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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 04-25 PARKS 8� RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2008 APPROVED Members Present: Maureen Bartz,Jason Eisold,Sandy Knight Members Absent: Mike Eliason,Kevin Strayton Staff Present: Dan Schultz,Director of Parks and Recreation and Sonja Honl,Recording Secretary Student Volunteer: jonathan Nutzmann Others Present: Advisors and students from Rosemount High School S.A.D.D. (Students Aga.inst Destrucrive Decisions);Student Council Representarives;Patrick Srieg,Dakota County Public Health 1. CALL TO ORDER: Eisold called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None. Schultz would like to discuss changing the May meeting date after the Director's Report. 3. APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 24, 2008 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES AND THE APRIL 14, 2008 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Bartz to approve the minutes of the March 24,2008 meeting and the Apri114,2008 special meeting. SECOND by Knight. Ayes: 3 Nays:0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None. 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None. 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Veterans' Memo�181 Walk— The Commission has discussed this item several times over the past few years,beo nning with the request in 2005 by the Father Franks Foundation to recognize veterans from Rosemount with some kind of inemorial. T'he Rosemount Veterans Memorial Walk(RVM�,a 501.3 group,has now been formed and has taken over this project. In past discussions,it was agreed that Central Park provided the best location because a memorial already exists there and the sidewalks and trails are easily accessible from the parking lot. Schultz provided an aerial photo of Central Park and showed options of where sidewalks could be added. The options all connected the parking lot to the existing trail that runs from the Park and Ride Lot located on Hwy. 3 past the Central Park shelter. The sidewalks would be lined with memorial bricks which the organization has already begun selling. RVN1tiY� also would like to install sizeable memorial monuments in this area. As discussed in the past,there is a state statute that prohibits cities from paying for or constructing monuments of this type unless approved by a majority of voters at an election. Unless such a measure is passed,RVMW would be responsible for all costs such as installa.tion and maintenance. The monuments and new sidewalks to be lined with pavers are only the initial phase proposed by RVMW. They have also asked about extending the pavers along the Koch Trail in Central Park. Schultz noted that this project has been included in the Parks Master plan as a proposed project. MOTION by Knight to support the development of a Veterans' Memorial Wa1k in Central Park and to develop a Memorandum of Understanding between the Rosemount Veterans Walk and the City of Rosemount. SECOND by Bartz. Per Schultz,if we move forward,the Ciry would create a formallegal agreement for this project and would ask RVMW to provide a detailed plan,including the additional phases they are proposing. It would be made very clear to the group what the City's expectations are. RVM�`U's goal is to have something in place by Veterans Day 2009. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. b. Tobacco Free Parks Presentation —Parrick Srieg,Dakota County Public Health Dept.,has been working with Rosemount High School students on a tobacco-free parks policy and had provided Schultz with the information that was included in the Commission packet. NIr. Stieg gave a brief overview of what the students have been working on. Student advisors and students from the Rosemount High School S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and Student Council then presented information to the Commission. Since October 2007,they have been working on a tobacco-free parks - 1 - PARKS $ RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2008 proposal. They were asking the Commission to support a comprehensive tobacco-free parks poliry, eliminating tobacco use at all playgrounds,sports fields,parking lots and trails in Rosemount.The students egplained the many benefits of such a policy and provided a number facts and examples of how this poliry would have a positive impact on the communitp. They provided the Commissioners with copies of 131etters that were sent to Ma,yor Droste and city sta,ff in support of their proposal, (including letters from RAAA,the Dakota County Public Health Dept.,the American Heart Association,and the American Lung Association of NIl� as well as copies of a petition for the proposal that was signed bp 367 people. They also provided an egample of a sign that could be posted in parks identifying them as tobacco free. These signs are available free of charge from Dakota County. Once the presentation concluded,Schultz egplained to the S.A.D.D.group that the Parks and Recreation Commission is an advisory group,that they would discuss the issue and then forward their recoxnmendations to the City Counal. The Commission asked for more information regarding the free signage that is available through Dakota County. MOTION by Bartz to recommend that staff collect policies from neighboring communities and bring the policies back for review and discussion at the May Commission meeting. SECOND by Knight. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 7.•47 p.na. The Conami.crion tooJe a brief rece,r.r. The naeeting ava.r called b�ck to order at 7.•S�p.�re. c. Parks and Recreation Improvements—6011d Refe�endU111—The bond referendum held on Apri122,2008 was not approved. There were 877"yes"votes and 1,981 "no"votes. Schultz provided the Commission with a breakdown of the voting by precinct and a map of the precincts. Schultz met with an ADA specialist at the old St.Joseph's Church before tonight's meeting,and there are challenges to get the buildings up to code. As far as the athletic compleg,staff has discussed options for phasing the project in gradually,but one issue is that the site has to be properly graded. Schultz met with the City Engineer and our landscape architect regarding how best to address this. Funding also needs to be addressed. Schultz would like to discuss this issue further at a joint City Council Work Session. 'I'he Commission briefly discussed the referendum. Some had heard comments that those using the faciliry should pay for it,and the economy also may have had an impact on how people voted. There may also be groups with younger children who we should try to get information to. Schultz thought it would be very helpful if the next City survey included questions about this item so we would have data that would allow us to better gauge public interest. Schultz will discuss this with the City Council in the near future. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Naming of the Public Park in the Prestwick Development- Arcon Development recendy contacted Schultz regarding naming the park in the Prestwick Place Development. For years the McCarthy family farmed this land,and Arcon Development had asked Schultz about incorporating the McCarthy name into the park name. We have used historical Rosemount names as park names in the past,most recendy Brockway Park. Historical markers will a.lso be included in Brockway Park to explain the history of the site. Schultz asked the Commission if they would like staff to research the McCarthy family history and bring back more information. Schultz will also bring back information on the amount of land that they owned. Bartz asked how parks have been named in the past and Schultz explained that most often they are named for the street they are on or the development where they are located. Schultz wasn't sure of the history behind the naming of Erickson Park and will bring this back. MOTION by Bartz to recommend that staff further research the history of the McCarthy farmstead and provide the Commission with informarion on how to recognize the history of the land with the naming of the public park. SECOND by Knight. Ayes: -2 - PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION Regular Meeting Minutes April 25, 2008 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. Schultz suggested that if the park isn't named after the McCarthy family, some type of marker be placed in the park to explain the history of the property. Eisold asked if this was in the Parks Nlaster Plan. Schultz will look into this. I�night asked if Schultz cou.ld also look into the names of the roads the park will be on. b. Appoint Commission Chair and Vice Chair— The Commission tabled this item unril the May meeting in order to include the Commission members who were unable to attend tonight's meeting. C. D'I�eCtOt'S RepOrt- The park improvement fund balance as of March 31,2008 was $2,151,660.36. No parks dedication fees were received. Grants in the amount of$35,647.47 were received(W�iklund DNR Grant and Brazil Ave.Trail Grant). No donations were received in March. Interest for March was $6,309.71. There were expenditures of$10,096.93 for professional services for the Outdoor Recreation Complex,Brazil Ave.Trail and Prestwick Development. Softball Leagues-Softball leagues have started. DCTC Joint Powers Agteement-The joint powers agreement from Dakota County Technical College should be received within a few days. Schultz will bring it back to the May meeting,along with updated plans. St.Joseph's School Lease—Lease payments will be due beginning August 2008. The lease will be approgimately$86,000 per year,and the funds will go into the City's general fund. May Commission Meeting—The fourth Monday in May falls on Memorial Day. Schultz recommended moving the meeting to Monday,May 19,and the Commission agreed. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Knight to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by Bartz. Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 831 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary - 3 -