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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes i� ��tJV� �ri°t � y � ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... �� ri e ar�d PC�� t MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL October 3, 2018 12800 RAVINE PARKWAY SOUTH SPECIAL MEETING - 6:00 P.M. - TRAINING ROOM 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Bailey called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Mayor Bailey; Council Members Dennis, Johnson, Mills and Thiede; Marla Lutchen; Sam Arnal; Andrea Cloutier; Lucas Steinbach, Recreation Department; Parks and Recreation Director Zac Dockter; City Administrator Charlene Stevens; Director of Community Development Jennifer Levitt; Economic Development Director Christine Costello; Finance Director Robin Roland. 3. AGENDA ITEM City Council and Community Center Task Force Joint Workshop Staff Recommendation: Receive final report from Community Center Task Force. Director pockter stated the charge of the Task Force when this was started in January, 2018, was to examine the prospect of a Community Center in Cottage Grove and provided the City Council with a framework to help them make decisions regarding the Community Center. Director pockter reviewed the Task Force work summary for 2018, including: The Community Needs Assessment; Facility Element Recommendations; Site Analysis; Fiscal Impact; Additional Financial Considerations; Feasibility Report need; Community Survey; Exploring Potential Partnerships; and a Project Timeline Estimate. • The two potential sites were the 85th Street area, north of the HERO Center, and West Point Douglas Road South. • Total project cost is estimated at $25,000,000, which would be about a 12% i ncrease i n the tax l evy. • Potential partners would be the YMCA, the library, a non-profit art group, community education, National Guard Armory, Cottage Grove and East Ridge Athletic Associations, etc. CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE • 12800 Ravine Parkway • Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 www.cottagegrovemn.gov • 651-458-2800 • Fax 651-458-2897 • Equal Opportunity Employer City Council Meeting Minutes October 3, 2018 Page 2 A community survey of fitness needs was also completed by the Task Force. Director Dockter stated they'd be happy to answer questions. Council Member Dennis asked at what point in the process the Council could weigh in with their ideas. He also stated that next year is an election year for the School Board and some potential other seats, so he asked why this will be on the ballot in September, creating another cost factor for the City. Director pockter stated that the month that it went on the ballot could be independently or with the general election; that would be up to the Council. Mayor Bailey stated the Task Force is recommending that the City move forward with the process, so now would be the time to make comments. The Task Force Members were thanked by all of the Council Members for the work they'd done to get this Community Center project to this point. Much discussion ensued amongst Council Members, Task Force Members, City Administrator Stevens, and Director pockter. The following topics were discussed: Location, Community Kitchen, Indoor Playground, Daycare, Transportation, Swimming Pool, Membership Perks, Library Area, Referendum, Costs, School District Community Education, YMCA, Feasibility Study, and a Community Survey. Most discussion took place on the following: Community Kitchen: A community kitchen option wasn't included as they didn't want to compete with wedding venues or current community options for big events. From an economic development standpoint, bringing more opportunities to Cottage Grove that differentiate us from other competitors would be important so we should at least look into the kitchen element and that should be incorporated into a feasibility study if one is done. Costs: $65 per year per household were the capital costs, so $65 a year for 20 years. The yearly loss depends on what's in the Community Center, anywhere from $250,000 to $1,000,000, but that depends on what partnerships you have, what pieces you have, how it operates; those are big parts of the conversation. The intent of the feasibility study is to better flush out the operating costs. A Community Center can be seen as a unifier, but it might also be seen as a divider so we need to be up front and be as honest as possible with the residents regarding the initial and yearly costs associated with a Community Center. This is an amenity, so it's a matter of the importance that the community puts on an amenity and how much it will be to pay for the amenity; YMCA: • It would be great to work with the YMCA, but they are expensive. • Regarding the financial portion, $25 million is if the City builds it and if we partnership with the YMCA our yearly expense would be much more manageable. We should speak with the YMCA because once the YMCA is up and running, our part is done, and there isn't a yearly financial impact on the operation of that center. • The YMCA would probably be a better option because if we partnered with the School District, that's still publicly funded and would become a tax issue. City Council Meeting Minutes October 3, 2018 Page 3 • If you look at Woodbury Central Park, the YMCA operates the fitness center, the pool, the child care, etc., and the City of Woodbury operates the indoor playground, meeting space, etc. Right now, the $25 million would be if the City delivered everything we just talked about. If we join with the YMCA to do a project, they might say we need $10-$15 million from the City of Cottage Grove. It certainly wouldn't be $25 million because a good chunk of that, the pool, is approximately $10 million. We wouldn't have to operate a fitness facility or a pool, as it would be run by the YMCA. • We're looking for a warm water pool for water aerobics, etc. • It was noted that the YMCA in Hastings has a pool that's seldom used. • A YMCA is coming soon to Wabasha, MN, so we could maybe get an idea of how that city is participating with them and what kind of partnerships they've obtained. That will be done, although that's a rural area as opposed to a metropolitan area, so costs could be significantly different. Feasibility Study: Cost of the feasibility study is estimated at $20,000 to $35,000, depending on what you want to do with community engagement. Community engagement would add an additional $10,000 to $15,000. There could also be a Proforma study done, which would tell you what kind of labor you'd need to run programs, etc., which could add anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. A couple proposals will be obtained and brought before the Council. The idea to perhaps build different parts of the Community Center at different times was mentioned; hopefully the feasibility study would address that. Community Survey: Part of the follow up will be to do a community survey. It was mentioned that social media would be a good way to find out what people want. If we're going to build a Community Center and the community gets up in arms about it then we're not really doing anything productive. 4. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:52 p.m. Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk.