeque equipment, and trash receptacles. He then stated that there were several facility designs proposed for the shelter. He explained that the shelter needs to function both as a warming house and for summer playground program activities. He stated that the City also plans to look at existing facilities that may need maintenance or repair, and there is money the Capital Improvements Plan that could be used for replacement of existing park structures. Boche asked if the trails would be bituminous. Burbank responded yes. Boche then asked if the design of the building would be similar to other pavilions that the Commission has dis- cussed. Burbank responded that the roof pitch is similar to what has been discussed, but again the design and final construction materials for these buildings are still being worked out. Boche inquired if there would be other structures in the park. Burbank responded it would be the only structure, and there would be an undercover porch facility in front similar to that at Kingston Park. Dubois asked what hotshot basketball courts were. Burbank responded they are small one - quarter courts for pick -up games. Steve Juetten, Newland Properties, stated that what they are proposing is more than what would normally be paid for park dedication, but they are excited about this project due to its uniqueness and openness. He stated that they hope to get through the approval process in early May so they can start the project as soon as possible and that it will be completed by September or October. Burbank indicated the item would be moved on to Council for their action. A. Outdoor Accessibility Analysis Reports Burbank reminded the Commission that Wilderness Inquiry, an outdoor adventure group for all types of people including handicapped and physically challenged people, contacted the city last year, regarding a state grant they received to allow them to work with different communities. He stated that they reviewed the facilities and sent back a non - binding report. Parks Commission Minutes April 14, 2003 He explained that they checked five of our parks and the planned River Access Park for access issues and ADA requirements. The report notes that some standards need to be changed, such as drinking fountain heights and knobs, which can be addressed when equipment is replaced. Burbank will share with the Commission the other reports from Wilderness Inquiry as they come in. The reports will also be sent to the Council for review when park equipment needs to be replaced. Boche asked if the reports noted anything in our parks that do not conform with legal requirements. Burbank responded that the reports did not address the issues from a legal standpoint; that will be done by legal counsel when the items go to the City Council. B. Budget Impact Update Kim Lindquist addressed the Commission on the impacts of the budget workshops. She talked about the consideration of closing the pool and the ice arena, and overall goals re- garding reducing the subsidy for those programs and the Recreation programs. 3 Burbank passed out information regarding the pool and the possibility of the YMCA oper- ating it for the summer. He stated that a representative from the "Y" came to the budget meeting and expressed interest in taking over the pool program. He explained that they would use existing staffing, but the fee schedule and some of the programs may be differ- ent. The City would be responsible for maintenance of the pool and surrounding property. He stated that they hope to open the pool by Memorial Day. Burbank stated that the Coun- cil directed staff to research how this can be accomplished from legal, insurance, and logis- tic perspectives. Burbank then explained that there would also be some modifications to the Ice Arena budget. The CGAA and the City are working out an arrangement where the CGAA will buy additional ice time, which would improve revenue. There would also be some rate adjust- ments on ice time. He stated that the City is still talking with the school district about a similar arrangement. He explained that there will also be changes in expenditures, including staffing modifications. Burbank stated that the Council was very clear at the last budget meeting that both the Ice Arena and the pool would be opened this year if these agreements are fulfilled. He also ex- plained that the Council directed that the Recreation Department needs to cover more of the costs for their programs, particularly the summer playground programs which have in the past been free. Councilmember Grossklaus commended staff for their collaboration with the CGAA and the YMCA. He further commented that the playground program had been free for as long as it has been in existence and the city can no longer afford that. Boche stated that he has talked with Zac Dockter from the Ice Arena and the CGAA hockey president regarding the Ice Arena, and they both feel that they are very close to working out some of these issues. He then stated there were some concerns raised at the CGAA meeting regarding the quality of field maintenance and asked if staffing would be cut. Lindquist responded that the Council has discussed holding off on hiring until the budget situation is clear. Boche commented that the CGAA has helped out with paint for the lines Parks Commission Minutes 4 April 14, 2003 and chalk for the fields. Lindquist said there has been general talk about whether the city should continue the high level of maintenance for public spaces. Dubois commented that he has seen annual reports on the golf course, but not for the ice arena or the pool. He asked how much deficit the pool and ice arena incur. Lindquist replied that the pool subsidy was $63,000 annually and the ice arena was $115,000. She explained that Dockter was able to reduce costs down by shifting some staff and increasing revenues by bringing in more tournaments; at one point the subsidy for the ice arena had been close to $400,000. Dubois stated that the YMCA taking over pool operation would be great. D. Park Beautification Burbank commented that even with the parks crews maintaining ball fields and cutting grass, there are still things that can be done to make the parks better places. He explained that there are a lot of ways people can volunteer, such as the Adopt -A -Park program, a rec- ognition program through signage, planting events in the parks, and other specific events. He stated that an Eagle Scout, Rob Lichtnet, is in the audience to will talk about his specific project to complete the retaining wall for the trail between Hinton and 73rd Street, and St. Rita's confirmation class volunteered to adopt a park or to do other park projects as re- quested by the Commission. Burbank then listed a variety of parks where people could volunteer to help with clean up. Rob Lichtnet made his presentation to Commission, detailing his proposed Eagle Scout project. Boche thanked Lichtnet for his presentation and asked if the Commission needed to take action on the project. Burbank responded no, and that it would be going to the City Council for final approval. Burbank wanted to promote programs where residents, developers, and community groups could volunteer to help beautify the city's parks, and this information will be posted on the city's web site. He stated that anyone interested in the Adopt -A -Park program could contact either Dockter or Burbank. Burbank then asked if the Parks Commission wanted to sched- ule a project for 2003, such as the tree planting in the industrial park a couple years ago. OLD BUSINESS A. Geocaching Burbank shared policies from other government entities regarding geocaching, and that he had come up with some draft language from those documents. Boche inquired if our lan- guage was similar to what other cities have. Burbank responded yes, but one of the prob- lems is the current ordinance doesn't provide for leaving items in city parks. He stated that this is a policy decision by the City Council, but he wanted the Commission to be comfort- able with the language. Boche commented that he was comfortable. Dubois asked about not allowing caching at the River Oaks Scenic Overlook. Burbank responded that there are some delicate plant communities as well as steep cliffs. Dubois asked if the overlook was Parks Commission Minutes April 14, 2003 5 safe. Burbank responded that it is currently undeveloped and there are accessibility issues. Dubois asked why it would not be allowed at Lamar Park. Burbank responded that it is a maintained park without a lot of trees or other areas to hide things and that there is a lot of activity at that park. Boche responded that there is a more activity at Kingston than at Lamar. He then asked how long the cache can stay there. Burbank did not know, but the city is requiring that participants be registered and as part of that registration, those stan- dards could be established. B. Woodridae Ball Field Fencing Burbank explained that Dockter has been working with the Baseball Division of the CGAA on the request to put a fence along Woodridge Park Field #43, and the Association has ex- pressed an interest in helping to fund that fencing. He explained that there would be access to the facility through the dugout, but the fence would keep bikes and other equipment out. He stated that the city would accept that donation and have the work completed on a timely basis. Boche will forward it to the Baseball president. PARK MASTER PLANNING WORKSHOP A. Park Funding and Development District Burbank stated that the Commission has been working on community parks through the Master Park Planning process, including redevelopment of Hamlet Park. In addition, the Commission has focused on neighborhood parks on issues such as equipment, buildings, and park standards. Burbank stated that the discussion at this meeting would focus on park funding and development districts. He explained that the basic concept is to break the community up into geographic areas that are bounded by major arterial roadways, water ways, or other physical boundaries. He stated that staff has come up with 18 different dis- tricts. Some areas are currently developed and have a community park or neighborhood park, but the developing areas of the city do not. The goal is to be more equitable on rec- reation, park, and open space programs in all districts, such as setting up park trust funds for a specific district rather than going into the general park trust fund. Areas may have a regional park or some other natural feature or open space amenity that could offset the need for a community park. The Commission also needs to reference the park planning component of the comprehensive. Boche asked if the Commission would hold any meetings at the parks such as last year at Hamlet Park. Burbank responded that neighborhood meetings should be held if changes or improvements were proposed for a specific park. Boche asked to have a meeting to discuss parking at Kingston Park and moving the playground structure. He stated that CGAA soccer would be willing to help financially. Burbank responded that when the playground structure at Oakwood Park was moved, it was determined that it would need to be replaced instead; so, moving the playground structure could be costly. He explained that one of the projects this year would be paving the gravel lot at Kingston. Burbank concluded that the city will be Parks Commission Minutes 6 April 14, 2003 focusing on neighborhood parks as part of the Park Master Plan. Dubois commented that he felt this was a good idea. B. Dakota County Parks and Open Space Policy Plan — Summary Burbank reported that he has been researching what other communities are doing with their parks and programs. He presented the Dakota County and Open Space Policy Plan, which he thought this particular plan was very straightforward. He explained that they focused on five major goals. He believes that using some of their ideas could make our document more user friendly. C. Facility Standards — Continued Burbank summarized that the Commission has discussed inventorying the different park buildings and park equipment, having the Finance Department do an amortization schedule, having the City Clerk do insurance scheduling, and budgeting for long -term maintenance costs and replacement. He stated that some of our park buildings were built around 1970 and were cheaply constructed. Boche asked if the items scheduled in the CIP would still be worked on this year and if the neighborhood parks have been put on hold until after May 19. Lindquist responded yes. She explained that items covered by the Park Trust Fund in 2002 were not done, but should be worked on in the next few weeks. Dubois commented that Belden Park has one portable bathroom and he wondered if the Council had given consideration to eliminating some of those from the parks, like they are doing in Minneapolis. Grossklaus responded that the fee is insignificant compared to the benefit of having them in the parks. He stated that one issue that came up with the Council was not shoveling sidewalks and trails, which is also not a significant expense. He stated that even with the huge shortfall, the city cannot eliminate every little thing. Burbank stated that portable bathrooms cost about $50 per month plus clean -out fees. Boche commented that clean -outs are not cheap and that the CGAA will pay for extra clean -outs this summer. He then noted that to try to avoid vandalism, if the portable toilets could be bolted to 4 x 4 cemented posts, as they do in other communities. Burbank believes that is being done as some of the parks. COMMUNITY CENTER WORKSHOP A. Community Center Scopina —Continued Burbank stated that the Commission needs to discuss what type of community center the city wants to have. He explained that from his research he has noted that most community center have many amenities that are common, including gyms, tracks, and pools. He plans to prepare a table listing different facilities, population, and budgetary information. Lindquist and Burbank both stated that the Commission needs to start focusing on what is wanted in Parks Commission Minutes April 14, 2003 7 a community center, so budget numbers can start to be addressed. Burbank stated that there has also been discussions about partnering opportunities, and if the partnership with the YMCA for the pool is successful, maybe it could be expanded. He stated that if the Commission can put together a specific list of uses within the next two to three months, a public meeting or Council workshop could be scheduled. Roche feels that budgetary items will be very important because some community centers have had financial problems during their first 10 years. REPORTS A. Golf Division Burbank reported that the golf course numbers are up compared to 2002, and the food and beverage component is also doing well. He stated that these areas will be monitored throughout the year. B. Ice Arena Division No comments. C. Parks Division Burbank stated that the Parks Division is geared up for the season. A staffing meeting was held between the CGAA and Parks. Any kinks in maintenance through the season should be handled by Dockter. Boche noted that the ice arena closes for yearly maintenance on April 16. D. Recreation Programming Division Burbank reported that a storage container lease has been worked out for Kingston Park, which has worked well the last two years. He stated that it is cheaper than building a build- ing, but aesthetically the city needs to work on this. E. Planning Commission Burbank stated that there are two simple lot divisions on the agenda and as a part of these types of applications, the city generally requires a cash dedication, which goes into the Park Trust Fund. F. Historic Preservation Burbank indicated that the city will be staffing this program. He stated that Sirianni is the Parks Commission liaison to the Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation. He reported that he is recommending increasing the number of commissioners for that commission from five to seven due to increased interest. Parks Commission Minutes April 14, 2003 G. Council Agendas No comments. H. Monday News No comments. CGAA rD Traveling soccer starts in early May. In -house softball begins today and baseball next week. COMMISSION COMMENTS Dubois asked if the pool is structurally sound, as referenced in West's memo on the Recreation Division activities. Lindquist responded when work was done on the pool a few years ago, it was noted that there were some concerns about the pool walls caving in. She explained BRAA sent a memo to the Council reporting that the pool is 44 years old and the water will hold the walls up, but it needs to be evaluated on yearly basis. Dubois asked about the containment device in the northernmost pond at Hamlet Park and if the pond is ever cleaned. Lindquist stated that there has been a lot of work going on in the area, and drainage from the Gateway area is routed down to that pond. She then stated that city is responsible for cleaning the pond. Mortrud commented that he has been trying to assist a group in scheduling a small golf tourna- ment and he the e-mail response from the golf course is very slow. He has waited about three weeks for replies to his e- mails. Burbank stated that he would check on this. Dubois asked about the CGAA ice usage noted in the West memo. Boche indicate that this is- sue was between Dockter and the CGHA. Lindquist pointed out that this is outdoor rink usage and if teams don't show up, people can still skate. Boche believes they have some new ideas for outdoor rink usage that may cut employee costs. Lindquist commented with the budget situation there may be the possibility of limiting the amount of attended outdoor rinks. The Rec- reation Department has been monitoring attendance and parks with the most attendance would be open. Boche said they were talking about assigning a group of teams to a particular rink and then one of the hockey board members would open and close that facility rather than having an employee there the whole time. Hamilton reminded the group that Earth Day would run from April 21 to 25. He explained some of the activities that were part of last year's Earth Day, and suggested that anyone looking for a volunteer opportunity to plan an Earth Day activity. Boche asked if anything was planned for this year. Hamilton believes that Park and Forestry are sponsoring a similar activity as last year, but he would look into it and get back to the Commission. Boche asked who interested volunteers Parks Commission Minutes 9 April 14, 2003 should contact. Hamilton indicated Tom Heisman with the Forestry Department. Burbank vol- unteered to put together more information so people can contact City Hall also. STAFF COMMENTS Burbank had one note on the Park Planning Management Education materials. Occasionally he comes across items he feels may be of interest to the Commission. bit is not an agenda item, so he will be putting items in the packet as he finds them. Boche congratulated Burbank on do- ing a fine job. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn by Jon Mortrud. Seconded by Allan Dubois. Motion carried. Meeting ad- journed at 8:15 p.m.