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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-14 PACKET 04.C.City of Cottage Grove Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Commission October 11, 2010 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission was duly held on the 11th day of October, 2010. PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY TOUR At 7:00 p.m. the Parks Commission toured the Public Safety Facility at City Hall. CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Members Present: Chelsea Butler, Douglas Butler, Keith Kleinsasser, Paul Poncin, William Schumal, Derrick Lehrke, Krystal McCalvy, Maureen Ventura Members Absent: Ryan Simmers Others Present: John Burbank, Senior Planner Zac Dockter, Parks and Recreation Manager Mark Grossklaus, City Councilmember APROVAL OF THE AGENDA A motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried. APROVAL OF THE MINUTES None OPEN FORUM None ACTION ITEMS A. Military Discount - BTYR Dockter stated that at the last meeting the Commission discussed offering discounts on recreation programs to military families through the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program. Ques- tions raised by the Commission included the kind of programs offered and the amount of the discount. He had the Recreation Coordinator put together a list of the basic programs and their costs. He noted that free programs are offered, and if someone participated in all 12 weeks of the summer programs, the cost could be close to $900. Poncin asked if there is an estimate on how many families this would affect. Dockter responded about 2,500 people. The Commission Parks Commission Meeting Minutes October 11, 2010 Page 2 of 4 discussed whether more benefits can be given to those families who have a member stationed outside the state versus those serving in state. There was a question about the percentage of- fered by other communities. Dockter responded that generally other communities offer a 10 per- cent discount. Ventura asked if other communities have an annual cap on their discounts, by either family or individual. Dockter responded that when he researched this, he did not see any caps. Poncin stated that the primary concern from the last meeting was that 10 percent did not seem meaningful enough. He supports giving the discount to every military and veteran family. It was the consensus of the Commission that 10 percent does not seem to be enough of a dis- count. Lehrke suggested that the discounts not be applied to activities with a team fee, such as the kick ball league. He suggested offering a 50 percent discount to military families and put a cap on it per family. Ventura agreed with Lehrke on both the 50 percent discount with a cap and not applying the discount to team leagues. Ventura made a motion to recommend giving a military discount for families at 50 per- cent with exclusion of all team entry fees. Lehrke seconded. Dockter asked for clarification on if this is for military personnel and their families. He stated that there are league fees for activities such as adult softball and kickball but there are also activities such as youth lacrosse where a child registers individually for a team. Ventura stated that her motion is to exclude team activities, such as the softball league, where each individual may not qualify as military personnel versus someone registering for one of those events as an individual registrant for play on a team. Lehrke agreed. Motion passed unanimously (6 -to -0 vote). B. Municipal Pool /Splash Pad Update Dockter stated that there was a discussion at a City Council workshop last Wednesday on whether to extend the lease with the YMCA for the outdoor municipal pool. He stated that the Council is leaning toward opening the pool next year and extending the lease with the Y for one more year, and then start looking at potentially installing a splash pad in Cottage Grove in one of the parks and a future community center. He stated that the Commission will be updated as more details are worked out. C. Pine Coulee Park Burbank stated that as part of the City's pavement management program, adjacent public facili- ties such as parks or buildings are looked at to see what improvements may be needed. He summarized the proposed improvements listed in the memorandum. Staff is recommending that those improvements be made and any portion of the proceeds from past sales of park land in that area be put towards those costs. Poncin asked why a swing set costs more than a basket- ball court. Dockter responded that the cost includes the swing set and the whole facility around the apparatus, including the safety buffer around the swing set. It was asked if this was part of the long -range capital improvements plan. Zac responded yes, noting that typically when the streets are reconstructed in a neighborhood, the City takes that opportunity to upgrade parks in the area as well. Poncin noted that after the parking lot, the biggest expense is the gazebo, and he asked if shaded benches could be an option instead. Burbank replied that could be re- searched. It was asked if the t -ball field could be upgrade into a baseball field. Dockter noted that the CGAA programmed that field for t -ball due to its location, but the area is large enough Parks Commission Meeting Minutes October 11, 2010 Page 3 of 4 for peewee level. Burbank commented that these improvements would offer amenities to that neighborhood. Poncin made a motion to proceed with the plan for redevelopment of Pine Coulee Park as pro- posed, and that staff bring the final draft of the plans to the next meeting. Ventura seconded. Motion passed unanimously (6 -to -0 vote). D. Warming House Operations 2010 -11 Dockter summarized the operations of the warming houses for 2010 -11. Poncin asked if the hours are posted on the warming house doors. Dockter responded yes, and they will also be listed on the City's Facebook page and in the City's monthly newsletter. E. Washington County SHIP Grant Dockter summarized the Washington County SHIP Grant, called "Living Healthy in Washington County Grant," noting that the mission of this grant is similar to the Parks and Recreation mis- sion statement and matches up with the items the City is currently working on. for our commu- nity. The City applied for this $3,500 grant, which does not require matching funds. The funds would pay for bicycle racks at all our community parks; City staff would install them. Burbank asked if anybody notices that a bike rack is needed at a park to contact staff. PRESENTATIONS None REPORTS None PARK PLANNING /MANAGEMENT EDUCATION MATERIAL None COMMISSION COMMENTS Lehrke asked for an update on Hamlet Park, specifically if it is feasible to move forward with the project. Burbank explained that at a meeting last month, there was discussion on the schedule for improvements at Hamlet Park. He stated that the City has been doing improvements to the park in an incremental fashion, such as with pavement management projects or scheduled work for the year. The time frame for completion is dependent on the sale of the northern vacant par- cel in the Gateway district that the City owns as a portion of those proceeds would fund some of the Hamlet Park improvements. He stated that staff will provide a timeframe for those improve- ments at the next Commission meeting. COUNCIL COMMENTS Grossklaus stated that the City Council is looking for input from the Parks Commission on the splash pad, such as what features should be included and which park it should be located in. Parks Commission Meeting Minutes October 11, 2010 Page 4 of 4 Council gave the direction that the pool could be on its final days, based on the cost to maintain and operate it for another season. On October 28, the Strawberry Festival Committee will spon- sor a parade during the day and the Monster Bash at the VFW in the evening. The Holiday Train will be in Cottage Grove on December 11. STAFF COMMENTS None ADJOURNMENT A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed unanimously (7 -to -0 vote). The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.