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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 04-02-13PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION April 2, 2013 Special Meeting Members Present: Maureen Bartz, Jason Eisold, Mike Eliason, Barb Farrell Members Absent: JoAnne Cope Staff Present: Dan Schultz, Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary Student Volunteers: None Others Present: Tom Schuster, Parks Supervisor and Dwight Johnson, Administrator 1. CALL TO ORDER: Eliason called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. 3. APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 25, 2013 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Bartz to approve the minutes of the February 25, 2013 meeting. SECOND by Farrell. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Splash Pad — Schuster handed out copies of aerial photos of Schwarz Pond Park and Central Park that showed the location at each park where a splash pad could be located, and the approximate size of the splash pad. Eisold arrived. There was review on the other sites that had been suggested in the past including Brockway and Meadows Parks which did not have enough parking and were designed to be neighborhood parks; the land north of Fire Station #2 near Meadows Park which is designated for a future water treatment plant; the site across from the Community Center which would have been a good spot (it had been suggested several years ago that the City purchase it, and it was included in the original master plan as part of the city campus), but this land was purchased by a developer and townhomes have been built there, with plans to build more. The Commission asked if we should look into doing an RFP for someone to study various sites to determine the best location. Per Schultz, we haven't looked into doing this yet, but we do have good information from other cities regarding what they've done and staff has also toured some community parks that have splash pads. Staff feels that the two community parks in Rosemount where a splash pad would best fit are Schwarz Pond Park and Central Park. There was discussion on the pros and cons of each site. While there are restrooms and good street access at Central Park, the amount of traffic to and from the Police Department is something to keep in mind, especially if there's an emergency; we would need to add more parking, splash pad users would be parking at businesses near Central Park such the vet clinic, and City Hall visitor and staff parking would be affected; and amenities would need to be moved such as rinks and the storage garages, and possibly the playground equipment. Schwarz Pond Park has the space for a splash pad, has plenty of parking, a sun shelter and a playground area, but would need sewer /water and restrooms. The Commission asked if we were set on a splash pad for younger kids or would we consider something that would be more multigenerational such as the river feature in Burnsville. Per Schultz, right now we are most likely looking at a splash pad for younger kids or maybe a combination of the two. A multigenerational feature could possibly be something to consider with the YMCA project. There was discussion about whether there might be land for sale in Rosemount that would work for a splash pad, but it was pointed out that much of it is private property and some is -1- PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION April 2, 2013 Special Meeting already slated for other development, and we would be starting from scratch, as all of these sites would require infrastructure improvements. Of the park options available, the Commission thought that Schwarz Pond Park and Central Park were the best options; Schwarz Pond Park is the most underutilized right now and has a lot of parking, whereas Central Park already has high -use in summer and winter and we would be adding another high -use amenity. Schultz was recommending moving forward with further investigation of the Schwarz Pond Park and Central Park locations, and looking into the costs involved in moving amenities /services, etc. MOTION by Bartz to move forward with a recommendation to the City Council that we look to further investigate Schwarz Pond Park and Central Park for the site of a future splash pad. SECOND by Farrell. The following friendly amendment was made: FRIENDLY AMENDMENT by Farrell to take these two options to the City Council without ruling out purchasing other land for sale in Rosemount and to also consider all other City land that is available. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The Commission asked Schultz to provide the City Council with a list of the pros and cons for both Schwarz Pond Park and Central Park, and the impact of locating the splash pad at each site. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Director's Report - The Parks Improvement Fund Balance as of February 28, 2013 was $505,412.32. Dedication fees of $17,000 were received. No grants were received. There was interest of $28.58. There were no donations, and there were no expenditures. Outdoor Ice — Warming houses closed for the season on March 2. Because of cold weather, the season was extended a couple of weeks longer than usual. Resource Fair — Staff participated in the One Rosemount Feeding Families resource fair on 03- 02 -13. New Sponsor — The Parks and Recreation Department has added a new sponsor, Scott Chiropractic, for the Run for the Gold. USTA Grant — The Parks and Recreation Dept was awarded a grant from the USTA for the tennis block party to be held on 05- 11 -13. The grant was for a prize pack certificate that was used to purchase prizes online for the event. Emerald Ash Borer — Schuster gave an update on ash tree removal taking place at some city parks. Sixty trees have been removed so far and they will be replaced by other varieties. Replacement trees were purchased using grant funds the City received from the DNR. 8. ADJOURNMENT - MOTION by Eisold to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Farrell. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary -2-