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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 09-28 PRC Minutes PARKS 8� RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes September 28, 2009 APPROVED Members Present: Maureen Bartz,Jason Eisold,Sandy Knight,Kevin Strayton Members Absent: Mike Eliason Staff Present: Dan Schultz,Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl,Recording Secretary Student Volunteer: Stephen Sawyer Others Present: None 1. CALL TO ORDER: Eliason called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. 3. APPROVAL OF THE AUGUST 24,2009 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Bartz to approve the minutes of the August 24,2009 meeting. SECOND by Strayton. Ayes:4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None Schultz asked if the Commission would discuss the New Business items first. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. 2010 Fees and Fee Policy—Schultz asked if the Commission would let him know before next month's meeting if there was anything specific as far as fees that they would like to discuss. Staff was not recommending any fee changes for 2010. Schultz will be bringing a recommendation for the 2010 fee poliry to next month's meeting,along with a comparison of our fees with those of other cities. Schultz will bring back information on Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) soccer field use fees,Apple Valley's use fees,and also information on light fees and clean up fees for laxge events at DCTC's fields. b. Director's Report-The Park Improvement Fund balance as of August 31 was $1,775,447.58. Interest was $609.92 and there were Expenditures of$4,435.32 for Brockway Park improvements and platting fees. Brockway Park—The playground has been completed and the shelter should be fuushed by the end of this week. We are working on setting a date for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Charlie's Park—Bids for the new courts close on Tuesday,September 29. The bids may be higher than we anticipated due to soil corrections that are necessary. We are expecting 10—12 bids. 6, OLD BUSINESS: a. 10 Year Capital Improvement Plan—Schultz explained that the 10 year CIP is reviewed on an annual basis. He reviewed the five 2010 PaYks and Recreation Department expenditure items: Resurfacing the Community Center gym floor(which will be a shared cost with the National Guar�,miscellaneous park improvements,covered benches at Charlie's Paxk tennis courts,tennis courts and athletic fields. Schultz explained that the funds used for resurfacing the gym floor are not park improvement funds,but the other items would be paid for through that fund. Per Schultz, the need for additional tennis courts has come up,and a study on athletic facilities is also being conducted. The Commission was not in favor of giving up green space at Erickson Park for the - 1 - PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes September 28, 2009 installation of tennis courts. They also thought this location was too hidden,and that a location in a high traffic area would make it easier for the general public to find the courts. The Commission asked about the possibility of putting$75,000 toward lights at the DCTC fields. The Commission noted that based on the projects in the current CIP budget,the park improvement fund would be largely depleted by the end of 2011. Spending$600,000 for tennis courts was discussed,as this would be a large portion of the park improvement fund. Finding a spot where we could start with two courts,and then add on more courts instead of building them all at once was suggested. Installing courts on the west side of the St. Joseph's Church property or installing tennis courts or cutting soccer fields on the site of the former blue house day care were also suggested. The Commission asked if they could get numbers on adult tennis participation in other cities. They felt it was our fiduciary responsibiliry to meet the needs of the greatest number of people with the limited funds we have. Partnering with someone to build the courts was also mentioned. It was suggested that the tennis courts be removed from the 2010 CIP because we do not want to displace the current faciliry due to the large number of user groups using it,and at this time we do not have the money to put into additional courts based on the smaller number of user groups for tennis. It was also suggested that the tennis court project as a whole be reevaluated,not just the location, but that a master plan for tennis courts for the City be developed. Per Schultz,we could include funds in the CIP for a master plan for tennis courts. Partnering to build the courts was also suggested. Schultz will let the Commissioners know when the City Council will have this item on their agenda so the Commissioners may attend the meeting. The reasons why the Commission was not in favor of spending $600,00 for tennis courts was recapped: the cost-it would have too large an impact on the park improvement fund balance; if we build courts at Erickson Park,they would be hidden away and not in a high traffic area;are we focusing on school district needs versus community needs-are we looking at satisfying 150 kids who participate in tennis instead of sports with 800 participants;and are there truly numbers that support the need for additional tennis courts. The Commission would like to see we what is being used and when as far as tennis courts (use by the high school and by parks and recreation) and the results of the field use study. 'I'hey would also like to discuss the impact of removing green space at Erickson Park. The Commission also discussed keeping a minimum balance in the park improvement fund so that it is not depleted to the extent that there are insufficient funds for future projects. In conclusion,the Corrunission was not opposed to adding tennis courts,but based on the current economy,they expressed concern about spending more than one third of the remaining park improvement fund balance for tennis courts,which may be serving a small portion of the community while other park user needs are unmet. The Commission felt that spending this amount of funds on tennis courts was not fiscally responsible or in the best interest of the majority of park users. They felt that finding a location where we could build two courts and then phase in additional courts in the future as funds allow would be a more fiscally responsible plan. Creating a parks master plan for tennis courts was mentioned as a way to provide for this. MOTION by Strayton to recommend to the City Council that the Parks and Recreation Commission does not support use of park improvement funds for the Tennis Courts CIP project in the 2010 budget. The Commission would like to see this project reevaluated in 2010. SECOND by Knight. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Strayton to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Bartz. Ayes:4 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary -2 -