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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 08-25-14PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION August 25, 2014 Regular Meeting DRAFT Members Present: Maureen Bartz, Jason Eisold, Mike Eliason, Barb Farrell, Lincoln Tilson Members Absent: None Staff Present: Dan Schultz, Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary Student Volunteers: None Others Present: Alba Nowlin, City Council Candidate 1. CALL TO ORDER: Ehason called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. 3. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 25, 2014 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Bartz to approve the minutes of the July 25, 2014 meeting. SECOND by Tilson. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Parks and Recreation — Project Planning — Schultz brought this item back to finalize the priority of the items on the list. The Commission went through each list and prioritized and removed items. The revised list is as follows: Athletic Facilities: 1. Flint Hills Athletic Fields — Phase 2 — Include Artificial Turf + Lights; 2. UMore Ball Field Project — Phase 2; 3. Park Shelter/Warming House at Bloomfield Park; 4. Park Plan Update — Erickson Park (`Add Play Equipment at Erickson Park "was incorporated into this); 5. Covered Dugouts (list parks where we want them and the priority); 6. Batting Cages (list parks where we want them and the priority); 7. Erickson Park Tennis Courts Phase 2. Remove Athletic Field Project wl St. Joseph's School and TurfImprovements at Biscayne Park. Move Shaded Playgrounds to the Neighborhood Parks list. Special Interest Facilities: 1. a. Disc Golf Course; 1. b. Dog Park; (these two have equal priority) 3. Skate Park Rehab (Schultz will get input from other cities to see what their usage is and he will also try to get input from kids about what kind of equipment they prefer); 4. Scu pture Garden between Library and Steeple Center, 5. Outdoor Exercise Equipment. Remove Activity/Senior Center as it is already in progress. Move Community Water Feature to the Community Facility/Community Center list. Neighborhood Parks: Add the following somewhere on this list as it should be considered for all new parks: Incorporate shaded playgrounds (other than trees) in future parks. Schultz will also look into the cost of shaded playgrounds. Trails: No changes to list. Natural Areas: Remove Tree Plantings in Parks — On -Going. Community Facility/ Community Center: Indoor Pool, Indoor Basketball and Volleyball Courts, Indoor Walking Track, Exercise Room and Preschool -Toddler Play Area all have equal priority. The Commission stressed that this facility should be city -owned so that Rosemount residents don't have to pay for the facility (tax dollars), and then pay a user/membership fee or monthly fee as well. The Commission also noted that the High Performance Academy in Eagan is closing soon and this will have a big impact on the available gym space for basketball and volleyball. RAAA is already discussing this and they may need to look at taking fewer registrations due to lack of available gym space. Add Community Water Feature —Meandering River to the bottom of this list. A new category, Other, was added. The only item on this list is Consider the Feasibility of a Second Sheet of Ice. This could possibly be a refrigerated outdoor sheet that would serve multiple functions so it could be used in all seasons. Schultz will bring the finalized list to next month's meeting. -1- PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION August 25, 2014 Regular Meeting 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Prestwick Park — Playground Request for Proposal (RFP) — A neighborhood meeting was held and there was a really good turn -out and a lot of good input from residents regarding what they would and wouldn't like. A list of their comments was compiled and is included with this month's packet. Schultz reviewed the RFP details for the park. Schultz will get pricing for a covered playground. Bartz asked if we could include some type of permanent game at the park for older kids and adults, something permanent such as a bean bag toss game, where people can bring their own bean bags. Schultz will look into this. Schultz asked for two volunteers to be involved in the review process for this playground. Tilson and Bartz volunteered. This item was being brought to the Commission for review only and will be brought back. b. Discussion of Off Leash Dog Parks — Schultz included a recent article from the Minneapolis Star/Tribune regarding the popularity of dog parks. The closest one to Rosemount is Dakota Woods located Empire Township. Schultz asked how the Commission felt about adding a dog park to a neighborhood park. Farrell asked if a dog park could be put on a power line easement or pipeline easement. Per Schultz, we could look into this. He noted that there are restrictions on putting posts for fencing in some easements. Schultz explained that he had considered various neighborhood parks, but none of the existing parks seemed like a great option. Parking has to be considered based on the popularity of dog parks. Schultz suggested looking at Schwarz Pond Park, as there does seem to be enough space there, as well as adequate parking. Schultz will also look ata couple of other sites and bring back more information to a future meeting. The Commission suggested that we consider charging a fee for use of the dog park, to help off -set costs. c. Director's Report - The Parks Improvement Fund Balance as of July 31, 2014 was $278,341.70. Dedication fees of $6,800 were received. Interest for the month was $8.92. There were no grants or donations. There were expenditures of $119,901.83 for Erickson Park Tennis Courts. 8. ADJOURNMENT - MOTION by Farrell to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Bartz. Ayes: 5 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:26 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Parks and Recreation Secretary Irm