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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 05-23 PRC Minutes PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes May 23, 2011 APPROVED Members Present: Maureen Bartz,JoAnne Cope,Jason Eisold,Barb Farrell Members Absent: Mike Eliason Staff Present: Dan Schultz,Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl,Recording Secretary Student Volunteer. None Others Present: Tom Schuster,Parks Supervisor 1. CALL TO ORDER: Eisold called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. 3. APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 25,2011 MEETING MINLJTES: MOTION by Bartz to approve the minutes of the Apri125,2011 meeting. SECOND by Farrell. Ayes:4 Nays:0 Motion passed 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None 5. DISCUSSION(Response to Audience Input): None 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. UMore Ball Field Design—Schultz reviewed a revised concept plan which included a full-size baseball and four smaller softball/baseball fields. The plan is still being refined. What size the field should be is still being discussed,and Schultz also mentioned that we would include a small storage garage,possibly in the southeast corner of the site. 'There has also been discussion regarding including a stadium seating, and full dugouts at one of the smaller fields,to be paid for by Dakota County Technical College. Farrell mentioned that the trail crosses the road in the park,and asked if there was some other alternative for the trail. Schultz will talk to the designers regarding how to best design the trail. Eisold asked that we consider including storage at the end of the dugouts if the design with the sta,dium on one field is used. Schultz asked the Commission for their thoughts regarding naming the facility. Naming it Akron Field, after the road it's on,was suggested. Schultz also mentioned the possibility of a historical name, something from Rosemount's history,such as naming it after the former Rosemount resident who was part of the women's baseball team that the movie"A League of'Their Own"was based on. Schultz will look further into historical naming options and bring this back. Schultz should have a cost estimate for the project for the June Commission meeting. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Emerald Ash Borer—The Parks and Recreation Department staff is working with Public Works staff on an emerald ash borer(EAB) management plan. A survey of the trees in City parks,and along boulevards and rights of way has been conducted to determine the approgimate number of trees that could possibly be affected. We are focusing on parks and public areas in Rosemount. Options include doing nothing,leaving existing trees and systematically planting other trees,taking down trees,and treating larger,specimen-type trees with chemicals. The Commission suggested that we should try to save large trees,but also plant other trees (being sure to diversify what is plante�,and that we focus on planting trees where people would want shade,such as where people sit or walk. Per Schultz,we could start planting some trees now where it is logical,and wait with other measures until the EAB is identified closer to Rosemount. b. Prestwick Place 3�Addition—The developer,US Homes Corporation—Lennar,recently got approval from the Ciry to change some of the multi-family housing in the development to single- family homes. Schultz reviewed the updates to the preliminary plat for the development and the park concept plan. Staff is recommending the following additions to the plat adding a sidewalk to the west side of Street 9;adding a sidewalk to the south side of Street 8;and adding a trail between Lots 9 and 10 on Block 3. Schultz also informed the Commission that based on the number of projected housing units,the developer would be dedicating 2.96 acres of parkland. They are only required to dedicate 2.52 acres,so they would carry a credit of.44 acres for future development. There was discussion about including sidewalks on both sides of Street 4,Street 3 and Street 10. - 1 - PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes May 23, 2011 MOTION by Bartz to recommend that the City Council approve the Prestwick Place preliminary plat with the conditions recommended by staff,and providing 0.44 acres of credit for parks dedication. SECOND by Farrell. Ayes: 4 Nays:0 Motion passed. c. Tennis Courts at Erickson Park—Schultz reviewed a chart of possible locations for tennis courts and the pros and cons of each option. Based on the information in the chart,the soccer/lacrosse fields at Erickson Park appear to be the best location for building tennis courts. Schultz also reviewed a draft spreadsheet showing the field usage at all of our parks. T'he spreadsheet included data for Rosemount Area Athletic Association sports,as well as Parks and Recreation Department youth and adult tennis lessons and adult softball and soccer. Based on the data collected,we are at full capacity on all of the fields. T'he Commission asked who was demanding additional tennis courts and why we were talking about this when the data doesn't show a need. Schultz explained that in the past there have been requests from tennis supporters and a high school coach,for additional facilities for large tournaments. Schultz also added that from talking to USTA staff,they recommend building clusters of courts versus building them in sets of two.Per Schultz,the Erickson Park site seems to be the best location for additional tennis courts to be built in the future,once the green space could be replaced in our park system. The Flint Hills site may be a better an opportunity to develop football,soccer,and lacrosse fields which would allow for opportuniries to make changes in other parks.The Commission suggested putting a quesrionnaire at the Charlie's Park tennis courts and asking people to e-mail or call the Parks and Recreation Department if they had to wait to use the courts. d. Discussion of Future Amenities—This was a continuation of previous discussions regarding prioritizing future amenities. Schultz included a list of items to be prioritized. It was noted that last month the Commission had discussed paving the parking lot at Erickson Park and updating the Erickson Park Shelter,and these were not included on the list. Upda.ting the pla,yground equipment at Erickson Park and adding some benches under the trees was also suggested. Schultz vcrill add these to the list. The Commission asked that when we set priorities for parks,we separate organized sports/ball fields from non-organized use such as the ska,te park,family activities,etc. He will categorize the usage as requested and suggest priorities by category. e. Director's Report-The park improvement fund balance as of Apri130,2011 was$1,442,679.97. No grants,parks dedication fees or donations were received. Interest was $152.77. There were no expenditures. Tennis Block Party—The annual tennis block party was held on Saturday,May 7,at the high school tennis courts. Representarives from RAAA traveling and in-house tennis,the high school tennis program,high school tennis boosters and the Parks and Recreation Department shared information on tennis programs. Approximately 50 people participated. Garden Plots—Land at the outdoor recreation complex site is being used for public garden plots. There are 24 plots,20'by 35'in size. We have already had 45 requests for the plots and are currendy contacting interested people about sig�ning up for them. The cost is $35 + tax. We will evaluate the program and make adjusttnents as needed for next year. Run fot the Gold—The 25�annual Run for the Gold will be held this July. A new sponsor,Kwik Trip,will be donating bananas,apples,sports drinks and botded water for 350 participants. We estimate the value of this donation to be over$300. 8. ADJOURNMENT-MOTION by Bartz to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Farrell. Ayes: 4 Naps:0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl,Recording Secreta,ry -2 -